Yeah, but What If . . . ?: Metabolism Revolution FAQs
One of the things I love most about the clients who come to my clinic and my member community is that they are all full of so many smart, savvy questions. I’ve collected these frequently asked questions from my clients who have been on the Metabolism Revolution program—maybe they’re questions you have, too. I hope you will find yourself in some of these questions and that my answers will help inspire you and keep you going. If you think of something that isn’t on this list, please join my robust community and become part of our active online chats. Ask me, ask my team, ask the other members. Become part of our challenges, our recipe contests, and our mutual support and inspiration. We are all there to support one another, share our experiences, and cheer one another on. My goal is that you and I will be friends for a long, long time. Now, here are my answers to those frequently asked questions.
GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE METABOLISM REVOLUTION PLAN
Q: I’m not convinced that men and women should share the same ideal weight range. Are you sure that’s right?
A: I’ve already addressed this briefly, but the idea that men always weigh more than women, or women always less than men, is antiquated. If you knew how much some of my clients actually weighed, you would feel a lot better about yourself. If I have a male client and a female client who are both 5 feet 5 inches tall, it’s a crapshoot who will weigh more—the man with his muscles or the woman with her hips and boobs. Some men don’t have all that much muscle. Some women are well-endowed. You can’t stereotype bodies or health. The weight ranges I provide in this program, when you are calculating your ideal weight in chapter 2, are ranges because they make allowances for these kinds of individual differences. So yes—they share an ideal weight range. But they may not share the same ideal weight goal. That’s personal.
Q: I’ve been on the Fast Metabolism Diet and lost a lot of weight rapidly, and you have said that FMD is a rapid weight loss diet. If I already have your twenty-eight-day rapid weight loss diet, why would I do this fourteen-day rapid weight loss diet?
A: That is an excellent question, and I’m sure many long-time FMD-ers are wondering the same thing. FMD is a rapid weight loss diet, but Metabolism Revolution is a shorter, faster-acting rapid weight loss diet. On FMD, you can lose up to 20 pounds in twenty-eight days, but over a shorter period of time, you can actually sustain up to a 1-pound-per-day weight loss, which is even more rapid.
However, both FMD and Metabolism Revolution are based on a unifying concept of “confuse it to lose it,” a process of changing the macronutrient ratios throughout the week. For some people, fourteen days and 14 pounds is all they will ever need, but for others with bigger weight loss goals, Metabolism Revolution is a great way to begin, and FMD could be a tool to use later, as weight loss progresses. You can do the Metabolism Revolution plan up to three times in succession to lose more than 14 pounds, but after that, if my clients are still working on weight loss, I like them to switch it up and try something else. Some people have 75 to 100 pounds or more to lose, so it’s great to have options. Changing it up can shake you out of plateaus over the longer term, and this is a bigger-picture version of “confuse it to lose it.”
Q: I work out a lot/teach fitness classes/am training for a marathon, and I can’t/don’t want to change my training schedule. Do I need to adjust this diet in any way?
A: Yes, but the adjustment is easy and pleasant. If you are doing an exercise that makes your heart rate go over 120 beats per minute (bpm) for longer than 10 minutes, then you should add a fruit before your exercise session, no matter what part of the week you are on. Also, if you are exercising more than four days per week with a sustained heart rate over 120 bpm for longer than 10 minutes, you need to add an additional serving of protein on every day that you do this over four days. This protein serving should be with either breakfast or lunch.
Note that this system accounts for variations in fitness. If you are very fit, it will take a lot more exercise to get you up to 120 bpm and keep you there for over 10 minutes, so be sure to measure your heart rate to confirm that you need that extra fruit or protein serving. If you are less fit but exercising vigorously, you are more likely to need this extra nutritional boost until your fitness increases.
Q: I’m pregnant/a nursing mother. Can I do this plan?
A: I don’t suggest weight loss during pregnancy, so this is not a plan for pregnant women. Remember that weight loss promotes detoxification, and pregnancy is not the time to help your body release fat-soluble toxins at an aggressive rate. However, this is an excellent diet for those who are planning to become pregnant soon. You can get extra weight off and clear toxins from your system, which will create a more beneficial internal environment for pregnancy.
If you are nursing, you are probably already losing weight quickly, but if you aren’t, your primary goal should not be weight loss. Hydration and rest are king (or queen). Drink all your water, sleep enough at night, and don’t feel bad about napping. Nutritionally, the goal is to keep milk quantity and quality high. That being said, you can do this program while you are nursing, if you:
Remember, this is only if you are nursing. Once your baby is weaned, go back to the plan as it is written.
