You asked, we listened. Follower question of the week.
Q: Do you need to use F-Factor products to follow F-Factor? Is it possible to follow F-Factor without?
A: This is a question that comes up regularly, but to us the answer is obvious. No, you absolutely do not NEED to use the products to follow F-Factor! The F-Factor line of high-fiber products has only been around for a fraction of the time that F-Factor has. The products just launched in 2018, the first iteration of the F-Factor Diet Book was published in 2006, and by that time F-Factor had already been used to help countless people to look and feel their very best. While the notion that F-Factor products are a requirement for following F-Factor is simply implausible, there is a solid case to be made for their use. Aside from their delicious taste, F-Factor products are an extremely helpful tool to enhance your F-Factor journey. There was a reason they were created, after all, and it would be in poor taste (pun intended) if we didn’t explain this all to you. So, here it is, a complete breakdown of the use of products and following F-Factor.
LET’S BEGIN
First, a little disambiguation. The use of F-Factor products and following F-Factor are not two mutually exclusive things. You can use F-Factor products and not follow F-Factor, and you can follow F-Factor without ever having a scoop of 20/20 FIBER/PROTEIN powder or an F-Factor FIBER/PROTEIN Bar.
With that being said, we love our products, and we love that you love them. We really love that you’ve had such success with these products and that they’ve enhanced your F-Factor journey. The products were created to make living the F-Factor Way more delicious, and easier than ever, and we love that it has. As with all nutrients, you should aim to get your fiber from whole foods–fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains–first, but we love that these products can supplement that, and thus, if needed, can help you meet your daily fiber needs in a more convenient and enjoyable way. We also love that they’ve helped people who previously did not eat much fiber to learn about the amazing benefits of fiber and get them to start eating it more. Today, more people are incorporating more fiber into their diets than ever before, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with that fact.
As noted above, the intention of the F-Factor 20/20 FIBER/PROTEIN Powders, and FIBER/PROTEIN bars was to provide delicious solutions so that people following F-Factor could more enjoyably live the F-Factor Way. While the products have exceeded our expectations in that respect, that’s not to say you can’t go about F-Factor without. Again, countless people have lost weight and kept it off following F-Factor long before the products launched. For an example of what a day on F-Factor sans products looks like, click here.
SO, I DON’T *NEED* TO USE THEM?
Example Step 1 day without the use of F-Factor products
Correct, you do not need to use F-Factor products to follow F-Factor. This is because in the most simple sense, to follow F-Factor, you must adhere to 3 simple things:
- Eat at least 35g of fiber per day
- Stay under your daily net carb allotment (Step 1: 35g net carb; Step 2: 75g net carb; Maintenance: 125g net carb)*
- Stick to the proper portion sizes and recommendations for fats and proteins, as outlined in the F-Factor Diet Book.
Step 1 of F-Factor allows 3 servings of high-fiber carbs per day. This is what determines the 35g net carb allotment**. This gives you the carbs you need for energy, but not too much that the body stores them as fat. Also known as F-Factor’s Proprietary Algorithm for Weight Management, adherence to these points determines your success with the program.
Outside of the confines described above, you really have complete autonomy to choose your 3 servings of high-fiber carbs.
So there you have it. You don’t need to use F-Factor products to follow F-Factor.
BUT, THEY HELP – A LOT
One of the key goals of F-Factor is meeting your daily fiber needs. Like with all other nutrients, you should aim to get fiber from whole foods first—fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—and recommend using these products to supplement your diet.
While you could rely on these foods alone to meet your daily fiber needs, it’s not always so easy, or convenient to do so. Fruits and vegetables only have so much fiber. To color this for you, picture this: 20 cups of raw spinach, 3 cups of broccoli, 5 cups of raw kale, 2 cups of riced cauliflower, and a cup of raspberries. That’s what you would need to eat to make it to the 35g fiber goal with just fruits and vegetables on Step 1 of F-Factor. But, if you add F-Factor products into the mix, that 35g fiber per day goal becomes a lot more manageable. One serving of 20/20 FIBER/PROTEIN Powder contains 20g fiber, and the bars contain the same. So, you could just have a 20/20 smoothie and a FIBER/PROTEIN bar and you’d surpass the goal with 40g fiber.
