Can eating too little calories cause weight gain?

Listen, don't stress too much about the daily scale fluctuations. Eating too little ruins your peace of mind and slows your metabolism down. Just eat normal portion sizes, stay active, and be kind to yourself!

Instead of dropping your food to extreme lows, keep a moderate deficit and focus on daily steps. Walking 8k-10k steps a day does wonders for your insulin sensitivity and digestion, as long as you don't have any medical restrictions.

Medically speaking, extreme calorie deficits can cause metabolic adaptation, but true fat gain on zero calories is thermodynamically impossible. However, hormonal shifts do happen. It is always best to consult a professional clinical nutritionist to understand your body's needs.

I used to panic so much when my weight jumped after a strict diet week. Later, my doctor explained that stress and low food intake increase cortisol levels, causing water retention. It is completely normal and goes away once you eat properly.

I completely understand how frustrating it feels when you are starving but still seeing the weight go up. It used to give me so much anxiety. Please know that your body is just trying to protect itself from starvation, you are not doing anything wrong.