Trick Your Body Out of Age-Related Weight Gain With the Metabolism Revolution Diet
Word has spread that Metabolism Revolution ($16.53, Amazon) author Haylie Pomroy can work magic for women struggling with age-related weight gain. Her secret? After tracking the progress of thousands of peri- and postmenopausal patients at her California clinics, she swears by a nutrient-dense approach that switches between lower-carb weekday menus and higher-carb weekend menus.
“I’ve found a way to give you the right foods at the right times to help your body speed metabolism and replace fat with lean muscle,” insists the nutritionist, who also wrote The Fast Metabolism Diet: Eat More Food and Lose More Weight ($14.61, Amazon), and whose clients include celebs like Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez, and Cher. “You’re even loading up on nutrients that increase production of collagen, so you improve skin tone as you slim down. It’s rapid weight loss done right, and I promise you’ll end up looking and feeling incredible!”
Want to try it for yourself and see? We’re sharing Metabolism Revolution menus designed for those of us with the slowest metabolisms — a category women tend to land in as the years tick by. “Hormonal changes can play a role, and so can years of junk food and yo-yo dieting. But a slow metabolism is not permanent,” insists Pomroy. “You can shake your body out of its rut and flood it with nutrients that permanently speed fat burning. No matter what stage of life you’re in, give me fourteen days, and boom: rapid weight loss!”
Getting Started: What You Eat
Since research shows that lean protein and micronutrients from veggies are especially good at stoking metabolism, Pomroy has you make them a daily focus. Beyond that, you mix things up. Four days a week, round out meals with plenty of healthy fats like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. And then on the remaining three days each week, fill up on fiber-rich carbs like fruit, oatmeal, and brown rice. Calorie intake varies between weekdays and weekends, too. “You want to nourish your body, but also keep it guessing,” says Pomroy.
Metabolism Revoluton: Why It Works
Pomroy’s plan is like a roller-coaster ride for your system — one with enough twists and turns that it can’t predict what’s coming next. So instead of getting into a rut, it stays off-kilter, “which makes your body work smarter, stimulating maximum fat burning,” she says. Research backs her up: A British study found that women asked to cut carbs just part of the week lost about 80 percent more weight than a group asked to cut calories every day.
Of course, there’s more to it than just the surprise factor: Protein is proven to help protect and build metabolism-boosting muscle, and studies show that dieters who get plenty of it burn significantly more fat and calories than those who don’t, Pomroy notes. Plus, on days when carbs are low, your body naturally burns more stored fat. And on days when carb intake increases, you get a host of antioxidants, fiber, and enzymes that further stimulate fat loss. But change is key. “I’ve found that when you’re switching back and forth, your body is more responsive to the benefits of the different ways of eating,” says Pomroy, who has helped folks lose up to 170 pounds. “It also helps prevent boredom and burnout.”
Real-World Success
Kelly Yates went to see Pomroy for help with weight gain and low energy after menopause. “I lost 27 pounds — so I’m actually 12 pounds lighter than when I met my husband 33 years ago,” marvels the California mom, 57. “My belly is gone, my back pain is gone, and my hair is growing in so much thicker. I feel strong and energetic even though I don’t exercise like crazy. I tell all my friends to try it. It’s easy to do, so healthy, and you’ll look and feel so good.”
Amy Lambert certainly feels good. After winning a chance to meet Pomroy in person, “what she told me made sense, even though my metabolism seemed pretty far gone.” Teaming with husband Steve, “we made the plan easier by finding meals we liked and repeating them often. We’re eating more now than ever before, and we’re losing weight,” says the Indiana mom, 40. “My belly fat is literally shrinking by the day, which is so crazy and amazing!” Amy has lost 61 pounds, and Steve has shed 80 in just 20 weeks.
After years of trying a long list of diets out there, Susie Rider was about to turn 50 and felt stuck. She read that Pomroy’s approach could make her metabolism act young again. “The idea of keeping your body guessing just made sense — and it was one thing I’d never tried,” says the Iowa mom. Within a few days, she was losing weight. In all, Susie has lost 80 pounds without feeling deprived. “It was easy to do, and the results were great.”
