What isn't as well known is that this blip in fat metabolism is an acute, short-term effect. Studies looking at 24-hour energy utilization show no real difference in overall fat utilization over the entire day. For this reason, it probably doesn't matter when you exercise, except to do it when you can, when you want to and, most important, when you'll enjoy it.

Metabolism Madness
Q. Over the years I've added more exercise to my training regimen and am eating less than ever (about 1,500 calories a day). I just seem to maintain, not lose any more weight. What's going on?
A. You may actually be training your body to be more efficient, thus allowing your metabolism to adjust to fewer calories and a higher energy output. According to endocrinologist C. Wayne Calloway, MD, former director of the Center for Clinical Nutrition at George Washington University Medical Center, now in private practice in Washington, D.C., observations in anorexic young women link their dieting and exercise regimens with resting metabolic rates that are more than 50% lower than expected. This is a lower metabolic rate than can be explained by the loss of muscle mass alone.

In addition, studies have shown that women on very-low-calorie diets (800 calories per day) who exercised actually suffered a greater slowdown of resting energy expenditure (60% of prediet measures) than women who dieted more moderately without exercise. Perhaps 1,500 calories a day intake coupled with 2-3 hours of activity daily triggers a similar training effect to make your metabolism very efficient and thus burn fewer calories. At any rate, continuing to try to control your weight with increasingly restrictive diets will only make matters worse.

What can you do? One or a combination of factors may help, including the following:
1. Slowly increase--yes, increase--your food intake to encourage a faster metabolic rate.

2. Increase your protein intake to avoid eating a carbohydrate-rich meal or more carbs than you're used to. That causes rapid weight gain due to bloating when insulin levels surge.

3. Increase your lean body mass--here's where resistance training comes in--to increase your metabolic rate. Yet do so carefully, since too much exercise with inadequate calories can make the efficiency more intense.

4. Eat several small meals throughout the day, choosing a variety of foods and including some healthy fat in your diet.

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