What is the F-Factor Diet?

With summer coming up, I’ve been determined to lose my “winter bulk” and comfortably fit into all of the clothes I bought during the winter in anticipation of summer! While I am aware that I am a healthy weight, and in reality didn’t have much weight to lose, I felt a little uncomfortable as a result of eating pretty much whatever I wanted for the past few months.

Here’s where fiber enters the picture. About a month ago, I adopted the F-Factor lifestyle of eating a diet high in fiber and I’ve seen wonderful progress in a fairly short amount of time.

What IS F-Factor?

Before I continue on, I think it’s important to give some more insight into what F-Factor even is. F-Factor is both a diet and a way of life that helps you lead a healthier life where weight loss comes as a favorable by product.

I first heard about the F-Factor diet almost 6 years ago now. I’d picked it up during my study abroad year in California right before I was heading back to the UK to finish my last year of college. I tried to follow the F-Factor principles but it was difficult to find the right high-fiber products. I did the best I could, and did see weight-loss, but I ultimately stopped following it.

Fast forward to a month ago. I was feeling determined to shed my winter bulk and had recently started following their Instagram page. It inspired me to give the F-Factor diet another go, and this time around, it’s made me a convert!

I’ve lost about 8 pounds so far, have not felt hungry once and feel full of energy. It’s really driven home the fact that your diet is SO important when it comes to weight loss. You can workout until the cows come home but if your diet isn’t right, you won’t lose the weight (or vice-versa when it comes to gaining weight).

How fiber supercharges weight-loss

Ok, so here’s where fiber and weight loss come in. Most of us are not getting the recommended daily amount of fiber (35+ grams for women) in our diets and the F-Factor diet encourages you to eat a diet full of fiber-rich foods and protein. The creator of the F-Factor diet, Tanya Zuckerbrot, has a really cute and catchy saying: 

“Enjoy fiber and protein at every meal, making losing weight no big deal.”

That’s truly the basic premise of the F-Factor diet. It’s one of the only “diets” I’ve tried that makes you add in food to lose weight as opposed to eliminating food groups. From day one, you get to drink wine and eat carbs which was very appealing to me – I LOVE eating out and it’s hard to avoid carbs and alcohol when you are.

There is such a big focus on eating more fiber because it’s the zero-calorie, non-digestible part of a carbohydrate which adds bulk to food (i.e. keeps you full). Interestingly enough, fiber absorbs and removes fat and calories, and helps boost your metabolism. And this is ultimately how fiber helps with weight loss.

How The F-Factor Diet Works

There are three specific stages you adhere to while you’re on the F-Factor diet. Here’s how it works:

• Step 1 has you eating a specific amount of net carbs (carbohydrates minus fiber) and fiber every day. Your main carb and fiber source comes from fruit, GG crackers and high-fiber cereals. It lasts for two weeks and helps supercharge your weight loss so you’re motivated to continue your F-Factor journey.

• Step 2 ups the amount of  net carbs you can eat but keeps your fiber amount the same. It is extremely important that you do this. It can be scary to add in more food when you’ve been losing weight but trust me, it’s necessary to ensure you don’t plateau. This step lasts until you lose the weight you want to lose.

• Step 3 is termed the maintenance phase. You enter this phase once you’re satisfied with your weight, and how you look, and enables you to lead a healthy, sustainable approach to food for the rest of your life.

3 Ways to get more fiber in your diet

I recommend buying the F-Factor book if you’re serious about getting started but here are some tips to start adding more fiber into your diet straightaway:

1. Do you normally have eggs for breakfast? Add in some chopped veggies and eat them with some fiber-rich GG crackers. These crackers are pretty bland but you’ll get used to them, promise. Especially if they’re covered with tasty eggs slathered in cholula … 🙂
2. Try adding 1tbsp of psyllium husk powder into your next smoothie. You’ll get about 7g of fiber from just 1tbsp of the stuff and it won’t alter the taste of your smoothie. Try making this smoothie and adding some in!
3. Bulk up your lunches and dinners with veggies! Make a big salad for lunch and chop up an apple for a nutrient dense, fiber rich meal. Add roast asparagus to your next dinner to instantly up the fiber count of your dinner.

It’s so easy to add in more fiber but you;d be surprised how little you’re probably eating. I’m such a massive fan of this way of life and I’m excited to continue sharing high-fiber meals with you all.

Please let me know if this post was interesting and let me know if you have any questions. I’ll always see your comments (which you can pop below) and feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram.

Honestly yours,
Alice

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