How Much Should We Eat?

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Something I notice my clients struggling with is understanding how much food to eat. They keep eating less but never seem to lose weight. You may be surprised to know that a lot of people who are overweight do not actually consume enough food.
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You have had it drilled into you that to lose weight you must cut calories; however, this has led to people cutting not just calories but essential nutrients. Often when people cut calories too low, they are hungrier, and they choose lower quality foods leading to a state of malnutrition and hormonal imbalance. These signals put our bodies in “starvation mode” causing us to hold on to fat mass and decrease our lean mass (muscle, bone, tendons etc.).

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A few tips to work yourself out of starvation mode and improve your body composition are: ​

1. Aim for 1 gram of protein per desired body weight (ex. 175lb person who has a goal of weighing 145lbs should aim for ~145g or protein per day)
   
2. Eat foods that are nutrient dense (Non-Processed Animal Products, Fresh Fruits (sweet & non-sweet), and vegetables)
   
3. Aim to eat 3 whole food meals per day and drink only water between meals.
   
4. Set caloric and target macronutrient goals: Percentage range of total calories: Protein (20-30%), Fats (30-50%), Carbs (30-50%)  
   

For our clients we do a body composition analysis and food log review as part of our assessment process to provide more specific recommendations. After 2-4 weeks of consistency, you can begin to adjust what you are doing depending on if you are or are not successful. This is a process that takes time, be patient! ​

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Andrew Cataldo, CSCS OPEX CCP
Director - Performance Division 
E: [email protected]