Q: I have a really active job (like construction) and I burn a lot of calories. Do I need to eat more?
A: Not necessarily. As long as this is not a new job and your body is already conditioned for the position, this plan provides tons of nutrients to support your high level of physicality. Your body has already regulated its metabolic dysfunction to your current level of physical stress, so to effect rapid weight loss, you need to do something different. However, I don’t want you losing more than 1 pound per day when you are being this physical, so if you find that you are losing more than that on this diet, then you can make one of these two changes: either double your snack portions or add a third snack, either before breakfast or at the end of the day.
Q: I’m in sales and constantly have to entertain clients at restaurants and bars. Can I make this plan work for me?
A: Absolutely. Many of my clients are working professionals who travel a lot, are on tour or on the road, or have busy active lives that take them out of their home kitchens frequently. My best advice is to plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead. Don’t get caught up in an unexpected food situation—expect anything. Let’s make a date—me, you, your calendar, and a cup of hot herbal tea. We’re going to plan this out so you know exactly what’s happening on any given night and what you will do in any situation. Specifically, here are my best tips for you:
Q: Can kids do this diet or safely eat the food I am making for myself?
A: Every recipe on this plan is perfectly healthy for children, and may contain more nutrient-dense foods than they were eating before. This is not “diet food.” It is good, whole, real food. Your kids will probably really love some of these recipes, which may become new family favorites. That being said, they can eat larger portions if they are active, and they can add other healthy foods to this diet.
If you are hoping to use this diet to help your kids lose weight, I will tell you that I never use the term weight loss with kids. When children are still growing, the most important thing for them is to establish healthy and active metabolic pathways that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. Kids go through phases of growth and rest, and in the presence of a nutrient-infused diet, weight issues tend to work themselves out. Because we are focusing on establishing those metabolic pathways, children who are still growing need more fruit than this plan provides. For young people eating this plan, add more fruit, specifically in Part 2, when you would not be having fruit as an adult seeking rapid weight loss. Kids should be having five servings of fruit per day, every day, which means fruit with every meal and snack, whether or not you are having it, too. This also applies to teenagers (see the next question).
Q: I’m a teenager with 50 pounds to lose. Do I need to alter this diet in any way?
A: The teenage years are an incredible time to work on enhancing and maximizing your metabolism. Your hormones are starting to navigate their very own pathways, and whole fruits are critical during this time of your life. I don’t like to emphasize weight loss for kids, but for older teenagers who want to get to a healthy weight before adulthood, the Metabolism Revolution is a good place to start. However, when you apply the program, I want you to make this one very important change: Make sure you get five full servings of fruits every day, whether it is called for in the basic program or not.
Whole fruits are critical during this time in your life. Let’s say you are doing Meal Map B. In Part 1, your day includes four fruit servings. I want you to add another one, with dinner, or by doubling one of your other fruit servings. In Part 2, when the diet doesn’t include any fruit servings, I want you to add one serving with every meal and snack. This will not compromise your weight loss goals. Because you are a teenager, your metabolism is not yet set the way an adult’s would be, and this fruit is crucial for making sure that when your metabolism does get more permanently established, it does so in a way that benefits your health and weight. Even when you are not on this diet, I strongly recommend eating five servings of fruit every day.
I also want to give you a special caution when you are calculating your ideal body weight. Once you have calculated your ideal minimum and maximum, I want you to select your ideal goal weight from somewhere in the middle of that range. I don’t want you to obsess about hitting the very lowest number. This is not a time of life to “diet” in a traditional manner. If you do that now, listen to me when I tell you that you will be doing it for the rest of your life. This is a fun time to reset your metabolism so you can have a fast one in your thirties, forties, fifties, and beyond. I know you’re probably not thinking about retirement right now, or your waistline during menopause, but trust me—many of my clients would kill to go back in time and create healthy hormone pathways in their teens. They look back on that time and regret that they didn’t know. You have a huge advantage here, so follow this program with the added five servings of whole fruits every day, and you will be doing yourself a favor for the rest of your life.
Q: How do I feed my family on this diet? Should they eat what I’m eating if they don’t want to lose weight?
