Can you imagine a time when you took a glance at what a coworker or friend was consuming and thought… “Why can she eat without having to track, feel guilty or spend hours in the gym and still stay lean?”

Yet you may feel like you have to limit yourself at every meal, feel constantly fatigued, deprived and plagued with food cravings.

Today I want to share with you an essential piece to the metabolic puzzle that is often overlooked. My hope is that this information will open up a new chapter and change the way you think about yourself, your health, and what is possible for you.

There is nothing wrong with you. Naturally thin people are not superior. They do not try harder nor do they have more willpower. They do not have better genetics, and most do not have to be on calorically restrictive diets. Individuals who can stay lean without obsessively focusing on diet and exercise simply have one thing that is working optimally for them and that is metabolic flexibility.

What is Metabolic Flexibility?

When your metabolism is not working properly you will not only store too much fuel from the foods you eat but you will also be unable to utilize it. This leads to extra weight gain and other adverse effects that I commonly see in the client I work with such as brain fog, digestive issues, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and adrenal fatigue.

There is a misconception that you are either born with a fast or slow metabolism and this is simply not true. I have witnessed hundreds of clients prove that their metabolism is not fixed.  The key is not to use superhuman will power to resist every indulgence or eliminate entire food groups from your diet. The key is simple, increase your thyroid function, optimize your gut health, and clean out your liver so it can burn fats more efficiently.

 

How Your Liver Creates a Slow Metabolism

Every minute your body is burning some fuel to keep you alive. If your liver could not store fuel and release it gradually your internal organ systems would fail.

Within your liver, there are two main fuel sources which are glycogen and triglycerides.  When your liver is working optimally it stores just the right amount of each, leaving sufficient room for times of excess.

Glycogen:

  • forms solely from carbohydrates
  • contains less energy
  • more readily available

Triglycerides: 

  • form from fats, proteins, carbohydrate, and alcohol
  • store a lot of energy
  • take up less room

While glycogen offers less energy it has one advantage which is being readily available for use. *** It is also easier to burn triglycerides as fuel when you have some glycogen to get the fire started***. Glycogen is like putting gasoline on fire to get it going.   This is a really important point because in order to burn fat fuel you must first deplete your liver glycogen stores (comes from stored carbohydrates). In those who are on a prolonged low carb diet, burning fat for fuel can become challenging because there is less glycogen available. This is why a low carb or ketogenic diet may work initially but over time you may experience plateaus as well as less flexibility in the foods you can eat.

 

Here is Where the Trouble Starts

If the liver is overloaded with triglycerides there is no room for glycogen. This means you do not have gasoline to start your fire.  When a load of fuel comes in from your last meal and the liver is clogged all it can do is jam more triglycerides (if there is even room) or store the excess in fat tissue.

This is what results in a slow metabolism and the inability to store and burn fuel properly.  Eating less and intermittent fasting are strategies that will help relieve this burden but you CANNOT deprive your liver of the essential nutrients it needs to remove triglycerides.  If your diet lacks these nutrients you will be unable to see results no matter how much you restrict calories and increase your exercise.

Yet another issue is that fat cells contain many environmental pollutants, solvents, pesticides, plastic residues, and other toxins. When you do lose some weight your liver must then process the wastes. This additional burden on the already overworked liver taxes the same resources your liver would otherwise use to burn fat (triglycerides) for fuel.

The key here is that in order to reverse the damage you must consume the right types of foods, in the right amount, at the right time. Optimal micronutrients and key liver support is also critical as well as reducing the toxin burden. This is exactly why our Metabolic Reset Program is so effective.

Why Traditional Diets Fail

Many of my clients are smart driven individuals who have tried hard to lose weight. They would give it their all for three or more diets in the last few years and although they would see the initial success they ended up with less metabolic flexibility than they started with. With limited metabolic flexibility, they end up right where they started or sometimes even worse than square one.

The issue is in your liver’s ability to process fat for fuel. When your liver is not functioning properly, likely it is full of available fuel sources but your body is unable to utilize it.  As a result, your body enters a high-stress state and utilizes muscle for a source of energy. If you suffer from anxiety or depression this stress can make it worse. Adding on the stress of high impact exercise at the wrong time in the wrong amounts makes losing weight even more difficult. This is why we recommend not exercising on the first phase of our Metabolic Reset Program. Although this may seem counterintuitive the individuals who follow our advice exactly and take a short break from exercise see the most profound results.

With less metabolic flexibility, your energy levels take a hit, you are not motivated to exercise, and mental concentration becomes very difficult. Even if you force yourself to go to the gym your efforts are only matched with intense food cravings.  I know because I’ve been there where nearly every moment of the day I was fantasizing about my favorite “off-limits” foods rather than focusing on what really mattered.

If you somehow manage to stick with a restrictive plan for months you likely will drop a few pounds however because your liver burns muscle rather than fat you just built yourself a slower metabolism. You may weigh less (for now) but as a trade-off, you burn fewer calories. This means that the weight you did lose is highly likely to come back.

How to Stop the Cycle 

The key to overcoming this cycle is to regain the ability to manage your metabolism. Once this happens your energy will increase and you will be able to maintain a healthy weight without using superhuman willpower.  You will also sleep better, have no food cravings and reduce your risk for many chronic health conditions.  We want you to succeed and we believe you can – even if you do not yet think it is possible.  We have seen countless people do so even when they:

  • Suffer from cravings
  • Had diets fail in the past
  • Were too busy to exercise
  • Did not enjoy cooking
  • Were overwhelmed with their family, career or both
  • Had dietary restrictions
  • Were on the go too much

Conclusion

The Metabolism Reset Program works because it heals the core issue behind a slow metabolism – your hormones, liver and gut. The program provides the ability to regain metabolic flexibility. This means that once you heal, eating that piece of cake won’t be catastrophic. Your metabolism will be flexible enough to adapt and handle whatever curveball you throw its way.

That is very good news and the even better news is that healing takes weeks – not months or years.  I hope this information was helpful and sheds some light on why you may be struggling with your health. If you would like more information on our Metabolic Reset Diet, Click Here. 

We look forward to witnessing your healing journey.

Breanne Kallonen & The Metabolic Reset Team