Personal trainer says no carbs til dinner

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  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.

    The word you are adding: body

    I am so confused right now. Where is anyone adding body? You have claimed several times to burn body fat faster than non-fat adapted people. Is that not what you are saying?

    I can see that you are confused. That is not exactly what I am saying, as it is taken out of context by separating body fat from dietary fat. I'm saying I burn all fat faster, from all sources. Does that include body fat? Yes. Does that include dietary fat? Yes. The implication GottaBurn is making is that I'm suggesting I ONLY burn body fat faster. In fact, the source of the fat is irrelevant to the point that I use fat faster. I've linked to scientific articles to explain that faster use.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Options
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.
    SideSteel wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    um... I'll go against the grain here...

    NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

    This. (P.S. Nice link GauchoMark)

    Regulating insulin levels to optimize fat burning is not "bro science".

    Your trainer may not have explained the reasoning behind his logic because he's just trying to direct you in the most efficient manner possible. So it's up to you to engage him in a more detailed conversation as to the reasons why. Before determining if this guy is "stupid", as so many posters are ready to label him, I'd ask him for a reason why he wants you to do this and see if his reasons match up with science.

    You want to lose fat, so you want to keep your insulin levels low for as long as possible during the day. Generally speaking, "carbs" are the main culprit for insulin levels to spike. This is a good thing after a workout (insulin release - read Gaucho's link), but not during the remainder of the day while you're trying to burn as much fat as possible by being in a caloric deficit.

    That said, all carbs are not the same. It is the glycemic index of carbs that you want to pay attention to. The GI level of a carbohydrate tells you how fast it is digested. The higher the number, the faster it is digested, and the more likely to raise insulin levels. Higher insulin levels mean the fat-burning mode is shut off while the body preps for nutrient uptake.

    What this means is that you don't have to cut out carbs until dinner if you wish to eat low-GI carbs during the day.

    Ask your trainer if he is okay with you eating low-GI carbs during breakfast/lunch/snacks. If regulating insulin levels is the reason for his terse advice, he should be okay with this, and will likely laud you for doing some homework on the subject.




    protein can also spike insulin as well.not to mention you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    Even yet, protein "spikes" are nothing like carb spikes. That is why "spikes" is in quotes. GI doesn't make as much difference as a lot of people think either... you can do so much more to reduce the spike by just pairing the carbs with protein and fat.

    Also, it is possible to increase how much fat you can burn at a time. That isn't unlimited, of course, but can increase quite significantly. Just have to become fat adapted, which won't happen if you load up on carbs (even low GI carbs) every evening.

    hmm well I lost a lot of fat eating a lot of carbs,its all due to a calorie deficit.so you are basically telling me to go keto? low carb? because with my health issue low carb/keto is a no no.

    You misunderstood. Nowhere did I say it is impossible to lose fat while eating carbs. What I said is that those of us who are fat adapted burn fat more quickly than people who are not fat adapted.

    What that means is that I burn fat (both dietary and body fat) faster than most. I also eat a lot more fat than if I were dieting with the same calorie level and eating a lot of carbs. Of course if that were the case, I would then burn the glucose from carbs first and would not need to burn fat.

    ETA: I'm curious what health issue you have where low carb is a problem. Would you mind sharing?

    I've bolded the part you wrote that you apparently didn't write.

    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do. That doesn't automatically mean I lose body fat faster than the someone not fat adapted under otherwise similar circumstances with more carb intake and less fat intake (same calories).

    Don't confuse "burn" for "lose."

    I also provided clarification:
    Are we confusing/conflating dietary fat with body fat here? Because when and how the body uses fats for energy as opposed to carbs is kind of irrelevant to body fat loss no? You're not magically "burning" more stored body fat just by virtue of not having eaten any carbs that meal.

    Are you responding to me? My point about burning fat is that those of us who are fat adapted are capable of using fat for energy at a higher rate than those who are not fat adapted. Of course that also means that the other person, who is physiologically the same otherwise, not fat adapted is going to utilize other energy sources instead (glucose, glycogen) at higher rates than the fat adapted person. In a long endurance competition (ultra-marathon, for example), that non fat adapted person is going to see a performance reduction if they don't fuel... usually with carbs. That's the whole point of GU packs for such athletes.... carbs for fuel because that is what they need. Fat adapted athletes will either eat fat or use body fat at a higher rate and can avoid the need for constant carb introduction.

    For the fat adapted person who is not participating in an endurance competition, they still burn more fat (not necessarily body fat because it depends on if they recently consumed fat) than the non-fat adapted person in a similar circumstance. It isn't magic. It's just that a person who consumes carbs regularly and has excess glucose from recent carb consumption is going to use carbs for energy first. The fat adapted person who doesn't have excess glucose because they didn't recently consume carbs is going to use something else for energy first... the fat adapted person who recently at fat is using that.

    Notice how I haven't said that any of this negates calories? It's a question of how those calories are used and when they are used based on which macros make those calories up, the ability (adaptation) of a person to use different energy sources (glucose, glycogen, protein, and fat - protein and fat potentially coming from diet and potentially coming from our body), and their energy needs (someone competing in an endurance competition vs. a daily desk job). My point was in response to:
    you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    If you're burning more bodyfat but not losing more bodyfat it means you're also packing on more bodyfat. Is that what you're saying?

    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat. I don't use as much glucose from carbs for energy and don't add much (if any) fat from glucose. The energy in and energy out is from different sources and flows in different ways. What I'm not saying is that I will lose fat faster. Overall, calories are still important, but the different macros are used in different ways. Since I'm fat adapted, I'm burning fat faster than someone not fat adapted. That doesn't automatically mean I burn BODY FAT vs. DIETARY FAT or that I LOSE FAT any faster.

