Skipping Meals and Metabolism

People often miss meals because they get busy or are trying to lose weight. But how you skip meals, and the amount you eat at your next meal, can affect your overall health.

The scientific data on skipping meals has been confusing. In some studies, fasting has resulted in measurable metabolic benefits for obese people, and in animal studies, intermittent feeding and fasting reduces the incidence of diabetes and improves certain indicators of cardiovascular health. Even so, several observational studies and short-term experiments have suggested an association between meal skipping and poor health.

In recent months, two new studies may help explain how skipping meals affects health.

The most recent study, published this month in the medical journal Metabolism, looked at what happens when people skip meals but end up eating just as much as they would in a normal day when they finally do sit down to a meal. The study, conducted by diabetes researchers at the National Institute on Aging, involved healthy, normal-weight men and women in their 40s. For two months, the study subjects ate three meals a day. For another eight-week period, they skipped two meals but ate the same number of calories in one evening meal, consumed between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The researchers found that skipping meals during the day and eating one large meal in the evening resulted in potentially risky metabolic changes. The meal skippers had elevated fasting glucose levels and a delayed insulin response — conditions that, if they persisted long term, could lead to diabetes.

The study was notable because it followed another study earlier this year that found that skipping meals every other day could actually improve a patient’s health. In that study, published in March in Free Radical Biology & Medicine, overweight adults with mild asthma ate normal meals one day. This was followed by a day of severely restricted eating, when they ate less than 20 percent of their normal caloric intake, or about 400 or 500 calories a day — the equivalent of about one meal. Nine out of 10 study participants were able to stick to the eating plan.

After following the alternate-day dieting pattern for two months, the dieters lost an average of 8 percent of their body weight, and their asthma-related symptoms also improved. They had lower cholesterol and triglycerides, “striking” reductions in markers of oxidative stress and increased levels of the antioxidant uric acid. Markers of inflammation were also significantly lower.

The conclusion, say the authors of the more recent meal-skipping study, is that skipping meals as part of a controlled eating plan that results in lower calorie intake can result in better health. However, skipping meals during the day and then overeating at the evening meal results in harmful metabolic changes in the body.

Tis the season

November 22, 2007, 10:33 am

The Skinny on Holiday Weight Gain

Reports of your holiday weight gain have been greatly exaggerated. Media stories often suggest that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And in surveys, people say they gain, on average, about five pounds this time of year.

But several studies now show that the average weight gain during the winter holidays is just one pound.

The news isn’t all good. Most people don’t ever lose the pound of weight they put on during the holidays, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine. Since the average weight gain during adulthood is about one to two pounds a year, that means much of midlife weight gain can be explained by holiday eating.

For people who are already overweight, the holiday weight news is worse. Although the average gain is only one pound, people who are already overweight tend to gain a lot more. One study found that overweight people gained five pounds or more during the holidays.

And we start packing on that extra pound of holiday weight early in life. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma studied holiday weight gain among college students during the Thanksgiving break. The students were weighed the day before Thanksgiving, then weighed again about two weeks later. The average weight gain for the 94 students was about one pound. Students who were of normal weight gained about a half a pound during the period. Students who were overweight, meaning their body mass index was 25 or more, gained about two pounds.

Holly Hull, the lead researcher on the Oklahoma study, says Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a “high risk” time for the overweight. “I think the number of people who only overeat at the Thanksgiving meal is slim to none,'’ said Dr. Hull. “The holiday season doesn’t represent one day of overeating. You have this period that extends through the new year where there’s more alcohol, more snacks, more finger foods and appetizers that are energy dense.'’

The Gall of Flab

If your belly keeps making a comeback, you may be gaining more than a few pounds: University of Kentucky researchers recently found that men who yo-yo diet are 76% more likely to develop galls tones than those who maintain consistent weight. In fact, the more frequent and severe your body-weight swings, the greater your risk. The scientists aren't sure why weight cycling causes gallstone formation but note that it was specifically related to fluctuating fat levels.

