I had the worst insomnia of my life, I wasn’t getting stronger, and for the first time I had lower ab fat that seemed to keep accumulating… no matter how hard I worked out or how healthy I ate.

This was back before I was a health coach. I was going through an intense break up (hello emotional stress), and I was still crushing endurance training for half marathons and 70-mile road bike races.

While my diet appeared healthy at the time — mostly Paleo, lots of veggies, clean carbs and proteins — I didn’t realize I was way undereating.

It wasn’t until the first time I worked with a nutrition coach that I realized I had only been eating around 1300-1400 calories when my body actually needed 2000+ calories.

Fast forward to my time as a nutrition coach, and I’ve found this is incredibly common, especially with ladies and even more so with active, everyday athletes like myself.

Here are some signs you may be unintentionally undereating too:

• You’ve been dieting for a while and can’t seem to lose weight.
• You’re constantly hungry — or you’re never hungry.
• You have adrenal fatigue or cortisol dysregulation, or symptoms like trouble sleeping, constant fatigue, stubborn weight around your midsection.
• You have hormonal imbalances or symptoms like acne, hair loss, dry skin, depression, no libido, no period, or trouble getting pregnant.
• You’re trying to get stronger, faster, or fitter but you’re not seeing progress even though you’re pushing hard in workouts.

If any of that sounds like you, you’d probably benefit from bumping up those calories.

While there are a lot of factors that determine the ideal amount for your body, there are a few general methods to get you in the ballpark.

You can use an online calculator like this one. Or a rough multiplier of your bodyweight X 14 to 16. (Example: 140 pounds X 14-16 = 1,960-2,240 cals/day). Btw, that multiplier is for someone who’s fairly active, so if you aren’t exercising much it may be slightly lower.

(Yes, even for fat loss… Sometimes eating more before you diet is key so you have calories to pull from. So if you want to lose weight before summer but are undereating, now is the best time to bump up that food intake.)

Because I’ve been there — and seen how common it is — my latest program The Performance Detox is all about understanding how to eat enough for your body and, essentially, PR your health.

In the program I break down how to calculate calories and macros (i.e. protein, carbs, and fat) to properly fuel and help your body fully recover and heal. There’s even a reverse dieting bonus guide you can follow step by step if you’re drastically undereating and want to increase your food with a smart, steady approach.

Get all the details at ThePerformanceDetox.com.

Not sure if it’s right for you? Feel free to set up a quick call by contacting me here to chat about your struggles and goals, and I’ll give you my honest answer on whether or not you’re the right fit.