    If you claim you burn body fat faster but you don't lose body fat faster, it means that at the same time you're packing on more bodyfat.

    X (bodyfat lost) = (Y)bodyfat burned - (Z)bodyfat gained

    If X is equal in two people you get

    Y - Z = (Y+extra) - Z(+extra)

    So is that what you're saying? Because that is what you've said means.

    No, I'm saying I burn fat faster. All fat. I also eat a lot more fat than the comparison person eating a lot more carbs rather than fat. I'm not losing body fat faster. You are ignoring dietary fat.

    You said you burn both dietary fat and body fat faster.
    If you burn it faster at the same calorie intake you'd lose more overall bodyfat.
    You're saying you don't lose bodyfat faster.
    Ergo you must gain more bodyfat too.

    This is literally your words I'm using here. There is nothing to ignore, this is literally what you've said.

    It still looks like there is a misunderstanding here.

    Assume I'm using 2,000 Calories /day and eating 1,800 Calories (ignoring glycogen in both examples and assuming consumption timing is such to prevent additional movement/conversion prior to use):

    Fat adapted, eating 1,800 Calories of fat: I burn 2,000 calories of fat in a day, 1,800 from dietary fat and 200 from body fat.

    Not fat adapted, eating 1,800 calories of carbs: I burn 1,800 calories of carbs and 200 calories of fat, from body fat.

    2,000 Calories of fat use is burning fat, from all sources, faster than 200 Calories of fat use over the same time period. I will repeat, once again, that I'm not saying I lose fat any faster. I just burn it faster.

    What does any of this have to do with your claim to burn it "faster"?

    How are we misunderstanding you?

    In this case, it's still taking you the whole day to burn that fat. How is that faster? You want us to say... oh, he's burning 2000 calories of fat over a whole day instead of 200 so that's fast? Do you think that matters when the net result 200 in body fat in both scenarios and you're not burning body fat any faster?

    And the bottom line, do you think that matters to the OP?

    See the articles I cited previously.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Options
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    AAs explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.

    The word you are adding: body

    You said you burn both types of fat faster. I'm not adding anything.
    As I explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    Yes, I burn fat faster, from all sources. You just chose to ignore the dietary fat part.

    Are you burning bodyfat faster or not? You keep switching it up. How many calories does that burn?

    I burn fat faster, regardless of the source.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Options
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    AAs explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.

    The word you are adding: body

    You said you burn both types of fat faster. I'm not adding anything.
    As I explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    Yes, I burn fat faster, from all sources. You just chose to ignore the dietary fat part.

    Are you burning bodyfat faster or not? You keep switching it up. How many calories does that burn?

    I burn fat faster, regardless of the source.

    And that includes bodyfat, right?

    Then how come in your example here
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.
    SideSteel wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    um... I'll go against the grain here...

    NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

    This. (P.S. Nice link GauchoMark)

    Regulating insulin levels to optimize fat burning is not "bro science".

    Your trainer may not have explained the reasoning behind his logic because he's just trying to direct you in the most efficient manner possible. So it's up to you to engage him in a more detailed conversation as to the reasons why. Before determining if this guy is "stupid", as so many posters are ready to label him, I'd ask him for a reason why he wants you to do this and see if his reasons match up with science.

    You want to lose fat, so you want to keep your insulin levels low for as long as possible during the day. Generally speaking, "carbs" are the main culprit for insulin levels to spike. This is a good thing after a workout (insulin release - read Gaucho's link), but not during the remainder of the day while you're trying to burn as much fat as possible by being in a caloric deficit.

    That said, all carbs are not the same. It is the glycemic index of carbs that you want to pay attention to. The GI level of a carbohydrate tells you how fast it is digested. The higher the number, the faster it is digested, and the more likely to raise insulin levels. Higher insulin levels mean the fat-burning mode is shut off while the body preps for nutrient uptake.

    What this means is that you don't have to cut out carbs until dinner if you wish to eat low-GI carbs during the day.

    Ask your trainer if he is okay with you eating low-GI carbs during breakfast/lunch/snacks. If regulating insulin levels is the reason for his terse advice, he should be okay with this, and will likely laud you for doing some homework on the subject.




    protein can also spike insulin as well.not to mention you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    Even yet, protein "spikes" are nothing like carb spikes. That is why "spikes" is in quotes. GI doesn't make as much difference as a lot of people think either... you can do so much more to reduce the spike by just pairing the carbs with protein and fat.

    Also, it is possible to increase how much fat you can burn at a time. That isn't unlimited, of course, but can increase quite significantly. Just have to become fat adapted, which won't happen if you load up on carbs (even low GI carbs) every evening.

    hmm well I lost a lot of fat eating a lot of carbs,its all due to a calorie deficit.so you are basically telling me to go keto? low carb? because with my health issue low carb/keto is a no no.

    You misunderstood. Nowhere did I say it is impossible to lose fat while eating carbs. What I said is that those of us who are fat adapted burn fat more quickly than people who are not fat adapted.

    What that means is that I burn fat (both dietary and body fat) faster than most. I also eat a lot more fat than if I were dieting with the same calorie level and eating a lot of carbs. Of course if that were the case, I would then burn the glucose from carbs first and would not need to burn fat.

    ETA: I'm curious what health issue you have where low carb is a problem. Would you mind sharing?

    I've bolded the part you wrote that you apparently didn't write.

    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do. That doesn't automatically mean I lose body fat faster than the someone not fat adapted under otherwise similar circumstances with more carb intake and less fat intake (same calories).

    Don't confuse "burn" for "lose."

