Features of the metabolic diet
The metabolic diet is aimed at changing the hormonal balance in the body, which increases the production of hormones that accelerate fat burning.
And its pine principles are as follows:
- Food items are divided into different groups based on their value and calorie content, and points are awarded to each category. And depending on the phase of the diet and the time of day, you can add a certain amount to your diet.
- You can eat fewer points at each meal, but not more points. The total serving volume should not exceed 250 ml.
- Between meals you need to take a break, but no longer than 3 hours.
- If missed, it is strictly forbidden to add up points. For example, you cannot add snack foods to lunch or dinner.
- Every morning you should drink clean water on an empty stomach (200 ml). The total amount of liquid should be at least 2 liters.
- You should have dinner 3 hours before going to bed.
During the diet, you will need to monitor the body's reaction. And if you feel very weak, sweating increases and your eyes darken, then you should drink tea with sugar or take a spoonful of honey.
Advantages
The metabolic diet not only helps you lose excess weight, but also has the following positive effects on the body:
- normalizes metabolism;
- stimulates the production of hormones that accelerate fat burning;
- improves intestinal function, accelerating the elimination of waste and toxins;
- normalizes the functioning of the digestive system.
This nutrition plan also does not cause stress, because in the process of losing weight you do not need to starve. It is not difficult to adhere to such a diet, since the menu costs a small amount, and a varied diet can be made from the permitted products. In addition, with a metabolic diet, you can maintain your usual lifestyle, and there is no need to give up going to restaurants and cafes, because in catering establishments you can choose many acceptable dishes.
Products for a new life
You should start working on yourself by reviewing your eating habits. The refrigerator should be filled with a variety of products from the “white list”, which includes:
- whole grain cereals;
- foods high in calcium;
- various natural spices, including hot pepper;
- cabbage;
- green tea;
- apples, pears;
- omega-3 in any form;
- purified water.
Those who previously preferred pasta, potatoes and white rice will have to reconsider their bad habit. It is better to replace them with healthier oatmeal, brown rice, and buckwheat. They are high in complex carbohydrates, which are responsible for energy production. At the same time, those losing weight will not encounter problems with sudden jumps in insulin, which contributes to the preservation of fat in the body.
Every year, scientists prove the truth that calcium has a positive effect on the process of losing weight, causing the acceleration of processing of incoming food. But with excess, other problems are possible, which is why it is important to fit within the maximum permissible limits of 1200-1300 mg.
Cocoa beans, which are welcome in natural coffee, deserve special attention. Although some nutritional systems exclude it completely, nutritionists do not deny its positive effect on accelerating metabolism. Spices, which must be natural, work according to an identical algorithm. No chemical seasonings like “chicken cubes” and other representatives of the food industry with emulsifiers, dyes, and flavor enhancers are relevant.
Giving up soups, which do a good job of satisfying hunger, blocking attempts to snack on unhealthy snacks and other “culinary garbage,” is not a good idea if you want to start eating healthy.
It is also useful to eat cabbage, which is rich in vitamins A, .
If you add antioxidants, fiber, and folic acid to this, then the familiar vegetable turns into an almost bottomless energy store.
Among the gifts of nature, citrus fruits are especially noted, literally gushing with vitamin C, which resists the decline of immunity. When in season, it is recommended to eat apples and pears. But it’s better to drink everything with unsweetened green tea or clean water without additives.
Contraindications, side effects
Such a diet has practically no contraindications, but it is worth abandoning it in cases of serious disruption of the endocrine system and in the presence of cancer. Also, if you have diabetes, you will need to adjust your diet to take insulin into account. So, if you have this disease, you should definitely consult your doctor.
During pregnancy and lactation, as well as during severe physical and mental stress, you should not adhere to the 1st phase of nutrition. And it’s better to go straight to the 2nd period.
Gastrointestinal discomfort may occur, such as abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea.
