Recently in our private FB group, I asked the question:
“What are people struggling with most when it comes to a pro metabolic diet? “
The largest item at 42% was Losing Weight.
I asked the same question on my IG stories and 85% was Losing Weight.
So, it’s time to create this:
Summary on Losing Weight with a Pro metabolic Diet
First of all, here is a summary of all articles I have written on Losing Weight with a Pro metabolic Diet before. Read through them slowly, as you may pick up new things that you didn’t notice previously. Sometimes people are just not ready to take in or act upon information at certain times:
At first I was losing weight, now it’s coming back!
Best way to lose weight long term
Body temperature affects weight loss
Discussion on exercise for weight loss
Free 7 Day email course – How to eat for Weight Loss
High cortisol causes belly fat
Why losing weight fast is bad advice
Metabolic rate and burning calories
Polyunsaturated fats and weight gain
Beginners Guide to a fast metabolism
Eleven factors for weight loss
What I eat in a day updated in 2021
Main points to understand about Losing Weight with a Pro Metabolic Diet
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Losing weight the healthy way takes time
Sometimes 2-5 years may be required until you get to your goal. It takes patience, and to understand what you are doing. But the good part is, you won’t have to lose weight ever again!
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Unless you are severely underweight though, you DON’T need to gain weight when starting a pro metabolic diet
If anything, you should just be able to stabilise where you are while you are learning about your calories, macros and food types to improve your metabolic rate.
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At the beginning, large amounts of calories are NOT required to heal
This false information of needing lots of calories (like 2,400 to 2,800 calories for women) has created a lot of issues for many people and is downright dangerous to promote. There have been stories of people having dangerously high blood sugar, high cholesterol and triglycerides to heart attack levels, onset of diabetes/ prediabetes and large amounts of weight gain like 60 pounds (30kg) when trying to follow this advice. This would be accumulating fat around your organs too, making it more difficult for them to work properly. So DON’T do this.
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Starting calories
In my books the ZEN Beach Diet, the 3 Day Summer RESTART & the Lemon Coffee + Pro Metabolic Diet Weight Loss Dynamite books, we start at the minimum level of calories recommended for a healthy adult woman. This is 1,800 calories. For those who have been trying to ‘diet’ on 1,000 to 1,200 calories, it is advised to increase to this amount slowly, to get your body used to it to avoid weight gain. Like over a few months.
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Calories after 12 months or so
Depending how your body responds, there may be opportunity to increase calories beyond this and continue to lose weight, depending on how your metabolic rate is progressing. There are so many other factors involved in this too like your age, your lifestyle, your health, the stress in your life, exactly what you are eating etc. For some, their optimal long term calorie level may be the same, or it may be less, or it may be more. It is so individual, and NO-ONE can tell you what that is. It’s up to you to test and measure and experiment as you go.
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Your health
The state of your health plays a big part in your ability to lose weight. Ray Peat often said that most issues will resolve themselves once a person increases their metabolism. So, all diseases he believed stemmed from this one problem. The way to increase your metabolism is all detailed in my ZEN Beach Diet book. So it’s highly recommended that you grab a copy. If you already have it, read it again to ensure you are doing everything outlined.
The additional liver function benefits and other benefits in the Lemon Coffee program actually assisted me to obtain the healthy liver I didn’t even know I needed and the result was a loss of another 5kg (10lbs.)
Bottom line is we approach losing weight with our health in mind first. We don’t go hungry, but we don’t over stuff ourselves either. It is really a balancing act of knowledge and consistency, that will get you there in the end.
High Calorie Bullies
I had a person recently in our private group argue adamantly that my approach to a pro metabolic diet was too low in calories and stressful for the body. She claimed that no-one could possibly increase their metabolism on 1,800 calories and they shouldn’t stay at that level long term. Fortunately, she removed herself from the group as the last thing we need is high calorie bullies!
Funnily enough most of what she was saying was in line with my philosophies however she hadn’t read my books and had no idea what my philosophies actually were. However, she was wrong on two counts. Some people CAN increase their metabolic rate on 1,800 calories – I did! And I’m 5ft 10 inches tall. Others in our private group have as well. And at NO POINT did I say that everyone MUST stay at 1,800 calories for the long term. So it seems she was just making up her own stories and arguing against herself! Can’t please everyone.
Anyway, the point is, don’t let any high calorie bullies get into your head, as it is not the best way forward for most people.
We take a slow and steady approach and make tweaks in our own lives to suit our own bodies best.
See you in the groups!
Cheers
Kristy
It is interesting reading, tripping through other people’s blogs and everyone’s responses when it comes to eating, body image and food stress.
At a friend’s recommendation, I found this short little paperback on intermittent fasting called The 5:2 Diet Book which is written by Kate Harrison and not the original diet’s author – Dr Michael Mosley.