This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.

A Canadian fitness influencer is sharing a before and after photo set from 10 years apart to highlight the importance of eating enough calories. Exercise aficionado Cheryl Coulombe, 51, reflected on two decade-apart photos where she focused on two different workout routines and eating habits.

The Ontario-based mother-of-two shared the side-by-side photo comparison on social media, where she rocked two different bathing suits, one at age 41 and the other at age 51. On the left, she posed on a tropical beach when she was supposedly consuming 1,500 per day. On the right, where she now looks more toned, she took a mirror selfie and stated she’s consuming 2,200 calories daily.

“Yes, I’ve made this mistake too,” she wrote in the caption to her post, calling out how consuming calories for “maintenance levels” is better than restricting your diet. “When I ate low calories for a long period of time, my body felt underfed — a.k.a. low energy state. In response my metabolism slowed as a protective mechanism.”

She continued to explain she wasn’t fuelling her body enough to compensate for her daily activities. Therefore, her body began trying to conserve energy and burned fewer calories in response.

When she was consuming fewer calories a decade ago, she noted she was doing four to five weight-training sessions each week. But now with her “maintenance” diet, she’s only doing three full-body workouts per week.

Coulombe continued to explain what maintenance-level calories means, sharing it’s the total number of calories needed to support how much energy you’re expending. She noted people interested in adjusting their diet can figure out their maintenance-level calories by adding up a few numbers to calculate your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure.

She also suggested people use a TDEE calculator online, which is an estimate of the amount of energy your body uses daily. While no TDEE calculator is 100 per cent accurate, you can go off of estimates and “stop chasing a number on a box,” Coulombe suggested in a comment.

“Was 1,500 calories worth it? Nope,” she added in her caption. “Also, research has dispelled the myth that metabolism declines with age. But being less active, under eating and losing calorie-burning muscle tissue over 40… that is a thing.”

In the comments section of her post, people asked questions about the process and shared their thoughts. Coulombe responded to many people, expressing her gratitude and explaining how she was able to bump up her daily calorie intake without gaining weight.

“How long did it take you to bump up your calories? You can’t do that all at once right?” one person asked, to which Coulombe responded saying you should take it “slow and steady” with 50 more calories per day for two weeks. Then, add an additional 50 calories for another two weeks and so on.

“Wow, what an inspiration you are!! You get better with age!” someone commented, where Coulombe said, “My hope is to inspire people to start now because yes, you can make positive changes as you age!”

“You looked good in the before picture, too,” one person wrote, to which Coulombe replied saying, “Appreciate that, but I feel a lot better eating what I do now.”

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.