WHY EATING MORE CAN SOMETIMES IMPROVE BODY COMPOSITION

Sometimes the answer to building more muscle and losing body fat isn't eating less. It's eating more.

I know that sounds backward, especially in a world where everyone seems obsessed with cutting calories, eliminating carbohydrates, and watching the number on the scale drop.

But after decades in bodybuilding, both competing and coaching, I've learned something that many people still struggle to understand.

Eating less doesn't automatically mean you're going to look better. And eating more doesn't automatically mean you're going to get fatter.

The real question is what your body is doing with the food you're giving it.

Let's get into it.

1. YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT IMPROVING YOUR BODY COMPOSITION

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see, especially with men and women over 40.

Someone decides they want to lose 20 pounds.

They immediately cut calories, reduce carbohydrates, increase cardio, and start training harder.

Initially, the scale moves.

They're excited.

But several weeks later, something changes.

Their strength starts dropping. Their muscles look flatter. Their workouts suffer. They're constantly tired, and although they've lost weight, they don't necessarily look the way they expected.

Why?

Because losing weight and improving body composition are two different things.

Body composition is about how much muscle and fat you're carrying, not simply what you weigh.

If you're losing muscle along with body fat, the scale might be moving in the right direction while your physique is moving in the wrong direction.

That's why I don't coach people based on the scale alone.

I want to know what's happening to their strength, muscle fullness, waist measurement, recovery, and overall appearance.

Those things tell a much bigger story.

2. YOUR BODY NEEDS ENERGY TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN MUSCLE

Let's talk about something basic.

Muscle doesn't grow because you wish it would.

It grows because you create a reason for it to grow through resistance training and then provide the nutrients and recovery necessary to support that adaptation.

And that process requires energy.

When someone chronically under-eats, several things can happen:

• Training performance begins to decline.

• Recovery between workouts becomes more difficult.

• Muscle protein synthesis may be less effectively supported.

• Daily movement and energy expenditure can decrease.

• Hunger and fatigue increase.

• Maintaining existing muscle becomes more challenging.

Now imagine asking that same person to train harder, build muscle, and improve their physique while continuously reducing their food intake.

At some point, something has to give.

You cannot expect your body to perform at a higher level while constantly taking away the resources it needs to perform.

This is where increasing calories can sometimes become a valuable strategy.

Not because calories magically burn fat, but because adequate nutrition allows the body to train, recover, and maintain muscle more effectively.

3. CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY

Anyone who follows my coaching knows how I feel about carbohydrates.

I've been saying this for years.

If you're serious about building muscle, you need to understand carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates replenish muscle glycogen, which is an important fuel source during intense resistance training.

When glycogen stores are adequately supplied, many people notice improvements in:

• Training endurance and performance

• Muscle fullness

• Workout volume

• Recovery between demanding sessions

• Their ability to maintain training intensity

And here's something else.

When you increase carbohydrates after a period of restriction, your muscles store more glycogen and water.

You may actually gain a few pounds on the scale while looking fuller, stronger, and sometimes leaner in appearance.

That isn't necessarily fat gain.

It's one reason I tell my clients to stop panicking over every fluctuation in body weight.

The scale cannot distinguish between glycogen, water, muscle, and body fat.

And neither can your emotions when you step on it every morning.

4. EATING MORE CAN HELP RESTORE TRAINING PERFORMANCE

Let me give you an example.

I have someone coming to me eating 1,600 calories daily.

They're training five days a week, doing cardio, and wondering why their body isn't changing.

They're exhausted.

Their strength is declining.

Their recovery is terrible.

And their first thought?

"I probably need to eat less."

No.

Not necessarily.

Sometimes I need to increase their food intake, particularly carbohydrates, and evaluate how their body responds.

We might gradually increase calories while monitoring their training performance, body weight trends, waist measurements, and recovery.

Over the following weeks, they may begin training harder, lifting more weight, and recovering better.

Their muscles look fuller.

Their energy improves.

And in some cases, their waist measurement begins decreasing even though they're eating more food.

How is that possible?

Improved training quality, better muscle retention, changes in activity levels, and more consistent nutrition can all contribute.

It doesn't mean increasing calories directly causes fat loss.

It means their previous intake may have been limiting their ability to make progress.

Sometimes you don't need another calorie reduction. You need a better nutritional strategy.

5. METABOLIC ADAPTATION IS REAL

Here's another area people misunderstand.

When you diet for an extended period, your body adapts.

As body weight decreases and calorie intake remains restricted, total energy expenditure often declines.

