Mistake #5: Why Eating Less Can Make You Gain Weight
I’ve heard it so many times: people claim to be in a deficit but aren’t losing weight—and in some cases, they even gain. It’s the opposite of what you’d expect. Weird, right?
Yet it happens more than you think. People in this scenario mostly make the same mistake. They blindly follow half-truths that have been thrown around by uneducated people. We could blame the fitness industry for this, but in the end, the individuals following this advice blindly are to blame as well.
My favorite quote that gets thrown around a lot is “just exercise more and eat less.” That quote has damaged so many metabolisms and has given so many people a reason to never try again or even quit along the journey because they kept burning out.
Let’s dive into why.
Why exercising more and eating less will backfire in most cases.
To me this is the most ridiculous statement that refuses to die down. People see other people that want to lose weight and immediately assume they eat too much. They do this without any data.
So just eat less and exercise more—that’s what these people recommend. The result: burnouts, injuries, damaged metabolism, and, in some cases, unsustainable weight loss.
The problem is twofold here:
- Most people don’t know how many calories people need.
- Most people don’t know how much the other person is eating
Let’s break it down problem by problem.
Why your calorie needs are higher than you think.
Your calorie intake depends on how active you are. This should be common sense. Yet there are people that train combat sports and go to bodybuilders for nutrition advice. This obviously ends badly.
A person lifting an hour a day doesn’t need the same amount of calories as a person training 4+ hours.
But most people don’t know this and take the “what works for me should work for you” approach. And it might work once, but eventually a price, mostly an injury, will be paid due to the chronic underfueling.
The more you burn, the more you need to eat. This applies to a deficit as well. Plus you have to factor in single and double training days plus rest days. Nutrition is not that complicated, but there is way more to it than most people know.
Which inevitably brings me to a second problem. Most people don’t know how much they eat.
You’re guessing, not tracking.
Whenever I do intakes with new clients, I always let them track their calories for 3 days. This is always met with a lot of resistance, but once they do it, they can’t argue anymore. Before they track, they always assume they eat too much. Once they have the numbers in front of them, they quickly realize it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Everyone eats 3000 calories a day until they track it; after that, it’s suddenly 1500 calories.
This is the issue for most people. They actually don’t know how much they’re eating. They gain weight and assume they eat too much. But, like mentioned before, eating too little could result in gaining weight too.
That’s because when you chronically under-eat, your body adapts by slowing metabolism, spiking hunger hormones, and holding onto fat—leaving you stuck or even gaining weight despite ‘doing everything right.’
But no one talks about this. And, in most of these cases, fixing the nutrition and increasing the calories will result in weight loss.
Remember: being in a calorie deficit doesn’t automatically guarantee weight loss if your body is chronically underfed. That isn’t a calorie deficit, it’s another nail in the coffin.
I hope this gave you some clarity. If you still feel stuck, I’ve got you covered—whether you’re a hobbyist, athlete, or fighter.
Over the years, I’ve helped fighters heal their metabolism, lose weight effectively, and fuel their bodies for peak performance. If you’re struggling with weight loss, underperforming due to poor nutrition, or dealing with a damaged metabolism, DM me “nutrition” on Instagram to get started.
In my 3-month coaching program, I’ll guide you through:
- Healing your metabolism.
- Losing weight sustainably without burnout.
- Learning how to fuel for performance when maintaining and losing weight.
- Cutting weight safely for a fight (only for fighters).
I only take on 3 clients every 3 months. If you want one of those spots, DM me ‘nutrition’ on Instagram or Twitter.
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram.
Until next time.
Alex
Further Reading
- Eat, Sleep, Overtrain, Repeat → I cover the truth about underrecovery (most people call it overtraining).
- The Issue with Eating Out in Thailand → Aimed at Muay Thai fighters, but useful for anyone training here.
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 1)
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 2)
