8 tell-tale signs of a bad diet

Is your body responding to your diet?

In the quest to achieve our desirable body size, we often get carried away to the point of introducing erratic diet plans in our lifestyles. In case you didn’t know, your body does have a language of its own. And if you’re willing to listen, it will tell you, in its multiple, myriad ways exactly whether it is happy with the way you treat it.

This article shortlists the most common signs of a bad diet. Knowing them early on in your weight loss journey will help you inculcate a sense of self-love and self-compassion so that detach your fitness goals from health and do what feels good not what makes you look good.

So let’s get started.

1.) You are always craving food/Nightly binge-eating

We have all spent the few minutes before sleep fantasizing about chocolate sundaes and brownies, but you know your cravings have hit the roof when you feel totally out of control around food. Dieting/weight control is a difficult task to execute and restricting yourself all day brings you to a point where it’s super easy for you to lose self-control and binge all the foods that you have restricted yourself from.

Orthorexia, or the act of exercising extra control over the food you eat by counting calories/ calculating portion size makes you more prone to binge eating, which lies on the far end of the spectrum (1).

I suggest eating everything, in moderation and stopping when you’re full. Remember, when you eat well and until satiety, your body rewards you with clean, sparkling health and effortlessly translates into a visibly glowing appearance.

2.) You’re over-thinking your fitness goals

There’s a difference between doing meticulous research on finding a suitable workout plan for beginners and thinking obsessively about how narrow your waistline looks all day. As a beginner, it helps to lower the bar you set for yourself with your fitness goals and remember that exercise and diet may not always translate into toned arms and negligible belly fat but rather the idea is to prioritize good health above all.

3.) Your body temperature is all-time low

The more you limit calorie intake, the fewer calories your body burns at its resting state, resulting in a slower metabolism and an eventual plateau stage during your weight loss journey. Another side-effect of reducing calorie influx is a considerable reduction in core temperature (2). Since calorie is the unit of energy, the body breakdowns calories to generate heat, which, in turn, promotes the maintenance of a normal body temperature.

If your extremities are constantly cold and you see yourself reaching out for a sweater in the early days of fall itself, then calorie restriction may be the reason.

4.) Mood swings are a constant

Waking up cranky until your morning caffeine kicks in is one thing, but having mood swings from time to time and feeling unusually low without a discernible reason may be indicative of an underlying vitamin deficiency (3). Studies have found that a diet low in omega-3 fatty acids causes depression (4). Consider introducing salmon to your diet. Similarly, vitamin B12, folate, and vitamin D have been found to directly boost mood (5), (6). Vitamin D deficiency is the number one cause of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which often occurs in winter due to low levels of sunlight (7).

Having a protein-rich diet, increases the conversion of tryptophan into neurotransmitters, dopamine/serotonin, the feel-good chemicals that are responsible for mood upliftment and reversal of depression-like symptoms (8). Research suggests that drinking milk at night, in addition to a well-balanced diet can help with the alleviation of mood swings (9).

5.) Hairfall, dull skin, and muscle aches

However perfect your diet may seem at the moment, and however good you are at accomplishing your fitness goals, if you have come so far by cutting out whole food groups, or relying on health supplements and meal replacement shakes, you’re in for some serious trouble.

The lack of essential nutrients in the body will over time, reflect outward in the form of dull, cracked skin, hair loss, and muscle cramps. Low amounts of iron and biotin cause hair loss. Consider eating eggs, bananas, and fenugreek seeds to promote hair growth. Dull skin is due to low retinoid production as a result of vitamin A deficiency. Amp up your intake of sweet potatoes and carrots. Further developing cracked skin around the corners of the mouth indicates vitamin C deficiency. Therefore, consider adding citrus fruits to your diet.

6.) Feeling tired and groggy

No matter what the fitness gurus tell you, you don’t have to maintain a calorie deficit of more than 600 calories. Consuming few calories than your resting metabolic rate (<1000) leads to a lower metabolic rate, leading to fatigue as the body shuts off vital maintenance functions to support your energy levels (10). Eating according to your activity level is especially important if you are someone who sweats out at the gym daily. If you tend to feel dizzy just after climbing a flight of stairs, or just by walking half a mile, it may be worthwhile to revisit your daily calorie intake and plan your meals accordingly.

7.) Missing periods

When you eat less than usual, and particularly exclude critical foods from your diet, such as grains, fruit, and/or fats, your body prioritizes fueling the day-to-day metabolic activities as opposed to tasks that are energy-demanding, such as ovulation and monthly cycle.

Moreover, a reduction in weight below the body’s set weight resets the hypothalamus, often inhibiting the secretion of female gonadal hormones from the pituitary gland via the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), leading to hypothalamic amenorrhea, i.e. absence of periods for more than 2 consecutive months (11). A balanced diet is thus important to sustain good health.

8.) Constipation

Diet-induced reduction in BMR slows down the movement of food bolus through the digestive tract, leading to irregular bowel movements. Constipation is referred to as less than three bowel movements in a week (12). If you are on a low-calorie diet or consuming less than the daily recommended amount of fiber (<25 gms), you are particularly prone to constipation (13). Consider drinking warm water throughout the day to help aid the passing of stools. Ayurveda suggests drinking milk boiled with a piece of ginger at night to promote proper bowel function.

Final thoughts

There’s no such thing as the perfect diet/weight loss plan. While it’s difficult to know what will work for you, these 8 tell-tale signs may be a starting point to understand whether your body is responding well to your diet. In the end, all that matters is that you’re happy and sleeping in peace knowing that you’re honoring your body with the right amount of healthy food.

This one TRICK helped me lose 50.7 pounds in 6 months

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