Calorie Calculator

The New York Times has a feature that lets you estimate the number of calories you need to consume to reach your goal weight.

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/caloriecounter.html

Bounce Back from a Diet Slip

You may view missing a week of exercise or grabbing a doughnut when you've been trying to lose weight as a failure. But this all-or-nothing outlook can actually undermine your future success, says Carol Tavris, Ph.D., a Los Angeles-based social psychologist and co-author of Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me). "When you feel disappointed in yourself, pay attention to the way you explain your behavior," she says. "Thoughts or statements like 'I have no willpower' or 'I knew I'd never stick to a diet' are self-defeating and could lead you to repeat the very actions you hoped to change." Instead, admit that you screwed up and take a moment to realize that doing so was natural. "When you make a mistake with a diet, an exercise plan, or for that matter any major decision, it doesn't mean that you're a bad person or that you'll never improve," says Tavris. "It simply means that you need to renew your motivation."

Another Reason to Avoid Trans Fats

Belt size increasing? It may be the kind of fat you're eating--and not the total amount you consume each day--that contributes to weight gain. Researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina found that monkeys that ate trans fats gained four times the weight as monkeys eating the same amount of unsaturated fats.

Eat Well, Breathe Easy

Nutrition: A Healthy Diet May Keep Chronic Lung Disease at Bay

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR, New York Times

Published: May 22, 2007

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and whole grain foods may offer protection against chronic lung disease, a new study suggests, in addition to the other benefits of such a regimen.

Researchers studied more than 42,000 male health professionals enrolled in a long-term study that began in 1986. All filled out food frequency questionnaires, and the scientists ranked them by how closely they followed what the authors call the “prudent” diet, or how much they stuck to a “Western” diet dominated by refined grains, cured and red meats, sweets and French fries. The study appeared online May 15 in Thorax.

After adjusting for age, smoking and other factors, the scientists found that the more strictly a person followed the prudent diet, the lower the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or C.O.P.D., the umbrella term for chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Compared with the one-fifth of people with the highest intake of foods from the prudent diet, the one-fifth with the lowest intake were twice as likely to suffer from newly diagnosed C.O.P.D.

At the same time, the one-fifth of men who followed the Western diet most closely were more than four and a half times as likely to be diagnosed with chronic pulmonary disease as the one-fifth who ate the least from that menu.

Raphaëlle Varraso, the lead author, said that fruits, vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids probably explained the protective effect, and that red meat, cured meat and French fries actively increased the risk. Dr. Varraso was at the Harvard School of Public Health when the study was done, and is now a researcher at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research in France.

Banish Belly Fat

Another reason to eat breakfast. It may give you flatter abs. Researchers at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles found that breakfast skippers have bigger tummies than those who regularly have a morning meal.

Q / A: What counts as a serving of fruit or vegetables?

Q: Is it OK to count snack foods that supposedly contain fruit or vegetables toward my 9-a-day goal?

Here's what Self's nutrition expert, Joy Bauer, R.D., had to say.

A. Sorry, but no. These products may have added vitamins, minerals and plant extracts (which make them a tad better than junk food) bu they'll never be as good as the real thing. Fruit and veggies are made up of so many biologically active compounds that it's impossible to replicate all their healthful ingredients in precisely the right amounts in packaged goods. And studies show that vitamins and phytochemicals don't act the same way when they are isolated and inserted into food as they do in whole food, probably because they work synergistically. The bottom line: You can't beat fresh for nutrition and flavor.

Think Yourself Think

The diets that work long term are those which introduce us to healthy eating habits and eating patterns. One strategy that is proven to work is grazing or snacking, but it's easy to get too much of a good thing. Too many snacks, no matter how healthy they may be, equal too many calories.

Try this. Rethink your snacks. We assume that our snacks are low calorie and are prepared to eat again soon, but sometimes soon is too soon, and too often. If this happens to you, here's a new strategy: Instead think of your snack as a mini-meal. Instead of a couple of slices of apple with peanut butter, have a half of sandwich with lean lunch meat and tons of veggies, or a cup of flavorful, fiber-rich soup like lentil or garden vegetable. Sit and enjoy your snack slowly, as you would a meal instead of eating on the go or while distracted.

