This One Thing Plays A Huge Role In Slowing Your Metabolism (And What To Do About It)

When the metabolism is not working properly, we store too much fuel and we are unable to retrieve it. This leads to extra pounds and a host of other adverse effects—everything from brain fog to digestive problems to fatigue to diabetes to various forms of cancer. 

The liver is a powerful machine that acts as a filter to remove toxins, aids in digestion, and regulates hormones and blood sugar. It's an incredible multitasker and a vital organ in the truest sense of the word—the hub through which your body's energy flows.  

Sound familiar? 

Countless diets have told us to eat this "good food" and avoid that "bad food." Meat, grains, butter, legumes, ketones, potatoes, tofu, canola oil—are they good or bad? Each passing day seems to bring a new wave of "science" that cancels out all previous assessments. In fact, fat, carbs, and ketones work collectively as fuel. A healthy liver can either store fuel or burn it. An unhealthy liver can only store it. All sources of fuel look the same to your liver—none are magic tonics or evil villains. This means that once you heal your liver, eating that piece of cake won't be catastrophic. Your metabolism will be flexible enough to adapt and handle whatever curveballs you throw its way. 

Your liver stores fuel in two forms: glycogen and triglycerides. When it is healthy, it keeps a supply of each fuel, with room to take on more of each. Triglycerides are the ultimate version of stored fuel. The liver can make them out of anything—carbs, fats, ketones, even alcohol. They also store a lot of energy and don't take up much room. 

Glycogen is more particular. It can be made only out of carbohydrates and contains much less energy. It has an advantage over triglycerides—the energy stored in glycogen is more readily available. It is easier to burn triglycerides for fuel when you have some glycogen to get it started. Think about triglycerides as coals and glycogen as lighter fluid. 

Here is where things can go wrong. When the liver is overloaded with too many triglycerides, there is no more room for glycogen. Without glycogen, it is hard to burn triglycerides for fuel, effectively clearing them out. When a load of new fuel comes in from the last meal and the liver is already clogged, all it can do is jam in even more triglycerides or send the fuel away to get stored as body fat. 

The primacy of the liver helps explain why low-fat, low-carb, and ketogenic diets have no special advantage over one another. If you restrict one type of fuel and add more, nothing is gained. For people with poor liver function, sorting out "good" from "bad" food is merely a distraction. 

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

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