I didn’t have much weight to lose but I wanted to try out Metabolic Balance® for myself before offering it to others.  As a scientist it is very important to me to completely understand the science behind any health programme I offer.  As a Nutritional Therapist I wanted to understand what impact doing something like Metabolic Balance® can have, the obstacles that can be thrown up along the way, and how to overcome them.  I was, and still am, very excited about the potential health benefits too.

The day before I started Metabolic Balance® I went round the supermarket with my shopping helper gathering together the foods I needed for my plan.  That was easy!  Only a few aisles to go round and I managed to find all I needed.  Back at home, I cleared the fridge of all the stuff that I had to avoid for the next 16 days (well, ate it actually), and filled it with my new goodies.

Phase 1

I had kept the weekend free so I could focus on what I was doing and enjoy some time pampering myself.  Day 1 dawned and I prepared for the ‘gentle cleanse’ by taking three teaspoons of Epsom salts.  They really are foul but followed by lots of cool water, the taste soon went.   There is a choice of meals for Phase 1 and I had chosen vegetables for day 1 and rice for day 2.  Doesn’t sound too interesting but you can have any vegetables you fancy and you get extra interest by adding herbs and spices.  I was surprised that I wasn’t ravenously hungry, but this is usual if the cleansing procedure is carried out properly.  I spent day 2 eating rice with a little apple puree.  This isn’t as bad as it sounds but I did start to feel a little hungry.  I managed to sort this out by drinking plenty of hot water which surprisingly, I found soothing and pleasant!  I dared to weigh myself the next day before starting Phase 2 and I had lost 1kg already – I expect that this was water and not fat!

Phase 2

This is the real crux of the Metabolic Balance® process.  During Phase 2 my hormones are re-balanced and my metabolism supported so that it becomes more efficient.

Day 1 of Phase 2 dawned and I looked forward to my egg and vegetables for breakfast!  I am not a cereal person and often have egg or meat and vegetables, or my favourite chicken and carrot soup for breakfast, so this wasn’t too much of a problem, but if you are used to cereals and they don’t turn up on your plan, it might come as a bit of a shock!  Lunch was chicken, sprouts, courgette and asparagus – lovely, and dinner salmon with dill, carrots and broccoli.

Three days into Phase 2 I was actually feeling much better.  My motivation and clarity of thinking had improved and the usual ‘munchy’ feeling I would get mid morning and mid afternoon just wasn’t happening.  Normally, I would be cramming in a snack to keep my blood sugar levels even but this really wasn’t necessary.  The down side was that I felt hungry about three hours after each meal – was this OK?  Well, I really mind being hungry and usually eat a lot so I wasn’t happy.  But, when I looked into what I was doing, I realised that I wasn’t eating my full quota of food.  No wonder I was struggling! I started eating two slices of rye bread with my breakfast and one with lunch, plus all my quota of fruit.  From then on, Phase 2 flew by. I felt energised and very positive.

At the end of Phase 2 I had lost 3.8kg and a total of 8cm from the measurements I took at the beginning of the programme.  All my clothes feel loose – very loose actually!

Phase 3

This is the so called ‘relaxed’ phase. The rules stay the same but this phase introduces three important changes to the plan.

Increased variety
Additional foods were added so I had more to choose from with different types of meat, fish, game, cheese, pulses, sprouted seeds, vegetables and fruit now on my plan.

Oils
During Phase 2, only the oils found in foods such as salmon and avocado were consumed. Now, I could add olive oil for salad dressings and for drizzling over vegetables, and coconut oil for light frying. I also added a balanced omega 3: omega 6 oil to ensure I was getting enough of these important essential fats.

I actually found that adding a tablespoon of olive oil to my rye toast gave a lovely added dimension to my already favourite breakfast of scrambled egg and mushrooms on rye toast.

Treat meals
One of the hardest things about trying to lose weight and having specific guidelines to follow is what to do when you go out. You may also feel you are missing out on some of your favourite foods and drinks. With Metabolic Balance® however, this doesn’t happen because you can have a ‘treat’ meal each week. You still stick to the basics of your plan, but for your treat meal you can have whatever you fancy, within reason of course. This means if you have been invited out to dinner with friends, there aren’t any issues around your friends wondering what to give you and you don’t run the risk of offending them by refusing their home cooked grub. Takeaways are allowed too, as are meals out, with a starter, main course, desert, cheese, wine, coffee and chocolate if you wish. You shouldn’t skip the treat meal either! The extra calories actually facilitate the fat loss process by preventing the body’s metabolism from slowing down.

I used my first treat meal to eat something I really missed – lamb. I stuck with vegetables from my plan, had a couple of glasses of wine, a desert of bananas and custard (one of my favourites) and finished with black coffee and a few squares of dark chocolate. Crikey – was I full!!!

What Metabolic Balance® does for you is to teach you how much food you can cope with at any one time. After just three weeks on Metabolic Balance® my body was already telling me that I had overdone things. I needed to moderate a bit obviously, as the ‘full’ feeling lasted for quite a while.

Two weeks into Phase 3 I had dipped below my goal weight. I had lost a total of 4.7kg and 10cm from my measurements and I am actually amazed it has been so easy. I hadn’t done any exercise either, apart from gentle walks with the dog, so I started to introduce an occasional visit to the gym, during which I actually felt great!

Once you reach your goal weight, you can start to slowly increase the amount of food that you eat starting with the carbohydrates on your plan. I started with extra rye bread and then I introduced porridge as a breakfast, just so I had another option when I was away. I also tried brown basmati rice at lunch time, gradually increasing the amount, but not by too much to make me feel over full. I felt fine on both, and so went on to increase the quantities of vegetables too – my weight stabilised. The key is to introduce just one thing at a time. This way, you will know if a food disagrees with you or makes you feel tired, for example. If you get any reaction at all, then it is worth avoiding the food for a few more months.

Phase 4

So, now I am on Phase 4. I am sticking to the guidelines but occasionally introducing something that isn’t on the plan. If I fancy anything ‘off plan’, I have it as a treat meal and this works really well. I don’t feel I miss out at all and the extra energy and resilience that I have come in really useful in my very busy life. I have started to increase my exercise levels, but am focusing on strength and flexibility training rather than intensive aerobic exercise.

Has it been worth it? Yes, definitely! I am slimmer, fitter and have improved energy levels, clarity of thought and greater resilience to stress. And, it has been a useful learning curve for me as a Nutritional Therapist so I can help you get the most out of your plan too.

Get in touch if you would like to try Metabolic Balance® or would like to find out more. You can call me on 07790 745769 or email me at info@nutritionalhealthsolutions.co.uk . I hope to hear from you soon.