Throughout the years, weight-loss diets have focused on either restricting carbohydrate intake or increasing it, all using a low-fat approach to nutrition. While the high-carbohydrate diet lacks in protein intake, the low-carbohydrate diet may result in the state of ketosis, which occurs when the cells do not receive enough glycogen, sending your body to use fat stores for energy. Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale, however, hones in on the idea of a diet structured to adjust to your metabolism by increasing your dietary fat and protein while lowering your carbohydrate intake to some degree.
Determining Your Metabolic Index
Before starting the metabolic diet, Dr. Di Pasquale suggests calculating your metabolic index to measure your progress. The index is derived from calculating your body weight, height and body fat percentage to produce an overall index score that indicates weight loss by an increase in lean body mass and a loss in body fat. Thus, an increase in the index number presents effective progress. However, for those not practicing bodybuilding or competitive fitness forms, a score above 18 for women and 32 for men is considered extreme.
Picking a Phase
According to the Metabolic Diet website, Dr. Di Pasquale offers two phases to start your diet: the moderate carb phase and the assessment phase. If you are a carbohydrate conscious person who does not prefer diving into a strict, low-carbohydrate plan, this plan will start you off at a 20 to 25 percent carbohydrate level. However, the assessment phase jumps right into a low-carbohydrate, high-fat and high-protein diet that splits into two shifts: weekdays and weekends. Although the weekday shift, which focuses on a diet rich in fat and protein but low in carbohydrates, lasts from Monday to the following Friday, you load up on carbohydrates over the following weekend, a total of twelve days after.
What to Eat?
If you are on the assessment phase, you will primarily focus on increasing meat and fats in your diet. According to Dr. Di Pasquale, virtually any type of meat is allowed, including hamburger, steak, chicken, fish and turkey. You can also eat a variety of cheeses such as Gruyere, Monterey Jack and Brie that are good sources of fat but are lower in carbohydrates, along with whole eggs, nuts and seeds.
When to Eat?
The metabolic diet has no set boundaries outlining the times you should eat throughout the day. In fact, this diet emphasizes that you should eat when your body sends you signals that you are hungry rather than eating at a specific time regardless of hunger level. Skipping a meal is not beneficial to health and can make you fall off the diet quickly. Also, eating 45 to 60 minutes before exercise allows your body to focus its energy on the workout rather than digestion.
The Metabolic Diet Philosophy
The philosophy of the metabolic diet stresses the awareness of your body and metabolism. It is imperative that your body feel comfortable with the amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins you consume since optimal performance and success depend on those energy factors.
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