A common pitfall of dieting is to not eat enough calories. Have you been on a low-calorie diet before? As long as you can stick with eating too few calories you will see the scale move downward and sometimes rapidly. But then at some point, your progress stalls.

Here are four reasons under eating doesn’t work:

Reason #1: Eating TOO FEW calories causes you to lose muscle. With muscle loss there is water loss which makes you think you are doing great when you get on the scale. As you lose muscle, your metabolism becomes slower because you have lost muscle mass. You now slower metabolism will make it easier to re-gain the weight you have lost.

Reason #2: Eating TOO FEW calories sabotages your exercise program. Not getting enough fuel makes you feel more tired and less likely to exercise as much or as hard. When you feel sluggish, you also burn fewer calories in “daily living” activities because you just don’t have the energy. You will be more successful by focusing on “moving more” during the day, burning more calories through consistent exercise and strength training 3x week to maintain/build muscle.

Reason #3: Eating TOO FEW calories creates feelings of hunger and deprivation. Low-calorie diets feel like punishment and are a short-term approach. When they are over, rebound eating usually follows. This is where the term “yo-yo dieting” comes from. You just made yourself miserable for nothing!

Reason #4: Eating TOO FEW calories makes your body slow down its metabolism to prevent starvation. Your body is facing starvation and will resist weight loss. The goal is to keep your metabolism happy by eating enough. Imagine your metabolism as a fire. To keep it roaring you must constantly supply it with fuel. Food is the fuel your metabolism needs to function properly.

So, remember to eat enough calories during the day spread out between your five meals and you should begin seeing results that are constant and permanent!