6 Signs You’re Not Consuming Enough Calories (Even to Lose Weight!)

If you’re trying to lose weight, maintain your current weight, or gain more, you should keep an eye on your calories. Yes, in part because they are responsible for changing the scale and your fitness performance, but also because they have a very important job: providing energy and keeping the body functioning – they supply body tissues such as the brain, heart, liver and kidneys. Therefore, consuming the necessary amount is the secret to not making your body and mind suffer from withdrawal.

For women, doctors do not recommend diets with less than 1,200 calories per day. The amount, according to them, is the minimum you should consume to meet your basic needs. Here, we reveal the signs your body gives you when you’re not getting enough:

1. You spend the day tired
Understand one thing: calories = energy. Without enough fuel, you don’t have the energy to work out and regenerate your muscles. That’s because your body is saving the calories you eat for another task: keeping your brain and heart working. If you don’t have a lot of calories left, you won’t feel like doing activities.

2. You are dehydrated
No one has any doubt that keeping the body hydrated is a mandatory rule to keep up to date with health, beauty and disposition. Drinking about 2 liters of water a day is important to quench thirst, regulate body temperature, transport mineral salts and vitamins and even end that false feeling of hunger. Not only that! Food also contains water and is a good source of fiber and minerals.

3. You are constantly hungry
Feeling hungry means your body is sending you a signal. The hormones responsible for this alert change depending on the amount of food you consume. If the intake decreases consequently they are affected. When you don’t eat enough, they stay active and ask your brain for more food.

4. You’ve been irritable…
Who never felt like screaming when they had an empty stomach? This is the famous hunger-induced rage. This happens because the act of eating is psychologically related to the feeling of pleasure. When you deny that feeling to the body, what remains is irritability.

5. You are losing control of your diet
Allowing some indulgences is more than natural. Therefore, following a very restrictive and low-calorie diet causes your body to get out of control – the temptation to overdo it will speak louder. The suggestion is to follow for a while and then try to maintain a healthy diet. No exaggeration!

6. You feel very thirsty
If your diet is not correct, your body loses essential electrolytes such as calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. So, the urge to drink water can signal that something is wrong.