If you are struggling to lose weight, and could not seem to do so, it might not be your fault. You could be classified under Metabolic Type B under Diane Kress book, this means that you may not be able to lose weight under the traditional diet plans. Find out more about how this works with the exclusive interview with Diane Kress below.
Diane Kress, RD CDE. Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator with over 30 years experience specializing in weight loss, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Owns and directs a private practice in medical nutrition therapy. New York Times Bestselling author of The Metabolism Miracle as well as The Metabolism Miracle Cookbook and The Diabetes Miracle.
1. What drove you to write “The Metabolism Miracle”?
When I had been a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator for several years, I began to notice something alarming and very interesting regarding traditional low calorie diets. As a data collector and statistician as well as an analytical and methodically minded person, I noted several findings regarding those trying to lose weight following medically recommended diets.
- Despite concerted effort, over 55% of patients who followed the traditional low calorie/ low fat approach to weight loss did not have long term success. In fact, many only lost 8# after 8 weeks only to regain that small amount of weight. I also noted that these same people had progressively increasing waistlines and back fat, had rising LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and blood sugar as well as low HDL cholesterol and Vitamin D. These “dieters” were actually getting fatter and sicker on a low calorie, low fat program! And I was one of these people.
- Aside from the inadequate weight loss (and regain) and decreasing health, these patients shared a list of personal symptoms including: fatigue (even in the morning upon waking up), weight gain around the middle, their old “tried and true” diets no longer worked, they “loved” carbohydrate foods and seemed to crave them, they experienced increasing irritability, anxiety, mild depression/melancholy, restless sleep, inability to focus and concentrate, poor short term memory, racing thoughts, sensitivity to light, etc.
- The other 45% of my patients did succeed on traditional calorie counting programs in terms of weight loss and they did not see worsening health, share aforementioned symptoms, or experience increased need for medications.
In time, I was able to look at a patient’s lab work, obtain their personal and family medical history, and have them use a check-sheet to indicate personal symptoms and conclude if they could succeed on a traditional diet or not. It became so predictable that I coined terms for the two very different metabolic types: Those who could succeed on traditional diets had “Metabolism A”. Those who would not succeed with conventional low calorie dieting had “Metabolism B”. For ease; “Met A” or “Met B”.
I spent years refining a diet protocol that would work for the majority of overweight people….those with uncontrolled Metabolism B. It turns out that their root problem is genetically determined, progressive, and moves forward based on stressors such as inactivity, stress, illness, pain, or certain medications (like prednisone, some anti depressants, etc). What is the source of uncontrolled Met B? It is the hormonal imbalance of the fat gain hormone; insulin. Excess insulin causes excess fat gain on the body (belly fat) and in the blood (high cholesterol, triglycerides), increased blood pressure, and eventually can lead to diabetes.
I took apart the traditional diet and mathematically put it back together to match the metabolism of a person with insulin issues. It required years of painstaking work, but finally the program was perfected. It became a 3 Step program: Step 1 to rest and rehab insulin production. Step 2 to reintroduce carbohydrate based on amount, glycemic index, and timing. Step 3, or maintenance, was a lifestyle rather than a diet and enabled those with Met B to live at their desired weight on little to no medication and feeling great.
After successful outcomes with over 3000 patients, and the data to prove it, I decided to write The Metabolism Miracle that would teach the world about Metabolism B, how to live in harmony with it, and a very easy to follow core program, sample menus, and recipes.
I’ve now personally taught the program to over 6000 patients, the program is a New York Times Bestseller, licensed in 7 languages, and successfully followed around the world.
I’ve now personally taught the program to over 6000 patients, the program is a New York Times Bestseller, licensed in 7 languages, and successfully followed around the world.
2. It is called “The Metabolism Miracle.” Why did you come up with this name?
During its development and when I initially taught it at my office, the program didn’t have a name…I offered it as a diet program to those patients who matched the protocol for Met B. In short order, referring physicians specifically sent their patients to me to learn that “really effective program.” When I got a publisher, they wanted to know what I intended to call the program. I asked my patients what one word they would use to describe the program and many used the word “miracle.” And so, the Metabolism Miracle was born.
