Ever wonder in case you’re eating enough? Sharing 8 signs and symptoms to look out for that may mean you’re undereating.

We live in a diet-obsessed culture where the first rhetoric is that we’re eating an excessive amount of and wish to “in the reduction of.” But for this reason emphasis on restriction, lots of us are literally undereating.

Unfortunately, undereating is glamorized in our society. Persons are praised for not eating that much and there’s morality wrapped up in it.

Have you ever ever heard of (or made) comments like: “Oh, you’re so good for not eating that dessert.” “Oh my gosh I wish I could only order an appetizer for dinner.” “You’re so disciplined for leaving half of your meal to take home.”

With all of this emphasis on eating less, no wonder so many individuals are usually not eating enough! Should you’re undereating, I hope you’ll be able to meet yourself with some compassion. None of that is your fault. You’ve been conditioned to consider that undereating is the healthy alternative. That it’s the “good” alternative. 

Should you’ve ever wondered in case you’re eating enough, read the signs you is likely to be undereating below and remain interested in how these may or may not show up in your life.

8 Signs and Symptoms You May Experience When Undereating

1. Irritable Mood

Should you’ve ever experienced “hanger”, you recognize all about an irritable mood. Should you end up often feeling cranky, quick to snap, indignant, or easily frustrated, your low blood sugar levels could also be accountable.

If you don’t eat enough food or eat often enough, your blood sugar drops, which might elicit these feelings we’ve come to call “hanger.” Research supports this – one study found that greater levels of hunger were related to greater feelings of anger, frustration, and lower pleasure.

2. Loss of menstrual cycle

Should you don’t have a daily period, this is usually a sign you’re not eating enough. Amenorrhea, the medical term for lack of menstruation, can occur when the body doesn’t have enough energy (from food) to support producing a period.

You see, the body does an exquisite job at physiologically compensating when it doesn’t receive enough fuel, in an effort to maintain you alive. Considered one of these compensatory mechanisms is conserving energy by shutting down “non-essential systems”, i.e. menstruation.

It’s also necessary to notice that in case you’re on a type of contraception and getting a daily period, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily capable of produce a period on your personal, as the contraception hormones are essentially producing a period for you. Untreated amenorrhea can even result in other health issues like infertility and osteoporosis. Struggling to get pregnant may also be an indication of undereating.

3. Low energy

Should you’re drained on a regular basis and struggle making it through the day, this will likely be an indication you’re not fueling your body adequately. Feeling low energy may mean you might have low energy (aka calorie) intake.

Calories are quite literally units of energy. Should you’re restricting your caloric intake, you’re restricting your energy intake.

Just as you wouldn’t expect a automobile to run for some time on little to no fuel, you’ll be able to’t expect your body to run all day on little to no fuel. Should you’re getting enough sleep and also you’re still exhausted, likelihood is you’re just not eating enough.

Should you aren’t sleeping well, this may also be an indication you’re not eating enough. It might be very hard to go to sleep and stay asleep if you’re hungry – research shows that restriction (in those with eating disorders) is related to fragmented sleep and a discount in deep sleep cycles.

4. Dizziness and Lightheadedness

Dizziness and/or lightheadedness is a symptom of physical hunger, which regularly shows up in case you haven’t honored your hunger cues for some time. Should you’re referring to the hunger and fullness scale, you may see these symptoms at a 1 or 2 on the dimensions, which is taken into account extreme or painful hunger.

Should you’re noticing these symptoms, ask yourself is it possible it is a sign of physical hunger? Ask yourself how long has it been since I last ate something? You should be aiming to eat no less than every 3-4 hours to support stable blood sugar levels.

5. You’re feeling cold often.

Got the chills? But like on a regular basis? It’s one thing to feel chilly when it’s wintertime otherwise you aren’t dressed properly for the temperature outside but in case you’re often feeling chilly irrespective of what the weather and at all times reaching for a blanket, more layers, or a hot beverage, you is likely to be under fueling.

Remember once we were talking about amenorrhea and the way the body will make sure physiological changes to compensate for a scarcity of nutrition or energy intake? Well, that is considered one of those physiological mechanisms.

Regulating your body’s temperature requires energy in the shape of glucose (present in carbohydrates). Should you’re not taking in enough energy, your body is just not going to waste energy on regulating its temperature.

6. You’re serious about food on a regular basis.

Should you can’t stop serious about food and feel like a lot of your mental bandwidth is consumed by thoughts around eating, you’re probably not eating enough.

There’s actually a peptide within the brain called neuropeptide Y that’s released if you don’t eat enough calories. Its role is to make you consider food, specifically carbohydrates, that are our body and brain’s primary source of fuel.

That is one other considered one of those really smart survival mechanisms your body has in place to show you how to survive! Should you’re not eating enough, your brain goes to remind you that you have to eat!

7. You’re losing hair.

Dietary deficiencies – not getting enough protein, vitamins and minerals can result in hair loss. Also, if you under eat, your body goes to conserve energy for the organs that matter essentially the most like your heart and lungs, not your skin, nails or hair.

8. You’re constipated.

If you don’t eat enough food, you’re not going to have much bulk to provide a bowel movement. Not only that but in an effort to conserve energy, the body slows down your digestion.

If any of those symptoms resonated with you, and particularly if multiple signs resonated, I suggest reaching out to an intuitive eating dietitian who can do a radical nutrition assessment to be certain you’re in reality eating enough. That is one of the vital necessary things we assess for once we meet with recent clients in our private practice.