By Dr. Davide Marciano
Premise
Before discussing the metabolic diet it is better to clarify that any reduction below 50-70% of the daily caloric intake from carbohydrates is strongly criticized by the specialized medical environment, as it is considered the cause of liver and kidney overload in healthy subjects and severe metabolic disorders in patients suffering from particular diseases, such as diabetes, liver and kidney diseases.
What is the Metabolic Diet?
To better understand what I will say later it is better to dwell for a moment on the meaning of ketosis and ketone bodies.
The latter are formed by "splitting" of fatty acids in lack of available sugars and, if in excess, can lead to a decrease in blood pH (ketoacidosis).
In other words, depriving the body of carbohydrates forces it to draw energy from the reserve fat. This leads to the breakdown of the triglycerides stored in the fat cells, releasing the individual fatty acids that make them up. These, if metabolized during a phase of strong glucidic depletion, lead to the formation of ketone bodies.
In fact, the purpose of ketogenic is to stimulate ketosis.
Critical issues
Supporters of this nutritional approach state that it is unlikely that food manipulation can lead to a ketoacidosis as dangerous as that seen in diabetics, because the body maintains the ability to secrete insulin.
Another criticism of hypoglucid diets is a drop in performance due to a depletion of liver and muscle glycogen stores. Recent studies, however, have shown that people accustomed to this diet are able to draw more energy from their body fat reserves, reducing the use of glycogen and developing performances equal to or greater than those who follow the classic hyperglucid diets.
This also happens in our daily life. If we reduce the carbohydrates introduced with food, the body will draw energy from both food fats and fat, saving low levels of glycogen and muscle amino acids.
On the other hand, if we reduce carbohydrates too much, both liver and muscle glycogen will be in a state of constant depletion; while being able to fulfill the biological vicissitudes, the organism will therefore remain without the necessary energies to sustain an optimal physical activity. Furthermore, the consequent state of ketosis is certainly not a favorable situation, as it is a sign of a significant reduction in muscle mass and strength.
The solution, as Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale says, consists in finding that quantity of carbohydrates with which our body works with maximum efficiency.
That is, we have to take a quantity of carbohydrates (the quantity depends on the individual) which also allows us to use fat as an energy source, but which also allows us to train as we have always done.
Before starting the diet
Before starting the diet it is good practice to perform some blood tests:
1) Cholesterol levels (total, HDL, LDL)
2) TSH (a test for thyroid function)
3) Fasting blood sugar
4) Blood potassium
5) Examinations on liver function
These tests should be repeated whenever a new diet is approached.
Start the Diet
We can start the metabolic in two different ways:
- Start from a certain amount of carbohydrates and gradually decrease it until we reach that point of maximum efficiency.
- Start by taking very few carbohydrates and then gradually increasing them.
I have noticed that all the people who have followed the Metabolic diet have achieved excellent results by following this method which, among other things, is also preferred by Dr. Di Pasquale.
For these reasons I will only deal with the evaluation phase that starts from a low share of carbohydrates.
Evaluation phase
This phase consists of evaluating the body's efficiency in metabolizing fats.
You must maintain a high percentage of fats and proteins in the diet, which, for the first 12 days, ie from Monday to Friday the following week, must be low in carbohydrates.
This period is necessary to convert your body from a "car burns carbohydrate" to a "machine burns fat". This will tell you if you are suitable or not for a very low carbohydrate diet.
However, do not worry, even if you find it difficult, things will get better when, in the second evaluation phase, the glucose level will increase slightly.
However, this does not mean that other people, due to their high ability to oxidize fats, may have no problem following a diet so poor in carbohydrates.
During these first 12 days you must respect the following percentages:
- 50 - 60% fat
- 30 - 40% of proteins
- 30 g of carbohydrates
Recharge Phase
Arrived on the second Saturday and the following Saturdays you have to switch to a diet rich in carbohydrates for 12-48 hours.
The top-up must be carried out as follows:
- 25 - 40% fat
- 15 - 30% protein
- 35 - 55% of carbohydrates
In these 2 days of high carbohydrate intake the insulin will rise enormously and your muscles will fill with glycogen, firming up. In fact, studies have shown that a hypoglucidic / hyperlipidic diet makes the insulin response much higher than a hyperglucidic diet.
At this stage your body weight could significantly increase, but do not worry all this is due to the filling of the glycogen reserves and the consequent water retention (each gram of carbohydrates brings about three grams of water with it).
In the weekend you can afford all the food you gave up during the week, such as pizza, beer, etc. I recommend taking care in these two days, as some people tend to accumulate fat faster than others. That's why we indicate a recharge period that can range from 12 to 48 hours. For some it may even fall below 12 hours. To find out, you must learn to interpret the signals your body sends you.
Some advices
If you have difficulty following the metabolic diet, proceed step by step. The first time try to recharge for only 12 hours, recording the feelings and the degree of physical fitness that you have reached the following week. If all goes well, the second weekend will go on to a 20-hour top-up and so on, until you find the number of hours and the amount of carbohydrates that suits you best.
In this regard, I remember a very important phrase "PATIENCE IS LA VIRTU 'DEI FORTI".
Dr. Di Pasquale claims that the method to assess the effectiveness or otherwise of the diet consists in making changes every two weeks.
In fact, if after the first evaluation phase (12 days) you feel well you can continue with the usual 30 g of carbohydrates a day for 5 days and with the recharge in the weekend. Conversely, if you feel tired and exhausted, check that the problem does not depend on potassium or other mineral salts; if this were not enough, try to slightly increase the carbohydrate level.
To try to clarify the ideas follow this scheme:
Don't get illusions, this is a diet and, like all diets, the first few days will be the hardest and most difficult; however, once overcome, things will be much easier. Remember that most diets fail because everyone wants immediate results without much effort. In the case of the Metabolic, it is the first two weeks that require the greatest sacrifices.
You need to have a lot of determination and PATIENCE!
- Any carbohydrate increases you make must really be necessary.
- Do not change your normal calorie intake when you start the diet.
- Some people will experience poor stool consistency. To solve this problem, just take a nice amount of vegetables or a fiber supplement.
- Only when you have adapted to the metabolic diet and found your glucose set-point do you begin to control calories, increasing or decreasing them.
Continue: Example of a Metabolic Diet
