If you are trying to get fit and lose weight, lowering your calorie consumption is often the first thing you do. This is, of course, a good way to drop those excess pounds and tone up, but you need to be careful that you do not lower your food intake too fsr as this can cause your health to suffer.

Below are some tell-tale signs that you are not getting enough calories, so if you spot any of them it might be time to rethink your diet and exercise strategy and start adding in more food.

Low energy levels

If you are not eating enough to sustain your body, then you will start to feel fatigued much sooner than you usually do. Even simply walking at a slow pace could leave you feeling exhausted. Working out on too few calories is not only unsustainable but it can be dangerous, so always ensure you are eating enough to cover your resting calorie burn as well as any exercise you do.

Thinning or falling out hair

When your body not getting enough calories, it is also likely to be the case that you are not getting enough nutrients and this can often result in thinning hair or hair that begins to fall out. This is particularly common if you are low on iron but other deficiencies can cause it too. So, before you start looking up the best men’s and women’s hair loss treatments, maybe try adding more nutrient-dense calories into your diet and see if that helps to rehabilitate your hair.

Missing periods

If you are female, then you might find that your periods stop if you eat too few calories for too long. This is because your body will try to protect you from yourself when you are not getting enough good nutrition in you. It knows that now may not be a good time for you to get pregnant, so your periods will stop and may not start again until you have built back a good level of nutrition.

You feel hungry

It’s an obvious point, but a healthy person does not feel hungry all of the time, so if you are constantly hungry, it is probably the case that you are not eating enough calories for your basic bodily needs. It’s fine to feel hungry for an hour or so before meals but constant hunger is not usual at all.

Insomnia

Sometimes, when your body is not getting enough food, you will find it difficult to get to sleep at night or stay asleep when you usually would. This is because a low calorific intake can lead to a lower sleep-wave level which means you will find it much harder to drift off and sleep deeply, and since sleep is so important for overall health this can be a major issue.

Eating too little can be as bad for your health as eating too much, so if you notice any of these signs of undernourishment, it might be time to rethink your nutritional plan.