Fat? Protein? Why you need both
On Phase 3, it’s all about the burn — and healthy fats are the lighter fluid. You have to eat fat to lose fat — that’s a major part of why the Fast Metabolism Diet works! I’ve had clients look at me like I’ve lost my mind when I tell them that part of the reason they’re not losing weight is because they aren’t eating enough fat. Of course, we’re talking about good fats — healthy dietary fats. We’ve been hearing from a lot of you that you’d like clarification on just how to balance proteins and fats on Phase 3, so let’s clear that up!
The role of healthy fats
On the 28-day Fast Metabolism Diet, we use those three phases of eating to reboot your metabolism and get your body back to torching fat. On Phase 1 and 2, your body is flooded with muscle-building proteins, adrenal-calming natural sugars (fruit), whole grains and loads of green alkalizing vegetables. These replenish and restore the organs and glands responsible for fat-burning in the body. And during those four days, your body burns stored fat – the fat you’re trying to lose – for energy.
On the fifth day – Phase 3 – we add wonderful healthy-fat foods like cold-water fish (salmon, tuna), olives, almond milk, raw cashew butter, avocados, hummus and more. This easy-to-metabolize dietary fat prompts the release of fat-melting enzymes, signaling your body to burn fat that’s been stuck on your belly, hips and thighs. The healthy fats on this phase are balanced with protein and veggies – each meal includes all three — but here’s where it gets a little tricky. You’ll need to use some judgment on this phase, but that’s good! You’re learning a new way of eating, and you’ll need those skills after you hit your goal weight and move into maintaining the Fast Metabolism Lifestyle.
For meals, be sure to include both a protein AND a healthy fat — and remember you can mix and match items within a category, as long as the total portion makes sense. For example, to your lunch of tuna salad, you could use 2 tablespoons of chopped olives (the full serving would be 1/4 cup) and 2 tablespoons safflower mayo (the full serving would be 2 to 4 tablespoons). Or you could use 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a salad dressing, and also add a handful of sliced almond to your salad.
For snacks, don’t worry about the protein. Go for the healthy fat with vegetables: Guacamole with red-pepper strips. Hummus with cucumbers. Raw nuts and a tomato with salt and pepper. 1/4 cup olives on endive leaves.
Putting it all together
So here’s what a Phase 3 day might look like:
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
One poached egg with ½ avocado and wilted spinach; 1 slice sprouted-grain toast; ½ grapefruit
1/3 cup hummus; cucumber and zucchini slices
Tuna salad with 5 oz. tuna; 2 Tbls. safflower mayo; 2 Tbls. chopped olives; shredded carrot and cabbage; 1 cup blueberries
¼ cup raw almonds; tomato slices
Coconut curry chicken (recipe from book); ½ cup quinoa (optional)
Enjoy your healthy fats!
On Phase 3, it’s all about the burn — and healthy fats are the lighter fluid. You have to eat fat to lose fat — that’s a major part of why the Fast Metabolism Diet works! I’ve had clients look at me like I’ve lost my mind when I tell them that part of the reason they’re not losing weight is because they aren’t eating enough fat. Of course, we’re talking about good fats — healthy dietary fats. We’ve been hearing from a lot of you that you’d like clarification on just how to balance proteins and fats on Phase 3, so let’s clear that up!
The role of healthy fats
On the 28-day Fast Metabolism Diet, we use those three phases of eating to reboot your metabolism and get your body back to torching fat. On Phase 1 and 2, your body is flooded with muscle-building proteins, adrenal-calming natural sugars (fruit), whole grains and loads of green alkalizing vegetables. These replenish and restore the organs and glands responsible for fat-burning in the body. And during those four days, your body burns stored fat – the fat you’re trying to lose – for energy.
On the fifth day – Phase 3 – we add wonderful healthy-fat foods like cold-water fish (salmon, tuna), olives, almond milk, raw cashew butter, avocados, hummus and more. This easy-to-metabolize dietary fat prompts the release of fat-melting enzymes, signaling your body to burn fat that’s been stuck on your belly, hips and thighs. The healthy fats on this phase are balanced with protein and veggies – each meal includes all three — but here’s where it gets a little tricky. You’ll need to use some judgment on this phase, but that’s good! You’re learning a new way of eating, and you’ll need those skills after you hit your goal weight and move into maintaining the Fast Metabolism Lifestyle.
For meals, be sure to include both a protein AND a healthy fat — and remember you can mix and match items within a category, as long as the total portion makes sense. For example, to your lunch of tuna salad, you could use 2 tablespoons of chopped olives (the full serving would be 1/4 cup) and 2 tablespoons safflower mayo (the full serving would be 2 to 4 tablespoons). Or you could use 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a salad dressing, and also add a handful of sliced almond to your salad.
For snacks, don’t worry about the protein. Go for the healthy fat with vegetables: Guacamole with red-pepper strips. Hummus with cucumbers. Raw nuts and a tomato with salt and pepper. 1/4 cup olives on endive leaves.
Putting it all together
So here’s what a Phase 3 day might look like:
| Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Snack | Dinner |
| One poached egg with ½ avocado and wilted spinach; 1 slice sprouted-grain toast; ½ grapefruit | 1/3 cup hummus; cucumber and zucchini slices | Tuna salad with 5 oz. tuna; 2 Tbls. safflower mayo; 2 Tbls. chopped olives; shredded carrot and cabbage; 1 cup blueberries | ¼ cup raw almonds; tomato slices | Coconut curry chicken (recipe from book); ½ cup quinoa (optional) |
Enjoy your healthy fats!
