Having a low appetite, or an appetite that fluctuates can be challenging when it comes to consistently hitting your macros.
Generally speaking, at Dancers Who Lift, we like to encourage our dancers to listen to their bodies. But sometimes, a consistently low appetite can keep you from hitting your health goals, and learning how to work around it is important.
Stress, cycle fluctuations, and different medications can all influence our appetites. Yet, one of the best ways we can support our bodies during a time of stress or when preparing for our period is to give them the fuel they need to thrive.
What’s more, when you’re trying to build muscle or lose fat, hitting your macros is an important part of ensuring you hit your physique goals.
So, we are breaking down a few tips for hitting your macros even when you’re experiencing a low appetite.
Tips for Hitting Your Nutrition Goals With a Low Appetite
Notice how I said “nutrition goals” in this subject heading?
That’s because, if you are consistently struggling with low appetite, the first thing you need to battle first is simply getting the calories in.
Calories are simply energy. It’s the fuel our bodies use to do everything from standing in line at the store to landing a tour jeté.
So, when you’re struggling with low appetite I want you to focus on this idea “Calories first, energy first.”
Consider this, if you’re stranded on the side of the road because you are out of gas and someone pulls over and hands you a gallon, you’re not going to ask them what kind it is.
No! You’re going to put the gas in your car and drive to the nearest gas station to fill up.
The same is true when our bodies are under-fueled. Our first priority needs to be filling up on fuel. Once we are fueled up, we can worry about the details of what kind of fuel is best for our specific engine.
So, with that in mind, let’s dive into some of our sneakiest ways of hitting our nutritional goals despite a low appetite.
Listen To Your Body…Within Reason
Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking – I thought this was about how to hit my macros no matter what my appetite was doing.
Actually no, not really.
Macros are the structure we work within to hit our goals, but appetite is fickle.
The amount of energy you expend each day will vary and with that, so will your appetite.
To account for this fluctuation, we’ve created the 20% rule.
That is, if you are within 20% of your calorie or macro goals and you feel full, don’t force it.
Dancers love perfection. We strive for it daily. But calorie and macro goals are just that, GOALS. You don’t have to be perfect to see results. You just have to be consistent.
It is way more important that you stay tuned into the notifications and signals your body is sending you, than it is for you to hit your macros down to the gram.
So, as long as you’re within 20% of your goal, consider it a win!
Drink Your Calories
When I was first getting the hang of eating enough protein, I really struggled with a low appetite.
My body had gotten used to being under-fueled and it wasn’t catching up to my new nutritional goals. So Coach Amber recommended I try drinking some of my calories.
Protein shakes, smoothies, protein lemonades, and more can really help when you’re fighting against a low appetite.
The cool thing is, that this works for any macronutrient.
Struggling to get enough carbs?
Grab some coconut water or juice.
Struggling with protein?
Try a protein shake or protein lemonade.
Needing more fats?
Make a smoothie with coconut milk, yogurt, or whole milk!
Needing all of these?
Smoothies are a great way to pack a lot in without feeling like you’re eating a whole meal.
Sneaky Calories
If you struggle with a low appetite sneaky calories are about to be your best friend!
One of my favorite ways to get sneaky calories is to swap out water for bone broth.
Bone broth is usually lower in sodium than stock and packs a lot of protein.
Making rice? Instead of boiling it in water, use bone broth.
Making a sauce that calls for water? Swap it out for bone broth.
Bone broth, generally, doesn’t have a strong flavor so it shouldn’t ruin any recipes, but it will give you a few extra calories that you won’t even notice.
Another way to get sneaky calories is through fats.
Fats get a bad rap, but when you’re struggling with low appetite, remember:
calories first – energy first.
Plus, fats are incredible for hormone health and satiation. They are an integral part of any dancer’s diet.
Add a little extra peanut butter to your PBJ or toast – you’re already having peanut butter so a little extra will go unnoticed!
Or, you can add an extra drizzle of olive oil to your dinner or salad – you’ll gain some extra flavor and increase your calorie intake without affecting the volume you’re consuming.
All Food is Good Food
If you’ve been following Dancers Who Lift for any amount of time, you’ll know that we believe that all food is good food.
Despite what you might believe, there is no such thing as “bad foods.”
Chips, bread, pasta, cheese, all of these are fuel!
When you are struggling with a consistently low appetite, that is not the time to choke down a giant salad or worry about getting your fiber in.
If sitting down and eating a chicken breast sounds terrible, that’s okay.
Instead, ask yourself, what does sound good?
Pasta, a sandwich, rice and beans, cheese and crackers, any of these are better than either not eating or only eating two bites.
Your body needs fuel and it will eventually adjust to your new nutritional benchmarks, but it’s ok to be patient with it until that happens.
Eventually dialing in your nutrition can take you to the next level in your training. But the first step in helping you hit those goals is eating enough. Let’s stop underfueling, and put some gas in those tanks, shall we?
Want more nutrition tips like these? Read: Are Foods Good And Bad? Building a Healthy Relationship with Food, Make Your Food Work For YOU : Meal Planning For Dancers, 9 Ways to Spice Up Your Protein
