How do I know if I'm not eating enough?

On Ep. 308, Nikkiey explains why these signs show up. Your body may be burning around 1,800 calories while you eat 1,000, and she says it adapts to that low intake and holds on to fuel because it doesn't know when more is coming. Digestion is the sign many women miss. They assume it's age or a gut problem, but Nikkiey says that when you under-eat, your body slows everything down to conserve energy, and digestion is one of the first systems to slow. That can mean bloating, gas and constipation even when you eat clean foods.

Don't use hunger as your guide. On Ep. 39 and Ep. 148, Nikkiey says feeling hungry is a sign of a healthy, strong metabolism. If you're 5'7", 150 pounds, eating 1,200 calories and not hungry, something is off. On Ep. 341 she explains why: after a long stretch of eating very little, your body gets used to it, so the hunger signal goes quiet. Not being hungry doesn't mean you're eating enough.

The real answer comes from data. On Ep. 355, Leah tracked in MyFitnessPal for one week without changing anything and found she was eating 1,300 to 1,400 calories while treating 14 to 16 patients a day. It explained why she was so tired. On Ep. 371, JJ Virgin calls tracking with a food scale the most powerful thing you can do, because without it you're guessing. She adds a useful nuance: she thinks under-eaters are the minority and that most women under-eat protein rather than calories. Nikkiey says many WarriorBabe women are surprised once they track, sometimes finding they eat only about 60 grams of protein a day.

If any of these signs sound like you, track for a week before you cut anything else. If symptoms like poor sleep, mood changes or digestive trouble persist, it's worth raising them with your doctor too. Very often, though, it's the plan, not you.