Author: Bonnie NedrowMost people tend to think that they need to eat frequently to have energy. However, if we eat every time we need fuel, we lose our ability to burn body fat. Now bear with me here. I’m not about to suggest starving yourself is an effective or healthy way of burning fat either. What I am saying is, when you eat carbohydrates every few hours, your body becomes dependent on carbs for fuel.
In order to burn fat we need to train our bodies to be more flexible in the way it burns calories. Rather than waiting for those carbohydrates to come in, we can teach our bodies to burn its other fuel source: fat.
This ability for our bodies to easily vacillate between fuel sources is what we call metabolic flexibility. By being metabolically flexible we can begin to use calories from a recent meal when in a fed state, while burning body fat when fuel from food runs out. In essence, to create metabolic flexibility, you will need to actively train your body to burn fat.
The easiest way to do this is with a ketogenic diet.
A ketogenic diet is very low in carbs and is a way to help us send a signal to the liver to make more ketones (little balls of fat made in the liver). Most cells in your body can burn ketones for energy. Once you make enough ketones, cells in your muscles and brain start to burn them. Eventually, as your body learns to burn ketones, your kidneys stop getting rid of them – leaving you with an active source of fuel to burn. This metabolic rewiring, called Keto-adaptation, takes about 8-12 weeks to complete.
Why Keto-adapt?
The obvious and most common reason to Keto-adapt is to lose weight and increase energy. Athletes use a ketogenic diet to enhance their performance, increase resilience and to build muscle. But it’s not just body builders and runners who benefit. People of all ages and activity levels can optimize body composition and exercise performance.
Other reported benefits of metabolic flexibility are better sleep, mental clarity, hormonal regulation, and lower blood pressure. A low carb diet is great for treating high blood sugar; in addition it helps people with low blood sugar avoid the cranky blood sugar crash.
The other benefit of Keto-adapting? DETOX
Every day we are exposed to thousands of toxic compounds. Some of these are water-soluble – which are fairly simple for us to eliminate. Others are fat-soluble. These are more difficult to be rid of as they nefariously nestle within our fat cells – which, as we know tend to stick around for much longer than we’d like. With the Keto-Cleanse we target those fat cells, freeing toxins to be better eliminated through our blood stream.
Who is a great candidate for a Keto-Cleanse?
- those interested in weight-loss
- folks looking to reduce their toxic burden
- women seeking a smooth transition into menopause
- partners hoping to set the stage for healthy conception & pregnancy
- those interested in clearer mental performance
- those managing inflammatory & autoimmune conditions
- those seeking blood pressure and blood sugar regulation
Interested in learning more?
Join one of Dr. Bonnie’s Train your Body to Burn Fat introductory classes at Farmacopia Thursday, January 25th from 6:15-7:45 p.m. or Saturday, January 27th from 9-10:30 am. She will tell you all about the process plus will be available to answer any specific questions you may have.
To register, sign up at HERE. Class is $10. Seating is limited to the first 20 registrants.
Dr. Bonnie is a board-certified Naturopathic Doctor with 17 years of experience as a primary-care naturopath in Oregon and California. She supports her patients in overcoming disease, losing weight and achieving lifelong health.