2 of every 3 adults in the US plan to change their eating habits with the aim to lose weight. According to the studies, people aged between 18 to 44 have become most worried about their weight, especially after the pandemic. If you are probably here, you might have failed your weight loss journey. But do not worry. We are here to help you out.
Have you heard about a fat protein efficient diet? It is a protein-rich diet that burns more calories than any regular diet if paired with exercise and followed correctly. It particularly helps people who have failed to reduce weight despite being on a strict diet.
So, if you REALLY want to get thin in a healthier way, below we have a detailed guide on a fat protein diet. From what foods to eat to how they affect your body, we have shared everything in detail.
What is a fat protein efficient diet?
A fat protein diet is a newer approach focusing on a body’s metabolism to reduce weight. You must have seen people who stay skinny even after eating endless carbs while others observe their waistline expanding on consuming every gram of carbs and sugar. It’s because everybody’s metabolism works differently. Learning about your metabolic type is a key to weight loss, as you will learn what foods increase the functionality of your metabolism and can help you lose weight.
A study on a fat protein efficient diet discovered a link between what we consume and how our body’s metabolism process, store, and convert it into energy. In view of how macronutrient consumption affects everybody differently, a fat protein diet has been introduced as a way to optimize your eating habit to increase the metabolic process.
For a protein-efficient diet, studies have broken down macronutrients as 30% fats, 30% carbs, and 40% protein, which a body should ideally consume. That said, they make up only a small portion of the success of a protein-efficient diet. The rest is about prioritizing certain types of proteins and fats to provide your body with the nutrition to enable the metabolism to perform at its full capacity. The best thing about a protein-efficient diet is that it can be a game-changing lifestyle for your body if done correctly.
Is a fat protein diet for everyone?
As we already said, a fat protein efficient diet focuses on a body’s metabolic system and alters it to reduce weight. Therefore, it first needs to determine a body’s metabolism type to learn how it processes different food sources.
Knowing that a fat-protein diet is not for everyone is crucial. Everyone has a unique metabolic type and dietary wish. And in order to learn your dietary type for a fat protein efficient diet, you must first learn about your metabolic system.
Metabolic Typing Diet
Metabolic typing is an eating approach that differentiates individuals based on their capability to digest food. The idea was first introduced by Trisha Fahey and William Wolcott through their publication “The Metabolic Typing Diet.” The book claims that consuming food according to your body’s metabolism diminishes food craving and help individuals to achieve their ideal weight while staying at the top of their energy.
Dr. Lisa Richards, CNC, nutritionist and founder of The Candida Diet, endorses the metabolic typing diet saying, “any eating plan that is tailored towards your body’s particular strengths and weaknesses has a higher probability of being effective.”
The diet works on the concept of how and at what speed your body digests food and converts it into energy. It suggests that your body’s metabolic rate is determined by two genetic factors; the autonomic nervous system dominance and cellular oxidation rate. Let’s discuss each of their effects on your metabolism.
Autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system of your body is responsible for regulating a variety of your body processes like heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, etc. The autonomic nervous system further breaks down into two branches. Sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Sympathetic nervous system: It plays a vital role in responding to stressful or dangerous situations. If it detects unusual activity in your surroundings, it gets activated and increases your heart rate, transmitting blood to the entire body to provide oxygen and get you to help out of the dangerous situation. It is what controls our ‘fight and flight response.’
- Parasympathetic nervous system: This one’s responsibility is to calm down the body and help with rest and digestion when the body is in a relaxed state. It decreases heart and respiration rates and increases digestion.
- Rate of Cellular Oxidation: Cellularoxidization is a set of metabolic processes that happens in the cells to convert food into energy at different rates. According to metabolic typing, there are two types of people based on their ability to convert food into energy; fast and slow oxidizers.
The metabolic typing theory suggests that people with fast metabolism should eat foods rich in fats and protein as they take time to digest. While slow oxidizers are suggested in eating foods rich in carbs as they instantly convert into energy.
3 Unique metabolic Types
Before we hop into the nitty-gritty of the fat-protein efficient diet, it is crucial to learn which metabolic type your body lies in so that your body knows what foods to eat to achieve its ideal weight.
