It’s not at all uncommon for meal plans, diets, and eating ideologies to be passed around like everyone is the same. In reality, no human has the exact same anatomy, physiology, or lifestyle. Yet, there are tons of cookie cutter programs that get used every single day. People wonder why they struggle even when they follow along, but it comes down to using the right tools.
Nutrition should be individualized because we all have so many differences. These differences must be taken into account and considered when you want to lose weight or gain muscle.
This would be where you learn more about your body and its metabolic typing to ensure the best and most effective results.
So, what does metabolic typing mean? Well, there are a few categories in which you can place your “rate” of metabolizing food or nutrients. When you eat, you metabolize or breakdown these nutrients to be shuttled into the rest of your body for use. You can be considered to have a fast, slow, or balanced metabolism and it varies from person to person.
A fast metabolizer is referred to as fat protein efficient. Fat protein efficient individual’s breakdown foods high in these nutrients much faster than other people. This means that they should be eating more meats, dairy, cheeses, and fats than most. These foods operate within their body at a better rate, but they also don’t need as many carbohydrates. They also tend to be more on the athletic side and carry around a higher hunger level. All in all, they can eat more so long as it’s the right kind of foods.
In addition to fat protein efficient, we have carbohydrate efficient which is considered to be a slower metabolism, and we have the balanced group which metabolizes everything at about the same rate. Regardless of your metabolism, learning what works best for you is going to provide the most effective change!
In this post, you’re going to be learning more of the specifics about the fat protein efficient way of eating. You’ll learn how to eat for this kind of metabolism, how to determine if you’re fat protein efficient, and the pros/cons of eating in this way!
Let’s dive into the complete guide for fat protein efficient eating!
How to Eat for A Fat Protein Efficient Diet
If you’re someone who’s fat protein efficient, then it can be said that your body thrives more from proteins and fats than carbohydrates. You have the ability to breakdown or oxidize these nutrients better than someone who is carbohydrate efficient or just balanced. Plain and simple, your body prefers protein and fats.
So, to maximize your body’s potential regarding losing weight or building muscle, you need to prioritize these foods. In this case, protein should be the highest priority. About 40% of the total food you consume should be coming from a protein source such as poultry, red meat, pork, dairy, and even plants. From here, you would want about 30% of your food to be fats and the other 30% to be carbohydrates.
Now, most often it’s recommended that a person choose low-fat, lean meats for their protein sources. However, as a fat protein efficient individual you can consume some fattier sources of protein. These may include things like organ meats (liver), bacon, beef, chicken thighs, and fatty fish. While higher in calories due to the fats, those fats work better within your body and won’t necessarily be stored as fat. Again, we’re looking at rates at which you breakdown and use this food you’re consuming. So, if you’re someone in this category, feel free to choose those more flavorful cuts of meat or sources of protein!
As a fat protein efficient person, you’ll oxidize carbohydrates a little slower, but that doesn’t mean cut them out totally. What this means is that you won’t need as many, but you also need to right kinds. There are simple carbs like table sugar and then there are more complex carbs that contain nutrients like fiber. Fat protein efficient people must eat more of these complex carbs versus the simple ones. You can find these most often as veggies or fruits. A good rule of thumb is to make sure it’s real, unprocessed, or refined food for your carbs.
Now that you have an idea of HOW you should eat for this diet, what’s the point? Well, for starters, anything that is formulated around what works best for your body, is going to provide some sort of a benefit. It may help to optimize the processes of absorbing nutrients and running a literal human body, which will only make you feel and look better. You may possibly be someone who’s struggled with weight loss no matter how healthy you eat, and it could be that you weren’t choosing the most optimal foods for your body type. Choosing to follow along with something more individualized for you can prove extremely beneficial.
Your next question may be, “How do I know if I’m fat protein efficient?”.
Next, we’re going to dive into how you can find out if you’re fat protein efficient or not.
How to Find Out if You’re Fat Protein Efficient
So, if the above sounded beneficial to you, you’ll need to find out if you’re in this category. The thing about finding out your metabolic rate, is that it can be extremely complex. So much can affect your metabolism such as your age, sex, genetics, activity levels, and even stress. Therefore, you need to take some time to figure out if this is the right thing for you.
The best way to find out if you’re fat protein efficient is with some trial and error. This means taking some time to see how your body reacts to certain foods and nutrients, as well as trying something to see if you notice changes in your body.
Some general things to look for when trying to pinpoint if this is you are below:
• You have a strong appetite
• You crave salty foods
• You feel satisfied with meals high in protein and low in carbs
• High carb meals make you feel sluggish or tired
• You’re already a high energy person
While these are fairly general, they’re good places to put your focus. For example, try paying more attention to how you feel after those high carb meals. If you notice that they make you extremely tired, there’s a chance that those aren’t the most optimal nutrients for your body type.
Most often a style of eating that is like the Ketogenic Diet or even the Atkins Diet may show results in weight lost for an individual that is fat protein efficient. On the other hand, someone who is NOT fat protein efficient may not have seen that much of a change from a higher protein diet.
If you prescribe to a fat protein efficient style of eating, and you notice that nothing changes, or you feel exhausted you would then have a good indicator of whether this is you or not.
