MetaClass Results

As the name applies, Balanced Types are somewhere between High Protein and Veggie Types. In fact, The MARI Method Eat Smart program with designed with Balanced Types in mind!

Balanced Types can choose from a much wider variety of foods than either the Veggie Type or the High Protein Type. Paying attention to serving sizes is especially important for Balanced Types!

Remember: I’m one person, I only need one serving!

As a Balanced-Type, one day you may choose red meats, and other days they may choose chicken or fish! Plus, Balanced Types, as well as Vegetarian types, often like munching on veggies for snacks!

Where a Protein type might choose a beef slider or boiled egg for a snack, a Balanced Type would choose to include veggies or fruits with their protein.

Balanced Types should still eat pure protein at every meal! This is especially important at breakfast.

However, throughout the day, they can eat more liberally from the other yellow tables and still maintain rapid weight loss. The best way to do this is to become familiar with the Yellow Charts and make selections that are lowest in sugar content.

As a Balanced Type, you may be able to increase your sugar from food to 25 grams per day, and still see consistent weight loss results. Since we are all highly individual, the only way to tell for sure is to try increasing your sugars to see what point your weight loss slows or stops.

Balanced Types often have a tendency to lean High-Protein or High-Veggie. Based on your score, I’ve indicated which way you probably lean. As you journal, you’ll be able to confirm this, and modify your eating accordingly.

For this reason, Balanced Types should become familiar with the eating guidelines for both the Veggie and the High Protein Types.

TIP:
If your score showed you’re a “Balanced Type” or a “Balanced Leaning Veggie”, yet you answered yes to many of the questions about getting hungry or irritable when going too long between meals, this means you are processing sugars too quickly. So, even though you prefer the lighter types of meats, you’ll still need to include more fats to your diet.

1. The first thing you should try is adding 1 TBL of coconut oil to your meals, and see if this helps keep your energy levels running smoothly. If coconut oil is not available, use real butter. This addition of fat should slow down the metabolism of the sugars helping to balance out your energy & moods.
2. If this does not help, then add in more proteins. However, keep in mind that eating for your meta-class is not so much about how many grams of protein/carbs/fats as it is about getting the ratio correct for you.
3. Make sure you’re eating fats/carbs & proteins every time you eat… even at snacks!
4. Make sure you’re not eating too many starches or grains because these have a high glycemic index and turn to sugar quickly.

ADVANTAGES

• Fruits!
• Carb tolerant
• Eat to live attitude
• Mood swings rare

CHALLENGES

• Tendency to slow metabolism by skipping meals
• Too many sweets
• Portion control
• Fats sensitive
• Getting enough proteins
• Co-existing with a High-Protein Type!

As the name implies, Veggie Types have a high need for vegetables. You should get in the habit of eating vegetables at every meal. Yes, even breakfast!

All nutritional types need adequate protein at every meal. However, veggie types should go for the lighter, leaner, proteins. This includes light meat chicken, light fish (such as halibut, orange roughy, talapia, cod, light tuna) and dairy (especially raw dairy if you can find it).

Unlike High Protein Types who can get away with eating large quantities of meat, as a Veggie Type, you’ll need to pay close attention to portion sizes. Use your palm as a guide for the size of your protein portion.

Veggie Types will gain weight if consuming too many fats. The lighter, leaner cuts of protein will naturally contain less fat, so that is a good thing. However, you’ll still need to use caution when adding additional fats to your foods. If adding butter, olive oil or coconut oil, try reducing the amount needed by using lemons, limes and broth instead.

Veggie Types often crave fruits. This can be a challenge since over-consumption of sugar (even from fresh fruits), helps contribute to diabetes and heart disease. To maintain adequate weight loss, and optimum health, limit you fruits to no more than 3-4 normal servings per day.

Veggie Types can safely snack on fruit without adding protein to it. Their fruit choices can even include some of the “High Glycemic” Fruits shown on the RED FOOD CHART such as pineapple, watermelon, papaya and mango. The fruit should be fresh, and contain the skin when applicable.

