Back in the early years of the health and fitness industry, hundreds of thousands of personalized nutrition programs were recommended to people for their weight gain or weight loss goals.
However, results were notoriously sketchy. Some people were getting those stellar outcomes shown in the Before & After photos on all the free weight gym walls. But, most people weren’t reaching their goals or even coming close.
Today, advances in knowledge of dietary plans based on body types make it possible for people to reach their weight goals.
This can be achieved with an appropriate fat protein efficient metabolism diet plan or carbohydrate efficient diet alternative.
Here, we zero in on the right dietary plan for a fat protein efficient body type. If thats you, this information can be a game-changer, especially if you’ve been struggling to gain or lose weight.
Know your metabolic type, so you can choose the right dietary plan.
A fat protein efficient dietary plan is not appropriate for all body types. Different body types have different metabolic rates, and dietary needs vary between the different types. So, to understand which kind of dietary plan is right for you and why, you’ll need to know your metabolic type. Then you can make the right adjustments to your eating habits to improve your sense of well-being, energy levels, moods, and your lifestyle.
A metabolic typing diet is a dietary plan based on the body’s metabolic rate. The rate of metabolism significantly affects a person’s rate of calorie consumption. Yes, you read that right.
Basing your dietary program on your metabolism helps prevent excess calorie intake or deficiencies in calorie intake, and thereby helps you control body weight and stay healthy. In other words, being on the right dietary program for your metabolic type can cause you to eat the right amount for your body’s needs.
Not knowing their metabolic ID (your metabolic type) leads people to choose dietary plans that don’t fit them metabolically. That often leads to obesity, or becoming underweight, failure to achieve weight loss or weight gain goals, and potentially serious health consequences.
Your correct metabolic ID may seem obvious enough to you, but it isn’t necessarily. So, consult your doctor or a nutritionist for help determining your body’s metabolic type. Your healthcare professional may administer a blood or urine test for information to help him or her make the best-informed speculation possible about your body’s metabolic type.
While you’re there for your metabolic typing, talk to your healthcare provider about your interest in starting on a fat protein efficient dietary plan, and ask for their input regarding any personal health considerations you may need to factor into your dietary plan.
Wait, what’s metabolism?
Metabolism is the oxidizing, or breaking -down of biomolecules such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates for use as energy to fuel the body. The command center of your body’s metabolic activity is in your brain. It’s actually determining your body’s efficiency levels for processing proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Your autonomic nervous system significantly affects the digestive processes, as it does most other bodily operations. The autonomic nervous system is a two-part structure, consisting of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems originating from the brain stem. The balance between these two systems is controlling your body’s metabolism (break down of food).
The efficiency with which food is digested by your body is due to signals from these two parts of the automatic nervous system.
The rate at which food is oxidized in your body is classified it as a fast, slow, or normal oxidizer. People whose parasympathetic system is the dominant influencer oxidize food at higher rates, which means they’re fast oxidizers. Those with a dominant sympathetic nervous system are slower oxidizers. The fast oxidizers are people who can benefit from a fat protein efficient dietary plan.
Wait, what are oxidizers?
Your metabolic rate is the rate at which your body oxidizes food. The three general human body types — ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph oxidize at different metabolic rates. Your metabolic rate is high, low, or normal, depending on where you fit along the spectrum of those three metabolic types.
So, your dietary plan should be generally based on whichever of these three categories of metabolic rates your body is operating in:
Ectomorph – fast oxidizer (fat protein efficient body) |
People who are fast oxidizers of the food they consume — which means they have a high metabolic rate. They’re usually highly physically active, often with very physical jobs.
Because their bodies are so efficient in oxidizing food and generating and quickly using the large amounts of energy from it, people with ectomorph body types tend to feel hungry much of the time. They may have frequent cravings for salty or sweet snacks. They may also experience frequent fatigue and even anxiety. A fat protein efficient dietary plan can benefit them usually more than a carbohydrate efficient program can. |
Endomorph – slow oxidizer (carbohydrate efficient body) |
For people whose bodies oxidize food slowly, breaking down food takes longer for them. They typically work sitting down, so they don’t need much physical energy.
Their bodies store large quantities of nutrients that they often don’t use. So, naturally, they generally don’t experience too frequent hunger. They’re physically low-functioning and often fatigued. Because their metabolic rate is very low, they may experience indigestion with a high protein diet. Proteins don’t accumulate in their bodies, so they become overweight. Endomorphic body types function better on carbohydrate efficient dietary plans than with fat protein efficient ones. Their bodies need quick energy from nutrients like complex carbohydrates, that oxidize readily, because their bodies oxidize food slowly. |
Mesomorph – mixed oxidizer (fat protein and carbohydrate efficient body) |
Some people have a more mid-range (normal) rate of metabolism, so they’re called mixed or normal oxidizers. Their body type is mesomorph. These are people with a mixed metabolic rate. They tend to do both physical and non-physical activities, and their digestion is working neither too slowly or rapidly.