Again, trial and error are always the best way to find out if you’re fat protein efficient as it’s a very complex concept. As always, check with your doctor or practitioner on whether this would be something safe for you to do!
Pros and Cons of the Fat Protein Efficient Diet
As with anything there will always be pros and cons present. With that being said, the fat protein efficient diet is subject to them as well.
Starting with the good, you must look at the upside of eating for your proper metabolic type. If you’re giving your body what it needs for your individual scenario, it’s going to reward you. This can undo years of frustration if you’ve struggled to find what works. Consuming a higher amount of protein in general can also be beneficial as it’s thermogenic in effect and can burn more calories naturally. It’s a great way to build and preserve muscle mass as well which will make you more “metabolic”. This just means that your body will naturally become more inclined to burn calories. Lastly, the carbs that are included in this diet are going to be complex and higher in nutrients. You’ll be getting a good dose of fiber, which will help you improve health and body composition. Nutritionally, there are benefits across the board to this style of eating so long as it’s right for you!
Now, everything can have a con to it in some form or fashion. One of the cons for the fat protein efficient diet is that it may not be right for you. If your body is carbohydrate efficient or even mixed, this style of eating may not work well for you. You could notice things such as headaches, low energy, or light headedness. In addition, this diet is higher in saturated fats. These fats in excess can have an impact on your overall health, as they can increase your total cholesterol. This in turn is bad for your arteries and may potentially increase the risk for heart disease. As stated before, it’s important that you run anything like this by your primary doctor.
This diet or way of eating is great if it’s the right thing for you. Everything will essentially be in your favor so long as you stay consistent and stick with it. You can use this to help burn fat, build muscle, and improve health. However, if this isn’t the right diet for your metabolism, it could have some downsides. Therefore, it’s so important to experiment, see how you feel, and decide how to proceed going forward.
What if You’re Not Fat Protein Efficient?
Piggy backing off the last section, what happens if you’re not fat protein efficient? Well, we discussed that you could get headaches, low energy levels, and even some light headedness. This is due to the lack of carbohydrates available for energy. If your body is carb efficient or even mixed, it needs those molecules for energy production. If they aren’t there in the right amounts, your body runs dry on energy.
You’ll quickly be able to tell if this is right for you or not. If you don’t feel well eating this way, you can more than likely assume that it’s not the best. This is when you take some time to pivot and maybe attempt a more carb focused way of eating or even a mixed approach.
If you do choose a carb focused diet, you’re looking to make 20% of your food proteins, 20% fats, and 60% carbohydrates. These should also be GOOD carbs or complex carbs to ensure that you’re getting tons of nutrients and fiber in your diet. Now, if you’re going for more a mixed approach, you would consume what is called an iso-caloric diet. This just means that you’re consuming equal parts of proteins, carbs, and fats.
So, What About Calories?
Even if this metabolic typing style diet is right for you, the total calories that you consume based on your energy expenditure will always matter. This means that even if you eat the perfect foods, you could struggle with weight loss if you’re consuming too many calories. Thus, it’s important to figure out the total amount of calories you need to be in a DEFICIT. Meaning, you’re consuming less than you need to maintain your current weight. Yes, another step in the puzzle, but an important one.
You can find out your needed calorie intake by using a simple calorie calculator. Once you have an idea of where to start, keep track of what you’re eating to ensure that you hit this goal, along with your individualized food needs. At first this may seem like a lot, but with time it’ll become second nature. Keeping up with this consistently will tell you a lot about your body and what it takes to make the desired changes.
Wrapping Up
The fat protein efficient diet is a metabolic typing diet. It’s based off of the idea that everyone has a unique metabolism that prefers different forms of fuel or food. The fat protein efficient diet means that your body is proficient at breaking down fats and proteins and running off of those as a form of fuel. This means that you’re eating more meats, cheeses, protein rich plants, and eggs. In addition, you’ll be consuming carbohydrates, but in much lower quantities. These carbohydrates also need to be complex so that you’re ensuring a proper intake of fibers.
This style of eating is great if it’s the right thing for you. If it isn’t, you’ll quickly notice that you aren’t running at an optimal rate, as you’ll start to get headaches, feel lightheaded, or get tired very quickly. Finding out whether you possess this type of metabolism will take a little bit of trial and error. There’s not a surefire way of determining this without loads of testing, but you can experiment. You can easily try out this way of eating to see if you notice a difference in your body composition, how you feel, or even your hunger levels. If the body gets what it needs it’ll reward you, if not, it’ll let you know!
If you aren’t fat protein efficient, you’re either carbohydrate efficient or possess a mixed metabolism. Either of these work just as well, so long as it matches your metabolic typing. Again, if you aren’t fat protein efficient, you’ll want to experiment with these to see what stands out the most for you!
Now, if the goal is weight loss, you still must consider your total caloric intake. If you’re eating the right foods but overeating, you could still gain weight. You’ll need to ensure that you’re eating in a caloric deficit as to elicit the actual burning of fat.
This is a fantastic approach if it’s right for your individual body. If you’ve been struggling with weight loss, it may be due to a lack of eating the right foods. This just might be your answer!
