What is The Metabolism Reset Diet?

The Metabolism Reset Diet is Dr. Alan Christianson’s latest book, released on January 29th, 2019.

Dr. Alan Christianson first made his big “mainstream break” with his debut book, The Adrenal Reset Diet, back in 2014.

He is an NMD who grew up as a “chubby kid with a lot of health problems.” He studied all he could about food and health, healed himself & went on to become a doctor to help others who suffer with similar symptoms.

He’s genuinely one of the kindest people to walk this planet, and incredibly knowledgeable about any advice he gives.

How The Metabolism Reset Diet Works

Typically, I’m pretty skeptical of programs, books, diets, etc. that promise to radically “change your metabolism.”

I’ve spent a lot of time explaining to people that metabolism largely boils down to how much you’re moving, how much muscle you have, and what you’re eating (from a nutrient + calorie standpoint).

However, working with several functional docs over the last few years myself has shifted my perspective on this a bit.

There are two key factors that aren’t taken into account with my old-school, basic explanation above about “metabolism”:

Hormone health
Liver health

The first has become the thing most people lean on when their diets/exercises/programs don’t work. “Oh, my hormones are out of balance so I can’t lose weight.”

This is true for many. But there are a lot of people using it as a crutch more than it actually is, too.

The Metabolism Reset Diet addresses the second, which hasn’t really been talked about by a voice as loud as Dr. Christianson’s… until now.

I was ecstatic to find out that the liver was the focus of The Metabolism Reset Diet, because I’ve been focusing on my own liver health with MSW Nutrition products for several years now & seeing massive improvements in my blood work.

How the Liver Affects Weight Loss

The liver is the most resilient organ in the body - you can cut off up to 75% of it and have it grow back from the remaining 25%.

I’d say that’s our body giving us a cue about its importance.

The liver is the body’s main filtration system, which I like to compare to an air filter.

If your air filter in your home is dirty, it’s going to stop allowing as much air to go through and refresh your home… and the stuff that does go out will be dirty, too.

If your liver is dirty, it will continue becoming more clogged. And the stuff it does let through will probably be dirty, too.

My friends at MSW Lounge have talked about the liver’s tendency to hold onto excess hormones, specifically estrone (the most inflammatory estrogen).

So I was way excited to see these common themes in Dr. Christianson’s book, too.

The Metabolism Reset Diet by Dr. Alan Christianson

The main premise of this book is liver detox, after all. So of course it’s chock-full of advice on all things that can help with this effort.

I love that this book doesn’t just address the food side of things, too - Dr. Christianson made it clear that a reset program requires all-around detox.

Sleep, mental health, taking a break from exercise, everything.

He encourages participants to keep a journal about how they’re feeling throughout & what things come up that prove our “true reason” for wanting to lose weight or get healthier.

On top of that, he reminds us that sleep is vital to repairing our bodies… we probably need more than we’re getting.

And last, you need to take a break from the gym while you do this program. Walking is fine, and micro-workouts that Christianson provides are okay (they’re literally only 5 minutes).

But you’re going to be in a bigger calorie deficit than you’re used to, with 2/3 meals in liquid form. Trust me, you’re probably NOT going to want to work out on this.

The food on The Metabolism Reset Diet

I’ve already hinted at it, but 2/3 meals throughout your day will be in the form of smoothies, or “shakes” as Dr. Christianson calls them.

They only reason I believe this is a solid program is because of the way he builds these shakes. If he had been pushing juicing or fruit-only shakes, I’d have disagreed with this approach.

I’ve discussed the pitfalls of smoothies before, and my way of mitigating them is very similar to his:

Create a smoothie that’s essentially still a well-rounded meal with all of the macronutrients involved, just in liquid form.

This allows us to feel more satisfied from the “meal” while still giving out bodies the digestive break a smoothie allows.

Dr. Christianson builds his smoothies for The Metabolism Reset Diet with:

2 servings of protein
1 serving of resistant starch
As many veggies as you want
As many “superfoods” as you want (like spirulina)
Aquafaba (bean juice) OR flax milk OR water
A few berries / some stevia for flavor
Fat in the form of 1 Tbsp seeds (like flax, chia, hemp, etc)

These will be your breakfast and lunch. I’m not going into more detail here - you can buy his book for that.

For dinner, you’ll also be having a well-rounded meal with whole food:

A serving of protein
Some form of resistant starchy food
Plenty of veggies
1-2 Tbsp healthy fats (mostly used for cooking)

For snacks, there is a HUGE list of “unlimited veggies” that you can stuff in your face all day long, if you so choose.

A health coach’s thoughts on The Metabolism Reset Diet

I think this program does a fantastic job of getting a lot of people who have been stuck in their diet pattern for years out of that rut.

It doesn’t make things complicated by cutting out any certain macronutrient (like the Keto diet, which works for some people but not others).

And it forces you into a state of calorie deprivation that doesn’t feel as such.

That list of unlimited veggies makes you feel safe to snack… with the only real “detriment” being that you’re getting more vitamins & water into your body because it’s veggies. Have you ever heard of someone binging on eggplant?

This seeks to bring rationality back to weight loss, while supporting the body’s most vital detox function & avoiding hormonal harm. It’s the perfect brew of good to your health journey.

If you’d like a sneak peek at how The Metabolism Reset Diet works, Dr. Christianson is running a free 7-Day Metabolism Reset Challenge starting on Monday, February 3rd, 2019. You can click here to join that!

I’d highly recommend this book to nutrition newbies who are looking to kick-start their health in the right direction.

If you’re a health coach, this is a great read to add to your library for when clients like that seek you for help.

If you’d like to order a copy of The Metabolism Reset Diet book, click here.