Essence and features
Metabolism is the process of breaking down substances received from food into small components and then combining them into components that are easily absorbed by the body. As a result, the synthesis of energy occurs, which is necessary for physical and mental work of a person.
When a large amount of food enters the body at the same time, which is also broken down into incompatible elements, the metabolism slows down, and the components that are not absorbed because of this are deposited in the form of fatty deposits. At the same time, the digestion process is also disrupted, which also does not have the best effect on the condition.
A diet to restore metabolism will not work immediately - the body will need some time to get used to rational functioning. Junk food consumed for years and even decades leaves its mark, which cannot be gotten rid of in a few days.
To understand whether there are problems with metabolism, you need to analyze whether the following symptoms are observed:
- brittle hair and nails, brittle teeth;
- painful skin color, dryness and cracks, especially on the heels;
- bowel disorders;
- persistent swelling in different parts of the body, regardless of the amount of fluid drunk; dyspnea;
- strong cravings for sweet foods, especially after lunch.
Metabolism can be slowed down not only due to eating junk food.
Important . In 2% of cases, the root of all evil turns out to be problems with hormonal levels, so before going on a diet to normalize metabolism, you should make an appointment with a doctor and undergo an examination.
If someone who wants to lose weight really has a disease that will not be treated, then no methods to speed up metabolism will give a positive result.
Metabolic Diet Stages
The metabolic diet, a detailed description of which is presented later in the article, consists of 3 stages. The 1st or “Active fat burning” lasts from 10 to 14 days, and during this period it is important to eat foods with 0 points. To support the body, it is important to take vitamin complexes, or additionally introduce flaxseed or olive oil into the diet, but not more than 15 ml per day. At the 2nd stage “Stabilizing”, the diet can be diversified with foods with a large number of points, but it is important to take similar food for breakfast. The amount of permissible carbohydrates also increases to 60 g per day.
The duration of this period depends on the goal set. The power diagram looks like this:
- Breakfast (8:00-10:00). You can use up to 4 points.
- Snack (11:00-12:00). The number of allowed points is 2.
- Lunch (14:00-15:00). Allowed to eat up to 2 points.
- Afternoon tea (16:00-18:00). Acceptance up to 1 point is allowed.
- Dinner (18:00-20:00). At this meal, the number of points should be 0.
At the 3rd stage “Reinforcing”, you need to add 1 point to each meal, with the exception of dinner. And if weight loss continues, you will need to add another point. If, on the contrary, the weight increases, then you should return to the second stage.
Metabolic syndrome
The metabolic diet can be followed by those people who do not have health problems. It can be practiced for metabolic syndrome. It is a complex of symptoms that occur against the background of obesity and disorders of carbohydrate metabolism.
Metabolic syndrome is not a medical diagnosis, but according to available statistics, it affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide. Metabolic syndrome is expressed mainly in obesity.
Its other manifestations are the following signs:
- A person constantly experiences a feeling of thirst.
- The appearance of hunger is accompanied by increased aggression or apathy.
- During night rest, increased sweating is observed.
- If you fail to eat on time, a person becomes weak.
- There is a constant desire to eat something sweet. Often plagued by attacks of rapid heartbeat.
- After eating protein foods, drowsiness increases.
The main rule of a metabolic diet is the proper distribution of foods throughout the day, which allows you to stabilize metabolic processes. The nutrition plan is simple and understandable to every person. It is based on scoring. They are assigned to all products and depend on their calorie content.
Points table
The metabolic diet, a detailed description of which allows you to follow all its rules step by step, does not imply a list of permitted or prohibited foods.
