Metabolic Research Center Diet

Making changes to your eating habits to lose weight can be hard if you don't know where to begin. Diet programs like the Metabolic Research Center help make it easy by providing you with plans that spell out exactly what you need to eat to lose weight. It's always better to go in knowing what's on the menu before you enroll in the program, however. Be sure to talk to your doctor if considering a weight-loss program such as the one offered by Metabolic Research Center to make sure it's a good fit for you.

The Metabolic Research Center offers real food on its diet plan, one-on-one coaching, hormone testing and metabolism-boosting diet supplements to help you on your weight-loss journey. In addition to the real food, protein shakes also make up part of the diet plan. While exercise isn't necessary on the weight-loss program, it's encouraged, according to the website. If you exercise, the center claims you can lose 2 to 5 pounds a week following its diet plan.

To determine if hormones are the cause of your weight issue, the Metabolic Research Center offers hormone testing and a variety of supplements to improve balance, such as their 7-Keto DHEA and Super Iodine Plus.

The metabolism-boosting supplements include MRC-6, which contains vitamin B-6 along with kelp, lecithin, apple cider vinegar and blue green algae. Phentratrim, which contains chromium picolinate and vanadium as well as herbs such as green tea and a type of cactus called hoodia gordonii, is also one of the center's weight-loss supplements.

Although the company has freestanding stores, the Metabolic Research Center also offers its program online.

On the Metabolic Research Center diet, you eat whole foods that you purchase from your own grocery store, not boxed meals. Food options include lean proteins, such as buffalo, chicken and salmon, a variety of veggies and fruits, starches such as corn tortillas and potatoes, low-fat and nonfat dairy products such as Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, and healthy fats including olive oil and avocados. The center provides you with a specific menu of what to eat, so there's no need for guesswork.

The website offers a number of recipes to help you plan menus. They include oatmeal breakfast cookies, broccoli and cheese quiche muffins, stuffed peppers, honey-mustard-crusted chicken and baked salmon with roasted veggies. Those with a sweet tooth can get desserts on the plan, including baked apples and chocolate strawberry mousse.

Two different protein shakes, including the High Nutrient Supplement and the Metashake, round out the Metabolic Research Center diet plan. These shakes, however, aren't for replacing meals but to drink along with meals or as a quick snack. According to the website, the shakes cut cravings and control hunger. The High Nutrient Supplement shakes, which come in flavors ranging from cappuccino to grapefruit, have 90 calories and 15 grams of protein. The Metashake is higher in calories and protein, with 180 calories and 17 grams of protein per serving. It also contains most of the essential vitamins and minerals, making it a more complete supplement.

The Medical Research Center diet offers many things you should look for in a sound weight-loss program, including support, encouragement to eat healthy foods, a plan for exercise and a maintenance program. But while the diet may offer a variety of foods from all the food groups, and protein shakes to boot, the plan may be lower in calories than the website states because it promises a weight loss of up to 5 pounds per week. A healthy weight-loss plan should help you lose no more than 2 pounds a week Losing weight too quickly may lead to loss of mostly muscle and water, not fat.

Also, using the supplements raises cost without clear benefits. For example, chromium, one of the main ingredients in Phentratrim, has been proved not to help with weight loss, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. And Super Iodine Plus provides more than 8,000 percent of the daily value for the trace mineral. High intakes of iodine may prevent the production of thyroid hormones and lead to thyroid-related illness such as Grave's disease or Hashimoto's disease. To be safe, discuss use of these supplements with your doctor.