    I also provided clarification:
    Are we confusing/conflating dietary fat with body fat here? Because when and how the body uses fats for energy as opposed to carbs is kind of irrelevant to body fat loss no? You're not magically "burning" more stored body fat just by virtue of not having eaten any carbs that meal.

    Are you responding to me? My point about burning fat is that those of us who are fat adapted are capable of using fat for energy at a higher rate than those who are not fat adapted. Of course that also means that the other person, who is physiologically the same otherwise, not fat adapted is going to utilize other energy sources instead (glucose, glycogen) at higher rates than the fat adapted person. In a long endurance competition (ultra-marathon, for example), that non fat adapted person is going to see a performance reduction if they don't fuel... usually with carbs. That's the whole point of GU packs for such athletes.... carbs for fuel because that is what they need. Fat adapted athletes will either eat fat or use body fat at a higher rate and can avoid the need for constant carb introduction.

    For the fat adapted person who is not participating in an endurance competition, they still burn more fat (not necessarily body fat because it depends on if they recently consumed fat) than the non-fat adapted person in a similar circumstance. It isn't magic. It's just that a person who consumes carbs regularly and has excess glucose from recent carb consumption is going to use carbs for energy first. The fat adapted person who doesn't have excess glucose because they didn't recently consume carbs is going to use something else for energy first... the fat adapted person who recently at fat is using that.

    Notice how I haven't said that any of this negates calories? It's a question of how those calories are used and when they are used based on which macros make those calories up, the ability (adaptation) of a person to use different energy sources (glucose, glycogen, protein, and fat - protein and fat potentially coming from diet and potentially coming from our body), and their energy needs (someone competing in an endurance competition vs. a daily desk job). My point was in response to:
    you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    If you're burning more bodyfat but not losing more bodyfat it means you're also packing on more bodyfat. Is that what you're saying?

    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat. I don't use as much glucose from carbs for energy and don't add much (if any) fat from glucose. The energy in and energy out is from different sources and flows in different ways. What I'm not saying is that I will lose fat faster. Overall, calories are still important, but the different macros are used in different ways. Since I'm fat adapted, I'm burning fat faster than someone not fat adapted. That doesn't automatically mean I burn BODY FAT vs. DIETARY FAT or that I LOSE FAT any faster.

    If you claim you burn body fat faster but you don't lose body fat faster, it means that at the same time you're packing on more bodyfat.

    X (bodyfat lost) = (Y)bodyfat burned - (Z)bodyfat gained

    If X is equal in two people you get

    Y - Z = (Y+extra) - Z(+extra)

    So is that what you're saying? Because that is what you've said means.

    No, I'm saying I burn fat faster. All fat. I also eat a lot more fat than the comparison person eating a lot more carbs rather than fat. I'm not losing body fat faster. You are ignoring dietary fat.

    You said you burn both dietary fat and body fat faster.
    If you burn it faster at the same calorie intake you'd lose more overall bodyfat.
    You're saying you don't lose bodyfat faster.
    Ergo you must gain more bodyfat too.

    This is literally your words I'm using here. There is nothing to ignore, this is literally what you've said.

    It still looks like there is a misunderstanding here.

    Assume I'm using 2,000 Calories /day and eating 1,800 Calories (ignoring glycogen in both examples and assuming consumption timing is such to prevent additional movement/conversion prior to use):

    Fat adapted, eating 1,800 Calories of fat: I burn 2,000 calories of fat in a day, 1,800 from dietary fat and 200 from body fat.

    Not fat adapted, eating 1,800 calories of carbs: I burn 1,800 calories of carbs and 200 calories of fat, from body fat.

    2,000 Calories of fat use is burning fat, from all sources, faster than 200 Calories of fat use over the same time period. I will repeat, once again, that I'm not saying I lose fat any faster. I just burn it faster.


    Both the fat adapted and not fat adapted person burned the same amount of bodyfat at the same calorie intake? Seems like you don't.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    edited December 2016
    Options
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    AAs explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.

    The word you are adding: body

    You said you burn both types of fat faster. I'm not adding anything.
    As I explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    Yes, I burn fat faster, from all sources. You just chose to ignore the dietary fat part.

    Are you burning bodyfat faster or not? You keep switching it up. How many calories does that burn?

    I burn fat faster, regardless of the source.

    And that includes bodyfat, right?

    Then how come in your example here
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.
    SideSteel wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    um... I'll go against the grain here...

    NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

    This. (P.S. Nice link GauchoMark)

    Regulating insulin levels to optimize fat burning is not "bro science".

    Your trainer may not have explained the reasoning behind his logic because he's just trying to direct you in the most efficient manner possible. So it's up to you to engage him in a more detailed conversation as to the reasons why. Before determining if this guy is "stupid", as so many posters are ready to label him, I'd ask him for a reason why he wants you to do this and see if his reasons match up with science.

    You want to lose fat, so you want to keep your insulin levels low for as long as possible during the day. Generally speaking, "carbs" are the main culprit for insulin levels to spike. This is a good thing after a workout (insulin release - read Gaucho's link), but not during the remainder of the day while you're trying to burn as much fat as possible by being in a caloric deficit.

    That said, all carbs are not the same. It is the glycemic index of carbs that you want to pay attention to. The GI level of a carbohydrate tells you how fast it is digested. The higher the number, the faster it is digested, and the more likely to raise insulin levels. Higher insulin levels mean the fat-burning mode is shut off while the body preps for nutrient uptake.

    What this means is that you don't have to cut out carbs until dinner if you wish to eat low-GI carbs during the day.

    Ask your trainer if he is okay with you eating low-GI carbs during breakfast/lunch/snacks. If regulating insulin levels is the reason for his terse advice, he should be okay with this, and will likely laud you for doing some homework on the subject.




    protein can also spike insulin as well.not to mention you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    Even yet, protein "spikes" are nothing like carb spikes. That is why "spikes" is in quotes. GI doesn't make as much difference as a lot of people think either... you can do so much more to reduce the spike by just pairing the carbs with protein and fat.

