Fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow has opened up about the dangers of ‘restrictive eating’, warning women that cutting calories in a bid to achieve a lean physique could actually be stopping them from getting their dream body.
The mother-of-three shared the candid advice in a TikTok video on Tuesday, encouraging her followers to focus less on being ‘skinny’ and more on building a strong, healthy body.
‘Here is why you restricting your calories and your diet may be what’s stopping you from seeing the results that you want,’ Tammy began.
The influencer explained that many women fall into the trap of believing ‘less food, more cardio’ is the secret to looking toned, but insisted the opposite is often true.
‘I think we’ve all been there as women, you want to be skinny or you want to be more lean and toned, so you think less food, more cardio, more restrictive,’ she explained.
Tammy continued: ‘When in reality, this can be the exact thing that’s stopping you from getting the results you want.’
Fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow has opened up about the dangers of ‘restrictive eating’, warning women that cutting calories in a bid to achieve a lean physique could actually be stopping them from getting their dream body
The mother-of-three shared the candid advice in a TikTok video on Tuesday, encouraging her followers to focus less on being ‘skinny’ and more on building a strong, healthy body
The reality star went on to debunk the idea of ‘toning’, explaining that the sculpted look many women aspire to actually comes from building muscle.
According to Tammy, eating enough food is essential for muscle recovery, energy and performance in the gym.
‘To build muscle, one, you need to be eating enough. You need to be eating enough to recover properly,’ she said.
‘You need to be eating enough to be able to put in energy into your workouts. Otherwise, if you’re not getting enough calories, if you’re not getting enough nutrients, your workouts are going to suck. You’re not going to be building any muscle.’
While restrictive dieting may initially lead to weight loss, Tammy warned it often comes with long-term consequences including exhaustion, cravings and binge eating.
The social media star said she felt it was an important message for young women to hear, particularly amid the pressure to achieve unrealistic body standards online.
‘The goal should be to build a strong, healthy body that burns energy well, that performs well, that feels good,’ Tammy added.
‘Trust me, I want you guys to be feeling and looking good, so let’s not restrict our bodies and let’s actually fuel them.’
According to Tammy, eating enough food is essential for muscle recovery, energy and performance in the gym
While restrictive dieting may initially lead to weight loss, Tammy warned it often comes with long-term consequences including exhaustion, cravings and binge eating
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Tammy is the founder of exercise and diet planning app TammyFit.
While this business appears to be flourishing, the same cannot be said for her other businesses.
Tammy closed her activewear business Saski Collection in December, and it appears her supplement company Selfish may soon follow.
Tammy launched the women’s sports nutrition brand in April 2025 with her sisters Emilee and Amy.
However, a look at the Instagram account for the supplement brand shows that no posts have been made on the page since April 11.
The Hembrow sisters had been consistently posting on the account each week until that point, with the last upload being a core workout by Tammy.
Selfish has also seemingly failed to attract meaningful engagement online, with uploads garnering only a handful of comments, despite boasting 16,700 followers.
