What is the 2 2 2 method to boost metabolism? Everything to know about Dr Ian Smith

A video of YouTuber and internet personality Dr. Ian Smith’s 2 2 2 method is doing rounds on the internet. And it just might hold the answer if you’ve been struggling to figure out why your body’s metabolism isn’t working quite as well as you’d expect it to. As per Dr. Smith, the 2 2 2 method is a six-week program to boost the body’s metabolic flexibility so that you can burn both carbs and fats more effectively.

While many believe that our body’s metabolism slows down after a certain age, Dr. Smith says that this doesn’t happen until we reach our 60s. Under the 2 2 2 method, he recommends a six-week program consisting of two weeks of two meals a day that are heavy on carbs and proteins, followed by four weeks of alternating between keto and carb-loading.

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A breakdown of the six-week program for the 2 2 2 method recommended by Dr. Ian Smith

For the first leg of the 2 2 2 program, a diet of pasta and proteins serve as good options for the first two weeks, as Dr. Smith says that the "body needs to see carbs in order to learn how to burn them efficiently."

For the second half of the 2 2 2 program, he recommends four weeks of switching between dishes that include fatty fish like salmon or steaks with green beans, so that the body learns to process fats.

Dr. Smith also points out that constantly weighing oneself can be discouraging, as a person’s weight can fluctuate daily, and can change by 2-3lbs based on body fluid shift alone. He, therefore, recommends weighing yourself once a week on the same scale, at the same place and time, and while wearing the same clothes, to make the process of weighing yourself more accurate.

However, it’s not all dieting and journaling. Dr. Smith also talks about two high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises that you can do to help lose weight more effectively, without the hassle of going to a gym or using expensive equipment.

The first is the Sumo Squat, which can be done for about 15 minutes, alternating between 30 seconds of squats and 30 seconds of exercise. The second exercise he recommends is High Knees, which also uses just your body weight, and doesn’t rely on any additional equipment or workout gear.

Another problem many folks might face while trying to lose weight is plateauing, when it seems as though your program isn’t yielding the same results as it did in the beginning.

Dr. Ian Smith recommends turning to intermittent fasting as a way to break out of the plateau, which involves strict periods of eating, alternated with periods of fasting. Using intermittent fasting, along with exercise, and the cyclical keto diet of the 2-2-2 method is the key to making your metabolism unstuck, and unlocking its true flexibility.

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Dr Ian served on US President Barack Obama’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition

Born in 1969, Dr. Ian Smith is a television host best known for hosting The Doctor. He also served on US President Barack Obama’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.

After graduating from Immaculate High School (Danbury), in 1992, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College, followed by a Masters in Science Education from Columbia University in 1993.

Other than this, he also attended Dartmouth Medical School, and then completed the last two years of his medical education and graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

On the professional front, Smith hosts HealthWatch, a nationally syndicated daily news feature heard on American Urban Radio Networks. He is also well-known as the author of The Met Flex Diet and Burn Melt Shred.