how much?

something kinda sad happens when you turn 35. your metabolism slows down. i've slowly begun to realize this over the last several months, and i am not happy about it. last week i decided to start seeing how many calories i ate in a day, and looked for ways to cut out what i really don't need. but something happened along the way, and i've begun to think about the millions of people on this planet that have 300 calories a day--in a bowl of rice, for instance--and that's it. for the last 5 days, i have only been eating a small breakfast, a tiny lunch, and a normal dinner, and no more. i drink a lot of water and hot tea, but there's no denying the fact that my tummy feels empty. i feel so fortunate to have so much food in my house, and access to food all around me. the u.s.a. is so focused on food, in fact, you really can't go very far without it staring you in the face. i usually don't take part in lent, but this year i am challenging myself to eat the bare minimum and live with hunger pains as so much of the world does. at least i know when lent is over, i can eat whatever and whenever i want. others are not so blessed.