The Metabolic Diet

[BDawg]

The Metabolic Diet - Start Diet

Supposedly, this diet is a cyclical low carb diet where (after the initial period), you eat low carb (30g / day) for 5 days and then lots of carbs for 2 days.

The claim is that it makes you burn fat, and build muscle without ketosis.

Does anyone know about this diet? How in the world are you burning food for energy during those 5 days if you're not in some degree of ketosis?

Why would the cycling help you burn fat and build muscle more than a traditional low carb diet?

Wouldn't cycling on and off carbs keep giving you the induction flu?

[Georgiana]

Re: The Metabolic Diet

I need to pay to read all the content on that website, which is obviously not going to happen. So if some of the things I will assume are incorrect, feel free to yell at me.

Cyclical ketogenic diets (CKD) are quite popular, especially among bodybuilders. Their claimed efficiency is based on the fact that you are not letting your body "get used to" a certain way of eating, thus keeping your metabolism high. What bodybuilders also say is that carb loading during the weekend allows them to train hard during the week by refilling their glycogen stores.

The Metabolic Diet allows roughly 30 g of carbohydrate during the carb depletion phase. As I understand from the link you posted, these are total carbohydrates. However, if you look at the foods that can be eaten during the low-carb days, what is listed are meat, cheese, nuts and eggs. It is difficult -- if not impossible -- to get all the vitamins and minerals you need only from these foods.

During the carb loading phase of most CKDs, one eats anything between 150 and 400 total carbohydrates per day. Basically, one is allowed to make a trip to Bingeland every weekend.

I'm not going to debate whether CKDs work for everyone. But the reason why they work for some people could be simply that these folks who find success on the Metabolic Diet or other CKD have a high CCLL/CCLM. 150 g of total carbohyrate can mean 100 g net carbohydrate or 140. If this number is lower than one's CCLL or CCLM, that person will keep losing weight or maintain, respectively.

To answer your questions.

How in the world are you burning food for energy during those 5 days if you're not in some degree of ketosis?

I don't see where it says one does not get into ketosis. 30 g total carbohydrate (which is probably around 25 g net in the absence of vegetables) are enough for most people to switch to lypolisis in less than 5 days.

Why would the cycling help you burn fat and build muscle more than a traditional low carb diet?

One can lift weights and do cardio just as well on Atkins as he/she would on a CKD. As to which one has faster results, it is something that depends on the individual and on the way he/she does the diet (e.g. stay forever on Induction on Atkins, eat junk food during carb loading days, etc.).

Wouldn't cycling on and off carbs keep giving you the induction flu?

If you are one of those people who get the "Induction flu", then yes -- you would be having it every week. I never had the "flu" though.

In my opinion, what the Metabolic Diet does not provide is a balanced way of eating for life. One might be able to lose weight on it, but going on a diet is not only about losing weight -- the way you lose this weight and the things you learn on the way are probably more important in the long term, and this is why I for one prefer Atkins.

[BDawg]

Re: The Metabolic Diet

What is CCLL / CCLM?

[Georgiana]

Re: The Metabolic Diet

What is CCLL / CCLM?

CCLL = Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing
CCLM = Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance