Metabolic Effect Program
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rjlkat
Posts: 82 Member
Hey, all. To briefly sum up the last 9 months of my life, it's been insane and turned upside down (see blog if you'd like details). Due to physical and emotional stress, non-stop schedule, lack of sleep, random eating, etc, I put on about 10-15 lbs.
With life starting to settle, I have tried to return to workouts and healthy eating, but even following heybales' spreadsheet, the weight was adding up. Thus, research.
I'm currently reading "Lose Weight Here" (haven't read their first book, "Metabolic Effect Diet," yet) by Drs. Jade and Keoni Teta. It focuses on balancing hormones and finding what keeps your individual metabolism happy. It's about giving your body a break. It reminds me of EMTLW. I'm only starting week two of Eat Less Exercise Less (cycled later with Eat More Exercise More) with the basic twice a week strength training and loads of walking. This is a huge change from the cardio and heavy weights I was doing 9 months ago before a ton of life changes. I haven't done any of the set workouts yet (Aftershock; Prime).
Has anyone read or followed this program? Did you first follow just the book changes before doing those workouts, and if so, what changes did you see? Any other thoughts on how you balanced your hormones, et cetera?
With life starting to settle, I have tried to return to workouts and healthy eating, but even following heybales' spreadsheet, the weight was adding up. Thus, research.
I'm currently reading "Lose Weight Here" (haven't read their first book, "Metabolic Effect Diet," yet) by Drs. Jade and Keoni Teta. It focuses on balancing hormones and finding what keeps your individual metabolism happy. It's about giving your body a break. It reminds me of EMTLW. I'm only starting week two of Eat Less Exercise Less (cycled later with Eat More Exercise More) with the basic twice a week strength training and loads of walking. This is a huge change from the cardio and heavy weights I was doing 9 months ago before a ton of life changes. I haven't done any of the set workouts yet (Aftershock; Prime).
Has anyone read or followed this program? Did you first follow just the book changes before doing those workouts, and if so, what changes did you see? Any other thoughts on how you balanced your hormones, et cetera?
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Ive never heard of either, unfortunately. But it sounds a bit like calorie cycling? eating less on days when you arent active, and eating more on days when you are active?
There are a lot of people who do calorie cycling with good results. I found it easier just to take the EM2WL approach which is your TDEE daily (or at a 10% cut if cutting) This way it takes your average over the week with your activity included, and you just eat that amount daily. No need to worry if Im not exercising that day or not.
For me, balancing hormones is simply making sure I eat the amount Im supposed to, I exercise and I de-stress. Stress plays a significant factor in hormones and unfortunately a lot of women do not account for stress in their life and cant understand why the scale doesnt end up doing what they like. Giving your body a break, to me, is as simple as de-stressing and taking a week off for "simplistic" things.. like walking with my kids, going to see a movie, indulging in a spa break:)
Not sure if this helps you any with your original question though:)
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Thanks. Yes, it sort of is cycling (2 weeks low, 2 weeks high), but he goes into guidelines on the diet for each to start out with so you can be a detective rather than a dieter. It's about how your particular body/metabolism reacts to starches, fat, and the combination thereof. He tries to help you first get the hormones balanced through that focus of diet and the cutbacks in cardio and stress, really pushing the "3 days f at least one rest and recovery activity."
I totally agree on the stress. I know it's there, causing havok on my (lack of) results and there's no huge relief in sight for a while. My former Integative doctor told me I was suffering adrenal fatigue years back, and I think I have worn myself down again. I guess with Dr. Teta I like the 'explains the science behind it.' Some of it is very similar to the mantras of this group, though he doesn't advocate the calorie counting, says we obsess too much over them. The food types and choices he suggests takes care of that.1 -
It is very similar - they are also including a forced rest from exercise just in case that was part of the problem of eat less and exercise more that was done to extreme.
So rather than daily calorie cycling as was mentioned, those longer stretches is attempt to get body to speed back up to potential.
While plenty of studies have shown the daily burn slowdown from under-eating, and a few have shown the daily burn going back up by eating more - no studies I've seen yet have tested what methods seem to work better at aiding that speed up. Beyond just plain eating at maintenance, and that was lab measured TDEE, so not even estimated potential TDEE.