3. Your book discusses a unique 3 Step carb-focused program that stabilizes blood glucose levels and reprograms the metabolism to burn fat instead of build fat, can you describe how this is done?
Metabolism Miracle is a 3 Step program as it takes 2 Steps to rest and reprogram the overworking pancreas/liver. Step 3 is a maintenance lifestyle that enables permanent weight loss, improved labs, decreased medications, and increased well-being.
Step 1: Those with uncontrolled Metabolism B begin the program with a pancreas producing too much insulin, a liver releasing too much sugar (glycogen) and excess sugar storage in fat cells. When the pancreas releases excess insulin, blood sugar drops. The person feels very hungry for carb foods (chips, cookies, chocolate, bread, fried, etc). If they eat carbohydrate, their blood sugar spikes. The pancreas over- reacts with excess insulin that causes blood sugar to drop again. This causes the hunger, fatigue, binge eating, depression, anxiety, and overweight! It’s a tiring and uncomfortable way to live…a vicious cycle.
If the person says…”I’m not going to cave in and eat. I’ve used up all my calories for the day so I’ll ignore the hunger” they are shocked that they don’t lose weight. What most people don’t know is that after 5 hours without eating, the liver will automatically release sugar (glycogen) to fuel the brain and organs. When blood sugar rises from the liver release, the Met B pancreas over-releases insulin again. The person with Met B is doomed to gain weight as they release excess insulin and get fatter when they eat as well as when they don’t eat.
So, Step 1 of The Metabolism Miracle is designed to be lower in carbohydrate so the dieter can control the amount of carb that can convert to blood sugar and is low enough to cause the liver to deplete its stores of glycogen. After Day 4 of the program, the person is staying within carb guidelines and the liver can no longer over release sugar. The body shifts from a fat building machine to a fat burning machine! Lean protein, heart healthy fat, neutral veggies are to be eaten liberally and Counter Carbs are options for meals and bedtime!
Step 2: After 8 weeks of rest and rehab in Step 1, carb choices increase in amount, are of low glycemic index/glycemic load, and are timed to work with the body’s clock. The dieter chooses a carb serving at breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime and between meals that will exceed 5 hours. All healthy, low glycemic, delicious carbs are added to a base of lean protein, heart healthy fat, and neutral veggies. This continues to be a fat burning Step!
Step 3: Once a dieter reaches his/her desired weight, loves his body, feels great, has improved lab work and takes as little medication as possible, he moves to Maintenance. This is an individual carbohydrate allotment based on gender, height, desired weight, age, activity. It is a way of life that matches Metabolism B…and Met B is now controlled.
All Steps require a minimum of 30 minutes physical activity over and above the dieter’s norm, adequate water/decaf fluid, as well as recommended vitamins/supplements like fish oil.
4. What are the worst trends you currently see in the average American diet that causes obesity or diabetes?
Without a doubt, the #1 worst trend is the premise that obesity, overweight, and diabetes is caused by excess calories and fat. For the majority of the overweight population, it is caused by super-sized amounts of carbohydrate: soda, energy drinks, fries, bagels, pasta portions, candy, desserts, sub rolls, large wraps, pizza, take out Chinese, take out burritos with rice and beans, chips, pretzels, etc.
When we became a low fat/low cholesterol/low calorie society…we also became a high carb society. We are so focused on fat free/low fat/low calorie…not concerned that these foods are actually higher in carbohydrate content…..making them “toxic” for those with uncontrolled Met B. An example: Olive and vinegar dressing has more fat and calories than fat -free Italian dressing…but it has no carbohydrate grams and won’t cause over release of insulin. Regular Italian dressing is better than fat free dressing for those with Met B!
Another negative trend: We have become a sedentary nation …spending most of our time sitting. A sitting body does not burn off blood sugar efficiently and has higher circulating insulin levels.
Stress poses another problem. Stress causes the release of stress hormones that will cause blood sugar to rise and excess insulin to release in Met B bodies.
