Do you ever find yourself feeling hungry despite watching what you eat and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? I was like that all of the time. If I ate till I was satiated, I was over my calories. The recommendations for a woman my age is a measly 1380. Seriously. That is less than a toddler needs, and yet somehow I’m supposed to maintain muscle and thrive on meager calories. As a 64 year old, it was difficult to trust that I actually could eat a lot more food and not put on fat. It’s not uncommon to feel like that. I’m still hungry and yet quite hesitant about increasing my calorie intake. It’s kinda scary. Who wants to put on weight? We have been conditioned to believe that eating less is the key to maintaining a healthy weight. However, I’m here to tell you that you CAN eat more and still achieve your health and fitness goals.
Before I list out my top 5 tips for eating more food that actually have worked for me let’s go over how to increase calories. Let’s say you’re eating 1500 calories right now. Don’t jump to 2000. Let’s add 50 -100 calories gradually over the month. The normal recommendation is to do this a bit faster, but I found slower works a bit better for older women. Here is an example: for January you would eat between 1550-1600 calories. What I would do is 1550 for the first 2 weeks, then add in the other 50 so you are at 1600 for the last 2 weeks. Stay there for a month while your body gets used to the extra fuel. Meanwhile I am walking after meals and lifting heavy stuff a few times a week. No chronic cardio, and sleeping like it is my job each night. Then in March there would be another bump of 50 calories to 1650 for the first week, 1675 for a week then up to 1700 or something similar. A slow increase of calories and then hold there while you maintain, lift weights, walk. Once stable, then add in another 50-100 calories. One lady I heard about did an increase of 25 calories a month. . .ever so gradual as to not cause a shock. Younger people can go faster and maybe you can too. So play with the increase. This type of dieting is called Reverse Dieting. The goal is to increase calories, while building the metabolism, and not gaining fat. Muscle is okay to gain, and the more muscle you can build the more calories your body will use and the more you can eat.
Let’s REV UP THOSE METABOLISMS LADIES!
Top 5 tips for increasing calories
1. Eat Nutrient-Dense Single-Ingredient Foods: Instead of focusing solely on calorie counting, prioritize nutrient-dense foods that nourish your body and support your overall health. What does this mean? Prioritizing protein by eating it first, and eating enough of it. Just this one thing can go a long way to making all this happen. Protein first, then eat the fats and carbs until you are full. Now I want to caveat this statement by adding in that “fats and carbs” need to be single ingredient foods like butter, tallow, olive oil and above ground vegetables, low sugar fruits like zucchini, tomato, and berries. Fats and carbs from cakes, cookies, tubers, rice, grains and other processed food items will turn off the “I’m Full” switch in your brain which will result in overeating. Also, while in the adjustment phase of increasing calories, I found that removing sweeteners helps a LOT. Sweeteners tend to cause me to want more of whatever that is, and I do not like that feeling of craving. I don’t abstain all of the time. I had cake at my daughter’s baby shower, and I make treats for my family and enjoy those from time to time. So if you are feeling cravings, try removing sweeteners for a few weeks. It isn’t that hard after the first day and you’ll be shocked at what tastes sweet after that. Normal foods like almonds are sweet tasting when you haven’t been bombarding your taste buds with artificial sweeteners or even natural sweeteners. Just an idea if you are struggling with this.
2. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, and don’t ignore feelings of hunger in an effort to restrict your calorie intake. Also note the difference between hunger and craving. When it is truly hunger, eating whole, natural, single ingredient foods when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re satisfied is key to maintaining a healthy relationship with food, preventing feelings of deprivation and subsequent bingeing. I keep a thing of frozen hamburgers ready to go and will pop one into the airfryer if I need a quick snack. The extra protein does me a WORLD of good. Scrambled eggs with a tablespoon of butter is a GREAT snack and will fill you up. Excellent nutrition of protein and fats.
3. Lift Heavy Stuff: Strength training is vital for protecting our muscle, maintaining bone density, and boosting your metabolism. Yes, you heard that right. When we lift heavy weights, we can eat more food. “Muscles are calorie absorbers.” LOL! My coach friend Tara Garrison said that years ago. I loved it. Wanna eat? Lift weights. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with heavier weights or resistance bands to stimulate muscle growth and increase your metabolic rate. If you need help figuring this out, hire a weight lifting coach at a local gym for just a couple of sessions to teach you a few lifts like a deadlift, how to squat and some upper body lifts. If you will be working out at home, tell her/him that you only have these particular items and want to preserve muscle. What can you do? A good trainer can create a plan for you, and teach you how to do it well. I did that and loved it a lot! It made me feel invincible. I went back after a while to learn more. It is not that expensive. Shop around. If you need help with this, drop me a DM and I’ll help you figure it out.
4. Stay Active Throughout the Day: In addition to lifting or resistance training, aim to stay active throughout the day by walking especially after meals. A 10 minute walk after meals can help the body use the fuel you just ate properly. Gardening, dancing and even using a standing desk can make a big difference. Activity you do that is not formal exercise is called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and can contribute to overall calorie expenditure and metabolic rate. Basically people who move more throughout the day use more calories.
5. You gotta track: I use My Fitness Pal to track food. I have the free version. No, I don’t use it every day but a few days a month I track my normal meals just to see where I am. You’re probably the same on this and eat the same dishes over and over every week. So once you know that your specialty stir fry is 34 grams of protein and 526 calories, you don’t really need to write that down every time you make this. After a few weeks of tracking, you can ballpark it in your head. Aim for your protein amount first. Tracking keeps you on track, and journaling allows you to go back over the weeks to see “Okay, this is working so I’ll do more of this”. I do not weigh myself often but instead use my clothes as a guide of how I’m doing. Take progress photos, too. Keep track of your protein intake first, calorie intake second and also journaling about energy levels and any changes in body composition over time — like you notice that the sleeves of your shirts feel tighter. YAY for building some gorgeous shoulders. Why does this matter? If you’re feeling hungry or not seeing the desired results, you’ll have data to review so you can make wise adjustments to your diet and exercise routine as needed.
Remember, eating more doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your health or gaining weight. By prioritizing single ingredient, nutrient-dense foods, listening to your body, and staying active, you can fuel your body well, eat more food and still look like a million bucks. Plus all your friends who are still living on 1200 calories and doing chronic cardio will want to know your secret. Your secret is prioritizing protein and living heavy stuff. Go slow as you make these adjustments. This time next year you won’t recognize yourself.
The nutrition lever (Tip #1) will be your biggest lever. You get that right and this will be so much easier. If you need help, I offer one-on-one coaching calls to brainstorm ideas, help you figure out your macros or whatever you need to brainstorm. It is $50 for 30 minutes. You can sign up here.
If you are stuck in a restrictive eating patterning and finding it hard to break free from that, I have guide that may help you break free from that pattern. You can get it here.
