Burn Fat NOT Carbs – Signs You’re Becoming Fat Adapted

Burn Fat NOT Carbs – Signs You’re Becoming Fat Adapted

Video | Reduced Carb Cravings | Stable Energy | Reduced Hunger | Easier Fat Loss | Decreased HbA1c | Stable Moods | Presence of Ketones | Takeaway

There are two main fuels your body runs on: carbohydrates and fat. 

Carbohydrates are an easy fuel source, and all of your cells can utilize the glucose that comes from them. But carbs burn up quickly and are only stored in small amounts. If you are carb-adapted, meaning carbs are the primary fuel your body runs on, energy doesn’t last long, and hunger and cravings become a regular occurrence because your body is asking for more fuel. 

When you reduce that easy fuel source, your body is forced to draw energy from body fat storage or utilize dietary fats for energy. There are many perks that come from reaching this fat-adapted state, and anyone can get there by changing their food choices and eating schedule. But how do you know you’re on your way? This blog post shares seven signs you are becoming fat-adapted. 

Signs of Fat Adaptation


  • Reduced Carb Cravings
  • Stable Energy
  • Reduced Hunger Between Meals
  • Easier Fat Loss 
  • Decreased HbA1c (A1C)
  • Stable Moods
  • Presence of Ketones

Burn Fat NOT Carbs – Signs You’re Becoming Fat Adapted [Video]

https://youtu.be/VvRnu0QX560

In this video, you’ll learn…

  • What it means to be “fat adapted.”
  • The benefits of a fat adapted body.
  • Seven signs you have become fat adapted.

Getting Fat Adapted

Dr. Stephen Phinney, who is credited with coining the term, states that fat adaptation occurs when you have restricted carbs enough to induce an increase in fat burning.

Carbohydrate restriction is achieved by following a low-carb diet, and you can help the process along by depleting stored glucose, or glycogen, through intermittent fasting and exercise. 

But this shift takes time because your cells must actually adapt to burning fat by producing new enzymes and pathways. 

Therefore, you have to be consistent with your diet and stay motivated. One of the keys to staying motivated is seeing continual evidence that your plan is working. Here are the signs to watch for that indicate your body is becoming fat adapted.  

Signs of Fat Adaptation

Keep in mind that fat adaptation is an actual change that takes place in the tiny mitochondria of your cells. There is literally a shift in the mitochondrial machinery, if you will, to the point where they are now set up to burn fat more efficiently or at least as efficiently as carbohydrates. 

With that new flexibility, there is no longer a demand for dietary carbohydrates. It makes sense that your desire for carbohydrates goes down when you are fat adapted. 

Sign #1: Reduced Carb Cravings

Therefore, the first sign of fat adaptation is decreased cravings for sugar and refined carbohydrates. 

The intensity of a craving cannot be objectively measured. However, you will notice a distinct change, and it is very freeing when it occurs. 

Sugar and refined carbs are very sweet. When you spend time away from them, you not only reset your mitochondrial machinery but also allow your taste buds and brain chemistry to recover from the intensely sweet assault of these processed carbs, and you will no longer desire them like you once did. 

Granted, these foods are addictive, so I am not telling you that they will suddenly repulse you. But you will desire them less and develop a calm, take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward sweets. 

Sign #1: Reduced Carb Cravings

Sign #2: Stable Energy

When you are carb-adapted, you have energy, but it burns up quickly, so you feel the need to constantly eat. Living in a carb-adapted body is like driving a big vehicle with poor gas mileage. The vehicle has power and energy, but it needs to stop at the gas station often to refuel. 

When you restrict carbs enough to induce a fat-adapted state, your metabolism runs more like a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle. When fuel is not coming in from your diet, your metabolism can shift to running on its alternative fuel, which is body fat. 

The result is that you experience sustained energy all day long. You’ll notice that you’re not falling asleep at your desk in the afternoon or daydreaming about eating because anytime your body needs energy, it can tap into fat storage.

Sign #2: Stable Energy

Sign #3: Reduced Hunger Between Meals

That constant access to energy takes away episodes of ravenous hunger that come when carbs are used up, and you need more fuel. 

