Are you undereating?

This is especially relevant if you do a lot of cardio. If you are training hard and eating like a toddler, your body does not interpret that as discipline. It interprets it as scarcity, and it will let you know it’s mad at you.

You might notice these signs of undereating while overtraining:

1. You crave sugar at night.
2. Workouts feel harder and you recover slower.
3. You feel ‘wired but tired’ and need lots of caffeine to stay sharp.
4. Your sleep is trash.
5. Your menstrual cycle becomes irregular, or perimenopause symptoms get louder.
6. You plateau in your training, even though you are doing “everything right.”
7. Low leptin levels show up in your labs.

The fix is incredibly simple but can seem counterintuitive at first—especially if your body has adapted to your food intake that it no longer recognizes hunger. It’s called a reverse diet, where you slowly increase calories with appropriate macros by 100 calories per week. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s what makes this so manageable. The key is intentionally eating more, specifically more protein and more total food, earlier in the day. Aim to strategize carb consumption around your workouts.

The end goal is that the reverse diet rebuilds your metabolism, enabling your body to get out of fight or flight mode. The benefit is that you can get creative with the ways you boost your plate. Think: yogurt with berries, an extra egg or slice of toast with honey pre-workout, snack on carrot sticks with hummus, 12-15 almonds or even a matcha latte. 

Are you snacking or eating a surplus overall?
Sometimes, we eat when we aren’t really hungry. A nervous system dysregulation can cause us to gravitate towards food as a comfort—when we’re stressed, tired, or simply bored. Diet culture means women have unfortunately been miseducated that food is something to feel guilty about, but shame never works here. It actually perpetuates a maladaptive cycle. Instead of beating yourself up, simply get really intentional.

For surplus eating

Create a staple foods menu. Think of it like your closet uniform, but for the things you put into your body, instead of the things you dress it with: the idea is that you’ll have a rotation of go-to meals that take the guesswork out of eating, will ensure you keep it clean, and it will also work to simplify your grocery shop. Then, come up with five high protein, whole food meals that include a bunch of non-starchy vegetables.

My personal favorites:

One whole egg, whisked with 1.25 cups of liquid organic egg whites for extra protein and mass. Soft scramble them with a dusting of parmesan cheese. Add a slice of sprouted bread and butter, as well as a grip of wilted spinach, mixed with garlic and lemon.

For a sweet alternative, opt for 400g of non-fat organic Greek yogurt mixed with vanilla whey protein powder (I like MindBodyGreen’s). Top it with a banana, plus 1/4 cup of low sugar granola for extra crunch.

For mindless grazing

If this is a habit you want to quit, try creating a pause ritual that enables you to check in with yourself.

Here’s how:

1. Create awareness by zooming out with curiosity and non-judgment.
2. Call yourself out. “Hey, I’m doing that thing again where I reach for a snack when I need to review the financial spreadsheet.”
3. Breathe a pause. Ask: ‘Am I hungry, or am I overloaded, lonely, tired, thirsty, or just procrastinating?”
4. Substitute chocolate for nutrient-dense, enriching snacks like fruit, coconut chips or avocado with crackers.

Is alcohol limiting you?

Alcohol can wreak havoc on our bodies: there’s a reason Oura ring wearers cut their alcohol intake. It messes with your sleep, destabilizes your hormones, and, depending on consumption, it can make us gravitate towards less-nutritious foods. Most alcohol is also high in calories, and it stops your body metabolizing actual food as it prioritizes metabolizing alcohol from your system instead.

The fix:

1. Decide what nights per week you will drink and how many drinks you will have. Then, write it down. Commit to it like you do your training sessions.
2. Eat before you drink, not after.
3. Alternate alcoholic drinks with an LMNT spicy mango electrolyte (an ideal spicy margarita swap), a Zevia soda or other non alcoholic beverage.
4. Play it forward: “If I drink tonight, I am not going to be as sharp for the accounting call with Susan in the morning. How do I want to feel tomorrow?”
5. Select a functional equivalent behavior. If the aim of the drink is to relax, how about going to yoga, watching a movie, or taking a bath instead?

Are you eating too many processed foods?

Processed food is not morally bad. We all enjoy eating them. My personal favorites are chips, pretzels, and Yasso ice cream bars. However, it’s important we are mindful that they are super easy to overeat because they are all literally engineered by food scientists and the big food industry to be more-ish: it’s the food equivalent of a doomscroll.

There’s another side to this, where if most of your food is hyper processed, the micronutrients are low and the volume of food is even lower. Think of it like eating McDonald's: you eat a Big Mac meal with fries, but soon, hunger strikes far quicker than when you eat whole foods, so you need to eat again.

Try this:

1. Environmental control is our biggest lever in behavior change, so start by getting real about which processed foods are just too tempting to keep in the house on a regular basis.
2. Buy whole, pre-made foods like cans of tuna, rotisserie chicken, and fruit and veg that don’t require cooking—they’re just as easy to reach for, but are far more nutritious.
3. Know that you can still enjoy comfort foods, but pair them with protein and whole food produce to balance your plate. Make them the exception, not the everyday rule.

Important to know: nutrition moves through life phases.
In your twenties, you can get away with most things because your body is so forgiving. In your thirties, food, stress, and sleep start to matter more. In your forties and beyond, muscle becomes your best friend and it’s also your insurance policy; its presence is very much driven by your diet. Muscle supports your metabolism, blood sugar, posture, bone density, and the ability to live independently later.

How to nurture this? By eating: 

1. More lean protein than you think.
2. Enough carbs (most women undereat them).
3. Fewer random ‘snack attacks’ because you eat real meals and are fully satiated.
4. Less reliance on cardio.
5. More consistency, not more intensity.

A holistic strategy that supports muscles, hormones, and recovery is the only thing that cuts it as we get to 40+. Remember: Food is not only fuel, it is a joy. Being intentional about how we nourish ourselves enables us to feel satiated and empowered throughout the rest of our day; taking care of our diet enables our training to take care of our gains. Confidence is the reward for commitment. 

Editorial disclaimer: 
This article is for informational purposes only—even if it includes insights from medical professionals, fitness experts, nutrition specialists, or other wellness advisors. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine, supplement or medication regimen, or lifestyle habits. We make no guarantees about the effectiveness or safety of the strategies, products, or services mentioned. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in this article. Your reliance on any information provided by Danimás is solely at your own risk. In no event will Danimás be liable for any loss or damage, including, without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever, arising from the use of or reliance on any information provided in this article.