Fitness coach shares 10 signs you are eating too many calories: ‘You wake up feeling…’

Besides the obvious weighing scale, here are 10 ways you can know that you are eating a lot of calories and soon bound to gain weight.

If you are eating too many calories, the signs are not confined only to the weighing scale creeping up. While the number it gives you is the most obvious giveaway of weight gain, sometimes even before it shows up on the scale, there are more subtle signs which indicate that you may be overstepping the healthy, daily calorie count.

If you are eating more calories than necessary, there are some signs which go beyond the obvious ones. (Picture credit: Shutterstock)

Fitness coach Dillon Swinney, in a November 1 Instagram post unveiled 10 signs that indicate you may be eating too many calories. Pay close attention to them, as these are common and sometimes may overlap with other health issues, but when all of them start popping up, it's time you evaluate your daily calorie intake.

Here are the 10 signs Dillon revealed:

Signs you need to keep an eye out for. (Picture credit: Gemini AI)

1. Wake up bloated

If your mornings include a bloated belly, as the fitness coach drew attention to, it is a red flag. “You wake up feeling bloated, not hungry. Your body’s still digesting last night’s overload," Dillon explained. You are eating so many calories in the day that your body is not able to digest, and instead of feeling refreshed when you wake up, you feel uncomfortable. It is an indication of your digestive system not working properly because you are putting too much on your load.

2. Sugar cravings

If you are craving sugar all day long, you don't just have a sweet tooth but also unstable sugar levels. As per the fitness coach, the blood sugar is on a ‘rollercoaster.’ It means your body is stuck in a vicious cycle of quick blood sugar rise after meals, with the subsequent crash that leaves you tired. Further, it makes you reach out for another sugar hit to feel better. The constant up-and-down in blood sugar levels makes you crave sweets constantly.

3. Energy level crashes after lunch

If you feel too tired repeatedly after lunch, then, as per Dillon, it is not normal. “Your energy crashes after lunch. That’s not normal, it’s a calorie spike and crash cycle,” he added. It means your lunches are too heavy and you are eating more than your body can handle. Consider re-evaluating your lunch and check if it's carb or sugar-intensive.

4. Clothes feel tighter

“Your clothes fit tighter even though your weight’s the same. That’s body-fat creep, subtle but real," Dillon suggested. This one is obvious. Your clothes feel more snug, one of the earliest signs before the scale tattles with the jump in weight gain. Body shape changes while weight for some time stays the same because of fat gain, while losing muscle.

5. Poor sleep quality

Dillon warned that your sleep quality worsens. “You sleep hot, restless, or wake up sweating. Your digestion’s working overtime from too much food." So even as you are sleeping, your digestive system is working overtime, instead of resting. When there's gut discomfort, sleep becomes troubling. This is similar to the first point, where when one eats a lot, they wake up tired.

6. Avoid small bites

The nibbling cravings push you towards those taste checks while cooking or tiptoeing to the fridge for the leftovers late at night. But as per the fitness coach, all these small bites eventually ‘add up’.

“The small bites and tastes keep adding up. If you can’t remember everything you ate today, you probably overshot," he shared.

7. Liquid calories

Now here's a loophole in calorie perception: often, one thinks that solid foods are calorie-dense, but liquids like soda or pick-me-up caffeinated beverages go unnoticed. It is a mistake that adds many calories. “You drink more calories than you realise. Creamy coffees, smoothies, and alcohol sneak in 500+ a day easily,” the fitness coach warned about this oversight. This requires a mindset shift, as liquids can cost you as much as solid food.

8. Weight fluctuations

If your weighing scale is fluctuating often, there's a reason for it. As per the fitness coach, “Your weight fluctuates wildly day to day. You’re not just holding water; your intake isn’t consistent.”
It means your eating pattern keeps changing, which throws your body's balance off track. One day you are eating a heavy meal, another day light; this pattern confuses your body.

9. ‘I barely eat’ mindset

Dillon called this habit of saying ‘I barely eat' when, in practice, it is the opposite. This means you are in the dark and not tracking what you are eating.

10. Snacking even when full

If you are reaching out for food not out of hunger but because you are bored or emotional eating has become a habit, then it is a concern for weight gain. Dillon addressed this habit, “You feel full but still snack out of boredom. That’s your body saying ‘stop,’ and your habits saying ‘one more’.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.