Anyone familiar with the "Metabolic Effect" diet?

[Honey Badger]

I'm intrigued.
Several co-workers have jumped on this wagon and have lost considerable amounts of weight.
I have the book and it is a lot like the eating plan I was provided when I was seeing a nutritionist up north.

Mostly lean proteins, veggies, fruits (but excludes some varieties), limited carbs, and one or two free meals each week in which you can eat anything you want.  Supposedly the free meal restarts your metabolism as well as making you feel less deprived.

[merigayle]

Sounds like the Curves diet where they alternated low cal days with free days.

[Honey Badger]

Sounds like the Curves diet where they alternated low cal days with free days.

It's not really low cal, though.  You can eat unlimited amounts of lean protein, veggies (not starchy ones) and fruits (except the high sugar fruits, like pineapple, grapes).
The onnly thing you're limited on is things like rice, potato, starchy carbs.  And you can have them, but in very limited qty.

The food plan I was on with the nutritionist was 1,700 cal/day.   
I think part of the idea of the 1 or 2 "eat anything you want" meals is to teach you how to recognize that you feel sh*tty after chowing down a burger, fries and ice cream as you'd have a better comparison once you've actually been eating better otherwise. Initially they recommend 1 per week, then after you've gotten to a certain point I think you can add a second. 

[nadra24]

It's not really low cal, though.  You can eat unlimited amounts of lean protein, veggies (not starchy ones) and fruits (except the high sugar fruits, like pineapple, grapes).
The onnly thing you're limited on is things like rice, potato, starchy carbs.  And you can have them, but in very limited qty.

The food plan I was on with the nutritionist was 1,700 cal/day.   
I think part of the idea of the 1 or 2 "eat anything you want" meals is to teach you how to recognize that you feel sh*tty after chowing down a burger, fries and ice cream as you'd have a better comparison once you've actually been eating better otherwise. Initially they recommend 1 per week, then after you've gotten to a certain point I think you can add a second. 

It's kind of hard to eat 3000 cals of lean proteins and veggies, though.  So it probably is somewhat lower-calorie by default.  I can't find many specifics on the diet you're talking about, but it doesn't sound like rocket science to me.  Lots of diets are similar and they all seem to be equally effective.  Reduce the calorie-dense foods you eat (starches, etc) and replace with veggies and lean meats and you're going to lose weight.

I sort of think you're onto something with the second part, though.  People say they eat tons of crap and feel fine, but if they're always eating that way and never eating a whole food based diet, maybe they don't really know what it means to feel good.  I also think there's some psychological factors at work there.  First, I think it's easier to stick to a meal/diet plan if you know you have a "cheat" day coming up and you can put off eating whatever junk it is that you want until that time, but you still get to eat it.  Second, I think that having that cheat meal gives you a chance to not have to worry about everything you're putting in your mouth, because sometimes it's nice to enjoy a delicious plate of fettucini alfredo or the perfect chocolate chip cookie or a thick slice of homemade white bread with honey butter because damn, those foods taste good! That's how it works with me, anyway.  I know not everyone is the same though.

[caito]

This one?  http://www.metaboliceffect.com

I follow several of the Metabolic Effect trainers on twitter and I really like their approach.  They also promote weight lifting as a way to shape your body and burn fat.   My impression is that their approach is moderate -- eat clean, but forgive yourself if you give into a craving.  Their tweets are constantly motivational without being dogmatic, and remind you that you always have a choice when it comes to eating.  Eating for fat loss isn't something you do once, it becomes a lifestyle.   They focus on long term sustainability and feeling good.  They believe in fueling your workouts.

I like it. 

[Honey Badger]

Nadra, you hit it exactly on both what you're consuming, the not knowing what *good* might really feel like and the reward of eating crap or whatever you want in that one meal.

Caito, yes, that's it.  I ordered the book from Amazon weeks ago and have just finally gotten around to opening it.    The time had to be right.
I haven't read the entire book, but took the "test" and have been focusing more on the " mixed burner" tips and instructions.
I also haven't found my dumbbells yet either and need to add the exercising routines.  Soon.

It does seem to be very sensible/non-extremist.
Thanks for sharing the twitter feedback.

I just bought a case of protein shakes at Costco to bring to work.  When I get super hungry is when I totally lose my willpower. Stocked up in healthy snacks that are portable.

[Lintu]

Seems really reasonable to me!

[Run Amok]

I think you gotta go with what makes sense/works for you. There are a number of these diets that seem to boil down to the same thing- lean protiens, lots of veggies, some whole grains and healthy fats. Like someone said up thread- it's hard to get too many calories eating that way.

My understanding of the reason for free meals is partly so that you don't feel so deprived, but also because if you eat very minimalistically all the time, the theory goes, your body gets very efficient at that caloric intake. So, if you go with some vlc and vhc days your body won't know what to expect. I don't know if that is true or not- but there are a lot of ww people and also people on spark that do the same thing.