Most people seem concerned about overeating, but there are people who are worried because they cannot eat enough. You may experience several symptoms if you're not eating enough. Weight loss is definitely one of the main symptoms, but limiting your caloric intake may also affect your heart, brain, kidneys, and liver. Not providing your body with enough nutrients is going to hit you in more ways than you might think. Let's find out why it is not a good idea to eat less than what your body needs.

Symptoms of Not Eating Enough

It is natural to feel the need to lose weight and look like those slim models gracing the ramp with their presence. Many people who have a healthy weight often fall prey to those media advertisements and decide to eat less to lower their weight. This is not a sensible thing to do and may affect you in a number of ways. Here are some main symptoms that tell you should change your diet plan immediately.

1. You Have Low Energy

If you are dragging all day long, know that you are eating fewer calories. The more calories you have, the more energized you are going to feel. The idea is to keep your calorie intake at a healthy level. Not eating enough calories will rob you of energy required to fire up tissues like muscle.

2. You Stop Losing Weight

If you have started eating less because you want to lose weight quickly, you may be disappointed to see the results. You are less likely to lose weight in this way because your body switches to its survival mode and stops burning calories. Over time, it will affect your metabolism and make it extremely difficult to lose weight. You have to eat right and enough to make your body burn fat and save you from hitting a plateau.

3. You Develop Constipation

One of many symptoms of not eating enough is constipation. It usually happens because you are not getting enough fiber to bulk up your stool. Moreover, not eating enough can make you feel dehydrated. Your body can confuse thirst for hunger. It means you may take thirst as hunger pangs and avoid eating or drinking anything. This over time leads to dehydration and makes you feel constipated.

4. You Are Always Hungry

Getting in a starvation mode is not healthy. You need to manage your diet in a way that you eat all the right stuff and do not feel hungry after a meal. If you are constantly hungry, know that you are not eating enough. This usually happens when you suddenly cut back on your food intake.

5. You Experience Quick Mood Shifts

When you do not eat enough, you may develop several problems, including hunger-induced anger. You become irritable because your brain can no longer enjoy psychological component of eating. There may also be a hormonal imbalance fueled primarily by low blood sugar. Moreover, a receptor called ghrelin, which signals brain when you feel hungry, combines with epinephrine to cause hunger-induced anger.

6. You Experience a Binge-Type Behavior

If you have been eating less and sticking to your low-calorie diet for quite some time but then suddenly lose control, know that you are eating less than what your body requires. Pushing yourself hard to avoid eating enough may end up spiraling and eating to an extent that makes you sick. That temptation to over-indulge builds over time and then suddenly goes out of control leading to a binge-type behavior.

7. You Feel Cold All the Time

Your body temperature may go down when you restrict your calorie intake for long enough. You may feel cold all the time, which indicates you do not have enough calories to keep your body warm. You are also likely to be uncomfortably cold if your diet is too low in carbs.

8. You Cannot Sleep Comfortably

If you find yourself tossing and turning all night long, this may well be one of many symptoms of not eating enough. Even if you fall asleep, you may wake up in the middle of the night mainly because of fluctuating blood sugar. Not being able to go to sleep after you wake up in the middle of the night is usually an indicator that your blood sugar is too low. Eating more may stabilize blood sugar and help resolve the issue.

9. You Feel Depressed

Again, low blood sugar caused by under-eating can make you feel anxious and depressed. Your brain cannot function properly in the absence of glucose, which is the reason why low blood sugar has a direct effect on your emotions. You may also feel depressed because under eating can affect your adrenals that in turn release stress hormone called cortisol. Changing your diet may make you more upbeat.

10. You Fail to Get Pregnant

Low-calorie dieting lowers your body fat and may even lead to amenorrhea and infertility in women. You may experience menstrual irregularity that leads to a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhea, which can make it difficult for you to conceive. Caused by chronic caloric deprivation, hypothalamic amenorrhea can also cause physiological changes like adrenal fatigue and euthyroid sick syndrome. Switching to a higher calorie ancestral diet may help increase your chances of becoming pregnancy.

11. You Are Experiencing Hair Loss

Losing hair quickly is yet another side effect of not providing your body with enough nutrients. It could be because your diet does not contain enough protein, calories, or both. Things become worse when chronic under-eating causes a hormonal imbalance – there may be a quick drop in sex hormones like testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. You may also experience hair loss because of hypothyroidism. Be sure to tweak your diet if you are losing hair at a scarily fast rate.

12. You Experience Headaches

You are likely to experience headaches when your blood sugar level is not stable. Carbohydrates help keep your blood sugar levels steady, but a diet low in carbs can lead to an imbalance. A dip in blood sugar level will result in a headache. It is normal to experience headaches from time to time, but having them everyday indicates an underlying problem. Eating some carb-rich food like pears, apples, and carrots may help treat your headaches.

Caution

Considering the symptoms of not eating enough, it becomes clear that you should never cut calories suddenly. It is never going to help lose weight, but it can cause other complications. Over-restricting calories is bad for your physical and mental health. The idea is to create a calorie deficit while still eating enough to lose weight in a healthy way. Instead of focusing too much on your diet, you should also include a workout plan in your routine to get better results. Only half an hour spent doing your favorite exercise four times a week helps you lose up to 300 calories a day. So, be sure to move in a sensible way to achieve your weight loss goals.