And it is necessary to create a diet taking into account the number of points of a particular food:
0 points | 1 point | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points |
Lean fish and seafood | White and red beans | Olives, avocado | Millet cereal | Alcoholic and carbonated drinks, beer |
Boiled chicken breast without skin and fat | Vegetables and juices from them | Vegetable oils | Corn | Bread and pastries with sugar, chips |
Turkey and rabbit | Berries: raspberries, strawberries, all types of currants | Buckwheat, rice and oatmeal porridge, muesli, bran bread | Yogurt with additives | Potato dishes |
Eggs and dishes made from them (without oil) | Boiled carrots and beets | Black chocolate | Canned food, sausages | |
Lemon and lime | Sour and sweet and sour fruits and their juice | Fruit juices | Pork and lard | |
Mushroom dishes (not fried) | Goat cheese, feta cheese | Hard and processed cheeses | Goose and duck dishes | |
Onion and garlic | Dairy products with fat content from 2 to 4% | Dairy products with fat content from 4% | ||
Low-fat dairy products (up to 2%) | Boiled or baked chicken, veal, turkey and lamb | Dried fruits, candies, milk chocolate, sugar, condensed milk | ||
Sports protein, prepared fiber | Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts |
How to calculate points correctly?
When creating a menu, you need to take into account that products with different numbers of points are added together.
So, for example, to get 4 points, you can create a diet according to the following principle:
- A product of 4 points is summed up by a food of 0 points.
- You can eat two products for 2 points.
- Meals are allowed to consist of 3 and 1 point products.
In any case, the total amount of food should not exceed a 250 ml serving. And it is also advisable to choose products with a minimum number of points and combine them with each other.
Authorized Products
During a metabolic diet, it is worth making a menu depending on the phase. So, at the 1st stage, you can only add dishes with 0 points to the diet.
And the following products are considered the most useful at any phase:
- eggs;
- dietary types of meat: chicken, turkey, rabbit;
- seafood: mussels, shrimp, squid, scallops;
- low-fat fish: hake, cod, pollock, burbot, flounder, pike;
- fresh vegetables, mushrooms, herbs;
- dairy products with fat content up to 2%.
Diet price
The cost of food for a week or a day depends only on you:
- Will you be purchasing in bulk?
- Would you prefer simple chicken and tomatoes or such delicacies as rabbit, quail, zucchini, kohlrabi?
- Will you choose the hard option worth 20 points or the more moderate option worth 40?
It’s best to think through all these points first, so you can think through a weight loss strategy and plan the financial side and family budget.
If we take into account the proposed menu for 40 points, then one day of the diet will cost you approximately 150-200 rubles during the vegetable season.
Prohibited and Restricted Products
The metabolic diet, a detailed description of which is presented in the article, at stages 1 and 2 involves a complete rejection of the following products:
- fried foods;
- smoked meats;
- semi-finished products, sausages and any products with preservatives;
- baked goods, desserts, chocolate;
- hot sauces and mayonnaise.
At the 3rd stage, these products can be introduced into the diet, but occasionally and in small portions. In any phase of the diet, it is advisable to reduce salt intake and give up sweet juices in packages, dried fruits, pasta and baked goods, and semolina. From meat, fish and dairy products, you should give preference to low-fat varieties.
Basic Rules
- Don't eat fried food. Baked, boiled, stewed and steamed dishes are allowed;
- reducing the amount of animal proteins and fats in the diet;
- be sure to consume metabolic diet foods such as dried fruits, nuts and various legumes;
- fractional ration. You need to eat food in small portions;
- reduced consumption of salt and seasonings;
- increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and dairy products;
- no more than 20 g of sugar per day;
- food must be chewed thoroughly.
Detailed description of the menu for each day
The diet for a metabolic diet should be prepared taking into account the phase.
Metabolic diet, phase 1 with description.
Features below.
