The Metabolic Dietry

A look at Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale’s Hormonal Optimization via Phase shift diet
by Robb Wolf
Last month I took a very detailed look at the Zone, starting with a caloric restricted 40-30-30 plan that lies at the heart of Barry Sears’s nutritional masterpiece. An explored a progression of increased fat intake that culminated in a ramped up 60% fat Athletes Zone. The Zone offers a prescription of unparalleled precision. One knows exactly how much to eat and when to eat it. So, what more can we ask for? For some the Zone is far too structured, making long-term adherence all but impossible. Exact weighing and measuring of all meals can be a bit of a chore, and even once one has mastered the eyeball method and can set up a 4 block meal while blindfolded and wearing oven mitts, it is still a laborious process for many. Is there an alternative that works well and is perhaps a bit easier to implement? There are actually a number of options, and we will look at all of them eventually, but one of the best respected and most popular is the Metabolic Diet by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale.
Dr. Di Pasquale has quite an impressive background that includes participation in collegiate gymnastics and wrestling, multiple world championships in powerlifting and a thriving practice as a physician. In the early 1990’s he released a book that created quite a controversy in the athletic world, the Anabolic Diet. The AD is a cyclic low carb diet, or as Dr. Di Pasquale prefers to call it, phase shift diet. Many athletes and bodybuilders have credited this diet as being key in improving their athleticism. Penn State University Track and Field is one of the notables who credit the AD as part of their success. In 2000 Dr. Di Pasquale released an updated phase shift program called the Metabolic Diet. The MD is actually toned down a bit with regard to chasing elite athleticism and is geared more towards general health and fat loss. It is a wealth of information and contains all the pertinent material found in the AD. Let’s take a look at the Metabolic Diet. Perhaps it will be the perfect fit for you; it certainly offers principles that improve any nutritional approach.
The main premise of the MD is hormonal control, or perhaps more accurately stated hormonal optimization. This theme should be familiar to those following the Zone. However, the MD approaches this task from a different perspective. I do not want to give away the end of the story here, but as you shall see, the MD, in the end, is very similar to the Athlete’s Zone. The MD achieves hormonal optimization by limiting the number of carbohydrates in most meals while emphasizing adequate protein for growth and maintenance and elevating dietary fat to the status of THE preferred fuel source.
One can approach the MD one of two ways. The first is a very low carb diet for 1-2 weeks. During this time daily total active carb intake is kept to less than 30g/day. Ideally, 5-6 small meals comprised of protein, fat and low carb vegetable sources are consumed. During this period one will reverse insulin resistance while simultaneously up-regulating enzyme pathways for lipid utilization as a fuel source. There can be quite a lot of water weight loss at this time depending on one’s situation. The lower insulin levels ameliorate the action of aldosterone, and we see electrolyte and fluid balance return to a non-pathological level. Bloat and high blood pressure should disappear. This can be quite a rough transition for the serious carb addicted and it is not uncommon to suffer headaches and begin making deals with ultimate Beings for a piece of chocolate or that arch nemesis of breakfast, TOAST.
Here is the popular part of the MD: the weekend carb load. At this point, one shifts to a fairly low protein and fat level while going wild with regards to carb intake. It is recommended that one stick with predominantly low glycemic index carbs, but for many, this can turn into a Krispy Kreme binge that is tough to come back from. This is one of the main problems with the MD. Because it is trying to make no food off-limits, either by amount or type, one runs the risk of over-consumption of low-quality carbs. The idea is that separating carb intake from fat intake will avoid most of the problems of hyperinsulinism. This may be true to a point, but refined carbs are a problem in that they markedly spike insulin levels, a key aspect of their inherent addictiveness. If one can avoid this pitfall by sticking to low glycemic index/glycemic load foods, this problem can largely be avoided. This carb load can last as little as a few hours or all weekend long. It depends on when one starts feeling a bit off from excessive carbs, at which point it is back to the low carb plan. It is clear that emphasizing low GL foods will result in better glycogen replenishment with less likelihood of fat storage.
Although Dr. Di Pasquale strongly recommends jumping in on this very low carb Assessment Period, there is another way.
The moderate carb approach ranges from 60-100g/day of active carb intake (active carbs are all the non-fiber carbs), even more for some situations. Most of the other rules apply—5-6 small meals containing protein and fat—but now one can add a few pieces of fruit per day and a lot of vegetables. This plan is virtually indistinguishable from the Athletes Zone and for the experienced Zoner, this can be an easy transition with no weighing and measuring. All the rules of the weekend carb load apply. This is a much more reasonable plan for most people, and if the overall caloric content is kept within reason, it can be very effective for fat loss.
Now for implementation! How does one actually start the MD? What are some ways to modify the MD for our own personal use? What about Paleo?
Starting the MD will feel a bit like jumping off a cliff for those accustomed to the Zone. We are not given exact amounts of protein, carbohydrate, and fat for every meal for the rest of our lives. We are given some general guidelines: 5-6 meals/day, 20-50g of protein and 10-50g of fat at every meal while keeping carbs within the parameters of either the strict or moderate plan. For some, this will not be as precise as they need to fully commit to a plan of eating. But for people like me, this flexibility and lack of strict rules is just the ticket. I have had very good success leaning out on lower carb plans, particularly when I keep my post workout nutrition to protein and fat. I have had some challenge determining a daily carb intake level that allows for intense training while not going overboard. The troubleshooting guide is quite helpful in this regard.
Followers of the Zone who develop a thorough understanding of the MD can complement their efforts by allowing for some flexibility in eating. If one is faced with a lack of carbs, protein, or fat, there are some guidelines to help minimize the damage, or perhaps fine-tune the program to an even higher level. One of my main issues with the Zone is that it is static. Intermittency and randomness are key to effective fitness regimes and we should work to emulate this intermittency in our eating as well. My own eating has settled out near the moderate carb MD, which is a little less than my Zone recommendations but with an alteration in carb intake every few days, I end up matching my Zone recommendations almost exactly. This was not planned, but it is interesting that things play out in this way.
Paleo eating on the MD is simple, and Keith Thomas has an excellent breakdown of several weeks of cyclic low carb, paleo eating available here. It is important to remember that a Paleolithic perspective provides clues firstly on what to eat and secondly how much to eat. There is no one Paleo diet. Seasonality and locality would have altered macronutrient ratios for us in the past, but now with a little information, we can construct effective nutritional approaches to optimize health, performance, and longevity.
The Metabolic Diet is just one of several viable nutritional approaches geared towards enhancing athletic performance. It is similar to the Zone in many regards, not the least of which is a sound scientific basis and many examples of successful clinical implementation. It offers hormonal control, including improved insulin status, while supplying sufficient vital nutrients for growth and repair. The MD as described above is also quite flexible and may be easier to implement for those who like to draw outside the lines. We highly recommend Dr. Di Pasquale’s excellent books and informative website: www.metabolicdiet.com. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Literatur:
Dr. Di Pasquale, Mauro.The Metabolic Diet.In: `` The Performance Menu, (April 2015, Issue 3).S 1-4.