This document provides guidelines for managing weight without metabolic decline, as diets often fail and cause weight regain. The three key points are: 1) Balanced metabolism leads to natural calorie reduction and permanent weight loss, not calorie reduction itself. Losing muscle mass and hormonal changes from dieting cause metabolic slowdown. 2) To circumvent metabolic slowdown, one should break the diet cycle by listening to hunger cues, focus on exercise based on energy intake, meet protein goals, manage carbohydrates, minimize toxins from fat loss, and eat vegetables. 3) Specific guidelines include getting 30-40% of macros from protein, choosing "hormonal impact" carbs low in

1. Ditch the Diet Dogma
Useful Guidelines for Managing
Weight without Metabolic Decline
Ben Brown, MS, CSCS
Body Systems Healing & Performance
www.bodysystemsaz.com

2. About Me

3. Do diets work?
• 5% success rate
• 66% of dieters gain
the weight back +
more
• Weight loss vs. fat
loss  what’s the
difference?

4. Weight loss vs. fat loss

5. Weight loss vs. fat loss

6. Which has more calories?
Special K w/ OJ
– 81g Carb
– 6g Protein
– 0g Fat
332 calories
Veggie omelet with fruit
– 26g Carb
– 26g Pro
– 15g fat
330 calories

7. How Do We Lose Weight?
• What we’re told:
– Calorie Reduction leads to Weight Loss leads
to Balanced Metabolism
• In reality:
– Balanced Metabolism leads to Natural Calorie
Reduction leads to Permanent Weight Loss

8. The Law of Metabolic Compensation
(LMC)
• The metabolism is
like a thermostat, not
a calculator
• Calories in ≠ Calories
Out
Hunger/cravings
Energy/metabolic rate
• Diet = Eat Less,
Exercise More =
Metabolic
adjustments

9. Major Causes of Metabolic Slow Down
• Loss of Muscle Mass
– basal metabolic rate
(BMR) accounts for
over two-thirds of the
calories burned at rest.
– Offset the LMC by
gaining muscle mass
• Protein
• Weight training

10. Major Causes of Metabolic Slow Down
• Leptin and Thyroid
– Reducing
calories/carbs 
hormonal changes 
hunger, energy,
cravings
↑Food =↑Leptin secretion =↓appetite and↑ metabolic rate
↓Food =↓Leptin secretion =↑appetite and↓ metabolic rate

11. Major Causes of Metabolic Slow Down
• P.O.P.’s (Persistent
Organic Pollutants)
– Food, skin, water, air
– When you lose fat,
they are released in
significant amounts
and can do damage to
the thyroid and slow
the metabolism

12. Circumvent the LMC
• Break the diet cycle
• Exercise based on
energy intake
• Set protein goals
• Manage your carbs
• Minimize P.O.P.’s
• Eat your veggies
MIND
BODY
NUTRITION

13. Break the Diet Cycle
• Just say no to Eat
Less, Exercise More
mentality
• Be a diet detective:
Listen to your body
for clues
– Hunger, Energy,
Cravings

14. Exercise
• ELEL
– Eat Less, Exercise
Less
• EMEM
– Eat more, Exercise
More
• Evaluate your stress
levels to determine
where how to
progress

15. Protein Goals
• 30-40% of your
macronutrients
(protein, carbs, fats)
should come from
protein
• 1g/lb of LBM
– Suppressed hunger
– Muscle maintenance
– NO metabolic decline
O t h e r - G r a in s , D a ir y , N u t s a n d S e e d s
P l a n t s - m o r e v e g e t a b l e s t h a n f r u it
P r o t e in - n a t u r a l l y c o m b in e d w it h f a t s
P u r e , u n p r o c e s s e d f a t s a n d o il s
V e g e t a b l e s
O t h e r
F a t s
P r o t e in
H E A L T H Y E A T IN G P L A T E
C o p y r ig h t A d v a n t a g e T r a in in g 2 0 13

16. Choosing Hormonal Impact Carbs
• Choose “wet” carbs vs dry carbs
– Oats, beans, rice, quinoa
– Vegetables
– High in fiber
• Carb Calculator
• Hormonal Carbs = total carbs – (protein +
fiber)
• # should be less than 10 (negative
numbers are best)

17. Minimize P.O.P. Exposure
• Minimize fat intake
from non-organic
animals
• Use “clean” skin
products
– www.ewg.org
• Clean drinking water
– Avoid plastics,
especially heated

18. Eat Lots of Veggies
• Nutritious
• Bulking/fibrous/filling
• Aid in detoxification
• Mix of both cooked
and uncooked

19. Dieting Stops Here!
Ben Brown, MS, CSCS
ben@bodysystemsaz.com
520-661-8273