Part of that happens because you're carrying less body mass.

But additional adaptations can occur.

You may move less throughout the day without realizing it.

Your body may become more energy-efficient.

Hunger increases.

Training output can decline.

And suddenly, the calorie intake that once produced weight loss isn't producing the same results.

This is known as metabolic adaptation.

Now, does eating more automatically reset your metabolism?

No.

That's not how it works.

But strategically increasing calories toward maintenance can improve energy availability, training performance, and dietary adherence. It may also help restore some of the daily activity that declined during dieting.

Sometimes a period of eating at maintenance is exactly what someone needs before beginning another fat-loss phase.

A successful nutrition plan isn't about seeing how little food you can survive on. It's about finding the amount of food that supports your goals.

6. BUILDING MUSCLE CHANGES THE EQUATION

Let's say two men weigh 220 pounds.

One carries significantly more muscle mass than the other.

Do you think their bodies look the same?

Absolutely not.

Muscle changes your appearance, proportions, and how your body carries weight.

It also contributes to daily energy expenditure, although adding muscle doesn't create the enormous metabolic increase some people claim.

This is why I'm such a strong believer in prioritizing muscle development, particularly after 40.

If someone has spent years dieting without developing adequate muscle, continuing to reduce calories may not produce the physique they're looking for.

Sometimes the better approach is to spend time building muscle, improving strength, and establishing a more sustainable nutritional intake.

Then, when it's time to reduce body fat, they have more muscle to preserve.

You don't build a better physique by focusing exclusively on making yourself smaller.

You build it by improving what your body is made of.

7. WHEN SHOULD YOU CONSIDER EATING MORE?

I'm not suggesting everyone should immediately increase their calories.

If you're already eating above your energy requirements and gaining unwanted body fat, adding more food probably isn't the solution.

But there are situations where increasing calories deserves serious consideration.

For example:

• You've been dieting aggressively for months.

• Your strength and training performance are declining.

• You're struggling to recover between workouts.

• Your daily energy and activity levels have dropped.

• You're losing weight but also losing muscle.

• You're trying to build muscle while maintaining an unnecessarily large calorie deficit.

In these situations, I evaluate the entire picture before making adjustments.

Sometimes we increase carbohydrates.

Sometimes we increase overall calories.

Sometimes we hold calories steady and adjust training.

And sometimes the person genuinely needs to continue a carefully managed calorie deficit.

There is no universal answer.

The correct adjustment depends on what your body is telling us through measurable results.

8. MY APPROACH AFTER DECADES IN BODYBUILDING

I've been training since I was 14 years old.

I've competed at high levels, spent decades building my own physique, and worked with people at completely different stages of their fitness journeys.

And one thing I've learned is that more restriction isn't always more discipline.

Sometimes discipline means having the patience to eat more, recover properly, and build the foundation necessary for long-term progress.

At 60, I pay attention to how food affects my training, strength, muscle fullness, digestion, and recovery.

I don't make nutritional decisions based on one morning's scale reading.

I look at trends.

I look at performance.

I look at what my body is actually doing.

And that's exactly how I approach coaching.

If I increase someone's calories, there's a reason.

If I reduce them, there's a reason.

If I leave everything unchanged for another week, there's a reason.

Nothing without a purpose.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Eating more doesn't automatically make you leaner.

You still need to respect energy balance. Sustained fat loss generally requires an energy deficit.

But improving body composition is more complicated than simply eating fewer calories.

It's about preserving and building muscle, fueling productive training, recovering adequately, and creating a nutritional environment that supports your goals.

For some people, that means eating less.

For others, especially those who have been under-eating for extended periods, it may mean eating more.

And for many, the best approach involves different nutritional phases rather than staying in a calorie deficit all year.

Stop asking how little you can eat to lose weight.

Start asking how much you need to eat to build the body you actually want.

That's a completely different mindset.

And it can produce a completely different result.

READY TO STOP GUESSING WITH YOUR NUTRITION?

At JM Coaching, I work with men and women, particularly those over 40, who want to build muscle, reduce body fat, and improve their health without constantly jumping from one diet to another.

We evaluate your current nutrition, training, recovery, and progress to develop a strategy that fits your body and goals.

No generic calorie targets. No unnecessary restrictions. No changing the plan simply because the scale moved overnight.

Just a structured approach built around your individual needs and measurable progress.

Explore JM Coaching and Apply for Coaching

Jimmy Mentis
JM Coaching | Decades of Experience. One Purpose. Results.