I go for a walk with my dog EVERY morning for 20-30 minutes. I do about 10-15 minutes of Tae Bo each morning. I eat one cup of flavored yogurt for breakfast and two pieces of wheat toast. At mid-morning, I eat a banana or some grapes. I skip lunch altogether. At mid-afternoon I have a cup or two of coffee with a small amount of creamer and sweetener. After I get home, I exercise for about 20-30 minutes. For dinner, I usually have a baked potato and a vegetable. Later on, if I'm hungry, I have another cup of yogurt or some fruit. ALL day long, I drink TONS of water. I'm in my early 40s and I think my metabolism has just slowed down so much. I'm not terribly overweight, maybe about 10 or 12 pounds. I'm almost 5'4" and I weigh around 128 pounds. Anything you could recommend or advice would be helpful.

You’re doing a great job of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Maybe too good a job.

Part of the reason you may not be seeing the results you might expect from someone trying as hard as you do is that you may not be eating enough or frequently enough. As a result, your metabolism may be a little sluggish because it isn’t being fueled efficiently enough to keep your body’s engine stoked. Your daily intake, from what you describe is only 600-800 calories daily. For someone your size and activity level, you should be eating closer to 1500 calories day. I’m sure you must feel hungry and frustrated. You also need to make an effort to eat a more balanced diet. From the sound of it, you are not getting enough protein or fat in your diet.

I recommend that you begin eating a small, nutritious meal every 2-4 hours for a total of 5-6 meals per day. At first this may seem like a lot, especially since you’ve been eating so little, but I assure you that it will not only boost your metabolism, it will help curb your appetite as well. Your body will expend energy in order to digest food and as a result your daily energy burning (metabolism) will increase.

Your mini-meals don’t have to be very big. They should range from 200 to 400 calories each. I encourage you to have meals that include protein in the earlier part of the day for added nutritional and energy benefits. Remember, your total calorie intake for the day should be about 1500.

Here’s an example of what a typical day’s diet might look like: Start the morning off with a glass of OJ and a bowl of oatmeal topped with fresh fruit, a sprinkle of walnuts, and a splash of skim milk. For a mid morning snack, have your banana and yogurt. Don’t skip lunch! Instead, have a cup of lentil soup, a slice of whole grain bread and an apple. Mid afternoon, grab some pretzels, a baked potato, some cheese and crackers, or half a turkey sandwich. For dinner, have some broiled fish and two vegetables. Finish off the day with some low fat ice cream topped with fruit or a relaxing decaf cappuccino. This is just one sample menu. Feel free to mix and match the foods you like.

The regular aerobic exercise you are already doing also helps increase your daily energy burn. Once you combine it with an adequate diet, the combination will lead to weight loss and improvements in your overall muscle tone. And for the record, at 5’4”, 128 pounds, you are at a healthy weight, not overweight. Adding some weight training to your routine will help you tone up and will add an additional boost to your metabolism by packing healthy, high energy muscle on to your frame. The sit-ups you’re doing are fine for toning up your abs, but you need to do a full body routine that works all of your muscles.

Got a question or comment for Liz? Post it on the Fit by Friday message board!