Keto | LCHF | IF: Fat Adapted {Become A Fat-Burning Machine}

Hello my FBFs!  FBF stands for fat-burning friends.  A low-carb lifestyle turns you into a fat-burning machine! Welcome to my series on getting started.  I am dedicating the next few months to sharing my best tips and tricks to help you take off! 

Now, before I get too far into all this advice – I have an important DISCLAIMER.  I want you to know I am not a health care provider.  I am just a gal that lived with obesity for three decades and finally discovered the secret to why, no matter what I tried, I could not keep excess weight off my body!  I am here to share my journey and how I reached a healthy weight and metabolism I will maintain for life. 

I want you to get your doctor involved in your healthy journey. Especially if you are taking medications for anything – you will need to be closely monitored.  This is COMMON and STANDARD advice anytime you start a new dietary protocol.  I have found three doctors to support and monitor my Keto lifestyle.  My functional medicine MD, my cardiologist, and my pulmonary MD (sleep specialist).  You may have to search for a doctor to work with you or you may have to ask your doctor to spend some time researching the low-carb, healthy fat lifestyle.  But get one on board your Keto or LCHF train! Got it?

Is the Keto or LCHF diet right for you?  I can’t answer that for you – but I can suggest you spend a lot of time researching and discuss with your doctor.  You can read my September blog series “Keto Heals” to discover all the benefits I have realized.  You can read mine and other’s success stories on Diet Doctor.  Can you relate?  The secret to unlocking your obesity and other metabolic dysfunction could be in the low-carb lifestyle.

Welcome back my FBFs!

One of my absolute favorite things to tell people is “I am a FAT-BURNING MACHINE”!  I mean, really, it’s your goal, right?  After thirty years of trying to become this machine, I have finally arrived!

Given my history, I am pretty serious about being a fat-burning machine.

One of my goals while eating a ketogenic diet was fat-adaption.  This is the state in which your body has switched from relying on glucose as the constant source of energy.  As you begin to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, your very smart body will begin adapting to an alternate form of energy – FAT.

I encourage you to strive to become a fat-burning machine!  As you become fat adapted, you will start burning fat for fuel and you will suddenly realize you are no longer craving carbs.  This will be a big light bulb moment in your life and something to celebrate. I’m one hundred percent certain this is how God created our bodies to function, too!

Burning glucose (sugar) goes hand in hand with the Standard American Diet (SAD).  You more than likely know the ups and downs of being a sugar burner.  I call it the rollercoaster.  Or the “crash and burn”.  You know what I’m talking about.  The round the clock need for fuel in the form of sugar.  The constant need to eat.  It’s a vicious cycle you can BREAK!

I’ve done it!  I promise it can be done.  I am a fat-burning machine and I am fat adapted. I’ve quit sugar, starches, wheat and grains, and processed foods.  My cravings for carbs is completely eliminated.  I am FREE! Plus, my body is in a constant state of burning FAT for FUEL.  Win, win!

Three quick tips to help you achieve this fat adaption state of being:

1. Establish an eating window and incorporate some Intermittent Fasting into your daily routine.I will blog more about Intermittent Fasting soon – but the main goal is to keep your insulin low, so your body is in fat burning, not fat storing, mode.  My normal day involves an eating window of 6 hours – I eat lunch around 11am to noon, and then I have dinner around 5 or 6pm.  Then I am done eating for the day.
2. Consider this eating window above, work towards NO SNACKING. Again, the goal is to keep your insulin low and stable.  Every time you eat your insulin will spike, potentially leading to fat storing.  Your meals should be filled with healthy fats to keep you satiated until your next meal, thus eliminating the need to snack.  Snacking is the standard of the SAD diet – you are no longer following the SAD diet!
3. Keep busy to keep your mind off food. In the beginning of my journey, I had to work through my emotional eating habits.  The best way I found to do this was to keep busy with little projects around the house.  My house benefited from the purging and organizing!

What kind of benefits will fat adaption give you?  Well, to name a few:

• Ah-mazing energy 24/7
• Losing weight and/or inches
• Ability to last through periods of time if food is scarce or you’re unable to eat
• Longevity in fat-burning state of being (meaning once you’re fat adapted – if you go overboard in carb consumption during a meal, it may do very little damage. Your body will quickly return to the fat ADAPTED state).

Hopefully this inspires you toward your goal of being a fat burning machine!  Have you made it there yet?  Do you have any tricks you’ve used to achieve fat adaption?  I would love to hear your experiences and stories in the comments below.

REMINDER:

On my Subscriber Resources page, I’ve created a resource titled “Christine’s Top 20 Keto/LCHF Let’s Get Started Tips and Tricks”.  I’ve highlighted my favorite tips and will expand on them throughout this month.  I’ve also left a blank page in the document to write your own list on what you will do to get started.

I’ve also posted an excel spreadsheet to help you track your blood test results.

To access the resources, you have to be an email subscriber.  Head on down the page and sign up!

You will see another resource on my Subscriber Resource page.  I am a strong advocate for setting goals.  In fact, I mention this a lot and I’ve blogged about it here:  Goals – Define Yours and Change Your Life with Keto or LCHF.  If you want to see results, you have to start with setting goals.

Stick around this month and I’ll do my best to guide you if you decide to jump on board the Keto train (or low-carb, healthy fats)!  It’s a journey I’m so blessed to have made!

Other posts in this “Getting Started” series:

Getting Started {Top 20 Checklist}

Favorite Resources {Doctors and Scientists in the Low-Carb Community}

Labs and Tests {Health Markers to Track}

Intermittent Fasting {AKA Time Restricted Eating}

Don’t forget to sign up below to gain access to the subscriber resources.

I’ve created a free resource for you with my favorite five tips for your weight loss success. Grab it here:
5 Tips to Jumpstart Your Health and Wellness Journey