1 phase
An approximate menu at stage 1 can be compiled as follows:
Breakfast | Snack | Dinner | Afternoon snack | Dinner | |
Monday | Chicken breast, | Milk with bran bread | Potato soup, boiled rabbit | Steamed fish | Coleslaw and Egg Salad |
Tuesday | Omelette with cucumber salad | Low-fat cottage cheese | Stewed mushrooms, lean soup | Sea kale salad | Boiled chicken with tomato salad |
Wednesday | Eggs with tomatoes | Vegetable salad | Turkey baked with vegetables | Kefir | Breast stewed with cabbage |
Thursday | Boiled eggs | Cabbage salad | Steamed fish with mushrooms | Boiled seafood | Boiled chicken |
Friday | Roast turkey | Cucumber and bell pepper salad | Vegetable soup, boiled rabbit | Low-fat cottage cheese or kefir | Soft-boiled eggs, steamed broccoli |
Saturday | Egg, milk and bran bread | Cabbage and cucumber salad | Mushroom soup | Seaweed salad with lemon and garlic | Stewed turkey, green peas |
Sunday | Omelette of 2 eggs with herbs | Cottage cheese, vegetable salad | Boiled chicken, steamed broccoli | Steamed fish or seafood | Champignon puree soup |
2 phase
At stage 2, you can significantly diversify your diet, but it is important to remember the points and their use.
An approximate menu during this period looks like this:
Breakfast | Dinner | Dinner | |
Monday | Oatmeal, boiled in water with the addition of berries, low-fat milk (200 ml). | Boiled beef (150 g), fresh vegetable salad (100 g). | Omelette of 2 eggs with the addition of vegetables. |
Tuesday | Potato and mushroom casserole (200 g), tea without sugar. | Okroshka with cucumbers, boiled chicken and eggs, cooked with whey. | Stewed assorted seafood. |
Wednesday | Cottage cheese casserole, green tea. | Stewed chicken liver, tomato and cucumber salad. | Boiled or baked fish, seaweed salad. |
Thursday | Oatmeal with fruits or berries, kefir. | Stew of beans and vegetables. | Boiled chicken breast and vegetable salad. |
Friday | Cheese pancakes without sugar, skim milk. | Vegetable salad with feta cheese and olives. | Roasted turkey with green peas. |
Saturday | Whole grain muesli, kefir. | Greek salad with feta cheese. | Baked rabbit, seaweed salad. |
Sunday | Stew of green beans and corn, tea without sugar. | Casserole with eggs and vegetables. | Boiled and baked tuna, fresh vegetables. |
During snacks and afternoon snacks, you can eat fresh fruits, such as apples or pears, cottage cheese grated with berries, kefir, feta cheese, salads and stewed vegetable dishes.
3 phase
At the 3rd stage, the diet can be diversified with more high-calorie foods, and you need to add 1 point to each meal, with the exception of dinner.
Sample menu for the week:
Breakfast | Dinner | Dinner | |
Monday | Oatmeal cooked in low-fat milk with honey (15 g), orange juice (200 ml). | Potato soup, a portion of boiled veal, a salad of vegetables and herbs. | Seafood salad, vegetable juice (200 ml). |
Tuesday | Cottage cheese, grated with fruits and berries, and the addition of honey. | Rice porridge, fish baked with vegetables. | Boiled fish, beans, stewed with tomatoes and herbs. |
Wednesday | Boiled eggs (2 pcs.), whole grain bread, fresh vegetable juice. | Veal and mushroom stew, fresh vegetable. | Vegetable salad, a portion of boiled chicken fillet. |
Thursday | Hard cheese (100 g), muesli with skim milk. | Rice porridge, rabbit stewed with vegetables. | Turkey baked with vegetables. |
Friday | Boiled egg, nuts, low-fat kefir (200 ml). | Boiled beef, Greek salad with cheese or feta cheese. | Cod baked in foil, vegetable salad. |
Saturday | Cottage cheese casserole, apple, natural yogurt (200 ml). | Boiled turkey, celery and bean soup. | Boiled eggs (2 pcs.), low-fat milk (200 ml). |
Sunday | Buckwheat porridge with chicken breast, whole grain bread with cheese. | Cheese, boiled veal, carrot and green pea salad. | A serving of low-fat cottage cheese. |
You can have a snack at the 3rd stage with natural yogurt, boiled veal, a portion of muesli prepared with low-fat milk, steamed turkey or chicken cutlets. And for the afternoon snack, the menu should consist of a choice of fresh fruit, vegetable soup, salad with vegetables and cheese, boiled buckwheat, goat cheese.