1. Fat Protein Efficient
If you are a fast oxidizer, you are parasympathetic dominant and lie in a fat protein efficient category. People with this body type have a high cellular oxidation rate and burn carbs at a rapid rate, leaving them tired and hungry.
Signs of a fat protein efficient type:
- You prefer savory over sweet
- You have strong appetite
- Carbs make you tired, anxious and hungry
If you can relate to all these symptoms, you are probably fat protein efficient. Your diet must comprise high fat and protein and low carbs. People with this metabolic type always get hungry after eating carbs and crave sweet, salty, and fatty foods. Moreover, due to persistent fatigue and hunger, this group struggles to follow strict low-calorie diets. They make ideal candidates for a fat-protein efficient diet.
2. Carbohydrates efficient
Carbohydrates’ efficiency is completely opposite. They are sympathetic dominant and are slow oxidizers. Unlike fat and protein efficient, they have a low appetite and break down food slower. They are called light eaters because they don’t get hungry often and have high sugar cravings.
Signs of a carbohydrate efficient type:
- You crave sugar more than savory
- You are a light eater
- You are caffeine dependent
This group struggles to maintain a healthy weight due to their low appetite. However, if they get hungry, they go for sugary foods. Deserts and candies are their go-to. Therefore, people with this metabolic type are recommended a high carb and low proteins and fats diet. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are best for this body type. If they crave protein, they can go for chicken/turkey breast.
3. Mixed Metabolism
The mixed metabolism body type is different and slightly complicated. They are not slow or fast oxidizers either. They lie somewhere in between both. Similarly, they are not dominant either in parasympathetic or sympathetic. This group has a low appetite most of the time, and when it comes to eating, they get the best of both worlds. Despite craving sweets and savories, they maintain a healthy weight.
Signs of a mixed metabolism type
- You crave both sweet and savory
- You have an average appetite
- You don’t have weight issues
- Consuming macronutrients make you anxious despite processing them well
This group struggle with anxiety and fatigue when they consume foods rich in carbs, fats, and protein. If you have the same metabolic type, you should have a balanced diet comprising carbs, fats, and high purine proteins at an equal rate.
That said, registered dietician Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, believes that, in general, one should avoid having refined carbs in large amounts “because they don’t keep you full for very long, you end up eating more food because you get hungry more quickly.”
She further explained that “Limiting refined carbohydrate intake and prioritizing whole grain carbohydrates like oatmeal, quinoa, bulgur, and buckwheat instead, is generally very good advice for people who are trying to lose weight—or just be healthy,”
Why should you know about your Metabolic Type?
Knowing about your metabolic type can help you achieve your ideal weight without cutting back on your favorite foods. That means once you know which macronutrients you digest fast and how your body reacts to the foods, you can create your own diet plan keeping in mind what you can eat and how much you need to eat to lose weight.
Get Started with a fat-protein efficient diet
Now that you have figured out your metabolic type, you can customize your foods that align with your fitness goal. While what to eat in this diet mainly depends on your food preferences, you should have a balanced combination of macronutrients, ideally a 20% fat ratio, 50% protein, and 30% carbs.
Below is a comprehensive chart structured to help you what types of proteins and fats you can consume in a fat-protein-efficient diet.
| S.no | Fat Protein efficient meals | High protein meals | High fat meals |
| 1 | Pork | Chicken | Avocados |
| 2 | beef | Turkey | Fish (Salmon) |
| 3 | Red meat | Duck | Macadamia Nuts |
| 4 | Dairy | Goose | Tofu |
| 5 | Full-fat yogurt | Lamb | Dark chocolate |
| 6 | Oils (coconut & olive) | Veal | Cheddar cheese |
| 7 | Low-sugar fruits (grapefruit, avocado, blackberry, watermelon) | Beef | Whole eggs |
| 8 | Organ portions of meat | Pork | Extra virgin olive oil |
| 9 | Salmon | Fish | Nuts |
| 10 | Caviar | Lobster | Chia seeds |
| 11 | Bacon | Prawns | Seed butter |
| 12 | Mussels | Crab | Flax seeds |
| 13 | Tuna | Mussels | N/A |
| 14 | Herring | Scallops | N/A |
| 15 | Eggs | Oysters | N/A |
| 16 | Whole grain | Clams | N/A |
| 17 | Whole milk and cheese | Eggs | N/A |
| 18 | Beans | Yogurt | N/A |
| 19 | Celery | Milk Cheese | N/A |
These are the food items that you can consume in our suggested portions while following a fat-protein-efficient diet. Make sure you have track of your macronutrient percentage count. Otherwise, you may suffer stomach issues.