Probably because the idea of purposely putting someone in that state for NO research on the weight loss aspect - but purely the recovery aspect - might not pass board review to be allowed - especially after the study that followed the Biggest Loser folks for years.
But I have seen a few recommended methods from science based folks that do exactly what you are talking about as far as the calorie levels and exercise amounts.
Not counting calories though - while I can see that as attempt to remove the stress that goes with it - could also backfire for those just plain bad at estimating - both directions frankly.
Because I could easily see some going too big on deficit, defeating his attempted goals.
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He does state calories are still important, just to not focus on them. Ultimately he is trying to get each person to the point they are listening to their body - keeping their "HEC (Hunger, Energy, Cravings) in check," and still seeing fat (not weight) loss. Heybales, I think the research behind it may interest you, if you have the time.0
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It probably would.
This was the only other program I saw that specifically got into level of exercise and eating level depending on how you are doing, at least since it came out.
Beyond Lyle McDonald trying to tell stressed out women to just calm down and cut out some excessive cardio to lose some stress water weight. ;-)
https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/truth-about-metabolic-damage
So funny - I just saw who the author of this was and reread your post.
I don't reference it much - because I didn't really agree with the metabolic damage aspect - because the body is reacting exactly as it needs to - not really damage - adapting in my mind.
Badly, and in way that doesn't help weight loss/maintenance, but still....1 -
Ha ha - yes, I am starting to think Jade and his brother Keoni are the only published physicians who are touting the importance of easing off the craziness. I haven't read their first book "the Metabolic Effect Diet" yet, but "Lose Weight Here" just came out this year and they talk about new realizations on the importance of rest and relaxation.
I get what you're saying about the Metabolic Damage. I have lived it the last five years, reduced to tears so many times. I think he refers to it as "damage" because of the additional associated bad things happening to your body, in addition to the fact that these adaptations of the metabolism cause the 'normal' method of cutting back calories and exercising more (for a short period) to no longer work in the expected way. I know I certainly felt like it was damage when I worked out more, ate less and continued to gain weight. But yes, he stresses it as metabolic compensation now.
If you read either, I would love to hear your thoughts. So far I am a week and a half in, and finally dropping inches and pounds (including stubborn water weight), and for the most part keeping HEC in check and feeling fairly good. I just have to shed some stress and start sleeping more.
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Ugh, sleep. Sometimes that stress from lack of never seems to go away, but at least if other stressors can be controlled/lessened - not as bad of a pile on effect.
Metabolic compensation - nice, like that better than metabolic adaptation, which is just the effect - compensate speaks to the why it does it.
I'll have to see how much I can glean from their online articles.
I've always found for many years people writing about the idea of reasonableness in diet/exercise - but not always put together very well with realizations of common dieters - these brothers seemed to have done that better.
Good to hear of results already, should be interesting when the change comes how well you adjust.1 -
Thanks, Heybales. Please do let me know what you think when you read up on it all. So much of the concept is like EM2WL, only more structure at the beginning on macros to figure out your individual sensitivity to fats, sugars, and starches, and less on an exact calorie goal - instead, listen to your body and what it needs.0
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It probably would.
This was the only other program I saw that specifically got into level of exercise and eating level depending on how you are doing, at least since it came out.
Beyond Lyle McDonald trying to tell stressed out women to just calm down and cut out some excessive cardio to lose some stress water weight. ;-)
https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/truth-about-metabolic-damage
So funny - I just saw who the author of this was and reread your post.
I don't reference it much - because I didn't really agree with the metabolic damage aspect - because the body is reacting exactly as it needs to - not really damage - adapting in my mind.
Badly, and in way that doesn't help weight loss/maintenance, but still....
That article was very informative and describes a lot of what I have went through. I adapted the eat more move more approach and it really does work!1 -
Thanks, beastmode_kitty; I was hoping someone had followed this program who could report on their results, perhaps give some pointers on what changes they found that 'tipped the scales' in the right direction, so to speak. I am following more of the Eat Less Move Less at the moment to give my body a rest from excessive stress (all types).