    Also, it is possible to increase how much fat you can burn at a time. That isn't unlimited, of course, but can increase quite significantly. Just have to become fat adapted, which won't happen if you load up on carbs (even low GI carbs) every evening.

    hmm well I lost a lot of fat eating a lot of carbs,its all due to a calorie deficit.so you are basically telling me to go keto? low carb? because with my health issue low carb/keto is a no no.

    You misunderstood. Nowhere did I say it is impossible to lose fat while eating carbs. What I said is that those of us who are fat adapted burn fat more quickly than people who are not fat adapted.

    What that means is that I burn fat (both dietary and body fat) faster than most. I also eat a lot more fat than if I were dieting with the same calorie level and eating a lot of carbs. Of course if that were the case, I would then burn the glucose from carbs first and would not need to burn fat.

    ETA: I'm curious what health issue you have where low carb is a problem. Would you mind sharing?

    I've bolded the part you wrote that you apparently didn't write.

    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do. That doesn't automatically mean I lose body fat faster than the someone not fat adapted under otherwise similar circumstances with more carb intake and less fat intake (same calories).

    Don't confuse "burn" for "lose."

    I also provided clarification:
    Are we confusing/conflating dietary fat with body fat here? Because when and how the body uses fats for energy as opposed to carbs is kind of irrelevant to body fat loss no? You're not magically "burning" more stored body fat just by virtue of not having eaten any carbs that meal.

    Are you responding to me? My point about burning fat is that those of us who are fat adapted are capable of using fat for energy at a higher rate than those who are not fat adapted. Of course that also means that the other person, who is physiologically the same otherwise, not fat adapted is going to utilize other energy sources instead (glucose, glycogen) at higher rates than the fat adapted person. In a long endurance competition (ultra-marathon, for example), that non fat adapted person is going to see a performance reduction if they don't fuel... usually with carbs. That's the whole point of GU packs for such athletes.... carbs for fuel because that is what they need. Fat adapted athletes will either eat fat or use body fat at a higher rate and can avoid the need for constant carb introduction.

    For the fat adapted person who is not participating in an endurance competition, they still burn more fat (not necessarily body fat because it depends on if they recently consumed fat) than the non-fat adapted person in a similar circumstance. It isn't magic. It's just that a person who consumes carbs regularly and has excess glucose from recent carb consumption is going to use carbs for energy first. The fat adapted person who doesn't have excess glucose because they didn't recently consume carbs is going to use something else for energy first... the fat adapted person who recently at fat is using that.

    Notice how I haven't said that any of this negates calories? It's a question of how those calories are used and when they are used based on which macros make those calories up, the ability (adaptation) of a person to use different energy sources (glucose, glycogen, protein, and fat - protein and fat potentially coming from diet and potentially coming from our body), and their energy needs (someone competing in an endurance competition vs. a daily desk job). My point was in response to:
    you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    If you're burning more bodyfat but not losing more bodyfat it means you're also packing on more bodyfat. Is that what you're saying?

    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat. I don't use as much glucose from carbs for energy and don't add much (if any) fat from glucose. The energy in and energy out is from different sources and flows in different ways. What I'm not saying is that I will lose fat faster. Overall, calories are still important, but the different macros are used in different ways. Since I'm fat adapted, I'm burning fat faster than someone not fat adapted. That doesn't automatically mean I burn BODY FAT vs. DIETARY FAT or that I LOSE FAT any faster.

    If you claim you burn body fat faster but you don't lose body fat faster, it means that at the same time you're packing on more bodyfat.

    X (bodyfat lost) = (Y)bodyfat burned - (Z)bodyfat gained

    If X is equal in two people you get

    Y - Z = (Y+extra) - Z(+extra)

    So is that what you're saying? Because that is what you've said means.

    No, I'm saying I burn fat faster. All fat. I also eat a lot more fat than the comparison person eating a lot more carbs rather than fat. I'm not losing body fat faster. You are ignoring dietary fat.

    You said you burn both dietary fat and body fat faster.
    If you burn it faster at the same calorie intake you'd lose more overall bodyfat.
    You're saying you don't lose bodyfat faster.
    Ergo you must gain more bodyfat too.

    This is literally your words I'm using here. There is nothing to ignore, this is literally what you've said.

    It still looks like there is a misunderstanding here.

    Assume I'm using 2,000 Calories /day and eating 1,800 Calories (ignoring glycogen in both examples and assuming consumption timing is such to prevent additional movement/conversion prior to use):

    Fat adapted, eating 1,800 Calories of fat: I burn 2,000 calories of fat in a day, 1,800 from dietary fat and 200 from body fat.

    Not fat adapted, eating 1,800 calories of carbs: I burn 1,800 calories of carbs and 200 calories of fat, from body fat.

    2,000 Calories of fat use is burning fat, from all sources, faster than 200 Calories of fat use over the same time period. I will repeat, once again, that I'm not saying I lose fat any faster. I just burn it faster.


    Both the fat adapted and not fat adapted person burned the same amount of bodyfat at the same calorie intake? Seems like you don't.

    Again, this is where you are misunderstanding my point. My point is that I burn fat faster. The implication that I'm somehow not burning any dietary fat, but instead burning through my own body fat exclusively seems to be what a lot of people are reading that isn't there.

    Source of fat in my example: Diet and body
    Use of fat in my example: 2,000 Calories per day

    Source of fat in my other example: Body
    Use of fat in my other example: 200 Calories per day

    The fat-adapted person is burning / using fat faster... fat from all sources.

