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Getting a complete physical
Before
going on the Metabolic Diet you should get a complete
physical from your doctor. You should also have some
blood workup including complete blood count, cholesterol
levels (total, LDL, and HDL), TSH (a test for thyroid
function), fasting blood sugar, serum uric acid, serum
potassium, liver function array and BUN. Your doctor
may want to go beyond this but he’ ll let you know if
you should have more done.
Checking
your Cholesterol - you should know where you stand
As far as the cholesterol issue, because you're burning
fat for energy, much of the cholesterol and saturated
fats that could cause a problem are used up in the process.
Studies have even shown that along with increasing the
utilization of fat as an energy source and providing
for weight loss, the Metabolic Diet can even reduce
serum cholesterol.
| It
never hurts to keep track on your cholesterol
level whenever you change diets |
|
In
my patients I've consistently found a reduction in serum
cholesterol and an improvement in the cholesterol and
triglyceride profile on patients who are on the Metabolic
Diet and are losing or have lost weight. On the other
hand it never hurts to keep track of your cholesterol
level whenever you change diets and even more so if
you have or have a tendency toward a cholesterol problem.
Again, it's important to realize that individual experimentation
will play a large role in aspects of the Metabolic Diet.
The diet should be varied to provide the optimum level
of performance and success for the individual. We're
all different to some degree according to body chemistry
and needs. No two human beings are alike. No two human
beings will implement this diet entirely alike, either.
As you make the diet a part of your daily lifestyle,
experiment with it to find the best way to execute the
diet for you.
If
you do have a cholesterol problem there are adjustments
you can make to the Metabolic Diet to control your cholesterol
intake if needed. Marine oils, flaxseed oil, olive oil
and other nutritional supplements and alternatives will
help. Meat restriction may also be necessary. But, again,
this is something you need to work with your physician
on. If the Metabolic Diet seems like the answer to you,
you'll have to put your heads together to devise a plan
where you can benefit from the weight loss and toning
advantages the diet provides while keeping cholesterol
in check.
The
Metabolic Index - you'll only get better from here
Along with getting the physical and blood work when you start the
Metabolic Diet, we also urge you to weigh yourself and get a bodyfat
analysis before you begin the diet. Weight loss is important but
so are inches. You should understand that there are times when,
for a variety of reasons, you might not be losing much weight but
you're subtracting that unsightly bodyfat. It will help keep your
enthusiasm high in these moments if you know that progress is being
made in other areas and your body is toning up. Of course I’ve devised
the Metabolic IndexTM to help you keep track of your
progress. By plugging in your weight, height and bodyfat level,
you’ll get a good idea of whether or not you’re losing bodyfat regardless
of the changes in body weight.
| Weight loss is important but so
are inches. |
|
On
top of keeping track of the Metabolic Index, you might
also want to keep track of your body measurements. Especially
important are your waist, hips, upper thigh, chest and
upper arm. These measurements will give you an idea
of how your body is responding to the diet and where
you're losing weight the fastest. It will also give
you an idea of where your problem areas may be and where
you may have to concentrate exercise to get the body
you want.
Secondly,
measurements will be helpful for motivation when you're retaining
fluid or not losing weight for some other reason and will complement
the Metabolic Index. If you see those waist and hip measurements
going down, despite the lack of weight loss, it’ll show you, along
with the changes you’ ll see in the Metabolic Index, that you're
making progress.
Prescription
checklist
Finally,
you should review the use of any medications you may
be on. If you're on diuretics, you may want to use them
only as needed due to the higher fat/lower carb diet's
ability to help you shed water.
Most
type 1 (insulin-dependent) and type 2 diabetics (non
insulin-dependent) will usually have to adjust their
insulin or oral diabetic agents, perhaps decreasing
them during the low carb portion of the diet, and going
back to their normal dosages on weekends.
You
should check your glucose levels at various stages of
the diet until you become familiar with the effect of
the diet on blood glucose. It's important to check with
your doctor and keep checking as you continue the diet
and lose weight so that you are aware of your status
and can make changes where needed.
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Dr. Di Pasquale is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada, focusing on Nutrition and Sports Medicine, as well as a world class athlete for over twenty years... 
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