What Is the Matol Diet?
The Matol diet was formulated upon the principle that an overload of insulin in the body is the major cause of weight problems. Insulin is overproduced by the pancreas when a body frequently consumes an overabundance of saturated fats and simple carbohydrates. The overabundance of insulin causes unregulated spikes and crashes in the body's blood sugar level. This creates a cycle of unhealthy eating patterns.
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Phase 1
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The Matol diet consists of four "phases." In phase 1, the initial goal is to deplete the body of excess stored fat by severely reducing consumption of carbohydrates and completely eliminating consumption of refined carbohydrates. Breakfast consists of one meal replacement item. For lunch, the dieter eats high-protein meal replacements and supplements provided by the Matol diet program, as well as selections from a specific, but varied, list of vegetables. For dinner, the dieter eats a serving of high-protein food, such as low-fat meats or seafood, as well as choices from the list of approved vegetables. A Matol diet food is eaten as a snack. Phase 1 of the diet will last the length of time it will take the dieter to lose 80 percent of the desired weight. The typical amount of weight loss on the Matol diet is three to four pounds per week for a woman and five to seven pounds per week for a man.
Phase 2
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In phase 2, the dieter switches from the meal replacement to a serving of high-quality protein, in addition to the vegetables. Phase 2 of the diet will last until the dieter has achieved the weight-loss goal.
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Phase 3
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Phase 3 allows the dieter to begin to re-introduce healthy, selected carbohydrates and fats into the diet by selecting three servings for breakfast. At this point, a serving of high-quality protein is also re-introduced for breakfast.
Phase 4
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In phase 4, the dieter adds two servings of selected carbohydrates to their dinner. Phase 4 is also the life-long maintenance phase, which should formulate the regular diet. The Matol diet encourages the dieter to replace the consumption of unhealthy carbohydrates and fats with the consumption of healthful carbohydrates and fats as a life-long eating choice.
Benefits
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Diets that focus solely on calorie restriction can cause a reduction in the rate of metabolism and lead to weight gain once the diet is completed. The Matol diet provides the dieter with supplements to ensure that muscle mass is retained throughout the period of caloric restriction. The dieter loses fat rather than muscle.
The Matol diet focuses on eliminating the consumption of unhealthy carbohydrates and fats and in educating the dieter to replace them with healthy carbohydrate and fat choices that they will continue to consume as part of long-term eating habits.
The Matol diet, with simple modifications, is suitable for diabetics because it addresses the root problem of diabetes --- irregular blood sugar levels. The Matol diet claims to be helpful to those with Type 1 diabetes and may actually assist in the reversal of Type 2 diabetes.
Drawbacks
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The diet requires the purchase of specific Matol products, including sugar-free meal replacements and four different mineral supplements, which can be somewhat costly, at approximately $11 to $17 per day. The length of the diet, and the amount of specific Midol products required to complete the diet, varies depending upon the dieter's weight-loss goal.
In phase 1 and 2 of the Matol diet, carbohydrate intake is severely restricted. The body enters a state of "ketosis," which is the metabolic process in which the body burns stored fat for use as energy. There are some side effects while the body is in an intense state of ketosis, which include bad breath and chills. These symptoms are temporary and subside in phase 3 and 4 of the diet in which carbohydrates and healthy (non-hydrogenized) fats are re-introduced into the diet.
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