    ETA: I see a lot of people arguing with me over something that I don't think we disagree about, and I'm confused as to why you would argue that. Perhaps if you could all clarify your argument as I've clarified my point in many different ways. I'm not sure how I can be much more clear, so I'm going to suggest you be more clear in what you don't agree about.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Options
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.
    SideSteel wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    um... I'll go against the grain here...

    NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

    This. (P.S. Nice link GauchoMark)

    Regulating insulin levels to optimize fat burning is not "bro science".

    Your trainer may not have explained the reasoning behind his logic because he's just trying to direct you in the most efficient manner possible. So it's up to you to engage him in a more detailed conversation as to the reasons why. Before determining if this guy is "stupid", as so many posters are ready to label him, I'd ask him for a reason why he wants you to do this and see if his reasons match up with science.

    You want to lose fat, so you want to keep your insulin levels low for as long as possible during the day. Generally speaking, "carbs" are the main culprit for insulin levels to spike. This is a good thing after a workout (insulin release - read Gaucho's link), but not during the remainder of the day while you're trying to burn as much fat as possible by being in a caloric deficit.

    That said, all carbs are not the same. It is the glycemic index of carbs that you want to pay attention to. The GI level of a carbohydrate tells you how fast it is digested. The higher the number, the faster it is digested, and the more likely to raise insulin levels. Higher insulin levels mean the fat-burning mode is shut off while the body preps for nutrient uptake.

    What this means is that you don't have to cut out carbs until dinner if you wish to eat low-GI carbs during the day.

    Ask your trainer if he is okay with you eating low-GI carbs during breakfast/lunch/snacks. If regulating insulin levels is the reason for his terse advice, he should be okay with this, and will likely laud you for doing some homework on the subject.




    protein can also spike insulin as well.not to mention you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    Even yet, protein "spikes" are nothing like carb spikes. That is why "spikes" is in quotes. GI doesn't make as much difference as a lot of people think either... you can do so much more to reduce the spike by just pairing the carbs with protein and fat.

    Also, it is possible to increase how much fat you can burn at a time. That isn't unlimited, of course, but can increase quite significantly. Just have to become fat adapted, which won't happen if you load up on carbs (even low GI carbs) every evening.

    hmm well I lost a lot of fat eating a lot of carbs,its all due to a calorie deficit.so you are basically telling me to go keto? low carb? because with my health issue low carb/keto is a no no.

    You misunderstood. Nowhere did I say it is impossible to lose fat while eating carbs. What I said is that those of us who are fat adapted burn fat more quickly than people who are not fat adapted.

    What that means is that I burn fat (both dietary and body fat) faster than most. I also eat a lot more fat than if I were dieting with the same calorie level and eating a lot of carbs. Of course if that were the case, I would then burn the glucose from carbs first and would not need to burn fat.

    ETA: I'm curious what health issue you have where low carb is a problem. Would you mind sharing?

    I've bolded the part you wrote that you apparently didn't write.

    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do. That doesn't automatically mean I lose body fat faster than the someone not fat adapted under otherwise similar circumstances with more carb intake and less fat intake (same calories).

    Don't confuse "burn" for "lose."

    I also provided clarification:
    Are we confusing/conflating dietary fat with body fat here? Because when and how the body uses fats for energy as opposed to carbs is kind of irrelevant to body fat loss no? You're not magically "burning" more stored body fat just by virtue of not having eaten any carbs that meal.

    Are you responding to me? My point about burning fat is that those of us who are fat adapted are capable of using fat for energy at a higher rate than those who are not fat adapted. Of course that also means that the other person, who is physiologically the same otherwise, not fat adapted is going to utilize other energy sources instead (glucose, glycogen) at higher rates than the fat adapted person. In a long endurance competition (ultra-marathon, for example), that non fat adapted person is going to see a performance reduction if they don't fuel... usually with carbs. That's the whole point of GU packs for such athletes.... carbs for fuel because that is what they need. Fat adapted athletes will either eat fat or use body fat at a higher rate and can avoid the need for constant carb introduction.

    For the fat adapted person who is not participating in an endurance competition, they still burn more fat (not necessarily body fat because it depends on if they recently consumed fat) than the non-fat adapted person in a similar circumstance. It isn't magic. It's just that a person who consumes carbs regularly and has excess glucose from recent carb consumption is going to use carbs for energy first. The fat adapted person who doesn't have excess glucose because they didn't recently consume carbs is going to use something else for energy first... the fat adapted person who recently at fat is using that.

    Notice how I haven't said that any of this negates calories? It's a question of how those calories are used and when they are used based on which macros make those calories up, the ability (adaptation) of a person to use different energy sources (glucose, glycogen, protein, and fat - protein and fat potentially coming from diet and potentially coming from our body), and their energy needs (someone competing in an endurance competition vs. a daily desk job). My point was in response to:
    you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    If you're burning more bodyfat but not losing more bodyfat it means you're also packing on more bodyfat. Is that what you're saying?

    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat. I don't use as much glucose from carbs for energy and don't add much (if any) fat from glucose. The energy in and energy out is from different sources and flows in different ways. What I'm not saying is that I will lose fat faster. Overall, calories are still important, but the different macros are used in different ways. Since I'm fat adapted, I'm burning fat faster than someone not fat adapted. That doesn't automatically mean I burn BODY FAT vs. DIETARY FAT or that I LOSE FAT any faster.

    If you claim you burn body fat faster but you don't lose body fat faster, it means that at the same time you're packing on more bodyfat.

    X (bodyfat lost) = (Y)bodyfat burned - (Z)bodyfat gained

    If X is equal in two people you get

    Y - Z = (Y+extra) - Z(+extra)

    So is that what you're saying? Because that is what you've said means.

