Alan Christianson - 29 Jan

acknowledgments

I want to thank the following people for making this book possible. To my parents, Glen and Vivian Christianson, for giving me a love of learning and confidence in my ideas. To my other father, David Frawley, for inspiring me to write. To my children, Celestina and Ryan, for bringing me joy each day.

To the incredible team at Integrative Health: Sharon Anderson, Melinda Ashachik, Dr. Lauren Beardsley, Dr. Tara Burke, Mary Cinalli, Dr. Raquel Espinol, Jaime Gerber, Dr. Linda Khoshaba, Jamie Kurtz, Easton Lathion, Kim Lopata, Holly Penrod, Alex Perez, Dr. Rosalyn Ranon, Dr. Guillermo Ruiz, Josh Sorge, and Dr. Tiffany Turner.

Special thanks to JJ Virgin for showing me a greater vision of what was possible. To my literary team, led by Celeste Fine and Diana Baroni, for guiding the direction of the book and dialing in the details. To my favorite external brains, Dr. Guillermo Ruiz, Dr. Tiffany Turner, and Ari Whitten, who helped shape these ideas.

Thanks to the team that helped get this book out to the world, especially Amber Spears, Courtney Kenney, Brett Fairall, Laurie Balla, and Kirsten Womack.

Thanks to Michael Murray, ND, Paul Mittman, ND, and Michael Cronin, ND, for their roles in defining and expanding the naturopathic profession.

Final thanks to my lifelong hero, the late Dr. Carl Sagan, for his unparalleled passion and eloquence in sharing the grandest ideas.

conclusion

Great job on getting through the book! I hope the program worked as well for you as it has for others.

Now what? If this book allowed you to retire from a career of professional dieting, what does retirement look like? Well, you probably know a lot about this stuff by now. Im pretty sure this was not the first book youve read on food and nutrition. It would be sad to take a whole bunch of experience and knowledge and not put it to good use.

At the end of the day, the best use we can make of our time is to make things a little better for someone else. Consider yourself deputized to share some of the insights youve learned from this book. Food is not the enemy. Carbs are not evil. Beating yourself up is not the answer.

Do what you can to model what works for the younger generation. I feel like each coming generation is getting more vulnerable to being trapped in fads and health is no exception.

If you have considered a career in health, there is no better time to start. There are many excellent training programs for health coaches and nutritionists. A few favorites of mine are the Functional Nutrition Alliance and the Institute for Transformative Nutrition.

Please know that you are not in this by yourself. I always love hearing from you. If you have any feedback, it would mean the world to me if you would share it. Please tell me any insights you had, how the experience went, and any ways you found to make it work even better for you. You can always connect with me at . I read every email and personally reply to many of them.

To your health,

Dr. Alan Christianson

chapter one

Regaining Metabolic Flexibility

Belinda wanted to lose 17 pounds before her high school reunion. All her friends were talking about the latest craze, the ketogenic diet, so she decided to give it a try. For two months, she was religious about keeping her protein intake under 40 grams per day and her carbs under 20 grams. She did not worry about her intake of dietary fat, and stopped eating when she was no longer hungry. She followed the program to the letter, though she decided not to watch the scale since she did not want to be disheartened by normal ups and downs.

Near the end of the two months, Belinda saw her gynecologist for a well-woman check. When they weighed her, she was nervous, she was hopeful, and then she was heartbroken. She was 10 pounds heavier than before starting on the ketogenic program. She had seen the same thing happen on other diets but hoped that this time it would be different. When her blood tests came back, her gynecologist told her that she had an underactive thyroid and referred her to one of my colleagues at Integrative Health, Dr. Linda Khoshaba.

Dr. Khoshaba confirmed that Belindas thyroid was underactive, and found that her metabolism was about half as fast as it should have been. This finding confirmed Belindas experienceshe was unable to lose weight no matter how hard she tried.

Belinda was encouraged when Dr. Khoshaba told her that her abnormal thyroid function was likely a side effect of her dietingand that she could probably restore normal function by following the Metabolism Reset Diet and taking an iodine-free blend of nutrients to support her thyroid and liver. At first, Belinda was concerned because it looked like she would eat more food than she did on the ketogenic diet. But she gave it a try, and during the 28-day cycle, Belinda lost the pounds she gained during the ketogenic diet and then some. She was over the moon.

Three months after completing her first Reset, her thyroid and metabolism were both working fine. She was able to keep her weight steady without starving herself.

WHY DIETS HAVE FAILED YOU

Many of those who I saw in my clinical practice were like Belinda. They were driven, savvy people who had tried hard to lose weight. Theyd given it their all on five or more diets in the last few years and experienced limited success. They typically saw things get better on the scale, but ended up with less metabolic flexibility than they began with and often found themselves back at square oneor sometimes even worse than square one.

When your liver isnt functioning properly, it is full of fuel but your body cannot use it. As a result, your body goes into a state of high stress and ends up using muscles as a source of fuel. If you are prone to depression or anxiety, stress makes it worse. Relationships suffer. In this state, are you motivated to exercise? No. Are you your best at work? Definitely not. On top of all the other physical and mental stress youre enduring, you also have to cope with intense cravings. Nearly every moment of the day youre fantasizing about your favorite foods rather than focusing on what really matters.

If somehow you managed to white knuckle it and stick with a major food restriction for months, maybe you could drop a few pounds. However, because your liver burns muscle rather than fat, you often end up lighter but with a slower metabolism. You weigh less (for now) but you also burn fewer calories. This means whatever weight you lost is likely to come back, even if youre still watching what you eat.

What shifted for Belinda is the same thing that will shift for you once you start this program. Your liver will regain its ability to manage your metabolism. Once that happens, your weight and energy will stay steady even though your diet may change. You will know what it feels like to be naturally thin.

Once you restore your liver function youll be able to maintain a healthy weight without Herculean effort. And whats more, youll have more energy, sleep better, and be at less risk for heart disease and many cancers.

I want you to succeed, and I believe that you caneven if you do not yet think it is possible. I have seen countless people do so even when they:

Suffered from cravings

Had myriad diets fail

Were too busy to exercise

Did not know how to cook

Were overwhelmed with their family, their career, or both

Had dietary restrictions

Were on the road too much

The Metabolism Reset Diet works because it heals the core issue behind a slow metabolisman overloaded liver. The program provides the perfect conditions to help the liver clear out its backlogged fuel and start working right againand regain metabolic flexibility that you may not have experienced since you were a child.