Lastly, our food supply is tainted. The feed we give our livestock and poultry contains growth hormone, antibiotics, pesticides, and other chemicals that is transferred to us when we consume the meat. Back in the day, our protein sources were clean….no hormones, antibiotics, pesticides….and we were healthier.
5. From a number of weight loss books in the market, what makes “The Metabolism Miracle” different and effective?
Metabolism Miracle is the only book and program written to cover all aspects of Metabolism B. Close to 60% of the population and everyone with metabolic syndrome, pre diabetes, and type 2 diabetes has Metabolism B. As a result, it is THE #1 program that works, in the short AND long term. Not a gimmick, not a fad…it is 100% based in real science.
6. Besides losing weight, what other benefits should a person following “The Metabolism Miracle” expect to derive?
Fat loss…as opposed to weight loss. Most diets cause weight loss which is a combination of losing fat, muscle, and water. MM is designed to enable fat loss only.
Health improvements evidenced in the following labs: glucose, hemoglobin A1C, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, Vitamin D, insulin levels
Improvements in 24/7 wellness including: improved energy, memory, focus/concentration, loss of belly fat, improved mood, less irritability, improved libido, less cravings, less appetite, calmness/peacefulness
Decreases in medications (types and doses) that were prescribed for weight related health maladies like hypertension, cholesterol, blood sugar, depression, GERD, sleep issues, anxiety.
7. Could you share with us on average how much weight is lost while following this diet? And what is the ONE thing that helps them to lose weight with “The Metabolism Miracle”?
I’ll start by saying that Metabolism Miracle is not a diet, it is a lifestyle program. A person has either Metabolism A or Metabolism B. The Metabolism Miracle will control Met B…but if the person goes back to eating a higher carb program, becomes sedentary, does not respect carb intake…insulin will become imbalanced again.
Fat loss is dependent on 3 factors: Gender, height, starting weight at the beginning of every 8 week interval. There is actually a chart in the book that tells each person how much fat he/she can expect to lose every 8 weeks. And, on the The Metabolism Miracle the number of inches lost equals the number of pounds lost. Usually, a 15# loss on a calorie counting diet is a 7-8 inch loss. On Metabolism Miracle, 100% fat loss allows a 15” loss for a 15# loss!
8. What should a person expect to experience while following this diet? Could you share some of the experiences that your clients gone through with the diet?
I believe this has been answered in this article….including 100% fat loss, improved personal symptoms, significantly improved lab work, decreased medications (types and doses)
9. What other health conditions does this diet help prevent or recover?
PCOS, many reproductive hormone infertility issues, gestational diabetes, pre diabetes, type 2 diabetes, overweight, obesity, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, low Vitamin D, osteoporosis, osteopenia, breast/colon/prostate/ovarian cancers, GERD, sleep apnea, mild depression, anxiety, binge eating, Alzheimer’s disease, short term memory problems, low libido.
10. As there are readers and subscribers who are struggling to lose weight, do you have anything specific or advice that you want to say for them?
If you are not losing weight on your “old tried and true” diets, if weight gain has shifted to your middle with muffin top, back fat, love handles AND if you are tired/cranky/short tempered/depressed/crave carbs/are hungry about 2 hours after eating/can’t sleep well/have problems with focus and concentration/have a decreased libido/if getting ready to go out is a chore these days/if you feel burned out/if your attempts at dieting bring yo yo results AND
If your cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, blood sugar are rising and you or your family have a history of GERD, PCOS, reproductive infertility, Alzheimers, osteoporosis/osteopenia, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, pre diabetes, gestational diabetes, ADD/ADHD
YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO FOLLOW THE METABOLISM MIRACLE!
Also by Diane Kress, RD CDE: The Metabolism Miracle Cookbook and The Diabetes Miracle
Websites: www.themetabolismmiracle.com , www.thediabetesmiracle.com, www.dianekress.wordpress.com
Subscription website for online support from Diane Kress, answers to your diet questions by the author, chat, video blogs, forums for followers of Metabolism Miracle and Diabetes Miracle: www.miracle-ville.com.
Leave a Reply