Spotlight on: Kiwifruit

Have two kiwi and you'll get bout the same amount of fiber (4.6 grams) as in a large apple for slightly fewer calories, while making a dent in your vitamin K needs (K promotes healthy blood). Each kiwi has nearly 100% of your daily vitamin C, too.

Spotlight on: Belgian Endive

Iceberg lettuce does have a satisfying crunch, but it is otherwise dull. Substitute the old lettuce staple with Belgian endive. This leafy vegetable is tastier and (wait for it) crispier than iceberg, and 1 cup contains nearly 2 times the amount of potassium, which helps maintain blood pressure. And it has more folate, a crucial vitamin for women of childbearing age.

Try endive for a substitute for chips. Use single leaves as low calorie vehicles for hummus, dips, and salsas, or stuff them with tuna tartar or smoked salmon for elegant appetizers.

The Lowdown on the Low-GI

Low-Glycemic index foods get more points for helping you stay slim.

Wondering why those pounds won't budge. A Danish study published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reinforces the idea that a low-glycemic index (GI) diet can help. Made popular by diets like South Beach, low-GI foods (high-fiber, complex-carb foods like veggies, beans, nuts, lean meats, and whole-grain breads) slowly release energy into your bloodstream and keep you satisfied longer. Study participants who ate high-GI foods gained more wight, especially in the stomach area, over six years. To go low-GI choose whole foods like an apple with a little bit of peanut butter, over anything starchy, sugary, or refined.

Understanding Weightloss Plateaus

Slowly but surely you've lost ten pounds. But now, the scale is stuck and won't budge. What gives? Don't blame it on a slow metabolism. Hers Muscle and Fitness explains why plateaus happen in the June 2007 issue:

There are two reasons why: First, you're smaller, so your metabolism is matching the "new" you; second, your body thinks it's starving, and as a result, thyroid hormone levels drop and your resting metabolic rate may drop 10%-25%, so you aren't burning as many calories in a day as you were before you lost the weight. And here's what most of us forget: when we lose weight, we become lighter, meaning the amount of calories we burn in everyday activities drops as well. Eventually, your metabolism adjusts to your new, smaller body.

"At some point you come back to energy balance--where your output and input are the same--so you stop losing weight," Robert Keith PhD, RD, FACSM, explains. "That's the sticking point or plateau a lot of people talk about."

If losing more weight is your goal, you'll have to either exercise more or restrict your calories more, but be wary--if you're already at a healthy weight, be honest with yourself in analyzing whether you truly need to push to lose even more.

Beer Belly

How Beer Makes You Fat

Leave it to Men's Health Magazine to it down....

1. You take a swig of beer.


2. Within seconds, the beverage passes through your esophagus and into your stomach.


3. Twenty percent of the alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream; the rest is absorbed into your intestines.


4. The alcohol travels through our blood to your liver, where it is broken down. During this process, waste products called acetate and acetaldehyde are created.


5. Acetate and acetaldehyde signal your body to stop burning fat. At the same time, your body starts making fat from another waste product of alcohol, acetyl CoA.


6. Your body can effectibely process only 0.5 to 1 ounce of alcohol per hour.


So the more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from burning fat, and the more fat builds up from the excess acetyl CoA.

A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol.
The following contain 0.6 ounces of alcohol:

• 5.5 ounces wine (11% alcohol)


• 14.3 ounces of light beer (4.2% alcohol)


• 1.5 ounces of hard liquor such as whiskey (40% alcohol/ 80 proof)


• 1.2 ounces of hard liquor (50% alcohol/100 proof)

The above calculations are based on the percentage of alcohol present in each beverage, so the alcohol percentage or proof is given. For example, wine can sometimes be more than 11% alcohol. If you would like to learn more about calculating the amount of alcohol in your drinks, please visit www.elegantpie.com/cheers.html for formulas to help you calculate the ounces of alcohol in your drinks as well as blood alcohol content.

