How calorie deficit impact your female, clients hormones
Hey trainers and coaches! This video is for all of you who want to learn how to better support your clients and actually know where to start. I've noticed that many of us have been relying on outdated or incomplete information to help our female clients achieve their goals. Well, my name is Omega, and I'm here to change that.
I'm an exercise scientist and a menstrual cycle educator. I've also founded one of the first certifications in fitness and nutrition that specifically focuses on optimizing and balancing hormones to support fertility and overall health.
But before we dive into the specifics, I want to let you know that I have a free masterclass available that goes into more detail about my method of assessing, addressing, and optimizing your clients' hormone health. This webinar is all about achieving long-term health success in alignment with your clients' fitness and health goals. You can find the link to that masterclass right here.
Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty. Today, I want to talk about how calorie deficit impacts hormone health. This is something that every trainer and coach should really think about. You see, health starts in the brain, and hormones play a vital role in that process. They are created in the brain and then send signals to the ovaries to start maturing follicles, which eventually lead to a healthy ovulation and good fertility overall.
Calorie Deficit & Ovulation:
A research article from 2020 by Navarro and colleagues showed us that when we restrict calories, we also restrict the production of hormones in the brain. This has a direct impact on ovulation, as well as overall female health. Hormones are not just important for reproductive health; they also play a role in bone density, muscle recovery, and mood regulation.
Calorie Deficit & Thyroid Hormone:
Furthermore, when we're in a calorie deficit, our bodies actually reduce the production of T3, which is one of our thyroid hormones. The research article by Fontana and colleagues demonstrated the importance of T3 in regulating various bodily functions such as heart and digestive function, muscle control, brain development and function, and the maintenance of bone health. So when we're in a calorie deficit, we're actually working against our clients' goals, as we're reducing T3 and hindering their metabolic rate.
Calorie Deficit & Metabolism:
Now, let's talk about how calorie deficit affects metabolism. Several markers have shown that when we're in a calorie deficit, our total daily energy expenditure is reduced. This means that our bodies are conserving energy, as if they're in a starvation mode. Additionally, exercise activity thermogenesis, the energy expenditure from exercise, is also decreased. So, even if your clients are working out, they're not getting as much bang for their buck.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which includes daily activities like walking, is also reduced when we're in a calorie deficit. NEAT is crucial for overall energy expenditure and can greatly support your clients' goals. However, being in a calorie deficit takes away that extra boost.
Lastly, the thermic effect of food is also impacted by a calorie deficit. When we eat, our bodies heat up and burn calories just to metabolize the food. But in a calorie deficit, this effect is diminished.
To summarize, when we're in a calorie deficit, various aspects of hormone health are negatively affected, including ovulation, estrogen and progesterone production, and thyroid function. Additionally, metabolic markers for success, such as total daily energy expenditure, exercise activity thermogenesis, NEAT, and the thermic effect of food, are all reduced.
Calorie Deficit & Fat Cells:
It's important to note that being in a calorie deficit can also lead to an increase in the number of fat cells in both men and women. This is known as adipocyte hyperplasia. Many people mistakenly believe that they have damaged their metabolism from years of dieting, and they feel that they can't eat more than 1200 calories per day. In reality, if they increase their calorie intake and incorporate resistance training, they can actually reverse this process and achieve better results.