Are you a sugar burner or a fat burner?

I used to be a sugar burner, until I discovered the magic of burning fat as fuel. Now I’m convinced fat is the real fountain of youth and I’ll share with you how to get it.

Before I made this magical discovery which turned the way I thought about food upside down, my body and brain used to run off glucose (carbohydrates) and insulin surges. I thought I was as healthy as I’d ever been and even though I believed eating all those “healthy” whole grains was the right thing to do, I was hungry all the time, tired and cranky if I missed a meal, had brain fog, mood swings, and experienced intense cravings for carbs and sugar – anything that would keep those insulin surges rolling in. I was completely dependent on sugar (carbohydrates) to survive and needed to graze all day to keep up with my wild blood sugar swings. 

Carbohydrates are like kindling. They serve the purpose to quickly get that fire going, but you have to tend to it constantly, not leaving it for too long or it burns out. It’s short lived. 

Fat on the other hand, are the big logs that give fire longevity. You don’t have to constantly stoke to it. You can let it burn and feed it periodically without thinking too much about it, nearly effortless.

When you make the switch from kindling to long burning fat, your body uses fat as its primary fuel source. After burning through the small amount of carbs you get from fruits and vegetables, you begin tapping into your fat stores for the rest of your energy needs. Your blood sugar becomes stable and eating every couple of hours to keep stoking your fire becomes unnecessary.  The quality of your moods and thinking are stable, your hormones become stable and fat starts melting away. 

Do you want to flip the script?

Here’s how you can begin making the switch to becoming a fat burner right now: Reduce your carbs! 

• Cut out grains and sugar
• Limit starchy vegetables (like potatoes and winter squash) 
• Limit fruit intake
• Add in LOTS of high-quality proteins and non-starchy vegetables 
• EAT HEALTHY FATS 

When you begin eating in this new way, your body will need some time to adapt. Experiencing the “low carb flu” with symptoms like tiredness, irritability, headaches, confusion, brain fog, and leg cramps is common during the first week. This is your body’s normal response to the switch usually caused by dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance. You’re learning how to burn healthy fat as fuel and the magic is happening! 

You can minimize or eliminate these symptoms all together by increasing water and salt intake to help with the dehydration that occurs. A simple way to do this is to add a pinch of salt to your morning water first thing before you drink anything else. Drinking a cup of bone broth is also a great option! 

In addition to water and salt, adding healthy fats to ensure you’re feeling satisfied and energetic will help keep crankiness at bay. Using water, salt, and fat in your arsenal along with a resolve to break your sugar addiction will lead you to boundless energy, weight loss, and stable moods.

The real fountain of youth! 

Sources: 

Fallon, Sally, et al. Nourishing Traditions: the Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. NewTrends Publishing, 2001.

“Know Your Fats Archives.” The Weston A. Price Foundation, www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/.

“Low-Carb and Keto Side Effects & How to Cure Them – Diet Doctor.” Diet Doctor, Diet Doctor, 27 Nov. 2018, www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/side-effects.