I lost 12 pounds in the first four weeks.
Have you lost faith in dieting but are tired of carrying around extra pounds? Do you believe you can and SHOULD look and feel better? Do you want to add a little class to your existence (and your grocery shopping trips)? Read on to see how the Fast Metabolism Diet can change your life.
My Sister, My Role Model
In October of 2022, my younger sister took on Haylie Pomroy’s 28-Day Fast Metabolism eating plan and lost six pounds, having heard about it from a co-worker who had lost a total of 80 pounds. My sister didn’t need to lose weight, but she wanted to feel better and restart her metabolism, doing the best for her body.
On a regular basis, she updated me regarding her progress and explained how it works. There are three phases in each week, with different types of foods in each phase. My sister also detailed what she had to eliminate from her diet: caffeine, alcohol, wheat, corn, soy, sugar, and dairy products.
In December, we spent 10 days traveling to Costa Rica together. There, my little sis told me more about Haylie’s plan, how it made her feel, and how it changed her buying and eating habits. While vacationing, she ordered me Pomroy’s book, The Fast Metabolism Diet: Eat More Food & Lose More Weight.
After returning from our trip, I became very ill with a severe respiratory ailment, feeing sicker than ever before in my life. I couldn't sleep because I could hardly breathe. I couldn't eat, because I was nauseous.
To ease my symptoms, I replaced my morning coffee with a hot ginger-turmeric-cinnamon-lemon-and-honey concoction. Feeling better a few days later, I brewed coffee once again, but it didn’t taste good anymore, and I missed my nutritious ginger drink.
Being sick had helped me eliminate two addictions: my morning coffee, and my not-so-healthy natural creamer (containing lots of sugar). I now had a head start on the plan.
Additionally, being so ill made me rethink my health. Reflecting on the five pieces of holiday fudge I ate the day my throat began to tickle, I knew sugar had a lot to do with decreased immunity, making me sick so quickly. (Haylie confirms sugar's effects in her book.) Sugar also contributed to much of the weight I was carrying.
With January and a new year right around the corner, I was determined to follow the metabolism-boosting plan. I had at least 25 pounds to lose, wanting to get rid of it for good while instilling better eating habits for life.
By New Year’s Day, I had read through most of the book, and on January 2nd, I stocked up at Costco for Week One foods – mostly organic as recommended – in each of the three phases of the plan.
28 days later, the scale said I’d lost 12 pounds. The Fast Metabolism Diet worked!
Of course, my self-esteem and hopes for further success were boosted, but I discovered. but other benefits of the Fast Metabolism Diet. Not only did I not go hungry, I felt better, noted differences in my body, experienced elevated moods, saw changes in skin and hair, and became a more particular shopper. And I'm not done yet, if ever.
Why give up all the great perks of this way of life? The following are some of the things I observed in my first month.
1. You Get to Eat… a Lot!
Pomroy's eating plan works by stimulating your metabolism into action. The heavier you are, the more you eat. (Having always had a healthy appetite, I was glad I wouldn’t starve.)
Delving in, I felt somewhat restricted to certain choices, eating things I’d given up years ago – like oatmeal and rice – because they were no-nos on a low-carb diet, or foods I didn’t normally buy, like blueberries and beans. (Note: my sister fell in love with blueberries during her 28 days!) But if you don't like something, there are plenty of options on each phase’s food list.
During Phase I of the plan – the first two days of each week – fruits and grains are part of every meal. You eat healthier, better versions of those grains you always avoided, like sprouted-grain bread, wild or brown rice, and steel-cut oats. (Just so happens I prefer steel-cut to regular oats for my chocolate chip cookies!) Again, you should buy organic whenever possible.
Since starting, my morning meal during Phase I continues to be my favorite: the most filling and hearty bowls of oatmeal I’ve ever eaten. I’ve learned to love and crave it! Berries go well on top; fruit is required during meals and snacks in this phase.
What about brown sugar on top of my oatmeal like the olden days? Out of the question. But you don’t have to give up sweet stuff! The plan recommends using a plant-based sweetener, like stevia. Stevia is, in many ways, better for your body than sugar. It contains zero calories, supports bone and skin health, and helps prevent memory loss, among other benefits. Now I prefer my stevia-based sugar substitute and use it in baking and confections.
In Phase I, the snacks are fruit. I choose apples, because they're quick and easy, and great for digestion. Haylie professes to be bossy in her book, especially with her demands that you eat within 30 minutes of waking and eat AT LEAST five times a day. Snacks are included, and can’t be skipped. As a rule, you will eat every 2 to 3 hours. Don’t feel guilty! You’ll lose weight.
2. Your Bodily Functions Will Improve
When you’re eating more grains, vegetables (unlimited in most cases!) and fruits, you’re bound to have better bowel movements. After all, your body is taking the good parts of the foods you’re consuming and cleaning out the rest. What you eliminate will also be different than before the diet; bowel movements are less "messy."
On the plan, you should also drink half your body’s weight in ounces of water. All that goodness flushes you out, and you’ll notice differences in your skin and hair. After only a couple of weeks on the plan, I noticed my eyelashes were longer and lusher!
Keep power greens on hand throughout your 28 days: they’re great for salads, or mixing into any dish. The more vegetables you eat, the better your body can process the meats and proteins. Organic mushrooms are also a great mix in any saute: they go with eggs, sausage, meats and greens and provide protein and fiber, along with many other nutrients. Thankfully, mushrooms are allowed on all three phases of the Fast Metabolism diet. (They’re also something I never used to
buy, but now they can turn a "blah" dish into a tasty one.)