Also, if you are vegetarian, you can have these food items for a fat-protein efficient diet:
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Edamame
- Ezekiel bread
- Beans
- Rice
- Peanut butter
- Pita and hummus
- Oats
- Milk
So these were some food recommendations for people following fat protein-efficient diet. However, those belonging to the rest of the two groups i.e. carbohydrates and mixed metabolic types should read below. We have some useful food recommendations for them as well.
Foods for Carbo Types
As we said earlier, carbo types have slow metabolism; therefore, they must consume foods that digest quickly. Ideally, their diet should comprise 70% to 80% carbs, 15% to 20% protein and 5% to 10% fats. Check below what food sources can help this group lose weight:
- Eggs
- Low or non-fat milk
- quinoa
- Chicken or turkey breast
- pork
- Whole grain cereal
- Bananas
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Green leafy vegetables
- Green onions
- Sweet potatoes
- Green beans
- Brown rice
- Lentils
- Black beans
- chickpeas
These are some food items for carbo types. If you belong to the same group, include these food items in your daily meals keeping in mind the suggested portions for carbs, protein, and fats.
Foods for Mixed Types
Since mixed types have neutral metabolism, not too fast or too slow, they can have a balanced diet comprising 50% to 55% carbs, 40% to 45% protein, and 10% to 15% percent fats. Here are some food suggestions for mixed types:
- Egg white
- Salmon
- Pork
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Non-fat yogurt
- Chickpeas
- Whole grain cereals
- Quinoa
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Beans
- Whole grain crackers
- Cheese
- Corn
- Nut butter
- Banana
- Mango
- Avocado
With these food choices, you can have a balanced diet that works for your metabolism. If you are allergic to any of the foods listed, you can skip out and go on with the rest.
Metabolic Typing Diet – Pros and Cons
Until now, this article was entirely about the pros of metabolic typing but let’s be practical now, everything has its pros and cons, and the metabolic typing diet is no exception. Below we have shared some pros and cons of metabolic typing. Check them out before starting one.
Pros of Metabolic Typing
- Customized Diet Plan: One of the many benefits of a metabolic typing diet is that you get a clear idea of what to eat and what not. You can have customized diet plans that work specifically for you. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans also agree that planned and customized diets are crucial to achieving a weight goal.
- Reduce junk food: Like any other diet, metabolic typing also helps cut back on junk food, processed foods in specific. While it allows you to have your favorite meals, it limits your portion size to reduce unhealthy eating. It also restricts you from having drinks and foods with added sugars to keep you healthy while reducing your weight as Taub-Dix, says, “eating a well-balanced diet ensures that you’re not over-restricting any one food group.”Junk food may seem an inexpensive source of nutrients and energy, but they cause health complications like obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in the long run. Also, they are the major cause of weight gain.
- Reverse chronic diseases: The Metabolic Typing Diet’s author claims that it helps reverse a vast number of chronic diseases. For instance, it treats obesity, anxiety, depression, digestive issues etc that improves your energy levels, mental clarity and athletic performance throughout the day.
Cons of Metabolic Typing
- Lacks evidence: The major drawback of metabolic typing is that it has scant evidence. A 2008 study claims that the questionnaire used in metabolic typing diet to learn about one’s metabolism does not reflect an individual’s actual metabolism. According to Registered dietician Amanda A. Kostro Miller, “Our metabolism and ability to lose weight is affected by many things like gut health, presence/absence of good gut bacteria, genetics, body composition, chronic conditions (fat malabsorption, liver integrity, IBS), presence of other nutrients at the time of absorption, medications, and more” and “metabolic typing diet leaves out so many of these factors.” That said, many recent studies say that people have benefited from diets that are done in consideration of their unique metabolic phenotype. Also, people at risk for certain chronic diseases need more personalized diet plans that improve their metabolism, and a metabolic typing diet will help in this regard.