A: Your family can certainly eat the same meals you are eating on this diet. In fact, my clients find that when they feed these meals to their families, the whole family’s health improves because the meals are more nutrient-dense than what they were all eating before. For those who aren’t trying to lose weight or repair their metabolisms, portion sizes aren’t as crucial. Let them go back for seconds—a lot of these recipes become family favorites, and people are always going back for more. Also, they can also make additions to the meals, such as adding more protein, vegetables, or complex carbohydrates, or sprinkling their meals with cheese or pickle slices or whatever they like. Just make these options available at the table rather than at the stove. That way, you are all sharing a meal, but at the same time, you can easily structure your meal the way you need it, while still giving other family members the freedom to adapt their meals to their preferences.
When kids make these meals their own, they expand their palates and their micronutrient consumption without even noticing they are eating “healthy foods,” and everyone starts feeling better. And don’t worry about other family members not getting enough calories. These meals are strategically designed to unlock stored fat, but in people who don’t have excess stored fat or metabolic dysfunction, the meals won’t have that effect. They will simply deliver amazing nutrients to build muscle, bone, skin, hair, and nails. It’s real food, designed to nourish any and every body.
Q: I have limited or no mobility, and I can’t do the exercise plan. Can I just skip it? Does that mean I have to change the food plan in any way?
A: No, don’t skip exercise. But “exercise” doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon or take up kickboxing. If you have mobility issues, please select MIEs—passive or supported exercise options—in place of cardio and weight lifting, to the extent necessary for your needs. These count as exercise, too. You’ll notice that in the exercise plan, I have included such activities as infrared sauna, massage, dry skin brushing, physical therapy, hot baths, Epsom salt baths, and acupuncture. As long as you are doing something that stimulates your circulation and blood flow at least three times per week, you are exercising.
I provide lots of options, so your choices don’t have to be expensive. Sometimes you can find coupons for free introductory massages or infrared sauna sessions or acupuncture visits. Look for opportunities, specials, coupons, and promotions during the fourteen days, especially for things you’ve never tried before. You may find a favorite new therapy. Other things like baths are cheap, and you can often find Epsom salts and dry brushes at the dollar store.
A word about physical therapy: I think physical therapy is one of the most underutilized forms of exercise available. If you can get a prescription for physical therapy from your doctor, please do so. If you only get so many visits per year, this is the time to use them.
Q: I missed/had to skip my cardio/weight-lifting session for the week. Can I make up for it?
A: Absolutely. While exercise does many important metabolism-enhancing things for you, I know that sometimes life happens and you end up missing a session (or three). In those instances, you can always replace a cardio or weight-lifting workout with an MIE. This will give you many of the benefits of exercise, including stress relief and increased circulation. Find a list of MIEs here.
Q: I’ve had gastric bypass surgery. Do I need to modify this plan?
A: Yes, typically those who have had gastric bypass surgery can’t consume the large portions of protein, vegetables, and fruit called for in this plan. But you can still do the plan. When I have clients who have gone through this, we typically divide the meals into eight to ten smaller meals, so you will be eating more frequently but in smaller amounts, which gives your body the chance to properly digest the food each time. There are also other ways to make nutrient-dense food less bulky and easier to digest and absorb. You can cook and puree vegetables and fruits, and even meats. Sometimes, I do find that the size of meat protein portions is too much for those with gastric bypass. I can usually get 20 to 26 grams of protein into you with my shakes, which you can certainly try, but it’s harder to get the protein this high with meat. Listen to your body, and if it’s really too much, you can reduce the portions to an amount that is comfortable for you.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FOOD LIST AND PORTION SIZES
Q: Does iceberg lettuce count as an approved lettuce on the vegetable list?
A: Iceberg lettuce has the lowest number of micronutrients per cup of all lettuces. It is also typically an agricultural crop that has a significant amount of herbicide and pesticide applied to it. For both of these reasons, it is my least recommended lettuce. Dark green, soft lettuces typically have a better impact on overall metabolism and are more likely to stimulate weight loss.
Q: On some of your other plans, cucumbers are a free food. Why aren’t they a free food on this plan?
A: Based on my personal experiences with clients, I have not selected cucumbers as a free food for the Metabolism Revolution. I have observed that when cucumbers are “free,” many of my clients really go to town on them. They eat them every day, multiple times per day, to the exclusion of all the other delicious vegetables available for snacks and meals. When cucumbers are eaten chronically in this way, they lose their strategic impact, so I am doling them out purposefully to you during this program. I want you to get all their wonderful benefits without going overboard into cucumber land. But cucumbers are an excellent vegetable choice, with an incredible amount of fiber and potassium, so when I do suggest them, I hope you will enjoy them fully. (In the approved portion sizes, of course.)