They tend to have hearty appetites, as their bodies oxidize food quickly. To maintain optimum health and body weight, mesomorph body types need a more stable mix of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. People who are mixed oxidizers have bodies that can function well with a fat protein efficient diet, to reach weight goals, for example. |
Who’s the fat protein efficient dietary plan for?
The fat protein efficient diet is appropriate for people with fat protein efficient metabolic ID, a.k.a. high metabolism (the fast oxidizers). This makes sense because the first of the biomolecules that becomes oxidized in the body is carbohydrate. It begins metabolizing as soon as it’s ingested and starts producing energy right away.
People whose bodies oxidize food quickly start feeling hungry soon, so the fat protein efficient diet option means a slower oxidization process for them. That’s because proteins and fats take longer to metabolize than carbohydrates. That eliminates the excessive sense of hunger that leads to overeating.
How does a fat protein efficient diet work?
Dietary recommendations vary, depending on individual needs. But, generally speaking, people on high protein, high-fat / low-carbohydrate diets should consume from 40-50% proteins, 30-40% fats, and around 20% carbohydrates. (We’ll look at pros and cons of maintaining this kind of nutrient ratio later.)
For perspective, compare those ratios to these for carbohydrate efficient diets for endomorphic people, which call for around 20% proteins, 20% fats, and 60% carbohydrates. (There are multiple important pros and cons to carbohydrate efficient diets, which can’t be covered here.) Or, compare to those to recommendations for mesomorph people, which are around 40% proteins, 20% fats, and 40% carbohydrates.
Generally speaking, fat protein efficient diets are based on taking in abundant macronutrients from proteins, fats, and high-quality carbohydrates. Here are the basic food type parameters of the plan:
- The fat protein efficient dietary plan emphasizes meats, fish, eggs, and olive oil. Having eggs in the morning and at night helps avoid loss of muscle mass.
- Carbohydrate sources, such as beans, lentils, brown rice, quinoa, etc., are slowly added over the initial weeks. Complex carbohydrate sources are the focus here, vs simple carbohydrate foods.
- Include dairy products with fat, like 2% milk, cheese, cream, and eggs. Eat high-protein foods that are high in purines, such as beef liver, salmon, and the dark meat of chicken.
It is recommended that people on a fat protein efficient dietary program eat six times per day. For best results, eat full portions of each of the recommended foods during each meal.
What are the pros and cons of a fat protein efficient diet?
As with anything else in life, dietary or otherwise, there are, of course, pros and cons to a fat protein efficient diet program. Here are some of the important ones you need to keep in mind while you’re thinking about starting your new fat protein efficient dietary plan:
PROS
- A high protein diet helps increase the body’s protein content and gain muscle mass.
- People whose bodies oxidize food rapidly can avoid the nagging sense of hunger, while maintaining energy levels, and living free from urges to overeat.
- Promoting breakdown of carbs and stored fat helps people who want to lose weight.
- Individualizing the dietary plan based upon an individual’s metabolism opens new options for people who may have given up trying to get results gaining or losing weight by altering their eating habits.
- The carbohydrates that are included in the dietary plan are from healthy, high-fiber food sources that help prevent the accumulation of carbs that later convert to fats.
CONS
- Naturally, a fat protein efficient diet has a high concentration of protein and fat, so it’s not as well balanced as a more mixed diet.
- This dietary plan includes comparatively significant amounts of saturated fats that can collect in the arteries and lead to heart attack and other serious health conditions.
- The low carbohydrate content in this form of diet shrinks the intake of primary fuel sources for immediate energy, which can potentially lead to feeling light-headed.
- Without an accurate assessment of your metabolic type, this diet can seriously increase health risks.
What should I eat for a fat protein efficient body type?
As you build your fat protein efficient meal plans, try to keep your saturated fats under 10%, because those are seriously harmful to health. Include a variety of fruits and vegetables and lots of whole grains, to fulfill your body’s needs for carbohydrates. Use dairy products that contain fat, like 2% milk and whole-fat cheeses.
Also, Include foods rich in purines, such as the dark meat of chicken, and salmon and other fish. Include all micronutrients and antioxidants and micronutrients, to enhance natural digestive functioning and body nourishment.
By now you’re probably realizing that this metabolic type dieting situation involves a broad field of study. But, don’t worry. No need to bend your brain just to eat right. Fortunately, an abundance of nutritional guides for dietary planning are available to help you get going in the right direction.
Best general rule of thumb:
Balance your ratios of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, to ensure the correct percentages of your daily calories for each of the three types of food sources, and stay within your calorie limits.
To lend some initial shape to your new dietary plan, here’s just one example of a daily meal plan on a fat protein efficient dietary program:
Breakfast (Choose all three, or replace one or more with comparable options.)
- eggs
- bacon
- whole wheat toast with butter
Snack (Choose one, or a comparable option.)
