Work-for-it Wanda is always training. Marathons, local competitions, obstacle races – she’s got a few on her calendar every year. People might roll their eyes at her for meticulously tracking her activity, but she feels sheer joy when she sees her high total daily calorie burn. She loves food and loves to eat so exercising is her way to compensate for a big appetite! So far that exchange relationship has worked out ok, but she wonders what will happen if she decides to stop training. How do people eat if they aren’t active?
Wanda believes she needs to eat less and move more to control her weight – but she’s wrong.
While calories influence weight, macros influence health markers, body composition and athletic performance. So if Wanda wants to feel, look and perform better, she ought to be looking at the macronutrient content of her diet.
Wanda needs to eat more to support her high activity levels – which may come as a surprise! What with the late-night pantry raids and weekend splurges, you’d think she was getting enough. Wanda’s body is giving her clear signs that she needs to eat more but she’s failing to recognize that hunger shows up in different ways: cravings, lack of self-control, need for afternoon naps.
By eating more, especially more protein, Wanda might feel more full and satisfied which leads to less evening grazing. Instead of trying to create the biggest deficit she can, she could eat more on all days to reduce the stress that comes with flexing a willpower muscle too hard for too long. She stands to gain energy, improve sleep, and recover quickly and adequately if she does.
Wanda runs the risk of hormone and metabolism disaster. As the body keeps the heart beating, lungs breathing and brain firing, other non-essential functions are de-prioritized. All of a sudden she’s dealing with night sweats, acne or intense cramping around her period. She’s struggling with nagging injuries that force her to take a break. Alternatively, Wanda can start by downloading a free DIY Macro Guide to learn how much she should be eating to support her performance goals and end her transactional relationship between food and exercise.