What's the point? If you're trying to lose fat, cut out alcohol for a while. You'll see and feel your results faster.

How To Eat.... The Cliff's Notes Version

I've literally read thousands and thousands of pages on nutrition over the past two years. Recently I added a couple more very informative pages to my tally when I finished reading an interesting article by Michael Pollen in the New York Times Magazine.

If you have the time and inclination to read it, please do yourself a favor and do so. If you barely have time to get through my blog (and you skip the longer entries), here's a simplified version (it's going to sound familiar, but there's a reason for that...).

• A healthy diet is one that focuses on tons of leafy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein.
  
• Whole foods (unprocessed foods like .... fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains) contain nutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and healthy phytochemicals that have complicated interactions which science is still struggling to understand. (Think of how we know that we need vitamin D to properly absorb calcium. It's taken science a while to understand that. Consider how many vitamins and minerals are in one tomato: we are far from understanding how every single vitamin compliments or interacts with all the other vitamins, but we DO know that tomatoes are good for us. You can take a lycopene supplement and hope that your body has the right balance of nutrients to take advantage of the lycopene-or-(god forbid) eat a fresh tomato.)
  
• A healthy diet is a varied diet. Don't just eat the same four or five vegetables, grains, or fruits every week. Eat lots of different plant matter.
  

Your challenge this week: eat more foods. (NOTE: I did not say eat more food. ) Make a list and see how many foods you eat. Next week try and add some new fruits and vegetables to the list.

Please read the article. I recommend it. If you like it and want to read more, Pollan also wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma. If you'd like other book recommendations, just ask. I've read close to a dozen on nutrition this past year.

The Age Old Question Answered...

The Question: Does Muscle Turn to Fat When You Stop Working Out

The Facts: As summer heats up and Americans flock to the shores to bear their beach muscles, those of us whose gym memberships collected dust last winter or expired months ago may be left with physiques that went from firm to flabby.

So did all those muscles simply melt to fat from more time on the couch and less at the sports club?

That might be the popular explanation, experts say, but it's not exactly true. When people stop exercising and shift into couch potato mode, their muscles begin to shrink, clearing the way for adipose tissue, or fat, to slowly replace them. At the same time, many people who stop exercising often continue to consume the same amount of calories they took in during their more active days, despite the fact that their energy expenditure is no longer nearly what it once was.

All of this can create the illusion that a lean six-pack and bulging set of biceps turned to fat, said Dr. Gerard P. Varlotta, an associate professor of rehabilitation medicine at New york University, but muscle and fat are two distinct tissues that never convert to the other.

"What happens is that the ratio of fat to muscle has changed," he said. "If you have atrophy of the muscle, then other tissue can move in and take its place."

The Bottom Line: Muscles might shrink when you stop working out, but they never turn to fat.

from NY Times 7/26/06

Hit List of Weight-Gaining Behaviors

This list is a great eye-opener to see how small changes in your behavior can add up in a big way!


Eating second helpings (200 kcal per helping) 3x per week
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 600
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 31,200
Potential Weight Gain per Year 9 lbs

Habitual overeating, every day, 380 extra kcal per day
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 2,660
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 138,320
Potential Weight Gain per Year 40lbs

Eating a large bagel (4.5” diameter, 323kcal) 3x per week rather than a small bagel (3” diameter, 156kcal)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 500
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 26,000
Potential Weight Gain per Year 8lbs

Eating Big Macs (or equivalent, 570kcal) twice a week rather than choosing a small sized hamburger (260kcal)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 620
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 32,240
Potential Weight Gain per Year 9lbs

Eating one glazed doughnut (290kcal) every day at work during your coffee break
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 1,450
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 75,400
Potential Weight Gain per Year 21lbs

Drinking a cup of whole mile (150kcal) twice a day rather than having skim milk (86kcal)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 896
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 46,600
Potential Weight Gain per Year 13lbs

