It’s a diet culture tale as old as time: Eat less, and you’ll lose weight. I was sucked into the rhetoric in my 20s, working out obsessively to earn the measly 1,200 calories a day that I accepted as the gold standard without question. The goal: to be told, “you’re so skinny”—AKA the highest form of flattery. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t eating enough to fuel my workouts, let alone nourish my body; I was achieving “thinspo” status and meeting the beauty standards of society. But I looked (and felt) anything but strong and healthy. And sadly, I’m far from the only one who wasn’t privy to the truth: Eating enough is the secret to losing weight and getting stronger.
“As a functional dietitian, I see this every single day: smart, driven women doing everything ‘right’—skipping meals, cutting carbs, choosing the lowest-calorie options—yet feeling tired, puffy, bloated, and frustrated with their progress,” said Samantha Peterson, a registered dietitian and founder of Simply Wellness. “Most women aren’t eating enough, especially if their goals include strength, vitality, and sustainable fat loss.” But exactly how much is “enough” for women to eat to experience weight loss and build strength? I asked registered dietitians to spell it out for us, including what it looks like to ensure you’re feeding your body adequately for your goal, whether you want to lose, maintain, or gain some pounds.
Experts Consulted
At The Everygirl, we believe that wellness advice should be grounded in accurate, science-backed information to ensure our readers can make informed decisions about their health and well-being. That’s why we prioritize consulting trusted, credible experts—so every piece of content is both reliable and empowering.
SAMANTHA PETERSON, RD
Samantha Peterson is a registered dietitian and founder of Simply Wellness. Prior to starting her wellness coaching platform, Peterson was a board-certified specialist in Oncology nutrition, in which she experienced firsthand the true impact that taking a holistic approach to health and wellness can make and how easily it can change lives. Using a functional and whole-body lens, she aims to provide quick-to-use and implementable approaches for the mind, body, and soul.
NICOLE KLAWITTER, RD
For the last 14 years, Nicole Klawitter has helped adults and teens address their disordered eating and find their way toward healing. She began her career as a clinical dietitian providing medical nutrition therapy to patients in various acute care settings, ranging from oncology, maternity, and NICU/ICU. Today, by developing supportive, simple strategies and non-diet approaches to eating, she helps individuals create a relationship with food based on nourishment rather than deprivation.
Why Do Women Generally Under-Eat?
Be it societal pressures and expectations, the innate tendency to have a negative body perception, or misinformation around calories (looking at you, 1,200-calorie myth), women have the odds stacked against them from the start. “From a young age, women are often praised for eating less or maintaining a smaller body, and the constant messaging around weight loss equates eating less with being ‘healthier,'” said Nicole Klawitter, a registered dietitian at Evolve Wellness Group. Peterson agreed: “Many women are unknowingly stuck in a ‘less-is-more’ mindset when it comes to food. Thanks to decades of diet culture, years of exposure to this marketing, and the evolving world of nutrition and fitness, we’ve been conditioned to believe that shrinking our plate equals shrinking our waistline.” Top it off with busy schedules (hi, skipped meals), stress, and inconsistent hunger cues (often due to hormonal imbalances or disordered eating patterns), and you’ve got chronic under-eating and a body that’s not being fueled properly nor prepped to grow stronger.
How Does Eating Enough Help You Lose Weight and Get Stronger?
“Under-eating can actually signal to your body that food is scarce, leading to hormonal imbalances, sluggish metabolism, and stubborn weight retention,” Peterson said. “Exactly the opposite of the goal. Think of it like this: Eating too little is like putting your body in low-power mode. You won’t build strength; you’ll just burn out.” On the flip side, Peterson pointed out that when your body is well-fed, your metabolism trusts that it’s safe to let go of excess weight. “You’ll also have the energy and nutrients needed to build lean muscle, which, by the way, is metabolically active and helps you burn more calories even at rest,” she continued.
