The Adrenal Reset Diet Cycles Carbs to Help You Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight but don’t want to restrict calories or cut out carbs completely, you might consider the adrenal reset diet as a possible option. Created by naturopathic physician Alan Christianson, NMD, the adrenal reset diet can help you shed pounds and feel fantastic — if you do it right.

According to The Adrenal Reset Diet ($11, Amazon), the eating plan focuses on optimizing your adrenal glands for weight loss. As you may know, your adrenal glands are tiny-but-powerful glands on top of your kidneys that produce metabolism-regulating hormones, among other essential functions. But in order to fix your adrenal glands, first you have to figure out if there’s a specific problem with yours. 

As Dr. Christianson explains, there are a few different things that could be wrong with your adrenal glands; they might be “stressed,” “wired and tired,” or “crashed.” The book helpfully walks you through all these potential issues and how to identify which one most closely fits your body’s symptoms. From there, you can figure out which adrenal-friendly foods and tonics are best for you to pick for your daily intake. Bonus: You can also figure out which adrenal-friendly exercises are most appropriate for your body.

A typical day on the adrenal reset diet involves three balanced meals, such as a protein shake for breakfast, a mixed salad with salmon and chickpeas for lunch, and a chicken-veggie stir-fry with brown rice for dinner. As you might notice from this sample menu, there are more carbs in the evening recipe than the morning or afternoon meals. That’s not an accident: Christianson says this is a form of “carb cycling,” consuming most carbs in the evening in order to lower nighttime cortisol production and reverse the effects that processed foods have on body fat.

It’s worth keeping in mind that not all carbs — or other foods you might be used to eating — are given the green light on the adrenal reset diet. Christianson recommends avoiding fructose as well as foods he deems to be “toxic proteins,” such as cream-based soups, pancakes, and mayonnaise. Here’s the good news: The adrenal reset diet does leave room for cheat meals. Once you hit your target weight, you can have one “feast” per week. So, you can rest easy knowing that you don’t have to say goodbye to any favorite foods forever. Instead, they’ll be a treat to enjoy later — who doesn’t love having something to look forward to?

Remember: Always talk to your doctor before starting any new diet.

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