- raw vegetables with salad dressing or cheese dip
- boiled eggs
- pepperoni, ham, roast beef slices, or left-over pork chop
- whole-fat cheese slices
Lunch (Choose one, or a comparable option.)
- mixed fresh greens with dressing, chicken breast or tuna, tomato slices, avocado slices
- chef salad, Cobb salad, or taco salad
Evening snack
- slices of ham, bacon, pepperoni, or roast beef
- vege sticks with homemade dip
- boiled egg
- whole-fat cheese sticks
Dinner
- steak with baked potato, butter and sour cream
- pork chops with mixed vegetables
- chicken breast with green vegetables
- fish with butter sauce and green vegetables
- cheeseburger and small salad with creamy dressing or olive oil & vinegar
- taco salad with ground beef or chicken
- chicken wings with wing sauce and small salad with creamy dressing
- pulled beef on whole wheat bread with small salad and creamy dressing
But, what about calorie counting?
A general fat protein dietary plan doesn’t provide a calorie control structure for you. You need to do your own calorie calculation as you plan your meals each day on your fat protein efficient dietary plan. For example, if weight loss is your goal, you’ll need to reduce calorie intake and/or burn more total calories per day.
Ugh. Acknowledged, this is a whole other layer of time-sucking stuff to think about regarding your dietary plan, and you’re busy. But, by now, you’ve hopefully already conditioned yourself to tracking calories to the point that it’s become second nature.
So, backing up a little here, just remember that calorie counts are not included in instructions for the one-day model of a typical fat protein efficient meal plan laid out in the section above.
Balance your portion sizes according to your personal daily calorie allowances with your choices of food sources, in order to achieve a well-rounded dietary plan for each day.
Caution: Keep in mind that slashing calories so low that the body is not routinely getting a healthy amount of nutrients can lead to health damage. So, be sure to maintain your fat protein dietary plan,
At least keep your dietary plan at your body’s minimum calorie requirements. This means based on your bone structure, age, gender, and level of physical activity.
Reference food list for a fat protein efficient body
For fast and normal oxidizers, metabolic body types that are fat protein efficient, you can benefit from dietary programs that are rich in fat and protein. Of course, you also need good sources of complex carbohydrates.
For ideas on which foods to eat, you can just download one of the countless lists of foods high in protein and healthy dietary fats from the internet. Meanwhile, here’s a handy fat protein efficient metabolism food list:
Protein Sources
- chicken, turkey
- salmon, tuna, white fish
- cottage cheese
- yogurt
- eggs
- lean red meat
- whey protein powder
- grains, lentils
Carbohydrate Sources
- beans
- brown rice, quinoa
- rolled oats, buckwheat
- whole-grain breads and tortillas
- sweet potatoes
- roasted vegetables
- berries, apples, other fruits
Fat Sources
- milk, yogurt, cheese, other milk dairy products
- eggs
- pecans, almonds, flaxseed,
- olive oil, coconut oil
- salmon, tuna
- beef, mutton
- chicken, turkey
- avocados
- peanut butter, almond butter
What are the best protein sources for vegetarians?
Many vegetarians with fast oxidizing body types should be using a fat protein efficient dietary plan. But, it may appear to be too challenging for them to find a sufficient variety of food sources in order to stay with the dietary program to reach their goals and fulfill all nutritional needs. But, it’s not! Here are just some of the great sources of nutrients for vegetarians who want to adopt a fat protein efficient dietary plan.
- milk
- cottage cheese, paneer
- yogurt
- soybeans, lentils/pulses, kidney beans, moong beans
- almonds, other nuts
- brown rice
- oats
- broccoli
- other high-protein plant-based foods
Are there risks in using fat protein efficient diets?
Lightheadedness or fainting can occur if carbohydrate intake is excessively low. The reason a person on a high protein diet can lose weight quickly is because the body is taking in very limited supplies of carbohydrate, so monitor to ensure against extreme carb reductions.
Ketosis, a state in which fat is inappropriately supplying most of the body’s energy source. Ketosis can result in upset stomach, sleep issues, impacted energy levels, irritability.
For people with liver or kidney problems, a high protein diet is generally not appropriate for people with liver or kidney issues. To protect your health against risk, consult with a physician before starting this kind of dietary program.
Before you start on a fat protein efficient diet…
Talk to a dietary professional about the benefits of, and key concerns about starting on any specialized nutritional program. Ask for advice on ways to individualize your fat protein efficient dietary plan, and how to maximize the benefits of this kind of dietary program for your personal needs.
Keep perspective. Your goal should be to create a dietary plan that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Also remember, in order to get and maintain good weight loss or weight gain results, your ideal dietary plan must be balanced with a healthy exercise program that is designed for your body type and weight and body conditioning goals.
Plus, both your nutritional program and exercise routine need to be desirable to you, so you can enjoy your quality of life and increase your likelihood of being able to stick with your overall health and fitness program long-term. And, remember to change things up in your dietary plan and your workout routine. Because the cliché is true — variety is the spice of life.
