Toxic Food Cravings
The first step of the Pound of Cure program is the Metabolic Reset diet. It is, in essence a detox plan. Most Americans eat processed, sweetened foods at almost every meal. The daily consumption of these foods hijacks your metabolism, bringing it to a grinding halt. These foods also raise your set point, increasing your hunger and slowing your metabolism. Processed foods also work to sabotage your willpower by increasing your hunger and cravings for toxic food.
These toxic food cravings are what drive potato chip and soda pop sales, fill the lines of drive-through-windows across the country, and pack the seats at “family” restaurants that specialize in high-calorie, sweetened, and salted foods at a reasonable price. The most effective way to eliminate these toxic food cravings is to address them as what they are – an addiction. Our biologic response to these foods is very similar to what happens after we use tobacco, alcohol, or drugs. The same centers of the brain are triggered and the same needs for larger “doses” with prolonged use are developed.
A Nutrient Dense Diet

The Metabolic Reset Diet represents a perfect Pound of Cure diet. The focus is on eating a nutrient dense diet – foods that contain lots of nutrients and very little calories. The backbone of the program mandates that you eat one pound of vegetables every day, ideally more. At the end of the two weeks on the Metabolic Reset Diet, you will discover that you can eat heartily at any time of the day without suffering from the emotional ups and downs and hunger cravings that their previous diet caused and still lose weight.
The approach that I recommend to my patients is a slow, gradual change in your lifestyle. If you follow TheThe Metabolic Reset Diet for two weeks, you will eliminate the majority of your cravings for processed food and will be in a position to make good food choices as you move through the remainder of the program.
By slowly changing your eating behaviors over time in a methodical and meaningful way, you will develop the eating habits that are necessary to not only lose the weight but also nudge your metabolic thermostat downward so that your weight loss is maintained.
Lower Your Body Fat Setpoint
Long term weight loss success lies in learning how to lower your body fat setpoint. The Metabolic Reset Diet is different from traditional restrictive diets that limit your calorie intake and rely on self-imposed periods of starvation that will never result in durable weight loss.
It is only by changing the quality of your diet that you can hope to lower your body fat setpoint to a healthier weight. This can only be done slowly, over time, utilizing a diet that is rich in nutrients, unlimited in portions, and makes no attempts to thwart your hunger drive. Over the period of a year or even more, the excess fat will disappear as your body fat setpoint is reset to a healthier weight.
When we look more closely at our body fat setpoint, we find that there are built in sensors in our body that determine whether we are on the starved or overfed side of our set point. These sensors are located primarily in our stomach and small intestines. We are able to change to the signals being sent back to our brain by our stomach and small intestines by eating a nutrient dense diet. It’s important that it is the types of food, not the amount that is important.
First and foremost, the Metabolic Reset diet was designed to encourage the intake of large amounts of food that lower your body fat setpoint. It will also point out those foods that we’ve been convinced make good diet choices, but actually work to raise our body fat set point. Because of the slow and gradual effect of food on your set point, your long term success can only be determined over seasons or even longer.
If you manage to eat large amounts of natural, set point lowering foods, and limit your consumption of processed, set point raising foods to only a few times a week, you will nudge your set point down a little bit every day. Only by lowering your body fat set point can you hope to lose weight without experiencing binge-inducing hunger and weight loss plateaus from a slowed metabolism.
Is this geared for people who had bariatric surgery or not
It works great for people who’ve had bariatric surgery and for anyone who hasn’t.
Is this the same thing as the “pouch reset diet”? I am 13 years post RNY and have regained all 125 pounds of the weight I lost due to poor diet choices. Can I shrink my pouch through dieting or have I just stretched it out forever?
This is not the same thing as the pouch reset diet – the issue is almost never that the pouch has stretched out, it’s that you’ve re-established your addictions to processed food. This program is much more of a lifestyle change rather than an ineffective 5 day quick fix.
I never found the handout. I would like to find the link so I can use it for shopping and planning.
Dear Dr.
I am currently reading your book, A Pound A Cure, and it’s really interesting actually. Today is my first day of metabolic restart. I hope it works for me! I have 30lbs of 44 year old lady fat to lose.
Thank you!
Amanda
Good luck!!!
it’s a little hard to see, but it’s right below the video in the next lesson – here’s a link: http://courses.poundofcureweightloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/MRD-Handout.pdf
Hiya. I’m a little confused because the handout says “unlimited” servings of vegetable protein. But your book says max 3 servings of protein a day (for women), one of which must come from vegetable protein. Which should I follow? Thanks for your help.
Vegetable protein is unlimited. Animal protein should be limited to 2 servings daily for women and 3 for men. The way that I stated it in the book was a little confusing so I stated it differently in the videos, but there has not been any change in the animal or plant protein guidelines.
Thank you very much. Same with nuts, right? In the book, it said 1/4 cup a day, but in the course you say “unlimited.”
Yes, this is the only thing that I’ve changed since I wrote the book. In our practice, we customize nut limitations based on the patient’s weight loss, dietary habits and age. Most people are fine eating unlimited nuts, but it can slow weight loss for other.
Hiya. So sorry to bother you again with yet another question. But I am taking this very seriously, so I want to get it right. You say that the amount of nuts is customized based on age, weight loss, and dietary habits. I am a 55-year-old female. I had gastric sleeve 5 years ago and lost ALL of my weight (110 pounds). Starting during COVID I started slipping and gained back close to 20 pounds. I’m trying quite diligently to lose it and have been following the Metabolic Reset diet fastidiously — zero diversions in one week. But what would be your recommendation for me, re. nuts, based on that data? I’m afraid to overindulge and permission to do anything in unlimited amounts is scary for me.
Whey protein is processed and usually unnecessary. In general, I recommend against using whey supplements unless you are in the first 1-3 months after surgery and need it to meet your daily goal of 60 grams of protein daily.
Thank you very much.
I really feel enthusiastic about this plan. I have tried so many times to follow low fat vegan and hit a wall. I like the added variety and a new way to look at vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and health. Thank you!
Can I use fresh garlic? I do not see it listed.
Yes!
Thank you! Another question. Can I use coconut milk for cooking?