Diet recipes
The foods you can eat on a metabolic diet are varied. And it’s not difficult to recreate them according to the recipe.
Salad with beans and chicken breast (1 point)
To prepare this dish you will need the following ingredients:
- tomato – 1 pc.;
- boiled chicken breast – 150 g;
- red beans – 50 g;
- lettuce leaves – 3-4 pcs.;
- lemon juice – 15 ml;
- onion – 30 g;
- spices and salt as desired.
Tomatoes need to be washed and cut into cubes. You will need to separate the boiled fillet into fibers with your hands, and tear the lettuce leaves into pieces. Place the prepared ingredients in a bowl, add beans, salt and spices. After seasoning the salad with lemon juice, you need to mix it thoroughly.
Stewed eggplants with tomatoes, green beans (1 point)
You can make a dietary dish from the following ingredients:
- eggplants – 200 g;
- tomato – 300 g;
- green beans – 550 g;
- fresh dill – 15 g;
- garlic cloves – 4-5 pcs.;
- water – 100 ml;
- salt and ground black pepper.
You need to prepare a dietary dish according to the following algorithm:
- Eggplants must be peeled, cut into cubes and placed in a bowl. After adding salt and mixing the mass, you should leave it for 10-15 minutes to remove excess bitterness.
- After the allotted time, you need to lightly squeeze the eggplants and transfer them to a saucepan.
- After washing the beans, you need to trim their ends. If the pods are too long, then they should be cut into 2-3 parts. Then the beans must be combined with the eggplants, adding water to the mixture.
- Place the container on medium flame, cover it with a lid, and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
- During this time, you will need to pour boiling water over the tomatoes, remove the skins from them, and cut them into cubes. After peeling the garlic, you need to chop it finely.
- Tomatoes and garlic should be added to the vegetables, and seasoned with salt and spices. Covering the saucepan with a lid, you will need to simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. During the process, it is advisable to stir it occasionally so that the components cook evenly and do not burn.
Greek salad (2 points)
You can make a salad from the following set of ingredients:
- tomatoes – 150 g;
- cucumbers – 150 g;
- Feta cheese – 60 g;
- red onion – 20 g;
- olives – 30 g;
- lemon juice – 15 ml;
- olive oil – 15 ml;
- basil – 10 g;
- salt, spices as desired.
Tomatoes and cucumbers must be washed and cut into large cubes. The onion should be chopped into half rings, the feta cheese into triangles, and the basil finely chopped. You will need to combine the ingredients in a deep bowl, add olives to them, and season with a mixture of oil, lemon juice, salt and spices, mix gently.
Casserole of green beans, eggs and herbs (2 points)
You can prepare the casserole from the following ingredients:
- green beans – 300 g;
- eggs – 2 pcs.;
- low-fat milk – 100 ml;
- parsley, dill – 15 g;
- green onions – 15 g;
- vegetable oil – 15 ml;
- salt, spices as desired.
The eggs must be combined with salt and spices and lightly beaten with a mixer. After washing the greens and onions, you need to chop them finely. Green beans need to be chopped and boiled in salted water for 4-5 minutes. Then you need to put it in a colander and, when excess moisture has drained from the beans, add it to the greens. After adding milk and beaten eggs to the mixture, you need to put it on a greased form. It will take about 10-15 minutes to bake the dish. at a temperature of 180 °C.
Baked Turkey Cutlets with Cheese (3 points)
To prepare dietary cutlets you will need the following products:
- turkey fillet – 500 g;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- green onions – 10 g;
- dill or parsley – 10 g;
- vegetable oil – 15 ml;
- salt and spices of your choice.