The second part of the equation is that you need to meet those daily fiber needs without going over your daily net carb allowance. This is where the products really shine because they are very low net carb. In fact, with the introduction of the products, many people who had been following F-Factor for years found they were able to lose weight, effortlessly. This is because what they were eating ended up having less net carbs, yet provided a similar (and sometimes larger) volume of food. Prior to the introduction of products, a typical F-Factor breakfast (nonfat Greek yogurt with 1/3 cup All-Bran Bran Buds) could have 18g of net carbs. Using the 20/20 FIBER/PROTEIN powders as a baking ingredient though, one can have 2 large fluffy waffles for breakfast, for only 3g net carbs! The difference between the two is an entire serving of carbohydrates (15g net carb, or otherwise known on F-Factor, a slice of white bread), yet the latter provides more than 3 times the amount of fiber, and substantial volume. What’s more is that in the absence of net carbs, the body is forced to burn fat for fuel. So, the result from switching up breakfast? Feelings of equal fullness, for less net carbs, and greater chances of your body burning fat for fuel.
Without getting into the nitty-gritty of it, nutritionally speaking, these products are in a league of their own. Read up on the specifics of the Flavored 20/20 FIBER/PROTEIN Powders here, the Unflavored 20/20 FIBER/PROTEIN Powder here, and the FIBER/PROTEIN Bars here.
FOLLOWING F-FACTOR VS FOLLOWING F-FACTOR HAPPILY
You likely don’t need much more convincing on this point, but if you’re interested in not just following F-Factor, but doing so successfully, these products can be hugely beneficial. You see, there’s a difference between following F-Factor, and following F-Factor happily. Following F-Factor happily means living life to the fullest. The F-Factor products help you to fill you up (they do have 20g fiber and 20g protein across the board, after all) so you feel full, but they also can help you live a more full life because of their versatility, and convenience.
This is especially true with the 20/20 powders, which can be used as an ingredient in baked goods and cooking. Prior to having this ingredient things like muffins and waffles were not on the menu, and those foods are delicious, forgoing your favorite foods forever isn’t living life to the fullest. Moreover, it’s gluten-free, so it can be used to make gluten-free versions of baked goods, like muffins and waffles, that typically contain gluten. If you’re gluten-free, you can easily see how this adds to your life.
The portability of the bars takes care of any concern weighing on you about being stuck somewhere, hungry, without a healthy, viable #FFACTORAPPROVED thing to eat.
Both the powders and bars can be go-to options for you. Having more staples at your disposal helps remove the burden of deciding what to eat that will honor your intentions to look and feel your best. Lastly, the low net carb of both products helps put your body in a position to burn fat for fuel and gives you more net carbs in your daily net carb allotment for wine. Cheers!
THE BOTTOM LINE
While success on F-Factor is absolutely not reliant on the use of the 20/20 FIBER/PROTEIN Powders, or the FIBER/PROTEIN Bars, these products are tools to help you live the F-Factor Way more deliciously, and easier than ever before. Strictly nutritionally speaking, they’re great, and we love that people have had such success with them.
However, if for whatever reason you can’t or don’t want to use F-Factor products, that doesn’t have to hinder your F-Factor experience. One of our favorite features of F-Factor is that it’s a program for everyone. F-Factor was designed so that everyone and anyone can benefit from the program. That means those with dietary constraints, either by choice (vegetarian, kosher) or medical necessity (food allergies, lactose intolerant), and those who are picky eaters. That also means those who don’t have access to the products because of location (international friends, we’re working on it!) and those who’s access to the products is barred by financial constraints. If you fall into any of those categories above, or just don’t want to use the products, good news, you can still follow, and benefit from, the F-Factor Program.
*Reminder, not every food that contains carbs is considered a carbohydrate on F-Factor and thus does not contribute carbohydrates to your total ingested carbs or add to your daily net carb allotment. For more information, see The F-Factor Diet Book.
**Step 2 and maintenance allows for additional servings of high-fiber carbs, which is why the daily net carb allotment increases.