A Protocol for Balancing Hormones and Metabolism

After 2 failed attempts astatine trying to travel the classical ketogenic diet, I came up with the Gottfried Protocol, an attack that worked for maine and tin enactment for galore women. It’s a modified ketogenic fare that starts with detoxification, which is missing successful the classical ketogenic fare yet needed for astir women to pain fat. And it includes much carbs, which enactment women’s hormonal balance. [Editor’s note: The classical ketogenic fare is mostly a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet.]

The 3 pillars of the protocol are detoxification, nutritional ketosis, and low-stress intermittent fasting. The series is important. The 3 pillars are followed for 4 weeks. Then you adhd backmost steadfast carbohydrates successful five-gram increments to specify your carb threshold. It’s been palmy successful my aesculapian signifier for hundreds of women. More astir each step:

Step 1: Detoxification. Detoxification clears your liver of toxins and eliminates recirculating hormones that are poorly affecting your metabolism. Clinically, we telephone this metabolic detoxification. For astir of my pistillate patients, their bodies are not detoxing well. So successful this protocol, we integrate things that help, specified arsenic much polyphenols from plant-based foods, including oils; cruciferous vegetables, similar broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower; and dark greenish leafy vegetables. And pooping regular is besides important for the detoxing process.

Step 2: Nutritional ketosis. Your assemblage enters nutritional ketosis erstwhile you travel a nutrient program that is precocious successful fat, mean successful protein, and debased successful carbohydrates. I person adjusted the classical ketogenic fare by expanding the carbohydrates to marque it much effectual astatine restoring insulin levels successful women. But with this diet, you’re inactive eating tons of plants and consuming tablespoons of other virgin olive oil—occasionally medium-chain triglyceride oil—along with prebiotics and probiotics. We way nett carbs and different macronutrients, cipher your ketogenic ratio, and if you’re up for it, measurement your glucose-ketone ratio (more astir this successful the book).

Step 3: Intermittent fasting. What I emotion astir astir intermittent fasting is that it’s a backmost doorway to ketosis. This benignant of fasting means you don’t devour for 12 to twenty-four hours successful a azygous day. Intermittent fasting improves the equilibrium of galore hormones (e.g., insulin, ghrelin, leptin, and cortisol) and leads to metabolic switching, which suppresses insulin and glucose to a level that triggers your assemblage to power from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. Fasting tin assistance modulate inflammation, summation encephalon function, and little humor pressure, and it whitethorn modulate leptin truthful that you consciousness much satisfied.

About the hormones:

1. •

   Insulin moves glucose into your cells.

2. •

   Leptin tells you erstwhile you’re full.

3. •

   Cortisol is the accent hormone that controls humor sweetener levels and regulates metabolism and inflammation.

4. •

   Ghrelin, known arsenic the hunger hormone, tells you erstwhile you’re hungry.

5. •

   Thyroid hormones modulate metabolism.

6. •

   Testosterone is progressive successful musculus maturation and repair, enactment drive, and mood.

7. •

   Growth hormone deficiency tin lend to anxiety, premature aging, fatigue, and belly abdominous accumulation.

We aren’t wholly definite wherefore women respond to a ketogenic fare otherwise than men do—the classical ketogenic diet has mostly been studied successful men. But experts deliberation that hormones play a superior role. With the classical ketogenic diet, immoderate women don’t get the carbohydrates they request to beforehand mean hormonal regulation, peculiarly thyroid hormones. Or they go insulin-resistant from eating excessively overmuch saturated fat, a occupation I spot commonly with circumstantial familial variations. They besides tin acquisition inflammation and temper crashes. And they tin go frustrated, wondering wherefore the fare isn’t making them consciousness oregon look great, adjacent though they cognize men who thrive connected it.

In presumption of weight, it’s apt easier for men to suffer value due to the fact that they person thing known arsenic the testosterone advantage. Their testosterone levels are typically importantly higher than those of women. And since testosterone is liable for expanding musculus mass, men person much musculus and pain calories faster. When they usage the ketogenic fare (which further raises testosterone, increases thin assemblage mass, and decreases abdominous mass), men thin to suffer value overmuch faster than women do.