Q: In the food list, you use the term pure to describe mustards and vinegars. What do you mean by that?
A: These condiments have a history of being loaded with sugars, honey, dextrose, and other ingredients that slow down the metabolism. If you’re going to use these, you have to be a label reader and make sure that nothing fishy is in there. The nutrition label for most mustards should only list mustard seeds, vinegar, and spices as ingredients, and vinegar labels shouldn’t list much more than the main ingredient for which the vinegar is named (for example, apple cider for apple cider vinegar, red wine for red wine vinegar, etc.; balsamic vinegar should list “grape must” as the first or second ingredient).
Q: Do nuts count as a protein and a fat for a snack, or do I also need to add a protein?
A: For the Metabolism Revolution, raw nuts and seeds fall into the healthy fat category. Even though they do contain protein, they do not go into the protein count for that meal or snack. This is an important distinction for my purposes for this diet. This means you will need to select a food item from the protein category to round out that requirement.
Q: For dinner with a complex carb and a protein, can I just have two servings of legumes?
A: Yes, if you do it correctly. The servings for legumes, when counted as a complex carb, are one portion, and the servings of a legume when counted as a protein are another portion. For example, for a Meal Map B Part 1 dinner, you could have ½ cup black beans for your protein and another ½ cup for your complex carbohydrate. As long as you use the appropriate portion for your meal map, you will be spot on.
Q: Why are wild rice and quinoa on the non-grain carb list? Aren’t those grains?
A: Actually, they are seeds, not grains, and have a much lower starch content. You may be confused if you have read some of my other books, because in the past, I have listed these in the grain category. That was purposeful for that particular diet. For this diet, however, and for our purposes now, wild rice and quinoa should be counted as a non-grain carb, so you can have them with dinner in Part 1.
Q: Do I have to eat the grains whole, or can I have them in some easier-to-eat, quick form like spelt pretzels, sprouted-grain bread (using a compliant grain), crackers, or tortillas?
A: If you find a pure and compliant product with no additives—like pure brown rice tortillas, sprouted buckwheat bread, or those beloved spelt pretzels—then knock yourself out, as long as the product isn’t adulterated with other ingredients. Again, you have to be an avid label reader.
Q: I use Meal Map C, but two servings of protein seems like a lot, especially for breakfast. How am I supposed to eat a four-egg omelet or 8 ounces of turkey sausage?
A: I selected each of the food categories based on the degree of metabolic intervention your body needs. Protein is a key player in healing the metabolism, especially for people using Meal Map C. However, you don’t have to select all four servings of the same food. Mix it up. You could have two eggs and 4 ounces of nitrate-free chicken sausage or turkey bacon, for example. That being said, always listen to your body. If you really can’t eat your whole meal, don’t force yourself. But don’t hold back because you think it will help you lose weight faster, either. With my clients, I find that big goals require big intervention.
Q: Seriously, how am I supposed to eat 4 cups of vegetables for breakfast?
A: The best way to do this is to chew, chew, chew. Oh, wait, you said “seriously.” Okay then. Remember, we are activating digestive enzymes, releasing micronutrients, rebalancing hormone distribution, and stimulating release of stubborn fat, and vegetables are the key to all these very important jobs. You might not be used to eating vegetables for breakfast, but they are taking care of major work for you right now. They are like kindling for the fire. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to choke down 4 cups of sliced cucumbers at six a.m. There are easier ways. Some people like to puree their veggies and add them to a smoothie, or even make them into a soup (soup for breakfast is common in some cultures). Or cook them up with eggs—use onions, peppers, chopped spinach, or whatever you like. When cooked, that 4 cups really shrinks down to a manageable size.
Q: I find it really hard to drink all that water. Any tips?
A: My community is always offering ideas about how to get in all that water (which is so worthwhile). Some say they put all the ounces they need today into a pitcher first thing in the morning or the night before. Then they don’t have to keep track—they just keep pouring glasses from the pitcher until it’s empty. You can keep this in the refrigerator or not, depending on whether you like your water cold or at room temperature. Others know exactly how many water bottles they will need, and bring them to the office. One community member keeps four tokens and a small dish by the sink. Every time she fills her 24-ounce bottle from her reverse-osmosis tap, she puts one token in the dish. When they are all in the dish, she’s done. Another uses quarters and pays herself for every bottle, and another puts six bangle bracelets on her right wrist and moves one to her left wrist every time she refills her water bottle. I have such ingenious community members.
Q: Does zucchini count as a squash?
