Exercising is a habit that I plan to keep for the long-term. I’m a better person when I have a regular exercise program as a part of my lifestyle. Fueling myself with enough healthy macro-nutrients and micronutrients to support this lovely habit has definitely been a work in progress. My self experimentation has ranged from one extreme, all the way in between, to the other extreme…with macronutrient ratios from a strict low-carb Ketogenic diet to a high-carb Whole 30.
One mistake I found with myself and have seen with others is commonly to not eat enough. Some of us do this with the intention of losing weight and the thought that working out is good for weight loss...so working out and eating less must be even better! Great idea in theory, but not always so great in practice.
When we diet and restrict calories. Muscle may be sacrificed. The less muscle mass, the lower your resting metabolic rate is. If our metabolism slows down then our body will over time require less calories to maintain. This is often one of the reasons why a quick fad diet may fail or why it may not be sustainable.