What is Fat Adapted? How Do I Get There?

Have you heard the term “fat adapted” and wondered what it was?  It means that your body is burning stored body fat reserves for energy/fuel.   Does it sound too good to be true?  It’s not, it is wonderful!   You will have sustained energy levels without all of the energy crashes!  You will be more alert! You will have less cravings!  Like I previously said, it is wonderful!

However, thanks to the typical Standard American Diet that we tend to eat, our bodies are used to running on a constant supply of carbs.   A few hours after eating, our supply gets low and we can experience low blood sugar.  That can lead to dizziness, brain fog/fuzziness, inability to focus/concentrate.  In other words, a sugar rush, followed by a sugar crash.  What do we do when we experience this crash?  We eat carbs, which sends blood sugar levels through the roof and the cycle continues.

When this happens, your body combats the flood of glucose by sending out more insulin.  The insulin works to get the sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells.   This then sends out signals that you are hungry, usually for more carbs.  This can lead to weight gain, especially around your midsection. 

What if, instead of constantly relying on eating carbs, you could use the excess fat on your body as a steady source of fuel.  You can! That is the wonderful world of fat adaptation!   But, how in the heck do you get there?   You follow a healthy ketogenic eating plan.  To do that you:

1.  Eat a low carb diet (usually less than 20 net grams per day).

2.  Increase your intake of healthy fats.

3.  Eat a moderate amount of healthy protein.

By eating low carb, you will burn through the carbs stored in your body quickly, so that you can tap into your stored fat for energy.  The “good” fat you eat will keep you feeling full and satisfied between meals and you will able to go 4-6 hours between your meals without feeling hungry.   Many can go even longer than that and practice Intermittent Fasting, but we will get into that in a later post!  Those peaks and valleys of energy that used to plague you will be gone, as you use your stored fat for energy.  It’s a beautiful thing!