    No, I'm saying I burn fat faster. All fat. I also eat a lot more fat than the comparison person eating a lot more carbs rather than fat. I'm not losing body fat faster. You are ignoring dietary fat.

    You said you burn both dietary fat and body fat faster.
    If you burn it faster at the same calorie intake you'd lose more overall bodyfat.
    You're saying you don't lose bodyfat faster.
    Ergo you must gain more bodyfat too.

    This is literally your words I'm using here. There is nothing to ignore, this is literally what you've said.

    It still looks like there is a misunderstanding here.

    Assume I'm using 2,000 Calories /day and eating 1,800 Calories (ignoring glycogen in both examples and assuming consumption timing is such to prevent additional movement/conversion prior to use):

    Fat adapted, eating 1,800 Calories of fat: I burn 2,000 calories of fat in a day, 1,800 from dietary fat and 200 from body fat.

    Not fat adapted, eating 1,800 calories of carbs: I burn 1,800 calories of carbs and 200 calories of fat, from body fat.

    2,000 Calories of fat use is burning fat, from all sources, faster than 200 Calories of fat use over the same time period. I will repeat, once again, that I'm not saying I lose fat any faster. I just burn it faster.

    What does any of this have to do with your claim to burn it "faster"?

    How are we misunderstanding you?

    In this case, it's still taking you the whole day to burn that fat. How is that faster? You want us to say... oh, he's burning 2000 calories of fat over a whole day instead of 200 so that's fast? Do you think that matters when the net result 200 in body fat in both scenarios and you're not burning body fat any faster?

    And the bottom line, do you think that matters to the OP?

    See the articles I cited previously.

    How exactly do they answer what I asked you?

    It's a simple question. In both of your scenarios, you're burning 200 calories of body fat a day. How is one scenario faster than the other? How do you know you're doing this anyway since you're not an elite athlete?

    How does this matter for the OP since she's not an elite athlete?
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Options
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    AAs explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.

    The word you are adding: body

    You said you burn both types of fat faster. I'm not adding anything.
    As I explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    Yes, I burn fat faster, from all sources. You just chose to ignore the dietary fat part.

    Are you burning bodyfat faster or not? You keep switching it up. How many calories does that burn?

    I burn fat faster, regardless of the source.

    And that includes bodyfat, right?

    Then how come in your example here
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.
    SideSteel wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    um... I'll go against the grain here...

    NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

    This. (P.S. Nice link GauchoMark)

    Regulating insulin levels to optimize fat burning is not "bro science".

    Your trainer may not have explained the reasoning behind his logic because he's just trying to direct you in the most efficient manner possible. So it's up to you to engage him in a more detailed conversation as to the reasons why. Before determining if this guy is "stupid", as so many posters are ready to label him, I'd ask him for a reason why he wants you to do this and see if his reasons match up with science.

    You want to lose fat, so you want to keep your insulin levels low for as long as possible during the day. Generally speaking, "carbs" are the main culprit for insulin levels to spike. This is a good thing after a workout (insulin release - read Gaucho's link), but not during the remainder of the day while you're trying to burn as much fat as possible by being in a caloric deficit.

    That said, all carbs are not the same. It is the glycemic index of carbs that you want to pay attention to. The GI level of a carbohydrate tells you how fast it is digested. The higher the number, the faster it is digested, and the more likely to raise insulin levels. Higher insulin levels mean the fat-burning mode is shut off while the body preps for nutrient uptake.

    What this means is that you don't have to cut out carbs until dinner if you wish to eat low-GI carbs during the day.

    Ask your trainer if he is okay with you eating low-GI carbs during breakfast/lunch/snacks. If regulating insulin levels is the reason for his terse advice, he should be okay with this, and will likely laud you for doing some homework on the subject.




    protein can also spike insulin as well.not to mention you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    Even yet, protein "spikes" are nothing like carb spikes. That is why "spikes" is in quotes. GI doesn't make as much difference as a lot of people think either... you can do so much more to reduce the spike by just pairing the carbs with protein and fat.

    Also, it is possible to increase how much fat you can burn at a time. That isn't unlimited, of course, but can increase quite significantly. Just have to become fat adapted, which won't happen if you load up on carbs (even low GI carbs) every evening.

    hmm well I lost a lot of fat eating a lot of carbs,its all due to a calorie deficit.so you are basically telling me to go keto? low carb? because with my health issue low carb/keto is a no no.

    You misunderstood. Nowhere did I say it is impossible to lose fat while eating carbs. What I said is that those of us who are fat adapted burn fat more quickly than people who are not fat adapted.

    What that means is that I burn fat (both dietary and body fat) faster than most. I also eat a lot more fat than if I were dieting with the same calorie level and eating a lot of carbs. Of course if that were the case, I would then burn the glucose from carbs first and would not need to burn fat.

    ETA: I'm curious what health issue you have where low carb is a problem. Would you mind sharing?

    I've bolded the part you wrote that you apparently didn't write.

    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do. That doesn't automatically mean I lose body fat faster than the someone not fat adapted under otherwise similar circumstances with more carb intake and less fat intake (same calories).

    Don't confuse "burn" for "lose."

    I also provided clarification:
    Are we confusing/conflating dietary fat with body fat here? Because when and how the body uses fats for energy as opposed to carbs is kind of irrelevant to body fat loss no? You're not magically "burning" more stored body fat just by virtue of not having eaten any carbs that meal.

