Are you a metabolically flexible and efficient fat burner?
What happens if you put the wrong type of gas in your car? Diesal instead of unleaded? Regular gas instead of unregular?
Our body is designed to run on fat fuel and the carb fuel tank is just for back up-emergencies.
What is the definition of METABOLISM?
Metabolism is a term that is used to describe all chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of the cells and the organism. Metabolism can be conveniently divided into two categories:
Catabolism – the breakdown of molecules to obtain energy
Anabolism – the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells
Metabolism is closely linked to nutrition and the availability of nutrients.
Bioenergetics is a term which describes the biochemical or metabolic pathways by which the cell ultimately obtains energy.
Energy formation is one of the vital components of metabolism.
Nutrition, metabolism and energy
Why do athletes need to be concerned about their nutrition and which fuel they are burning during workouts?
ENERGY…FAT LOSS… HEALTH…PERFORMANCE and LONGEVITY!
I hope as athletes, we are focused on our future and always looking for methods to improve the aging process. The way you live life each day and how you train (as well as recover) impacts your aging process! How do you want to live your life when you are retired?
- You are a unique individual with a different microbiome, carb tolerance, food sensitivities, gut health and genetics
- You don’t have to give how you eat a title… as the main goal is to BURN FAT for our main fuel source
- Your nutritional and metabolic needs are unique to you (www.mtdiet.com)
- Your nutritional needs will change as your life, training and journey continues (Chronic stress impacts all efforts!)
“Once physiologically fat-adapted via carbohydrate restriction, the greater the development of aerobic capacity, the greater the window of carbohydrate tolerance.
So once you establish that ‘Fat-Adapted’ Metabolic State, the base of the OFM Pyramid, then build your aerobic capacity to its potential, you can actually tolerate some concentrated carbohydrates in both your diet and fueling so you can get that performance ‘punch’ carbs are known to provide without the ‘unintended consequences’ of a chronic high-carb diet.
The amount and timing varies and is highly individualized for the athlete and sport but it generally surprises athletes coming from the ‘keto’ or ‘paleo’ camps just how much they can consume when strategically timed for their training and/or competitions.”
–Peter Defty of OFM and Vespa
OFM.io
Well train fat-adapted endurance athletes:
- increased capacity to oxidize fatty acids
- use fat as a fuel when their carbohydrate stores become limited.
- Opposite as those with impaired capacity to burn/oxidize fat with obesity, insulin resistance and type II diabetes
- Carb burners may store more fatty acids in their muscles and in other tissues.
- Accumulation of lipid and its metabolites in the muscle may interfere with the insulin-signaling cascade and cause insulin resistance
- Learn how to regulate fat metabolism to increase fat oxidation
Fat oxidation during exercise includes:
- Fats are stored mostly in (subcutaneous) adipose tissue
- small stores of fat are in the muscle itself (intramuscular triglycerides)
- Fat oxidation (beta-adrenergic) stimulation will increase lipolysis (the breakdown of fats into fatty acids and glycerol) in adipose tissue and muscle.
- Catecholamines such as adrenaline and noradrenaline may also rise and contribute to the stimulation of lipolysis.
- Adipose tissue fatty acids have to be transported from the fat cell to the muscle, be transported across the muscle membrane and then be transported across the mitochondrial membrane for oxidation.
- The triglycerides stored in muscle undergo similar lipolysis and these fatty acids can be transported into the mitochondria as well.
- During exercise, a mixture of fatty acids derived from adipocytes and intramuscular stores is used.
- There is evidence that shows that trained individuals store more intramuscular fat and use this more as a source of energy during exercise (1).
S-Fuels founder has a similar story as myself- eating tons of refined sugarary bars, gels and drink mixes didn’t feel so well on the gut! We have been told for years to carbo-load and re-fuel during exercise to avoid “bonking” and “hitting the wall”…but what about how to avoid the fatigue, GI Stress and losing everything you took in (one end or the other!)?
S-Fuels partnered with Dave Scott to help promote the fat burning athlete training and fueling program. Their goal, along with my own goal with my coaching athletes, is to “establish a baseline efficiency of FAT-OXIDATION and easy-to use low-carb high-fat products for training and racing.”- Dave Scott is a 6-time Ironman World Champion, Coach and Teacher.
