eating and losing weight

Question
i did have a weight drop from 54 down to 45 in a matter of months and some how gained weight from eating nothing how is this so? should i go to the doctor and get checked out? i wish so bad to be that weight again?
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Followup To

Question -
would you say that i am anorexic if i weigh betweeen 48-51 fluctuations and am 169cm tall and eat next to nothing? i gain weight by eating nothing.... also i was wondering if i would lose weight by eating small meals and if so how much and how long would it take to lose?
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Followup To

Question -
hi, i was wondering what happens when your body goes into "starvation mode" because i seem to think that is what mine is doing. i seem to have gained weight recently eg.sag and have been eating next to nothing and exercising approx 4 hours or more a day involving running, walking,skipping, trampoline and core exercises why is this so that it happens? how can you lose the weight that you have gained and lose the sag? i was also wondering is it true that if you eat 5 -6 very very tiny small meals a day it will get your metabolism started and can actually lose weight from doing this is this true? i also wanted to know why have i gained weight and please help me to lose around the 3kg that i have gained from not eating and the sag.

Answer -
Hello Jen!

     Thank you for your nutrition question. There is a common misperception that to lose weight, the lower the calories, the better. Ironically, eating more calories may be key. You can actually hurt your body鈥檚 ability to lose weight by going too low. Here鈥檚 why. The body has a protective mechanism. When calories drop too low (we recommend a minimum of 1,200 per day) the body reacts as if it is starving and tries to conserve energy. It will lower your metabolism, conserve calories and fat, and you will not burn calories as quickly. This results in a slower weight loss or even no weight loss. This is what鈥檚 know as the 鈥淪tarvation Mode鈥?.
     As you mentioned earlier, eating small frequent meals is very helpful for weight loss. This way of eating enables you to change your metabolism. Eating small meals keeps your blood sugar level from making large up-and-down fluctuations; believe it or not, it is much better for you.
If you can't graze, just snack "You don't need to be eating small balanced meals every two hours. The trick is to break up the nutrition you need in a day to have as snacks in between meals. Don't skip a meal to save calories -- that has the opposite effect. Your body will hold onto fat calories (survival mode) and burn muscle because that is the most readily available energy source. This will in turn lower your metabolism, making it that much harder to lose weight.

For more answers to your nutrition questions check out "Ask the Nutritionists" by George Rapitis at www.authorhouse.com or your favorite bookstore.

-George Rapitis, Bsc, Nutritionist
www.juiceblend.com


Answer -
Hello Jen,

   I don't believe you are anorexic because you would have alot more symptoms such as  major weight loss from excessive and continuous dieting, which may either be restrictive dieting or binge-eating and purging.  
   You would benefit from eating small frequent meals throughout your day because it would prevent overeating. There is some great information about this subject in my book "Ask the Nutritionists"  You can order it at www.authorhouse.com or at your local bookstore. There are eating plans and recipes in the book also for weight loss. It is only 12.95 to purchase it.

-George

Answer
Dear Jen,

    The reason you gained weight even though you ate nothing was because your metabolism(rate which you burn calories) slowed down.  In order to keep losing weight you must eat small frequent meals to keep your metablism burning calories throughout your day.  I would recommend seeing a registered dieititan to help you with your weight loss goals.  Your doctor can refer you to one.  

-George

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