Anyone who wants to lose weight wishes they could find the “holy grail of weight loss.” A faster metabolism seems to be on the right track for that wish. Metabolism is something we are blessed with at birth. Some people burn more calories than others naturally. Men burn more calories than women by nature. People over the age of 40 have a slower metabolism. We didn’t get to choose our metabolism, but certain diet can help us speed our metabolism up and work for us.

There is a book, The Fast Metabolism Diet, by nutritionist Haylie Pomray. She writes about how we can speed up our metabolism naturally with combinations of foods that make your metabolism work for your needs. This article will help you understand how to use a metabolism diet to lose weight in a healthy way.

What Is the Fast Metabolism Diet?

This diet plan works on a 28 day eating plan that takes you through 3 phases over 4 weeks. Those who are doing the diet says they don’t feel like they are dieting, just eating healthy.

Why It Works

When you go on a traditional diet, it is usually low-calorie. This puts your body into a starvation mode and it won’t want to take off the weight it thinks it needs to survive. The diet aims to force your body to burn excess fat and build muscle.

• Phase 1 keeps fat and protein on the back burner to not overwhelm your body. You just eat easy to digest and burn carbs.
• Phase 2 unlocks stored fat now that your body is ready to burn it off.
• Phase 3 continues to burn stored fat and begins to burn fat immediately after you eat. It’s that easy!

What to Eat 

• Phase 1 (high glycemic, moderate protein, low-fat) – Monday and Tuesday you eat large amounts of carbohydrates and fruits to calm down your adrenals and reduce stress on the body.
• Phase 2 (high protein, high vegetable, low-carb, low-fat) – Wednesday and Thursday you ramp up protein intake and lots of vegetables to burn off fat that has been stored and build up muscle tissue.
• Phase 3 (high healthy fat, moderate carb, moderate protein, low glycemic fruits)– Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can almost eat everything above, but add in healthy oil and fats.

Foods to Include Every Day:

• Fresh Fruits
• Fresh or Cooked Vegetables
• Lean Proteins
• Beans and Legumes
• Water (1/2 your body weight in ounces daily)

Foods to Avoid/Forbidden List:

• Refined Sugars
• Fruit Juice
• Corn
• Soy
• Dairy
• Wheat
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Dried Fruits
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Any “diet” or “low-fat” foods (Often more sugar is added to make up for flavor loss)

It’s impossible to cover all the details of the fast metabolism diet here, but the above is the necessary overview to give you a general idea and here’s a video that’ll help you know more about what to eat in the 28-day-and -3-phase diet, as well as what exercises to include in each phase for best results.

There is an app for the diet available on iTunes. With this you can track your progress, plan your meals, and track the water you are drinking.

Best Foods that Boost Metabolism

On a metabolism diet, you want to eat more foods that will boost your metabolism naturally. What better way to lose weight, than to do it through eating and eating the right foods. Many people claim they don’t feel hungry if they are allowed to eat, as long as it benefits the diet. Here is a list of 8 foods that can boost your metabolism:

1) Lean Meat – Eating protein helps slow “carbohydrate burn”, allowing your body to gain the most energy to burn fat. It is also high in iron. When anemic, your metabolism slows down.

2) Egg Whites – Your metabolism really fires up with the amino acids in egg whites. They are also high in protein and needed vitamin D.

3) Chili – These contain a chemical known as capsaicin. Capsaicin is known to rev up metabolism. You can add one tablespoon of chopped chili into cooking and they also add vitamin C to your foods.

4) Lentils – Lentils are rich in iron and fiber. Iron will help boost your metabolism, while fiber will help prevent constipation and promote healthy cholesterol levels.

5) Water – Dehydration can slow your metabolism. You need to be getting enough fluids to help your body burn calories and fat. It can also help flush out fat as it is metabolized.

6) Green Tea – Green tea is rich in EGCG that may help promote fat-burning and raise the metabolism.

7) Citrus Fruits – Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C that may help you burn fat faster. Researchers have found that a 500mg daily increase in vitamin C raised fat-burning by 39%.

8) Garlic – Garlic is a known, all-around healthy food. It can increase your immune system, protect your heart, and possibly help you lose weight.

More foods to boost metabolism:

Other Dietary and Workout Tips to Boost Metabolism

Except following the fast metabolism diet mentioned above, you can also try other dietary plans and workout schedules to boost your metabolism.

1. Eat Enough Calories

When you don’t eat enough, you send your body into “starvation mode” and your metabolism slows down. It will not burn any fat or calories until it feels safe to do so, after you start eating. Eating enough food, often throughout the day will kick start your metabolism.

2. Don’t Skip Breakfast

Eating a dense meal in the morning, like oatmeal, will wake up your metabolism. Another good morning meal that starts the “burn” is an egg white omelet with spinach and whole grain toast. This wakes up your metabolism and keeps it moving all day.

3. Eat Organic Foods as Much as Possible

Process foods, additives, and pesticides interfere with the metabolic regulating properties of your thyroid. Your thyroid is the body’s engine and tells the metabolism how fast to go. Chemicals are known thyroid blockers and it is good to keep them out of your diet.

4. Hit the Gym and Do Some Intervals

Interval training can help boost metabolism. While you are at the gym, try some strength training a few workouts weekly and then switch to cardio the other few workouts. You can even do intervals the same day with 30 minutes on strength and switch to 30 minutes of cardio.