    Are you responding to me? My point about burning fat is that those of us who are fat adapted are capable of using fat for energy at a higher rate than those who are not fat adapted. Of course that also means that the other person, who is physiologically the same otherwise, not fat adapted is going to utilize other energy sources instead (glucose, glycogen) at higher rates than the fat adapted person. In a long endurance competition (ultra-marathon, for example), that non fat adapted person is going to see a performance reduction if they don't fuel... usually with carbs. That's the whole point of GU packs for such athletes.... carbs for fuel because that is what they need. Fat adapted athletes will either eat fat or use body fat at a higher rate and can avoid the need for constant carb introduction.

    For the fat adapted person who is not participating in an endurance competition, they still burn more fat (not necessarily body fat because it depends on if they recently consumed fat) than the non-fat adapted person in a similar circumstance. It isn't magic. It's just that a person who consumes carbs regularly and has excess glucose from recent carb consumption is going to use carbs for energy first. The fat adapted person who doesn't have excess glucose because they didn't recently consume carbs is going to use something else for energy first... the fat adapted person who recently at fat is using that.

    Notice how I haven't said that any of this negates calories? It's a question of how those calories are used and when they are used based on which macros make those calories up, the ability (adaptation) of a person to use different energy sources (glucose, glycogen, protein, and fat - protein and fat potentially coming from diet and potentially coming from our body), and their energy needs (someone competing in an endurance competition vs. a daily desk job). My point was in response to:
    you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    If you're burning more bodyfat but not losing more bodyfat it means you're also packing on more bodyfat. Is that what you're saying?

    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat. I don't use as much glucose from carbs for energy and don't add much (if any) fat from glucose. The energy in and energy out is from different sources and flows in different ways. What I'm not saying is that I will lose fat faster. Overall, calories are still important, but the different macros are used in different ways. Since I'm fat adapted, I'm burning fat faster than someone not fat adapted. That doesn't automatically mean I burn BODY FAT vs. DIETARY FAT or that I LOSE FAT any faster.

    If you claim you burn body fat faster but you don't lose body fat faster, it means that at the same time you're packing on more bodyfat.

    X (bodyfat lost) = (Y)bodyfat burned - (Z)bodyfat gained

    If X is equal in two people you get

    Y - Z = (Y+extra) - Z(+extra)

    So is that what you're saying? Because that is what you've said means.

    No, I'm saying I burn fat faster. All fat. I also eat a lot more fat than the comparison person eating a lot more carbs rather than fat. I'm not losing body fat faster. You are ignoring dietary fat.

    You said you burn both dietary fat and body fat faster.
    If you burn it faster at the same calorie intake you'd lose more overall bodyfat.
    You're saying you don't lose bodyfat faster.
    Ergo you must gain more bodyfat too.

    This is literally your words I'm using here. There is nothing to ignore, this is literally what you've said.

    It still looks like there is a misunderstanding here.

    Assume I'm using 2,000 Calories /day and eating 1,800 Calories (ignoring glycogen in both examples and assuming consumption timing is such to prevent additional movement/conversion prior to use):

    Fat adapted, eating 1,800 Calories of fat: I burn 2,000 calories of fat in a day, 1,800 from dietary fat and 200 from body fat.

    Not fat adapted, eating 1,800 calories of carbs: I burn 1,800 calories of carbs and 200 calories of fat, from body fat.

    2,000 Calories of fat use is burning fat, from all sources, faster than 200 Calories of fat use over the same time period. I will repeat, once again, that I'm not saying I lose fat any faster. I just burn it faster.


    Both the fat adapted and not fat adapted person burned the same amount of bodyfat at the same calorie intake? Seems like you don't.

    Again, this is where you are misunderstanding my point. My point is that I burn fat faster. The implication that I'm somehow not burning any dietary fat, but instead burning through my own body fat exclusively seems to be what a lot of people are reading that isn't there.

    Source of fat in my example: Diet and body
    Use of fat in my example: 2,000 Calories per day

    Source of fat in my other example: Body
    Use of fat in my other example: 200 Calories per day

    The fat-adapted person is burning / using fat faster... fat from all sources.

    ETA: I see a lot of people arguing with me over something that I don't think we disagree about, and I'm confused as to why you would argue that. Perhaps if you could all clarify your argument as I've clarified my point in many different ways. I'm not sure how I can be much more clear, so I'm going to suggest you be more clear in what you don't agree about.

    In your own example you don't burn bodyfat faster, only dietary fat as in both cases you burn the same amount of bodyfat over the same time. Yet you claimed differently.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Okay, I think I get it. Midwestern is saying -- although how it's relevant to the thread or anything that anyone here cares about it beyond me -- that his body starts burning fat sooner (i.e., faster) than someone who eats more carbs. That fat comes from consumed fat and body fat.

    Not sure that that's actually true -- for example, if I eat dinner and then go to sleep I mainly burn fat even if I eat 50% carbs -- but more significantly if we burn the same amount of bodyfat, who cares? Like if he started burning fat at 12:01 am and by 12:00 the following day had burned 500 calories of body fat and 1500 calories of eaten fat, plus some nominal amount of carbs, and I started burning fat at 1 am and did so more sloooowly, but by the end of the day had burned 500 calories of body fat, 450 calories of consumed fat, and the rest of carbs, so what?

    Now if we are running I might (or might not) care about how much fat my body can burn at a given speed, but I'd still bet on a Kenyan marathoner who eats 80% carbs over Midwesterner, so eh again. (And didn't OP say in like her second post that her goal was simply weight loss?)

    It's not true, substrate utilization works completely different from what he thinks.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Options
    Yes, the studies cited use athletes for test subjects, but the application for fat adaptation applies to others as well. We just aren't going to put out the same level of energy for the same period of time, but that doesn't mean the energy we do use isn't affected by macro intake. The difference is that endurance athletes have the capability to be tested while they complete endurance athletic events; while the person who is not an endurance athlete cannot be tested while completing endurance athletic events because they aren't. Just like you would never be able to test my oxygen uptake while I'm piloting an aircraft... because I don't pilot aircraft.