When you consume proper nutrition, Klawitter said key hormones that regulate metabolism, appetite, and energy, like thyroid, insulin, and leptin, are more likely to maintain a happy, healthy state. Both Klawitter and Peterson cited that this hormonal balance supports better sleep, stabilized blood sugar, reduced cravings, increased energy levels, and improved performance and workout recovery—all major players in body recomposition (gaining muscle while losing fat) and feeling good. “Most importantly, eating enough encourages sustainable fat loss from a well-fed, efficient body, not one that is depleted and holding onto energy for survival,” Klawitter said. Peterson added that your body isn’t meant to run on fumes; eating more strategically and intentionally might be the missing piece to unlocking the stronger, leaner, more energized version of you. “Food isn’t the enemy; it’s your secret weapon,” she said.
How Much Should We Actually Be Eating?
Now, the million-dollar question: What’s considered “enough” when it comes to calories and macronutrients? While your activity level, age, muscle mass, and personal health goals will influence how many calories you need per day (more on that to come), Peterson said on average, most active women require at least 1,800-2,200 calories daily, and often more.
Here’s a simple macronutrient breakdown per day for women focused on strength and body composition, courtesy of Peterson and Klawitter:
- Protein: 0.8–1 gram per pound of body weight (e.g., 120-150 grams for a 150-lb. active woman)
- Carbohydrates: 1.5–2.5 grams per pound of body weight (e.g., 225-375 grams for a 150-lb. active woman)
- Fats: 0.3–0.5 gram per pound of body weight (e.g., 45–75 grams for a 150-lb. active woman)
As for what that could look like in a day, Peterson and Klawitter provided a sample menu:
- Breakfast: Three scrambled eggs with sautéed spinach, avocado toast, and fruit
- Snack: Greek yogurt with berries, hemp seeds, and a drizzle of honey
- Lunch: Grilled chicken grain bowl with rice or quinoa, roasted veggies, and tahini sauce
- Snack: An apple, almond butter, and beef jerky or a protein shake with protein powder, a banana, and almond butter
- Dinner: Salmon with rice or quinoa, broccoli, and sweet potatoes
- Evening snack (optional): Cottage cheese with honey or dark chocolate
How to Ensure You’re Eating Enough, Based on Your Goal
Whether your aim is to lose, maintain, or gain weight, you can boost your strength and muscle mass; it just takes a different approach. Ahead, Peterson and Klawitter lay out their recommendations, depending on what you’re after.
To lose weight and gain strength:
- Don’t cut calories too drastically (think: a small deficit of 250–400 calories/day max)
- Prioritize protein at every meal (aim for 1 gram per pound of body weight)
- Include carbohydrates (before and after workouts)
- Eat every three to four hours to keep metabolism functioning at its best
- Lift weights three to four times/week
- Focus on body recomposition, not just the scale
General caloric guideline: ~12–14 calories per pound of body weight (e.g., 1,800-2,100 calories for a 150-pound active woman)
To maintain weight and gain strength:
- Add a slight calorie surplus, particularly in protein (~200-300 calories/day)
- Fuel pre- and post-workout with a combination of carbohydrates and protein
- Progressively overload your strength training (read: gradually increase the weight you use or the number of reps you do)
- Focus on performance by tracking strength gains
- Add nutrient-dense snacks if strength plateaus
General caloric guideline: ~14–16 calories per pound of body weight (e.g., 2,100-2,400 calories for a 150-pound active woman)
To gain weight and gain strength:
- Eat three meals, plus two to three snacks/day, and try to eat every three to four hours
- Add energy-dense foods, like nuts, seeds, olive oil, full-fat dairy, and smoothies
- Lift weights three to four times/week
- Track your weight and gym progress to adjust caloric intake as needed
General caloric guideline: ~16–18+ calories per pound of body weight (e.g., 2,400-2,700 calories for a 150-pound active woman)
Katherine Chang, Wellness Staff Writer
Katherine Chang is The Everygirl’s Wellness Staff Writer with over five years of experience in the health and wellness space. She navigates the latest wellness topics and trends through expert interviews and studies, and she’s always first in line to try them firsthand.
