Every body has different energy needs. So it’s important to fuel yours correctly.
Eating for energy means powering yourself to flourish, not just to lose weight. And that means striking the proper balance between nourishment and comfort in your food choices. in your food choices.
In this guide, we’ll look at exactly what eating for energy is and how it differs from eating for comfort. We’ll also explore exactly what foods to eat and in what nutrient ratios to help you lose weight safely and effectively.
Three key takeaways
Everyone has different calorie requirements based on their body’s needs. Your BMR helps you understand what your body needs to function and where the boundary of overeating may be. .
Your physical activity level, treatment plan, and goal weight all affect how much you’ll need to eat.
Eating for energy instead of comfort helps you to feel your best, manage food cravings, and fuel your weight loss safely.
Eating for energy vs. eating for comfort
Eating for energy doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy food or that the occasional treat is off the menu completely.
It means prioritising a balanced diet of nutrient-rich unprocessed whole foods that support your metabolism, boost your mood, reduces side effects and protect your health.
Eating for comfort, on the other hand, is when you eat for pleasure or to self-soothe during moments of emotional discomfort, boredom, or stress, rather than because you’re hungry.
Sometimes, we just eat of habit, or because we’ve trained our bodies to crave certain things, like sugar or salt, at particular moments.
It’s something we can all relate to and something that can be managed with a mindful approach to meal-planning.
But willpower alone isn’t the only tool to manage hunger. Weight loss injections like Wegovy and Mounjaro help suppress your appetite and regulate hunger cues.
This makes it easier to control your body’s natural cravings and shift your focus from comfort eating to fuelling yourself for success.
When it comes to getting going on a weight loss journey, the starting block is finding your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is the number of calories your body requires to function at rest. That means what it needs to replenish your cells, grow your hair and nails, breathing, and burn food for energy.
Your BMR does not include the number of calories you burn through daily activity and movement.
When you add your BMR to the amount of daily calories you burn through daily movement, you get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
To maintain your weight, you’ll need to eat the same number of calories as your TDEE. To lose weight, you’ll need to eat below your TDEE. This is called a calorie deficit.
For example, if your BMR is 1,600 calories and you’re lightly active, you may need to eat around 2,000 calories per day to hit your TDEE and maintain weight.
If you want to build muscle, you’ll need to eat a little above your TDEE.
How exercise affects how much you should eat
If you exercise, you’ll be using more energy, and therefore need to eat more calories, than you otherwise would to function normally.
The type of exercise you do, and the level of intensity, have a direct effect on how much you’ll need to eat.
Cardio activities, like brisk walking, running, swimming, or cycling, burn calories as you exercise.
Strength training activities, like bodyweight workouts and lifting weights, increase your muscle mass over time.
This raises your metabolism, because muscle mass burns more calories than fat cells do, even at rest. So you’ll need to eat more calories if you’re gaining muscle.
Exercise increases your energy expenditure, meaning your body needs more calories to function properly.
If you’re working out on a regular basis but you don’t get enough calories, you might experience:
If you work out regularly but aren’t eating enough, you may feel fatigued, lose muscle, or slow down your progress.
If you’re exercising more, your body’s likely to need more fuel, not less.
How weight loss injections affect appetite and eating
Weight loss injections work by suppressing your appetite, so you eat less, and slowing your digestion, which helps you feel fuller for longer.
Feeling less desire to eat can make it easier to stay in a calorie deficit. But it may make it harder to eat enough if you’re increasing your activity levels or trying to build or maintain muscle mass.
To make sure you’re getting enough daily calories:
Don’t skip meals entirely, even if you’re less hungry than before starting treatment.
If your appetite reduces, try eating smaller meals, to stay in the routine of eating at your usual time.
Focus on protein-rich, nutrient-dense foods, to get maximum energy from whatever volume of food you can eat comfortably.
Eat slowly and mindfully, chewing well, without distractions. And listen to your body’s fullness cues. Overeating can cause discomfort.
If you feel your appetite’s reducing too much, speak to your prescriber. You may need to adjust your dose.
Remember: your goal isn’t to eat as few calories as possible. It’s to fuel your body for everyday functionality and to stay healthy and energised while losing weight safely.
