Undereating for weight loss? Fitness coach explains why excessive calorie deficit can make you gain weight
If you’re eating less, staying in a calorie deficit, and exercising regularly but the weighing scale still refuses to budge – or worse, seems to be moving in the opposite direction – the problem may not be a lack of effort. In fact, restricting your calories too aggressively can sometimes work against your weight loss goals. Extreme dieting may leave your body deprived of energy, triggering changes in hunger, metabolism, and daily activity levels that can make losing weight harder and gaining it easier.
Chennai-based fitness coach with 18 years of experience, Raj Ganpath – founder of the Slow Burn Method, co-founder and head coach at Quad Fitness, and author of Simple, Not Easy – is breaking down why excessive undereating is actually counterproductive for weight loss, explaining how it can ultimately make it easier to gain weight over time. In an Instagram video shared on June 12, the fitness coach highlights, “Stop ‘earning’ your calories because excessive undereating is actually making you gain weight. And there are three reasons for this.”
Excessive calorie deficit can lead to overeating
According to Raj, eating too few calories creates a significant calorie deficit, leaving the body deprived of the energy and nutrients it needs to function optimally. As a result, the body naturally responds by increasing hunger and cravings, which can eventually lead to episodes of overeating. He points out that many people tend to focus on the periods when they were undereating while overlooking the times they may have compensated by eating excessively, creating a cycle that can be difficult to break.
The fitness coach highlights, “When you eat very few calories, like 800, 900, 1,000 calories, and create a huge calorie deficit, you are excessively undereating, and you’re depriving your body of energy and nutrients. So, your body starts craving it. So, invariably, you are going to overeat, and you’re going to overeat excessively. But here’s the deal. You remember the undereating, but you don’t remember the extent of the overeating. And so, you’re confused. You’re wondering why you’re not losing weight even though you’re hardly eating.”
Less movement
Raj explains that when you consistently eat very little, your body shifts into an energy-conservation mode to cope with the lack of fuel. As a result, you may unknowingly move less throughout the day – keeping your hands at rest, taking fewer steps, or simply being less active overall. Even if your workout routine remains unchanged, this subtle decline in everyday movement can reduce your overall energy expenditure without you even realising it.
He notes, “When you eat very little food, your body goes into energy conservation mode. And it does that by making you move less. Even without your knowledge, your exercise might be the same, but throughout the day, you’re moving less, you’re moving your hands and legs less, you’re sitting more, you’re walking less. All of this is very subtle, but your body is doing this in an effort to protect you.”
Drop in basal metabolic rate
According to the fitness coach, when you drastically cut calories, and your body begins moving less to conserve energy, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) – the number of calories your body burns at rest to carry out essential life-sustaining functions – can gradually decline. As your BMR decreases, maintaining a calorie deficit becomes increasingly difficult, while slipping into a calorie surplus becomes much easier. This means that even modest overeating can lead to weight gain.
Raj explains, “When you slash calories, when you move less, when you deprive your body, your basal metabolic rate drops. Why? Because your BMR adapts to your movement and fueling. When both of these things are very low, your BMR also drops, which means it becomes very hard for you to create a calorie deficit and very easy for you to create a calorie surplus. That’s why when you overeat, you end up gaining weight very quickly.”
He concludes, “So always remember, while calorie restriction is necessary for weight loss, excessive undereating leading to extreme calorie restriction is counterproductive. What you need in the short term and long term is smart, mindful eating.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
