When I was in school, I tried all kinds of diets including vegetarian, vegan, low-fat, and low calorie, they usually worked for a little while but then my energy would lag and I would start to gain the weight back. I would get so frustrated seeing my vegetarian friends losing weight and feeling great while I would feel horrible on that type of diet. My school promoted low fat high carbohydrate diet but again I found myself gaining weight and feeling tired on this type of diet.
While I was working on my Masters in Holistic Nutrition, I took a class in Biochemical Individuality. One of the books we read was The Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott and Trish Fahey. It really made sense to me that we are all individuals and while one diet will work great for one person; it won’t work so well for another, possibly even making the other person sick or gain weight.
I took an extensive questionnaire that included questions about my body build, my emotional state, how I felt after eating meals high in protein vs. high in carbohydrate, and my ethnic background. A couple of days later I received an email with my results.
There are six categories to fall into Fast Oxidizer, Slow Oxidizer, Balanced Oxidizer, Sympathetic, Parasympathetic, or Mixed. Fast Oxidizers and Parasympathetic Types need to have a diet higher in protein and fat; Slow Oxidizers and Sympathetic Types need diets higher in carbohydrates. The balanced and mixed types need to have a good balance between carbohydrates and protein.
My results came back that I was a Fast Oxidizer, requiring higher amounts of protein. Finally I received the validation that vegetarian diet was not the right diet for me. I started right away on the recommended foods for my type. I found that I was able to stay full longer, my blood sugar level remained more stable, I was sick less often and I had greater energy overall. The 35 lbs. that would come and go in my twenties was gone forever.
Metabolic Typing® does not only help with weight loss, according to William Wolcott, The Healthexcel System of Metabolic Typing® does not treat disease, but rather seeks to build health and balance body ecology. By creating balance in your body systems we can create an environment that keeps us healthy instead of giving in to disease and chronic discomfort.
By working with a Certified Metabolic Typing® adviser, many health issues can be resolved including high blood pressure, mild arthritis and inflammation, high cholesterol, depression and anxiety, acid reflux, and many more chronic discomforts. The adviser is important to the process because success and positive results require fine tuning your ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrate as well as identifying foods that you may be sensitive to.
Metabolic Typing® is a diet designed specifically for you as an individual. No other person will have the same results on the same foods as you. Working with a certified adviser helps to refine your diet and get the best possible health results.
I’m offering a few retreats this summer on Monhegan Island that will focus on healthy eating and how to create a foundation that works best for you and your lifestyle. View summer 2014 retreats
Tara Hire is a certified holistic health coach and certified Metabolic Typing® adviser who lives on Monhegan Island. She offers coaching via the telephone or internet making herself accessible to anyone anywhere.