A: Yes, zucchini is a summer squash.
Q: Can I have jicama?
A: I have purposefully not added jicama to the Metabolism Revolution. However, you will notice that it is on the Fast Metabolism 4 Life food list, so you can look forward to eating jicama when you are on the maintenance plan.
Q: All that fruit is upsetting my stomach. Should I really be eating six servings a day? That seems like a lot.
A: Again, above all, listen to your body, but also consider that the amount of fruit isn’t the problem. It might be the type of fruit. Try selecting different fruits. Another way to make fruit even more digestible is to cook it gently on the stove with a little water. Also, make sure that when you eat, you try to create a relaxed environment and chew each bite fully to stimulate the release of digestive enzymes. Nothing causes stomach upset like stressing out while you eat.
Q: Why can’t I have tomatoes? I can’t imagine my life without salsa and your famous chili.
A: In many of my plans, you will find tomatoes in a variety of decadent and delicious recipes. But nothing says you have to eat them every day of your life, and for the Metabolism Revolution, I have strategically pulled this fruit/vegetable to allow other foods to shine. Never fear—we are going to be cooking together for a long, long time, and when you are on the 4 Life plan to maintain your weight loss (or if you are trying some of my other plans, like the Fast Metabolism Diet), tomatoes are A-OK.
Q: I love coconut milk in my herbal tea/on my oatmeal. Can this count as a healthy fat?
A: I’ve purposely left nut milks, including coconut milk, out of this plan. For now, use the whole coconut, raw, or coconut oil in your oatmeal. Or try other raw nuts or seeds instead. Your body can extract sugar more quickly and easily from nut milks like coconut milk than it can from the actual coconut (or nut) itself. If you are looking for a way to make your oatmeal less thick, just prepare it with additional water. The only exception I allow is if you puree your own fresh coconut meat, in the appropriate portion for the appropriate serving, with as much water as you want. This homemade “coconut milk” will be free of additives and less willing to release its sugars because it contains all the natural fiber of the coconut meat, which store-bought coconut milk does not. I have one client who loves cream in her coffee, and she prepare batches of her own homemade coconut milk, pours it into ice cube trays, and freezes it. Every morning, she pops one into her herbal tea. Genius.
Q: I want to do the food plan rather than the supported plan, but are there ways to occasionally substitute one of your shakes for any of the meals or snacks? Sometimes this would be really convenient.
A: You can absolutely do this. You can use my Metabolism Meal Replacement shakes once a week on that one really busy day you always have, or up to twice a day every day as a replacement for any breakfast or lunch. They are food-based and micronutrient-focused products meant to support you in times of need. Some of my clients run out the door with a shake every morning, and others use them when they travel. I tend to do a little bit of both of those, and most of my clients fall somewhere in the middle, too. So, while there is a Super-Simple Supported Plan that uses the shakes twice a day for the truly time-crunched or cooking-averse, you can always choose to cook when you want and substitute a shake for any breakfast or lunch during a day when you run out of time, energy, or clean foods to eat.
Q: I know coffee isn’t on the list, but are there any healthy substitutes I could have during the fourteen days, like caffeine-free herbal tea or a grain-based coffee substitute like Pero or Dandy Blend?
A: I do discourage coffee. In fact, I’m downright against it, for many reasons (in particular, see “The Elephant in the Room”). But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a warm cuppa. Herbs and spices are on your free food list, which means a cup of herbal tea made with dry or fresh herbs is just fine. Don’t have real tea (black, green, or white, even decaffeinated), but there are many excellent and even therapeutic teas to try, like peppermint, ginger, chamomile, lemon, or dandelion tea, which has a roasty, coffeelike flavor and is also an excellent tonic for your liver.
If tea isn’t quite right for you and you want something even more coffeelike, you could try Pero, a coffee substitute made from roasted grains. I don’t encourage doing this every day, but it might help you get off coffee. Some of my community even take a week to break their coffee habit before starting the fourteen-day plan (or the twenty-eight-day Fast Metabolism Diet plan, or any of my other plans), because for many, that is the hardest part. Just remember that Pero and similar grain-based coffee substitutes are not gluten-free, so if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you should not use these products. Also, even if you are not specifically gluten-sensitive but have other types of allergies such as inhalant or skin allergies, be aware that gluten can be a catalyst nutrient for histamine, and that could worsen your allergy symptoms. For this reason, I don’t recommend grain-based coffee substitutes (or any other gluten-containing food) for anyone with any kind of allergies, whether inhalant, skin, or food.