Endurance athletes risk getting stuck on the blood sugar roller coaster- experiencing the highs and lows of their blood glucose along with the potential side effects as insulin resistance, oxidative stress and gut stress.
If you suffer from inconsistent energy surges and fatigue as an athlete when training and when racing then take a look at your training and fueling plan- as well as your race day performance.
Coaching athletes to improve fat burning, acheive peak performance gains and improving the aging process is definately NOT a once size fits all approach. N = 1… and “The Goldilocks Effect”.
Are you matching your fueling with your training intensity?
Are you fasting too long and too often?
Are you eating to fuel your fat burning engine?
Do you have enough stomach acid (HCL Acid) and digestive enzymes to breakdown your food properly?
Is your gut wall lining (mucosal barrier) damaged with “holes” along the barrier (leaky gut) so you can’t even absorb the required nutrients needed to recover and repair your cells?
Are you eating too much or too little healthy carbohydrates?
Are you eating enough protein?
Are you supporting your liver and mitochondria?
How is the balance of your microbiome?
Everyone is different so I can’t say how many carbs, fat and protein to take each day as well as before, during and after training sessions.
We need to train the body to burn fat – fat oxidation and we do that by changing what you eat as well as how you train (MAF training). Once you become fat adapted – then you will discover for yourself that you do not require constant refueling during workouts and you have a steady flow of energy. Eliminate the refined sugars and grains …switch to real food with more healthy and CLEAN sources of protein, fat and fiber -vegetables.
If you conintue burning kindling for fuel, carbs, then you are probably experiencing (or eventually) acute and chronic inflammation as a result of blood sugar dysregulation.
Dr. Dan Plews has conducted many research studies on this subject, along with Dr. Paul Laursen and Phil Maffetone. Also you can learn alot from Prof. Noakes, Peter Attia and Bob Seebohor on Metabolic Efficiency training for endurance athletes.
Learn more in my book and manual available on Amazon:
Amazon Life is Not a Race book
Amazon The WHOLESTIC Method Manual
Remember we started talking about Metabolic Efficiency and the fat adapted athlete over ten years ago on my first podcast “FIT FAT FAST” and my website. I started metabolic efficiency testing with NEW LEAF testing equipment in 2005 and started MAF heart rate/heart zones training back in 2003. I have done this training and fueling for a very long time so I have learned a few things… more is not better, sometimes less is more and we are all unique.
Endurance Athlete Facts provided by S-Fuels “Go Longer” and Dr. Dan Plews:
- The body holds only 2000 calories of glycogen (kindling)
- The body holds more than 40,000 calories of fat fuel (logs)
- If you eat carbs/sugars- you will train the body to burn sugars first
- If you eat high carb diet – you burn carbs = under utilized fat reserves/fuel
- If you shift your fat oxidation form 0.3 grams per hours per hour to over 1.2 grams per hours then you would be able to train and race longer without the typical carb burner side effects.
- Fat burners can go LONGER-
- A smoother stream of energy
- Preserved glycogen level (back up fuel tank)
- Reduced risk of sugar crash and bonking in high intenstiy training and racing
- Reduced sugar-triggered GI and gut distress in training and racing
- Improved recovery and more consistent training blocks
How do you get started on becoming a fat adapted athlete?
Schedule a call with me and let’s figure out how you can get started.
Until then – start working on “flipping that switch” to stop being carb dependent and start being more carb sensitive. Perhaps start with 50 grams a day up to 150 grams per day – as the amount varies depending on your lifestyle, training levels and metabolic type. You need to build a foundation first to become fat adapted then you become metabolically flexible – burn fat then burn carbs as your back up engine – learn more from Peter Defty and OFM on carb timing and how to use VESPA for improving your fat metabolism and performance.
How you train is essential as your build your foundation – match your low carb -real food plan with low heart rate MAF type of training to burn fat and be able to increase your duration. Once you become a fat burning athlete- you don’t need to eat before short workouts and barely need to re-fuel on longer workouts as rides and runs.
Learn more on my blog, coaching services and podcast – The Low Carb Athlete.
Discover more here by scheduling a call with me. This is what I love to do and it honestly brings me joy to help clients transform into healthier versions of themselves.
Do you want to get your body and vibrant self back this year? Let me know.
Debbie Potts