Phase II of the plan requires you to eat only vegetables and proteins. This was the most difficult of the three phases for me at first, because I ran out of creative meal ideas. Fortunately, Haylie has a set of recipes in the book that you can follow for each day of the plan.
My bowel movements slowed down or were smaller during this phase. This could be because I was using up all the energy I was putting inside my body, making less waste.
During these two days, your body is preparing to burn fat, leading into Phase III. Don’t skimp on the vegetables! A bag of organic broccoli crowns from Costco will get you through. Try making beef broccoli: simply slice steak and add as much broccoli as you can devour, sauteed in liquid aminos (which tastes like soy sauce).
3. Your Moods Will Stabilize
You’re not eating sugar on this plan, nor are you taking in simple carbohydrates. For me, a pasta dinner at night makes me grumpy or irritable the following day. Too much sugar before bedtime gives me a headache in the middle of the night, not to mention the ills of too much wine or other alcoholic drinks.
These not-so-subtle reactions to “bad foods” show us that we’re not doing our bodies any good by continuing to eat them. When they’re eliminated on the 28-day metabolism-boosting diet – and thereafter – moods stabilize, and the ups and downs of daily life level out.
If missing a food is making you edgy, there are several little “cheats” I’ve come up with. Try eating a handful of blueberries (yes, blueberries again) to calm your cravings during Phases I and III.
Another cheat? Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Minis from Costco. (Costco is a treasure trove of optimal foods!) These treats are made with real fruit (organic coconut), organic cassava syrup (from a root vegetable), and dark chocolate - as the last ingredient. (Haylie might not approve, but if you’re going to cheat, do so with these!)
4. You’ll Become a More Particular Shopper
There are many things to not eat on the fast metabolism diet, but there are so many great things you can. You just have to be choosier.
One example is watching out for nitrates and nitrites in meats (dieting no-nos because they contribute to metabolic disease like diabetes). Searching for the “cleanest” foods becomes a habit.
In one of my favorite local grocery stores, I discovered a brand of sausage (hillmeat.com) made locally. The ingredients are all real foods: nothing comes from a lab; no preservatives, no flavorings or artificial colors, no “-ates” or “-ites”. These sausages are so good, I’ve tried four different varieties and pick them up every time I shop. I feel good about buying them because they not only taste as authentic as whatʻs inside them – making my meals more exciting – but they’re made with honest ingredients. I’m also supporting local. I never would have found these beauties had it not been for the Fast Metabolism Diet.
That same grocery store chain (Roth’s Fresh Markets) carries sprouted grain tortillas, bread and muffins. as well as cauliflower pizza crusts (brown rice as the second ingredient) in the freezer section. Their produce department has a large section with dedicated space for organic fruits and vegetables. Throughout the store, a shopper can find many items on Haylie Pomroy’s food lists, including organic tamari (an allowable soy sauce), liquid aminos, non-wheat pastas, canned organic beans and tomatoes for vegetarian chili (a favorite for me in Phases I and III), locally-farmed organic eggs, and so much more.
It’s true that organic foods and specialty items like those listed here may cost more, but in many cases you can get more for less, especially at big stores like Costco. Organic blueberries, organic celery, organic spinach, organic power greens, and organic mushrooms (another new favorite of mine that goes great with Hill’s Hot Italian Sausage) can all be found in the produce department. Don’t forget organic sweet potatoes, red onions, carrots, broccoli… the list goes on.
Grocery shopping for this eating plan and being choosy is demanded of you, so you may feel privileged to be buying (and eating) only the best that producers have to offer. The reaction your body has to the foods is the payoff for being particular.
Doesn’t it feel great to treat yourself and your taste buds to the best money can buy? You are working hard to look your finest. Why not feel your finest?
5. The Fat Burns Away
Not only am I dropping pounds on the Fast Metabolism diet, I notice my plump belly (my least favorite body part) is shrinking. There is looser skin around my middle, which tells me there is less fat underneath the skin. The composition of other troublesome body parts like my inner things seems different, not as flabby.
Haylie details in the book how foods eaten on the plan will reduce cellulite and burn white fat cells. Now that I’m almost two months in, I'm continuing to drop weight. But more importantly: I see and feel a positive change in my body. I’m fitting into a jeans size I haven’t worn in years. My lumpy sections are toning down.
What about exercise? Just as there are three phases to the eating plan, there are three types of exercise to accompany them. In the first phase, one can do aerobic exercise, but nothing too strenuous. In Phase II, muscle-toning and weight-lifting are recommended. And in Phase III, Pomroy recommends getting a massage or performing yoga: things to soothe the body as it revels in healing.
6. It Will Become Habit
Following the plan was a bit confusing and sometimes challenging at first, but I’ve grown accustomed to eating to support my metabolism. I know what to buy, what to avoid, what to cook, and how to enjoy. I bring organic vegetables to snack on at work; I always have blueberries in my refrigerator. I make several portions at once of dishes like brown rice with vegetarian chili, and use up more space in my freezer.
There’s no guilt from overindulging, and if I want to go off the plan for a meal, snack or dessert, I do. I get right back on track the next meal or the next day. Why? Because my body feels better, and I know I'm doing right by it by sticking to the plan. There is no reason to go back to "bad foods" that harm my system and slow down my metabolism.
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