In most cases, Veggie Types can increase their overall sugar consumption to 25-35 grams per day while still maintaining weight loss. Be careful here since even some of the “Green Chart” veggies contain sugar.

If you are not losing weight as quickly as you desire, cut back on the amounts of fruit you are consuming each day.

Over-consumption of fructose taxes your liver, and has been proven to be a contributing cause of insulin resistance, obesity, elevated LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, leading to metabolic syndrome.

As a “Veggie-Type”, you may safely increase your sugar from food to 25-30 grams per day. However, to maintain optimum health, but do not exceed this amount.

If you’ve ever wondered how a vegetarian could be overweight, suffer from diabetes, or high triglycerides, fructose is often the reason! Fructose is metabolized directly by your liver, and when you eat too much of it, it is stored as fat.

Plus, many vegetarians or high veggie types eat too many high-starch carbohydrate grains, especially rice. Because of the high-glycemic index of white rice, you should limit your consumption of sushi to 1-2 times per week.

Veggie Types need to monitor their response to legumes. Some veggie types can combine legumes and grains at the same meal with no problem. Others may report feeling tired or sluggish. If you feel bloated or lethargic after combining grains and legumes, simply leave out the grain. If you still feel bloated, even after eliminating the grains, simply skip the legumes.

For best weight loss, if consuming breads or pasta, go for “low-carb” or “low glycemic”. Keep in mind that many “gluten free” products are often NOT low-glycemic! (Although, the ones found in the MARI Method Recipes are!)

If you feed tired, hungry or sluggish soon after a meal that contains grains, you may not be getting enough protein. Next meal, cut back on the grains and increase your protein intake.

While grains do not contain sugar, they are QUICKLY converted to sugar once consumed. This is even true for brown rice, which is not actually “low-glycemic”… it is “moderate-glycemic”. So, the best grain to eat is quinoa, which is truly low-glycemic, and higher in protein than any other grain.

Veggie Types also need to monitor their use of nuts and nut butters. While these are generally well tolerated by a Veggie Type, they will also hamper weight loss efforts if eaten in excess. So, stick to 1-2 serving per day, max.

Since you can go long periods of time without it affecting your moods, you have a tendency to skip meals… Don’t Do This! Make sure that you eat at least 3 meals a day to keep your metabolism on fast burn!

CAUTION:

If you are a Veggie Type, but still suffer from mood swings and depression, there are two very distinct possibilities:
1. You are not TRULY a veggie type. If that is the case, and you are choosing an all vegetarian diet, you are not fueling your body for optimum performance (and weight loss!)k.
2. You are not getting enough protein to sustain your blood sugar levels to the next meal. Increase your protein intake, and eat more often

GUIDELINES FOR OPTIMAL RESULTS!

• If you must have 2nds… go with an extra helping of a veggie!
• Don’t skip meals, especially not breakfast! You need to keep that metabolism UP!
• Add veggies to every meal and snack. Keep these pre-cut in the ‘fridge for easy access.
• Maintain adequate protein intake. A good, high quality protein shake is often helpful. If you are vegan, you can go for a rice or pea based protein shake. However, I prefer the additional health benefits of whey protein.
• Monitor your response to additional fruits and legumes. If weight is not dropping, or you experience bloating, cut back.
• Use lemons, limes and broth as flavor enhancers instead of additional fats
• If you must eat red meat, make sure it is extra lean. Preferably grass-fed.
• Use your palm to monitor protein serving sizes!
• If you experience mysterious body aches, or IBS, consider doing the MARI Method Detox to help cleanse your system.

ADVANTAGES

• Red Meats!
• No need to limit (good) fats
• Substantial snacks

CHALLENGES:

• Carb Sensitivity
• You need to eat often
• Stress
• Mood swings
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Getting enough minerals
• Co-existing with a High Veggie Type!

You’re body thrives on red meat High Protein Types have a high need for proteins, especially red meats, dark meat poultry, salmon, sardines, tuna steaks, shark and whole eggs.