- Leads to nutrient deficiencies: While the metabolic typing diet recommends going for your specific diet type, it may lead to nutrient deficiencies due to limiting certain macronutrients and foods. Moreover, restrictive diets are difficult to continue.
- May increase the risk of heart diseases: Some metabolic typing diets encourage high-fat foods, rich in saturated fat. Consuming too many animal products may imbalance your cholesterol and will eventually lead to heart diseases.
So these were some pros and cons of the metabolic typing diet. If you ever want to follow this diet, keep these cons in mind, especially if you are already suffering from heart disease.
Are Diets like metabolic typing safe?
The metabolic typing diet seems like a wonder that reduces your body weight to 20 pounds in just a swing. While there is no denial in that statement, very few studies have suggested this type of diet, and some even claim that reducing weight at such a fast rate is unhealthy and extremely unsustainable.
The faster you lose weight, the fastest you put it on your back, double that of the older one. The reason is that losing weight quickly slows down your body’s metabolism, and as a result, it becomes easier to regain it all.
People who have diabetes must take extra care when dieting as these diets may include foods that can raise blood sugar levels. That said, researchers say that people with Type 1 diabetes can follow a low-carb diet as it would keep their blood sugar levels in control.
If something works for somebody doesn’t mean it will work for you. People with chronic diseases or certain health complications should be cautious while following a diet plan. Especially for a metabolic typing diet, they must consult with their doctors first and ensure if they are fit to consume all the meals included in the plan.
How long should you continue a metabolic typing diet?
The ultimate goal of a metabolic diet is to bring long-lasting changes and alter your overall lifestyle. Once you have reached your weight goal, there should be a ‘maintenance period’ in which you get used to your new body and system and maintain that new weight.
Skeptics believe that a metabolic diet is not sustainable. Once you reach your desired weight, you go off the diet and indulge in the old eating habits leading to weight gain. Thereby, a metabolic typing diet is considered more of a lifestyle shift. If you wish to keep your new weight for a lifetime, you need to sustain that diet and change your lifestyle.
How to revamp your metabolism?
Have you been super inactive lately and craving foods that you know are not good for you? Maybe it’s your metabolism to blame. Most times, it’s your metabolism that doesn’t let you lose weight.
“Your metabolism — more specifically, your metabolic rate — is how quickly your body is burning calories,” says certified nutritionist Julie Lohre.
Fix your metabolism in 3 days
Day 1
- Get solid 8 hours of sleep. Sleep plays a crucial role in fastening your metabolism. So if you have not been getting enough sleep, get that asap.
- Never skip breakfast. It’s always good to have some greek yogurt.
- Strength train for 20 minutes or do some cardio.
- Go to sleep before midnight
Day 2
- Wake up at 8:00 am
- Begin your day with caffeine (coffee preferably) to boost your metabolism.
- Drink plenty of water
- Prepare your coming week’s meals with extra chilies in them as they are helpful in burning calories.
- Increase your daily activities (for instance, park your car some miles away from the store so that you get a walk of minutes)
Day 3
- Wake up after completing 8 hours of sleep
- Have breakfast with some amount of protein (eggs and chicken)
- Meditate for 10 to 15 minutes
These three days are like a jump start to your metabolism. Try to follow a similar routine for the coming days and gradually turn it into a lifestyle.
Wrap-Up
Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand what a metabolic typing diet is and how to follow it, considering your body’s metabolism. While it is true that some meals included in the metabolic typing diet are not the healthiest, you may consult your doctor regarding the dietary changes you want to make to lose weight. Lastly, your ultimate goal should not be weight loss but to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. If this diet works for your, well and good. However, if not, there are always other ways to achieve a healthy weight goal.
