By Alana Gold, Registered Dietitian

Do you ever wonder why severely restricting calories doesn’t seem to help you shed unwanted pounds?  After all, if overeating causes us to gain weight, wouldn’t under-eating cause us to lose weight?  The answer is NO as your metabolism—the way your body burns up all the calories from food—needs you to eat yourself not starve yourself thin. 

Caloric restriction—puts on not takes off weight
Research shows that severely restricting calories actually promotes weight gain not weight loss, as the number of calories you eat directly affects your metabolism.  If you don’t eat enough calories the body senses that it is in a time of famine and will respond by going into Starvation Adaptation Mode. This means your metabolism will purposely slow down to conserve what little calories are ingested, storing them as fat instead of burning them off. Also, too few calories (less than 1000-1200 per day) can cause the body to utilize its own muscle tissue for energy—diminishing all that hard work at the gym.  Not what you wanted to do, right?

Eating yourself thin
Truestar knows that you need to eat to lose weight. Here are some basic guidelines to follow to keep your metabolism revved up and your waistline slimmed down.

• Eat throughout the day.  Eat three meals and two snacks daily to keep your metabolism in full gear, energy levels high and your belly feeling full.   Be sure to follow your Truestar Weight Loss Plan for delicious and tasty recipes as well to ensure you get the proper number of calories for weight loss success. 

• Eat balanced meals. At Truestar, we recommend a balanced weight loss nutritional regimen including a moderate reduction in carbohydrates (30-40%) along with lean proteins (30-40%) and essential fats (30%).  Balanced eating helps to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels (excess insulin = excess fat), controls hunger and keeps weight in check.

• Don’t skip breakfast. Research shows that those who eat breakfast lose more weight than those who skip breakfast. Your metabolism slows down while you sleep and will speed back up when you eat again. If you don't eat until lunchtime, your body won't burn as many calories as it could during the morning period.

• Stick to low-glycemic index foods. The glycemic index is a tool that measures how quickly glucose (sugar) from a carbohydrate enters into the bloodstream. The faster the speed of entry, the more insulin the body will secrete in response. Too much insulin can result in weight gain as excess insulin gets stored as fat.  It is best to choose low glycemic index carbohydrates such as most fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, beans and legumes.  Click here for a list of foods and their glycemic index rating.

• Enjoy green tea instead of your morning java. Research by the University of Geneva shows that green tea appears to increase metabolic rate and speed up fat oxidation. Compounds in green tea, catechin polyphenols, appear to speed up the rate at which calories are burned and therefore increase overall energy expenditure leading to weight loss.  Get your 3-4 cups per day!

• Water yourself down.  Not drinking enough water can slow down your metabolism, as your body won’t be able to function at its optimal level. Be sure to drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day. Add a lemon slice to water for a tangy, fresh taste.

• Exercise yourself thin.   Daily exercise helps to boost your metabolism and helps you shed excess weight.  Read The Best Exercise for Weight Loss for more information.

• Supplement yourself thin—the safe way! New research has found there are actually some supplements that can help you achieve your weight loss goals both safely and effectively. Some weight loss supplements include:

o Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) at a dosage of one pill (750 mg) taken three times per day
o Chromium at a dosage of one pill (200 mcg) per day with lunch or dinner
o Green tea at a dosage of 3-4 cups per day or a 300 to 400 mg capsule of green tea extract daily. 

For more information check out Truestar's weight loss supplement plan.

Here's a sample meal plan to eat yourself thin:

Breakfast:  Chocolate monkey smoothie—1 cup soymilk, 1-1.5 scoops of chocolate protein powder, 1/4 banana and 1 tsp. flaxseed oil.  Mix in blender on high until smooth.

Snack: Crackers and cheese—2 whole-grain crispbread (e.g. Wasa or Ryvita) topped with 2 oz non fat cheese and 10 almonds on the side. 

Lunch: Cottage cheese with berries and nuts—1 cup 2% cottage cheese mixed with 1 cup strawberries and 1/2 cup blueberries sprinkled with 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts on top. 

Snack: U-TURN trail mix—Chop 1/2 of a U-TURN protein bar (40g) (can substitute with protein bar of choice) and mix with 2 tbsp. soynuts. 

Dinner: Grilled chicken, green beans and sweet potato—6 oz grilled boneless chicken breast with 1/2 cup boiled green beans and 1/2 baked sweet potato.  Use extra-virgin olive oil (2 tsp.) in cooking.

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