Metabolism Revolution Diet Menu
We’re sharing some of Metabolism Revolution’s basic menu guidelines, plus yummy sample meals for you to try. And as long as you stay within her metabolism-revving parameters, Pomroy encourages you to get creative and build meals around your favorite healthy foods. While using this plan, be sure to drink plenty of water. Add other low-cal, all-natural beverages and extras (coffee, tea, spices, vinegar, stevia) as desired. Note: As always, get a doctor’s okay to try any new plan.
Weekday Menu
(Enjoy Monday through Thursday)
Breakfast Salad: Eight ounces protein (such as two eggs and four slices turkey bacon) over four cups raw vegetables with two Tbsp. dressing.
Snack (Mid-morning and Mid-afternoon): Four ounces protein (such as four ounces nitrate-free deli meat or jerky), one serving fat (such as 1/4 cup hummus or 1/4 avocado).
Lunch: Four ounces protein, two cups cooked or four cups raw vegetables, two servings fat (1/4 cup nuts = one serving.)
- Sample meal 1: Homemade Soup in a Hurry: Simmer four ounces cooked chicken or shrimp with two cups cooked vegetables in reduced-sodium broth with seasoning to taste. Enjoy with 1/2 cup nuts on the side.
- Sample meal 2: Four ounces cooked salmon, 1/4 cup walnuts over four cups mixed salad with two Tbsp. vinaigrette.
Dinner: Four ounces protein two cups cooked or four cups raw vegetables, two servings healthy fat
- Sample meal 1: Four ounces nitrate-free, sugar-free Italian chicken sausage with two cups sautéed peppers and onions prepared with two Tbsp. olive oil and herbs to taste. Two cups salad, two Tbsp. dressing.
- Sample meal 2: Four ounces lean pork, Dijon mustard, two cups green beans sautéed in two Tbs. olive oil, two cups salad, two Tbsp. dressing
Note: For any weekday meal, swap in a smoothie made with one to two scoops plant-based protein powder, four handfuls leafy greens, two Tbsp. nut butter, water, ice, and spices to taste.
Weekend Menu
(Enjoy Friday through Sunday)
Breakfast: Eight ounces protein (two eggs = four ounces protein), two cups cooked or four cups raw vegetables, one piece or one cup fruit, one serving unprocessed starch (1/2 cup brown rice or one slice whole-grain bread).
- Sample meal 1: Two eggs any style with four slices turkey bacon and two cups mushrooms sautéed in broth, one slice whole-grain toast, one orange.
- Sample meal 2: Fruity smoothie: In blender, blitz two scoops no-sugar-added plant protein powder with four handfuls greens, 1/2 banana, water, ice, and stevia to taste. Enjoy with one cup cooked oatmeal with 1/2 cup berries.
Mid-morning snack: One piece/cup fruit
Mid-afternoon snack: Two pieces/cups fruit
Lunch: Four ounce serving protein, two cups cooked or four cups raw vegetables, two servings healthy fat.
- Sample meal 1: Four ounces lean beef stir-fried with four cups veggies and 1/4 cup slivered almonds in two Tbsp. canola oil and splash reduced-sodium soy sauce.
- Sample meal 2: Four nitrate-free deli meat slices rolled in lettuce leaves and dipped in mustard plus three cups sliced vegetables dipped in 1/2 cup guacamole.
Dinner: Eight ounces protein, two cups cooked or four cups raw vegetables, 1/2 cup grain-free starch.
- Sample meal 1: Eight ounces salmon or chicken broiled with lemon and dill with 1/2 cup cooked wild rice or quinoa and two cups of steamed veggies spritzed with lemon juice.
- Sample meal 2: Eight ounces roast beef or nitrate-free ham with fresh horseradish, 1/2 cup baked or boiled potatoes, and two cups of spring veggies sautéed in broth or steamed veggies herbed and spiced to taste.
This article originally appeared in our print magazine.
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