A fat-adapted body always has access to energy, so hunger diminishes between meals, making it easier to practice intermittent fasting and avoid snacking. Those breaks from eating also keep insulin levels low, making it easier for fat to be released from fat cells.

That is often a desired outcome, but low insulin levels also allow water to be released from glycogen stores in your muscles and liver. That water flushes out of your body, and electrolytes travel along with it. Keep in mind that, as you move toward fat adaptation, you want to replace water and electrolytes (i.e., sodium, potassium, magnesium). 

Sign #3: Reduced Hunger Between Meals

Sign #4: Easier Fat Loss 

The actions that move you toward fat adaptation, namely eating a low-carb diet, practicing intermittent fasting, and exercising, keep insulin levels low. 

A nickname for insulin is the fat-storing hormone. When it is high, your body stores fat. When it is low, fat can be released from fat cells. 

The consistently low insulin levels that come from being fat-adapted strongly support fat loss. But here again, it takes time. Any whole-food diet (i.e., Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean) will lower insulin and cause water weight to flush out within a few days. That looks good on the scale, but you need to stick with the diet to reach fat-adaptation. 

How long that takes depends on your metabolism and lifestyle, but most people can reach a fat-adapted state within four to six weeks. To stay motivated, you can set a goal to lower your HbA1c.

Sign #4 Easier Fat Loss

Sign # 5: Decreased HbA1c (A1C)

HbA1c, or simply A1C, measures your average blood sugar (glucose) levels over the past 2–3 months and is used to monitor and diagnose diabetes. 

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a person without diabetes has an A1C level below 5.7 percent. A person with diabetes has an A1C of 6.5 or above. In between those two figures, a person is classified as having pre-diabetes.

Fat adaptation often leads to decreased blood sugar fluctuations, contributing to a lower A1C level.

While you can have a normal A1C without being fat-adapted, seeing it go down means you are heading toward that state. 

Sign # 5: Decreased HbA1c (A1C)

Sign #6: Stable Moods

Many fat-adapted individuals report more stable moods. This is related to A1C because mood swings are often associated with blood sugar swings. 

When you are dependent on carbs, your blood sugar is constantly going up and down because you need frequent fueling. When blood sugar is low, you can feel anxious and irritable. 

With fat adaptation, the energy is always there, so blood sugar and moods stay steady. 

Sign #6: Stable Moods

Sign #7: Presence of Ketones

Like A1C, ketones are another marker that can indicate you are becoming fat adapted. However, ketosis and fat adaptation are not the same thing. 

While you may detect ketones in your blood or urine (ketosis) shortly after reducing carbs, fat adaptation typically requires weeks to months of sustained low-carb or ketogenic eating. 

If you detect ketones, you are moving in the right direction, but you’ll also want to see some of the other signs that indicate fat adaptation. 

Also, it’s important to note that ketones are normal compounds that show up in your body when the body’s primary fuel, glucose, is running low. 

Following a keto diet is an effective way to coax your body to make ketones, but it is not the only way. Any action that sufficiently depletes glucose & glycogen stores will result in the production of ketones. These actions include fasting alone or paired with a low-carb diet and exercise. 

Sign #7: Presence of Ketones

Takeaway

You can become fat adapted by restricting your carb intake enough to induce an increase in fat burning. Practicing intermittent fasting and exercising can help the process along by depleting stored glucose. 

Keep in mind that you are unique, and your health history is yours alone. Therefore, you may notice some, but not all, of these signs. 

Also remember that you are making adaptations to your mitochondrial machinery, switching it from being a good carb burner to being a good fat burner.

That takes time and effort, and you may feel worse before you feel better, but stay consistent, and within four to six weeks, you will be seeing the signs of fat adaptation, including a reduction in carb cravings, stable energy, reduced hunger between meals, easier fat loss, decreased HbA1c, stable moods, and the presence of ketones. 

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!

About the Author

Becky Gillaspy, DC, is the author of The Intermittent Fasting Guide and Cookbook and Zero Sugar / One Month. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.

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