The fillet will need to be washed and passed through a meat grinder along with the herbs. Add grated cheese, salt and spices to the resulting minced meat, and beat in an egg. Form the mixture into round cutlets and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. It will take 20 minutes to bake the products. at a temperature of 180 °C. To ensure that the cutlets brown evenly, you can turn them over to the other side during the process.
Crab salad with corn and herbs (3 points)
You can make a salad from the following set of products:
- crab sticks – 220 g;
- fresh cucumber – 1 pc.;
- canned corn – 280 g;
- green onion – 20 g;
- fresh herbs – 10 g;
- low-fat sour cream – 100 g.
Greens and onions should be washed and finely chopped. Crab sticks need to be freed from the film and cut into cubes. The cucumbers will need to be chopped into cubes or strips. The ingredients need to be combined in a bowl, adding canned corn to them. After seasoning the mixture with sour cream, you need to mix it and serve.
Potato casserole with mushrooms (4 points)
You can prepare the casserole from the following ingredients:
- potatoes – 500 g;
- butter – 50 g;
- champignons – 300 g;
- olive oil – 30 ml;
- hard cheese – 200 g;
- garlic cloves – 1-2 pcs.;
- parsley and dill – 10 g each;
- salt, spices as desired.
Potatoes should be peeled, washed, and cut into large pieces. They need to be sprinkled with spices and salt and mixed thoroughly. The champignons need to be peeled and cut into 2-3 parts. Peeled garlic cloves must be passed through a press and mixed with softened butter. Lubricate the surface of the baking sheet with this mixture.
You will need to mix the potatoes with mushrooms and olive oil. The mixture must be placed on a baking sheet and sprinkled with grated cheese. The dish will need to be baked for 30 minutes. at a temperature of 180 °C. During this time, you need to wash the greens, shake off excess moisture, finely chop them, and then sprinkle the finished delicacy on them.
Oatmeal porridge with berries (4 points)
To prepare porridge you will need the following ingredients:
- oat flakes – 80 g;
- water or low-fat milk – 300 ml;
- salt – 5 g;
- seasonal berries – 100 g.
After boiling water or milk in a saucepan, you need to pour oatmeal into it. After adding salt, you will need to stir the mass and bring it to a boil. After removing the saucepan from the stove, you need to leave the porridge to steep, covering it with a lid, for 10 minutes. Then all that remains is to mix it with berries and serve.
results
The metabolic diet promotes smooth weight loss, and if you study the detailed description of such nutrition and strictly follow it, you can lose up to 7 kg in a month.
And such a diet helps normalize metabolism and improve the health of the body. In addition, the process itself does not cause stress, because to lose weight you do not need to starve, and the diet menu is quite varied.
Reviews and results
Tatyana, 30 years old: “When I first heard about the metabolic diet, it seemed doubtful to me that you could eat so varied and lose weight. I decided to try it on myself. The first stage was very difficult, but during this time I managed to lose 10 kg. The second phase lasted 4 months. When I reached 60 kg, I stopped losing weight. Now for me the metabolic diet is a way of life.”
Svetlana: “In 4 weeks of the diet I lost 8 kg. I couldn’t stick to the metabolic diet any longer because I started having problems with my kidneys. It turns out that the protein menu is contraindicated for me. Therefore, the first phase lasted only 4 days, after which I immediately moved on to the second phase. The diet is not hungry; you don’t feel like eating on it at all. The stomach and intestines began to work properly. I advise following this diet only to those people who are 100% healthy. I was quite satisfied with the result, but I won’t experiment again.”
Marina: “The second birth, in addition to the child, gave me 23 kilograms of fat reserves. At that time I weighed 76 kg with a height of 1 m 63 cm. I decided to try the metabolic diet on myself. It was difficult to refuse such tasty “bad things” as candy or fried potatoes. In the first month of the diet, I managed to get rid of 6 kg of excess weight, then I lost 3 kg each subsequent month. After 5 months of dieting, I managed to get in shape.”