“A calorie deficit is crucial for weight loss, that much is true. But it’s also important to eat enough to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs and to keep your energy levels up and avoid side effects like fatigue, dizziness and nausea.
“If you restrict your calories too much, you risk slowing your progress, as you may need to titrate up to the next dose more slowly due to side effects, or your metabolism may slow, as your body thinks it needs to conserve energy. Talk to your prescriber about the right diet for you.”
You’ll need to make sure you’re getting the right balance of nutrients to power you through workouts and keep you moving through your daily activities.
Protein: should make up around 30% of your daily calories.
Carbohydrates: should make up around 40% of your daily calories.
Healthy fats: should make up around 30% of your daily calories.
Protein
Healthy sources of protein include:
chicken
beef
fish
seafood
chickpeas
tofu
tempeh
natural yoghurt
cottage cheese
Carbohydrates
Healthy sources of carbohydrate include:
brown rice
wholemeal bread
wholemeal pasta
buckwheat
quinoa
barley
oats
Fats
Sources of healthy fats include:
olive oil
avocado
nuts
seeds
coconut
oily fish, like mackerel and trout
“There’s an old saying, ‘if you can’t catch it, pick it, or dig it up, don’t eat it’. This may sound a little old-fashioned now but the principle holds up – though you don’t need to take it literally. It just means look for foods close to their natural state, rather than those that are refined and processed. Often the refinement process removes the nutrients from food, and nutrients mean energy!”
Eating for comfort, sometimes also called ‘emotional eating’ or ‘habitual eating’, describes when you’re eating to make yourself feel good, rather than to give yourself energy and to satisfy hunger.
Often, comfort eating has a ‘trigger’ – a thought, feeling, or situation that makes you want to eat, even if you’re not sure why.
Common triggers for comfort eating include:
stress
feeling tired
difficult emotions like feeling anxious or sad
ingrained habits – like eating sugar to fend off an afternoon energy crash, or snacking while watching TV
Signs you’re eating for comfort include:
cravings for specific foods, like sugary sweet treats, salty snacks, or fizzy drinks
eating quickly or mindlessly
feeling guilt or regret after eating
4 top tips for managing comfort eating
Pause for a moment: ask yourself. what do I really need in this moment – is it food, or just a break?
Distract yourself: try to replace anxious thoughts or uncomfortable emotions with positive visualisation.
Replace the urge: take a short walk, call a friend, or journal about how you’re feeling.
Plan controlled indulgences: if you really find that resisting a 3pm treat causes you to feel worse than eating it would, indulge yourself with limitations. This could be allowing yourself 50-100 calories’ worth (depending on your BMR) instead of a whole chocolate bar or switching regular popcorn for the low-calorie air-popped kind while you’re watching a film.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know how many calories I need each day?
How many calories you need in a day will depend on your BMR, which you can figure out with our BMR calculator.
Does exercise mean I should eat more?
Yes, if you exercise, you’ll need to eat more. But don’t overdo it. Many people overestimate how many calories they burn through exercise. A clinician can advise you on the right calorie balance for you.
Can I still lose weight if I eat 2,000 calories?
This depends on a lot of factors, like your BMR, your daily activity, your starting weight, goal weight, age, and other factors. Use our BMR calculator and speak to a clinician for advice.
How can I eat more for energy without gaining weight?
Look for high-volume low-calorie foods to stay full while losing weight. For example, 100g of strawberries contains around 30 calories, while 100g of milk chocolate contains around 550 calories.
What if I’m too full to eat enough on my injections?
If you’re too full to eat enough while using weight loss injections, consider using vitamin and mineral supplements to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need, or talk to your prescriber about lowering your dose.
How can I stop eating for comfort?
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for comfort eating, but you can talk to a therapist, GP, or dietitian, who can help you develop a plan to restructure your relationship with food.
What foods help me stay full and energised?
The best foods to help you stay full and energised are nutrient-dense, unprocessed whole foods like lean proteins, fibre-rich fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
What happens if I don’t eat enough while on treatment?
If you don’t eat enough during treatment, you may experience side effects like fatigue, dizziness, nausea, or progress slowing due to changes in your metabolism.
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