Answering some questions

Had some people asking about the following so here it is.

Is skipping meals a good way to cut calories?

Meal skipping can actually cause you to gain weight since it slows down your metabolism. In fact, meal skippers tend to weigh more than people who eat regular meals. This may be due to meal skippers' tendency to overeat later in the day to compensate for skipping breakfast or lunch. Rather than cutting out entire meals, shave off a few calories from each meal by controlling portions and finding lower-calorie alternatives to the high-calorie foods that you eat most often.

Is switching to reduced-fat or fat-free foods a sure-fire way to lose weight?

Not necessarily. Even if you have a pantry full of fat-free and low-fat foods -- such as salad dressing, crackers, and cookies -- that does not mean you can eat them to your heart's content. As with all other foods, portion control is the key to losing weight with reduced-fat foods. Even though light versions have less fat than their regular counterparts, they often have as many -- or more -- calories (some diet foods contain more sugar than the regular versions). Always read and compare nutrition labels when making selections.

Will following a strict diet speed up your metabolism?

You can't change your metabolism by following a particular diet plan; what will actually cause an increase in your metabolism is exercise. Following a too-strict diet can make exercising more difficult, if not impossible. In order to have energy to exercise, you must give your body the fuel it needs. Food is that fuel, and when you follow a fad diet that provides too few calories, you're simply not filling up your tank -- you will be too weak to exercise effectively and in the end, your metabolism will stall.