Drinking one regular soda a day (144kcal) rather than diet soda
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 1,008
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 52,400
Potential Weight Gain per Year 15lbs

One small Starbucks nonfat Mocha without whipped cream (170kcal) every day at work rather than black coffee
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 850
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 44,200
Potential Weight Gain per Year 13lbs

Snacking on 15-20 potato chips a day (150 kcal)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 1,050
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 54,600
Potential Weight Gain per Year 16lbs

Eating a bowl of regular ice cream (280kcal) 5x per week rather than having a bowl of nonfat frozen yogurt (160kcal)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 600
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 31,200
Potential Weight Gain per Year 9lbs

Binging twice a week (1000-3000kcal per binge)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 2,000-6,000
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 104,000-312,000
Potential Weight Gain per Year 30-90lbs

Snacking while watching TV 5 hrs a week (136 per snack)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 680
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 35,360
Potential Weight Gain per Year 10lbs

Nighttime eating, five episodes per week (270kcal per episode)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 1,350
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 70,200
Potential Weight Gain per Year 20lbs

Drinking 3 beers at happy hour once a week (146kcal per beer)
Weekly Caloric Cost (extra kcal per week) 438
Annual Caloric Cost (extra kcal per year) 22,776
Potential Weight Gain per Year 6.5lbs



The list and note above were taken from The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom by Dr. Phil McGraw. I endorse this book as a way to understand the emotional and psychological aspects to overeating, developing a healthy relationship with food, and achieving a positive mental state while losing weight and improving one’s fitness level. I have read the book and have bought it for friends and family.

My Philosophy: Not a New Year's Resolution, a New Life Resolution/Revolution

Part 1
Because I am slim and fit, a lot of my clients and friends ask me if I diet. I don't believe the word "diet" should be a verb (as in, "Are you dieting?"). I'm a strong believer that one's diet should be a way of life. I don't believe in good foods or bad foods (chocolate cake=bad, rice cake= good). It should be noted that I do not consider highly processed foods, most fast foods, and foods containing certain artificial ingredients (hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, &c.) real food that is fit for consumption. Few things in life are black and white, so why should we expect what we eat to be so simple and binary?

My philosophy is that we should listen to what our bodies are telling us. If we are gaining weight, are becoming hypertensive, if our cholesterol levels are high, if we're always hungry/stuffed, we should take a good, unbiased look at what we eat, when we eat, why we eat, and how we eat, and we should modify those things until we are healthy. What we consume should not negatively affect us, and if it does and we do not change our eating habits, we only have ourselves to blame. We don't have to diet (ie. deprive) we need to adjust our diet (how, how much, and what we eat).

Losing Weight

To effectively lose weight, one needs to adjust their diet as well as their activity level. Doing one without the other probably won't have much of a lasting effect. Think of it as a lifestyle change that will give you a changed body, a healthier body. Our bodies are amazing things. They will do only what we ask of them. If you want the strong, lean body of an active, healthy person, you are going to have to embark on the process of becoming a strong, active, healthy person. You won't get a strong, lean body by watching 20 hours of tv a week and substituting rice cakes for potato chips. If you're willing to accept that your lifestyle as it is now is not giving you the physique you want and committed to altering your lifestyle and adopting a healthier diet and more physical activity, your body will listen. It may grumble, it may ache and complain, but it will listen.

A good friend of mine is always saying, you are the master of your own destiny. You are the master of your body as well.

Change Your Diet, Change Perspective

It's common for many people to improve the quality of their food, make healthier choices, and still find they are not losing weight. Portion size is very important. It is crucial. American meals, especially the ones served at restaurants, have lost all sense of proportion. Our dinner plates are huge. Our spoons are huge. We need to relearn what a real portion size is and accept that. As long as we believe that a steak should be 24 ounces (as opposed to 4-6 ounces), we are not going to get the bodies we want.
At home, use smaller plates and fill them mostly with brightly colored vegetables. Keep your protein portion about the size of a deck of cards and your starch about 1/2 cup (think of a baseball cut in half). Still hungry? Have some more steamed string beans, some more beets, another helping of broccoli.
When you are actively trying to change your diet, to nurture your palate to accept and enjoy healthier real flavors, and to lose weight, you may want to step away from the desserts for a while. You should probably cut out alcohol, which is high in calories. This does not mean that you will forever forgo these items, but just know that for the time being, you are taking a break and resetting your palate and your body. If you must, savor just a bite of some high quality sweet instead of having a whole dessert or candy bar.
When you achieve your goal weight, remember that you can have anything you want occasionally and in moderation.

