At any given time, around half of all adults are trying to shed a few pounds. That’s a lot of people on a diet, and if one of them is you, choosing a diet plan is probably quite difficult. After all, there are so many!
A diet plan aims to help the user lose weight. If you have a weight loss goal in mind, it is important to select a diet plan that suits your lifestyle. While some people are happy to count calories all day long, others would rather cut out a group of foods or stick to juices. In this article, we are going to look at the metabolic diet, to see how it works, how effective it is, and why it might be right for you.
What is the Metabolic Diet?
The metabolic diet is all about how your body metabolizes food. Having a faster metabolism means you will burn more fat, and naturally, this leads to greater weight loss for the same effort. The difference between the metabolic diet and low carb diets like the Atkins Diet is the metabolic diet does let you eat carbohydrates. However, not all carbs!
Like the Atkins diet, the metabolic diet works to achieve a state of ketosis, whereby the body burns fat for energy. It is a good diet to try if you would like to target stubborn fat deposits, such as the belly and hips. These areas are often difficult to fix through exercise and fat there tends to linger even on a low fat diet.
Eating the Metabolic Way
Like most diets, achieving success with the metabolic diet means following strict rules when preparing meals. This won’t suit everyone, but luckily, it is possible to buy pre-prepared metabolic meals. Visit Top10 for a review of the Metabolic Meals meal delivery plan, which is ideal for anyone on the metabolic diet who doesn’t have time to put meals together.
If you do want to prepare your own meals, it is important to understand how this diet works. The main aim of the metabolic diet is to remove processed, refined carbohydrates from your meals. So, that means no white bread, cakes, and sugary treats. The reason for this is refined carbs like white flour are broken down into glucose, aka sugar. And as we all know, too much sugar can lead to fat gain.
A metabolic diet contains a lot of wholegrains, non-starchy vegetables, fruit, and meat. Rather than frying food, grill it instead. You can enjoy feeling full, but only if you fill up on the right foods!
Refined carbs are not the only things you need to avoid if you follow the metabolic diet. It is also recommended that people on the metabolic diet cut out wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, alcohol, and caffeine.
Look for gluten and wheat-free wholegrain pasta, opt for vegan alternatives such as nut milk, and don’t wash down your meal with a beer.
There are three distinct phases of the metabolic diet, and it’s important to do them in the right order. In the long-term, this ensures success and helps to stop you from regaining any weight you lose while on the diet. It is also a less stressful way to prepare the body for dieting.
Phase One
In phase one, you can eat carbs, but you should cut out fatty foods. Instead, prioritize fresh fruit, lean meat, and healthy wholegrains.
Phase Two
In phase two of the metabolic diet, you’ll be eating a lot of lean meat and vegetables. This kickstarts the ketosis process, which targets fat stores.
Phase Three
In phase three, you can start to eat fat again, but it must be healthy fats like avocados, nuts, eggs, and olive oil. By this point, your metabolism should have sped up.
How to Achieve Success
The great thing about the metabolic diet is that it doesn’t involve fasting. Unlike some diets where you are asked to restrict calorie intake to a ridiculous level, the metabolic diet is about eating more healthily. You are encouraged to snack during the day, but only healthy snacks. In addition, you are still allowed three regular meals, so it is easier to control food cravings, which are common when sugar is being eliminated from the diet.
Most diets work best when combined with exercise, and the metabolic diet is no different. To see the best results, exercise regularly. If you are currently sedentary, start slowly by walking more each day. More exercise will help boost your metabolism even more.
Make sure you get enough sleep, too. Being tired won’t help you meet your diet goals, and when you are tired, you are more likely to turn to caffeine and sugar to keep your energy levels high.
The metabolic diet is safe for most people, but if you have any underlying health problems such as diabetes, talk to your doctor before embarking on this or any other diet.
