YOU NEED TO fuel your body properly for peak performance—that's not news. But hitting the right balance of fuel to energy output can be tough, especially if you're trying to lose weight in the process, are on a GLP-1 medication, and/or recently switched up your workouts. That's where you fall into danger of RED-S, a scary sounding condition where your body reaches a dangerous stage of energy depletion Also known as “Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport,” RED-S can do everything from slow down your progress to mess with your body on a cellular level.
"The simplest explanation is it's an energy mismatch," says Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab. RED-S has always been a potential issue with athletes, but the rise of GLP-1s and a NO DAYS OFF workout hustle culture has pushed the condition into the fore. Trainers say every active person should know the symptoms of RED-S—and what might cause them to show up.
RED-S HAPPENS WHEN you're not fueling your body properly. "It essentially means running your body's engine on empty," explains Dani Singer, CPT, founder of Fit2Go Personal Training. "It's a mismatch between the energy you take in through nutrition and the energy you expend through exercise and daily living." While a slight calorie deficit is needed to lose weight, RED-S is more severe than cutting a few calories.
It's chronically under-fueling while also trying to train at a high level. "You are demanding a level of output from your body that you aren't giving it the fuel to sustain," Singer says. A FEW THINGS can go down.
"Deep, lingering fatigue is usually the first red flag," Singer says. "You'll feel like you're moving through molasses." At the same time, because your body isn't dedicating energy to recovery, Singer says you become "highly susceptible" to overuse injuries and stress fractures due to decreased bone mineral density. "You'll also likely see thermoregulation issues—always feeling cold—compromised immunity, hormonal imbalances, and ironically, a complete plateau in your fitness progress," Singer says.
"You can't build muscle or acquire new physical skills if your body doesn't have the building blocks to do so." With RED-S, your body does what it can with reduce energy it has. "It really prioritizes key metabolic functions and the things that require your body to function [in daily life]," Matheny says. He compares RED-S to being in low power mode—your body is going to try to support basic functions, while forgetting about things like muscle growth and fitness performance.
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