Being a diet detective (per Drs. Teta), did you find a particular sensitivity to either starches or fat that hindered your loss?0 -
Thanks, beastmode_kitty; I was hoping someone had followed this program who could report on their results, perhaps give some pointers on what changes they found that 'tipped the scales' in the right direction, so to speak. I am following more of the Eat Less Move Less at the moment to give my body a rest from excessive stress (all types).
Being a diet detective (per Drs. Teta), did you find a particular sensitivity to either starches or fat that hindered your loss?
Not really no. I felt more bloated if i had too much gluten. I have a bit of a sensitivity to it. So i just watch how much of it i have.1 -
Thanks. That's part of what I am hoping to learn from others - what reactions they are experiencing as they narrow down food choices. It helps to learn others' experiences.0
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I love the theory of eat less move less or eat more move more. Makes a lot more sense than eat less move more. Can't starve our bodies!
Oh and I forgot to mention i also have a lactose issue, so I have to be careful with dairy also1 -
The move more eat less could work if people truly just made minor changes to prior state.
But people usually make wholesale changes.
Couch potato to cardio 5 x a week.
Eating junk food at maintenance to healthy foods with huge loss of calories.
So now 2 big deficits created.
But if someone made small changes - and only increased their activity level by say 250 calories average daily - and dropped their eating level by say only 250 calories daily average - then they'd have been alright.
Of course eating level would have to keep dropping as weight dropped - but still.1 -
beastmode_kitty wrote: »I love the theory of eat less move less or eat more move more. Makes a lot more sense than eat less move more. Can't starve our bodies!
Oh and I forgot to mention i also have a lactose issue, so I have to be careful with dairy also
Let me know if you end up trying the ME program, per se. I'm curious as to your results.
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The move more eat less could work if people truly just made minor changes to prior state.
But people usually make wholesale changes.
Couch potato to cardio 5 x a week.
Eating junk food at maintenance to healthy foods with huge loss of calories.
So now 2 big deficits created.
But if someone made small changes - and only increased their activity level by say 250 calories average daily - and dropped their eating level by say only 250 calories daily average - then they'd have been alright.
Of course eating level would have to keep dropping as weight dropped - but still.
True. I think we have a tendency to be of an "all or nothing " mentality, especially when we decide to make changes for the purposes of weight loss. I think that's part of the ME concept: all the body to heal and have the least stress possible to allow the body to lose weight by leveling out the hormones. Either stress through eating less, or stress through extra exercise, but not both.0 -
I have only being doing the 15 minute Metabolic Aftershock workouts for 2 weeks now, but like them a lot. They are quick and effective. I have not read Dr. Jade's book. I eat following the guidelines for Fasttrack to Fast Loss and eating 3 meals and 2 snacks seems to work for me to keep my metabolism up, I have a tendency to go too long without eating in the day. I am actually eating more and losing weight (I do pay attention to portions and having protein with every meal and snacks, and for keeping it simple love the Green Chef meals we get each week. I either do paleo or gluten free and eat half of the portion for 1. Best of luck to you!0
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Just to keep good info going out.
The idea that more meals more frequently keeps the metabolism up isn't true.
Your metabolism (actually it's called TEF - Thermal Effect of Food processing) goes up briefly and not high when you eat many smaller meals.
It goes up longer and higher when you eat fewer bigger meals.
If the calorie content and macro makeup are the same, it takes the same amount of calories to process the food.
Now, one way may make you hungrier, or less hungry - depending on many factors.
One may keep your energy level up, one may cause you to be tired.
Usually it's harder to get macros in a good ratio if meals are too small in calories, so people end up eating more carbs. That causes many to get increased insulin response, then lower blood sugar, then feelings of hunger sooner than needed for just having eaten (eating Chinese food effect).
Others may not be prone to that medical issue so have no ill effects.
So many people repeat the myth you MUST eat breakfast in the morning to kickstart your metabolism, but that's just not true.
It'll go up, and come right back down again.
And great job on finding a program that works and you can adhere to.
That type of planning is many times half battle.
Great results too it sounds like.0