Exercise

The healthiest way to lose weight is to adopt a healthy diet and exercise. We should all be getting 45 minutes a day of exercise. At least. Our bodies are designed to be active. Unfortunately, our jobs often require we sit still for long periods of time. This starts a vicious circle of fatigue and inflexibility. This vicious circle continues even when we first start working out. It can last a few weeks, but slowly, surely, your body will wake up and rise to the occasion. It will do what you ask of it; it will get stronger, more flexible, healthier. You will feel stronger, healthier. You'll have more energy. As you come into your body, you'll be amazed at how good it feels to be more active, to be stronger. Your body is meant to be strong and healthy and your hard work and exercise will be rewarded. Your body is a part of you. Don't neglect it.

Math

While I don't believe we should be wed to the scale, there are some important numbers to consider. 3500 is the number of calories in a pound. If over the span of a month, you consume 7000 extra calories, you will gain two pounds of fat. Likewise, if over the span of a week, if you decrease your calorie consumption by 200 calories a day (that's about equal to a slice of cheese and a can of soda) while increasing your energy expenditure (exercise) by about 300 calories every day, you can expect to lose a pound.
What about all those diets you read about that tell you to cut out carbs and you'll lose 10 pounds in a week.... well, most of that is water. It is safe and reasonable for most people to lose between 1-2 lbs a week. Unless you have an excessive amount of weight to lose, dropping more than 1-2 lbs a week usually indicates you are dehydrated (a side effect of ketosis, the state your body goes into when it's deprived of carbohydrates).
Going back to what I wrote earlier about being wed to the scale... you should use how you look, how you feel, how your clothes fit, as better indicators of your progress. Muscle weighs more than fat. How much more? A pound of fat is about the size of a large grapefruit. A pound of muscle is about the size of a small orange or tangerine. So if you are losing fat and gaining muscle, the numbers on the scale might not be moving very much. If the jeans you banished to the back of your closet or some other "thin clothes" are telling you you lost weight but your scale is telling you otherwise, rest assured that you may not have lost "weight" but you certainly lost fat.

Q & A with Lisa Drayer, R.D.

Detox Diets, The Skinny on Juices, Eat More to Lose Weight: A Registered Dietician at Women's Health tackles this month's topics...

Q. Are there any health benefits to "detox" diets that make you fast for the first few days?

No. The kidneys and liver remove toxins from teh body, so there is no biological need for that kind of diet. In fact, prolonged fasting can lead to headaches, fatigue, and low blood sugar. Bur if you're just starting a diet, you might want to try a "modified" detox: Eliminate starchy carbs, refined sugars, and alcohol for 3 days to lose weight and boost your motivation.

Q. I love making my own juice. Is this a weight-conscious way to get my five a day?

All juice, including homemade, is a concentrated source of sugar and calories, not great if you're trying to lose weight. Whole fruits and vegetables are much better, in part becase they contain fiber that keeps you full longer. Bur juice is packed with vitamins and antioxidants like beta carotene, so if it's the only way you can swallow your fruits and veggies, go for it. Just limit your servings to 4 ounces a day.

Q. I lost 13 lbs by eating 1000 calories a day for three months. For the past three days, I've eaten 500 calories but gained half a pound. Why?

The gain is probably just because you're retaining fluid. The real problem is that your calorie intake is way too llow! eating so little slows down your metabolism, which can cause you to gain weight quickly when you start eating normally again. Eat a minimum of 1200 caloires and get 20 minutes of exercise daily to keep your metabolism up.