ELLE body: The Fast Metabolism Diet
Vanessa Craft goes a month without dairy, wheat, caffeine, refined sugar and alcohol. How hard could it possibly be?
THE MOTIVE
I’ve lost my mojo. I feel sluggish, and I’m carrying 10 extra pounds of baby weight. (My “baby” is eight.) I rarely eat breakfast. My metabolism has officially left the building.
I turn to Haylie Pomroy, author of The Fast Metabolism Diet. The American nutritionist’s book acts as a sobering warning to the various ways I’m screwing over my body’s natural fat-burning system. Being stressed out stimulates the production of cortisol, the “belly fat” hormone. Skipping breakfast and scarfing down canapés hours later at a party is causing my body to hoard fat and launch nutrient-stealing hormones that rob my muscles of energy.
6 ways to BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
Pomroy evokes a strategy she dubs “Confuse it to lose it,” where you “cross-train your metabolism to heal itself.” This is done by eating, in three different phases per week, foods that assist in calming adrenal glands, reduce stress on the liver and support the thyroid to produce hormones T3 and T4—the ones that drive a fast metabolism. Apparently, the best way to rev things up is to eat often (five times a day, no calorie counting), drink a ton of water and exercise moderately. But (there’s always a but) caffeine, wheat, dairy, soy, refined sugar and alcohol are out.
THE GOAL
The program consists of three food phases per week, repeated for four weeks. Phase 1, two days: Carbs like quinoa with lean protein, veggies and lots of fruit to stabilize sugar levels. Phase 2, two days: Strictly low-fat protein with tons of veggies. (The. Worst.) Phase 3, three days: All of the above, plus fats from foods like nuts and oils.
Should you DO A CLEANSE?
THE PROCESS
Week 1, Day 1
The caffeine comedown is kicking my ass. I have a pounding headache and a complete inability to concentrate on anything. Everyone is annoying me. Why revel in my tasty pasta (made from brown rice) lunch when I can be complaining instead?
Week 1, Day 4
During the low-fat protein-and-vegetable-focused Phase 2 of the diet, I have a working lunch at a fancy hotel downtown. A magnum of champagne and bottles of sweet, delicious wine sit on the table, like a rosé-hued elephant in the room. As soon as I meekly mention I’m on a cleanse, the topic dominates the conversation. While everyone tears into the bread basket, I am overcome with sadness—until a friend whispers she admires mymental strength. I sing “Hero” in my head while dessert is served.
GALLERY: 7 HEALTHY TEAS
Week 1, Day 6
“Mmm! Caffeine-free herbal tea is just as satisfying as a double espresso!” said no one, ever.
I’ve lost my mojo. I feel sluggish, and I’m carrying 10 extra pounds of baby weight. (My “baby” is eight.) I rarely eat breakfast. My metabolism has officially left the building.
I turn to Haylie Pomroy, author of The Fast Metabolism Diet. The American nutritionist’s book acts as a sobering warning to the various ways I’m screwing over my body’s natural fat-burning system. Being stressed out stimulates the production of cortisol, the “belly fat” hormone. Skipping breakfast and scarfing down canapés hours later at a party is causing my body to hoard fat and launch nutrient-stealing hormones that rob my muscles of energy.
6 ways to BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
Pomroy evokes a strategy she dubs “Confuse it to lose it,” where you “cross-train your metabolism to heal itself.” This is done by eating, in three different phases per week, foods that assist in calming adrenal glands, reduce stress on the liver and support the thyroid to produce hormones T3 and T4—the ones that drive a fast metabolism. Apparently, the best way to rev things up is to eat often (five times a day, no calorie counting), drink a ton of water and exercise moderately. But (there’s always a but) caffeine, wheat, dairy, soy, refined sugar and alcohol are out.
THE GOAL
The program consists of three food phases per week, repeated for four weeks. Phase 1, two days: Carbs like quinoa with lean protein, veggies and lots of fruit to stabilize sugar levels. Phase 2, two days: Strictly low-fat protein with tons of veggies. (The. Worst.) Phase 3, three days: All of the above, plus fats from foods like nuts and oils.
Should you DO A CLEANSE?
THE PROCESS
Week 1, Day 1
The caffeine comedown is kicking my ass. I have a pounding headache and a complete inability to concentrate on anything. Everyone is annoying me. Why revel in my tasty pasta (made from brown rice) lunch when I can be complaining instead?
Week 1, Day 4
During the low-fat protein-and-vegetable-focused Phase 2 of the diet, I have a working lunch at a fancy hotel downtown. A magnum of champagne and bottles of sweet, delicious wine sit on the table, like a rosé-hued elephant in the room. As soon as I meekly mention I’m on a cleanse, the topic dominates the conversation. While everyone tears into the bread basket, I am overcome with sadness—until a friend whispers she admires mymental strength. I sing “Hero” in my head while dessert is served.
GALLERY: 7 HEALTHY TEAS
Week 1, Day 6
“Mmm! Caffeine-free herbal tea is just as satisfying as a double espresso!” said no one, ever.
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