When you've been in an industry or profession for over 20 years, you see trends come and go. You see gimmicks and fads rise and crash. You also see a lot of, for lack of a better term, Badges of Honor.

I'm sure it's in other professions as well, but fitness is an industry where you earn a badge for nearly dying. I think the invention of social media has only enhanced it but it was even around 20 years ago when I started coaching in the collegiate setting. Except no one saw it but those in the room.

So what do I mean by Badge of Honor?

Think about the things that people think makes up a good workout.

Sweating? Passing out? Vomiting? Yes, there are still people who think that vomiting is the sign of a good workout. And anything short of that, and you didn't work hard enough.

When Crossfit rolled around, we saw people laying on the floor writhing and even some being sent to a hospital with rhabdo. And perhaps even some people saw THAT as a badge of honor... like, "Look at me... I worked so hard, I nearly shut my body down."

There are many more when it comes to the training side of things, but I wanted to bring attention to the nutrition aspect. I've heard countless people nearly brag about how they lost X number of pounds eating 1000 calories a day. Or how their new diet that their sister-in-law's cousin is following has them drinking 2 shakes a day and a sensible meal.

I'll keep this short and sweet, folks.

It is NOT a badge of honor to eat very little food.

Back stage of the physique shows I've competed in, I've heard girls talk about their journey to the stage. One girl comments that she's only eaten fish and rice cakes for 4 weeks. The other girl retorts, "Well, at least you got carbs! I was eating dry chicken and broccoli!"

Meanwhile, I'm over here thinking, "Gosh, these bikini girls must really have it tough.... but how is that I, a women's physique competitor, am leaner than them, but ate more food than that?"

Without getting into too many details of good/poor coaching, athletes and clients need to understand something important. It's really big and goes against everything our culture tells us about fitness.... you ready?

YOU SHOULD BE EATING AS MUCH FOOD AS POSSIBLE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE STILL SEEING RESULTS.

Yikes... I said it. My clients may freak out. People may think my athletes will never see progress because I'm not putting them through the ringer. But honestly, I don't care what people think. Dropping calories for the sake of dropping calories means nothing. And in the long term it can do some severe damage to your metabolism, thyroid and hormones.

I even have some clients who STILL ask me, "So when will you change my diet... when will you drop my calories" as if it's already conditioned in their minds that that is the only way they will lose body fat.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start calories higher than you think. You won't gain fat overnight. Keep it that way for at least 2 weeks and take note of your trends. If you instantly notice weight gain, drop calories a bit. (Or if you already know where your "maintenance" calories are, add 100-200 to that and start there.... you'll be surprised.)

2. If your bodyweight is holding steady with a slight increase in calories... WOOHOO!! That's awesome!! I mean... more food and no increase in bodyweight or clothes fitting tighter?? Heck yes!

3. From here, you'll be surprised to see how your body responds. For some, we end up hanging out here for some time because they've been so low for so long that their body is actually using all the food for good things like recovery, muscle building, etc.

4. If after a few weeks, your weight is still holding steady, check outside factors like sleep, stress, steps and food choices. People under estimate what lack of sleep can do to your bodyweight and sometimes just switching from processed foods to quality whole foods can make a big difference too.

5. From there, if ALL of the above are ON POINT, then we manipulate macros or calories. But for some, I'll have them add in 20 minutes of brisk walking 3-4 days a week. Why? Because we aren't seeing huge adverse effects from the higher food intake (yet) and walking is good for you (heart health, recovery, mental state, sunshine, etc). So why not kill two birds with one stone... continue to eat more food AND get some good healthy walking in.

6. Lastly, based on the person's goal, we may add some more cardio or HIIT in. Generally speaking, most people can stand to build more muscle. And no, I'm not even talking like a bodybuilder. I'm simply talking from a health, fitness and metabolic standpoint. So let's feed the body with more calories.

Please, let's not get in the habit of bragging about how little food you're eating. When you do that, you're perpetuating the cycle that people think they need to eat very little to lose weight. (Yes, I know many people in our society do need to eat less. I'm speaking more about the fitness folks and gym goers who are chronically trying to diet and yo-yoing their weight every year.)

Take a good hard look at everything else in your life before you start chopping calories off. If you're over stressed and under recovered, decreasing calories (because of your so-called lack of progress) is only going to drive you deeper into a hole.

Long live Higher Calories!