This means that your body loves meat & it loves you back!

You don’t need to limit fats. In fact, a “low fat” diet will not work for a High Protein Type. If you try to stick to a “low fat” diet, you will be left feeling hungry and deprived…and that’s when your body starts storing fat.

Good fats and protein combine to help keep you feeling full longer. So eat up on the proteins listed above. These often are naturally higher in fat. And, feel free to add extra butter or coconut oil to your foods. This will slow down the metabolism of carbohydragtes, and keep you feeling full, longer. See our guidelines for healthy fats.

You get to eat substantial snacks! For High Protein Types, all meals AND snacks should contains some form of protein and high-quality fat, which helps slow down the conversion of sugar. Nuts, cheese and boiled eggs are all good snack choices for you. (Just watch the serving size on nuts!)

Protein Types are considered “carb sensitive”. This means your bodies are especially sensitive to carbohydrates, and quickly convert carbohydrates into sugar.

Over-consumption of carbohydrates leave you fatigued Therefore, carbohydrate choices for High-Protein Types should primarily come from the low-glycemic green food charts.

For optimal weight loss, High-Protein Types should limit yellow charts items to 1 per day. (or even 1 every other day if extremely carb-sensitive).

If choosing to eat pastas, breads or tortillas, Protein Types should only eat those specifically marked as “low carb” or “low glycemic”.

SPECIAL NOTE:

• "Whole wheat” breads and pastas are NOT low-glycemic. Avoid these.
• Products labeled as “Gluten Free” are often NOT low glycemic!
• Look for products specifically labeled as “low glycemic” or “low-carb”

Since you have a need to snack often, if is important to keep your fridge well stocked with “grab ‘n go” high-protein snacks.

These “grab ‘n go” snacks include:

• cheese
• meat
• boiled eggs
• nuts
• seeds

Even though High Protein Types benefit from “low carb”, this does not mean you have to live without carbs (or even desserts)! Just choose wisely from the yellow food charts, and you’ll be able to enjoy a wide-variety of foods.

And, when you want a dessert, try-out some of the MM Dessert Recipes…just remember to limit yourself to 1 serving (I’m one person, I only need one serving!)

I don’t normally recommend counting carbs. It is best to learn to eat from the Color Food Charts. However, if you are not losing weight as rapidly as you think you should be, over-consumption of carbs could very well be the problem! If this happens, start counting your carbs for a few weeks, and keep that number under 120 high quality carbs per day.

High Protein Types often have sleep challenges. And, since lack of adequate sleep can make it more difficult to lose weight, getting restful sleep is important. Take time to study the section on Getting Good Quality Sleep

You need to eat often. Failing to do so will result in mood swings. Continued failure to do so will result in your metabolism slowing down as it tries to adapt to it’s diminishing food supply. So, eat often!

GUIDELINES FOR OPTIMAL RESULTS:

• If you must have 2nds… go for and extra helping of meat.
• Eat Often
• Limit your choices from the Yellow Charts. No more than 1 serving per chart per day if weight is not dropping. NOTE: After a while, you may be able to add back more carbohydrates and still maintain good results.
• Consider going grain free… at the very least, consider going wheat free
• Only eat Breads/Pasta/Tortillas specifically labeled “Low Glycemic” or “Low Carb”
• Get familiar with the MM Recipes
• Only eat fruit with a full meal, or a high fat snack such as cheese
• Monitor your reaction to caffeine.
• Practice stress reduction using tips found throughout the MM website
• Add additional real butter, coconut oil and olive oil to foods. This will help you feel full longer.
• If weight is not dropping, use meats/cheeses for snacks instead of nuts.
• Exercise! Not only will this help you build muscle (which burns 18x as many calories as fat!), but it will also help with your mood swings.
• Consider drinking a high-quality protein shake first thing in the morning
• Use Himalayan Salt. This is great for everyone, but is especially important for High Protein Types since you often don’t consume enough green, leafy veggies