Are you a fat-adapted athlete or a carb-adapted athlete?
We have only around 1600-2000 calories of stored carbohydrates in our tank (muscles and liver) which is about 400-500 grams of stored muscle glycogen.
On the other hand…
We have around 40,000 or more calories of stored fat fuel for energy as we have 9 calories per gram of fat to give more efficient, slow burn energy to utilize throughout the day at rest and during exercise. If our blood sugar and insulin stay low in our ideal range (70-90 fasting blood glucose levels), then we avoid the activation of carbohydrate usage. But how many individuals, including athletes, eat low enough carbohydrates to avoid the spike in blood sugar levels and in response increase the output from the pancreas of the fat storage hormone insulin? Not many. Unless you keep up to date on research via podcasts as FIT FAT FAST back in 2012 and books as the best one ever by Volek and Phinney – way before the keto craze we are experiencing now.
One of my most favorite books to read (starting back in 2012) on Metabolic Efficiency and the Low Carb Athlete for performance and longevity was written by the pioneers in the industry- and they coined the term keto-adaptation before Keto fast so popular as in 2019.
The way athletes are trained, coached and marketed to over the many years is to create a dependency on carbohydrate loading with sugar-based supplements to avoid the “crash” and “bonking” in a race. We used to carbo load before a marathon, 50k trail race or an Ironman distance triathlon. The industry trained us to become sugar burning athletes… unless you stopped and thought outside of the box as I did back in 2005.
Metabolic Efficiency…how do we become fat burning athletes instead of sugar burning athletes? I couldn’t handle eating three meals and snacks throughout the day then having 300-500 calories of fuel in a training ride or race with high carbohydrates. Instead, I would be throwing up during the majority of the bike segment in an Ironman triathlon or a marathon as my digestive system didn’t want all of those calories as my blood was in my working legs and arms- not in my belly. 
If we eat a high-carb diet, we are training our body to depend on carbohydrates for fuel – while inhibiting fat metabolism and utilization. Volek and Phinney explain in their book that “the suppression of fat oxidation lasts for days after carbohydrates are consumed, not just a few hours following their digestion when insulin levels are high”. -LOW CARB PERFORMANCE
What happens near the end of the Ironman or a marathon when you need to dig deep into the pain cave to cross the finish line if you used up your carbohydrate storage? You bonk. You are walking to the finish line if you are not cramping on the side or the road or throwing up – or having problems the other end in the porty potty!
If you want to maintain a high level of performance in an endurance event, we must become fat adapted or keto-adapted via training – how we eat and how we exercise. This is what we discuss as being metabolically efficient athletes. We are training our body to utilize fat for its main fuel source – then go to the carbohydrate storage as back up (metabolic flexibility). So if you do not want to deplete the stored glucose in your muscles (glycogen) and in your bloodstream – we need to train the cells to switch to prioritize the fat storage tank over the glycogen tank.
How do we do this?
Just as we do in my online coaching program- The WHOLESTIC Method Program to train the WHOLE athlete to burn fat.
We commit to at least 30-days to transform the whole body become a fat burning machine by eating a low-carb, higher fat food plan with intermittent fasting and a weekly 24-hour fast, while exercising without creating stress, getting more quality sleep, improving mobility movements throughout the daytime, and identifying our triggers or red flags (stressors). CHRONIC STRESS will impact any efforts to become a fat burning machine even if you are fasting and eating LCHF or strict ketosis plan.
Volek and Phinney explain in their book from 2012 what is KETO-ADAPTATION?
“keto-adaptation allows for rapid mobilization and utilization of “non-carbohydrate” lipid fuel sources. This process involves the conversion of fat to ketones in the liver, and these ketones help supply the brain with energy when glucose levels fall.” – Low Carb Performance
Do you want to go on a road trip and depend on a fuel tank that has 40,000 miles in the tank or a tank with only 2000 miles (calories)? You would have to stop at a lot of gas stations along the way to refuel your tank if you selected the carb tank!
Now let’s look at how FAT OXIDATION works in Part Two on the Low-Carb Athlete for improved performance and longevity.
Then we will dive into improving cell health for performance and longevity!