    As to relevance to OP, you will note that the discussion was about why the PT would suggest restricting carbs until later in the day. During that discussion, someone said "you can only burn so much fat at a time." My response was that, by becoming fat adapted, you can increase how much fat you can burn over the same time period. It sounds like OP's PT is suggesting she burns fat throughout most of the day (and protein).
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    edited December 2016
    Options
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    AAs explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.

    The word you are adding: body

    You said you burn both types of fat faster. I'm not adding anything.
    As I explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    Yes, I burn fat faster, from all sources. You just chose to ignore the dietary fat part.

    Are you burning bodyfat faster or not? You keep switching it up. How many calories does that burn?

    I burn fat faster, regardless of the source.

    And that includes bodyfat, right?

    Then how come in your example here
    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    Fat adapted people burn fat faster. All fat. Dietary and body fat. The source isn't the focus, so fat use doesn't change the source of fat. Of course if I had eaten fat recently, there will be dietary fat burned.

    I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand or why you are adding extra words to my explanation.

    Adding what words? You said:
    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do.
    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat.

    What is the mechanism by which fat adapted people burn fat "faster" is there some demand for this to happen? If your weight is stable vis a vis energy balance are you then, as stevencloser asked, storing it faster?

    I don't get why you took a swipe at my understanding here. You're making claims without backing them up, and yes, The source is the focus given that I'm sure OP cares about it here. I'd take it you'd want to give advice geared towards that.
    SideSteel wrote: »
    GauchoMark wrote: »
    um... I'll go against the grain here...

    NO carbs is pretty unreasonable, but what he probably means is to LIMIT carbs. The idea is to keep blood sugar levels steady for as long as possible then increase them before and during the workout. If you work out at night, that might be why he says to eat your carbs at night. Here is a pretty good article if you are interested - http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

    This. (P.S. Nice link GauchoMark)

    Regulating insulin levels to optimize fat burning is not "bro science".

    Your trainer may not have explained the reasoning behind his logic because he's just trying to direct you in the most efficient manner possible. So it's up to you to engage him in a more detailed conversation as to the reasons why. Before determining if this guy is "stupid", as so many posters are ready to label him, I'd ask him for a reason why he wants you to do this and see if his reasons match up with science.

    You want to lose fat, so you want to keep your insulin levels low for as long as possible during the day. Generally speaking, "carbs" are the main culprit for insulin levels to spike. This is a good thing after a workout (insulin release - read Gaucho's link), but not during the remainder of the day while you're trying to burn as much fat as possible by being in a caloric deficit.

    That said, all carbs are not the same. It is the glycemic index of carbs that you want to pay attention to. The GI level of a carbohydrate tells you how fast it is digested. The higher the number, the faster it is digested, and the more likely to raise insulin levels. Higher insulin levels mean the fat-burning mode is shut off while the body preps for nutrient uptake.

    What this means is that you don't have to cut out carbs until dinner if you wish to eat low-GI carbs during the day.

    Ask your trainer if he is okay with you eating low-GI carbs during breakfast/lunch/snacks. If regulating insulin levels is the reason for his terse advice, he should be okay with this, and will likely laud you for doing some homework on the subject.




    protein can also spike insulin as well.not to mention you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    Even yet, protein "spikes" are nothing like carb spikes. That is why "spikes" is in quotes. GI doesn't make as much difference as a lot of people think either... you can do so much more to reduce the spike by just pairing the carbs with protein and fat.

    Also, it is possible to increase how much fat you can burn at a time. That isn't unlimited, of course, but can increase quite significantly. Just have to become fat adapted, which won't happen if you load up on carbs (even low GI carbs) every evening.

    hmm well I lost a lot of fat eating a lot of carbs,its all due to a calorie deficit.so you are basically telling me to go keto? low carb? because with my health issue low carb/keto is a no no.

    You misunderstood. Nowhere did I say it is impossible to lose fat while eating carbs. What I said is that those of us who are fat adapted burn fat more quickly than people who are not fat adapted.

    What that means is that I burn fat (both dietary and body fat) faster than most. I also eat a lot more fat than if I were dieting with the same calorie level and eating a lot of carbs. Of course if that were the case, I would then burn the glucose from carbs first and would not need to burn fat.

    ETA: I'm curious what health issue you have where low carb is a problem. Would you mind sharing?

    I've bolded the part you wrote that you apparently didn't write.

    Yes, I said I burn fat faster than most. I do. That doesn't automatically mean I lose body fat faster than the someone not fat adapted under otherwise similar circumstances with more carb intake and less fat intake (same calories).

    Don't confuse "burn" for "lose."

    I also provided clarification:
    Are we confusing/conflating dietary fat with body fat here? Because when and how the body uses fats for energy as opposed to carbs is kind of irrelevant to body fat loss no? You're not magically "burning" more stored body fat just by virtue of not having eaten any carbs that meal.

    Are you responding to me? My point about burning fat is that those of us who are fat adapted are capable of using fat for energy at a higher rate than those who are not fat adapted. Of course that also means that the other person, who is physiologically the same otherwise, not fat adapted is going to utilize other energy sources instead (glucose, glycogen) at higher rates than the fat adapted person. In a long endurance competition (ultra-marathon, for example), that non fat adapted person is going to see a performance reduction if they don't fuel... usually with carbs. That's the whole point of GU packs for such athletes.... carbs for fuel because that is what they need. Fat adapted athletes will either eat fat or use body fat at a higher rate and can avoid the need for constant carb introduction.

    For the fat adapted person who is not participating in an endurance competition, they still burn more fat (not necessarily body fat because it depends on if they recently consumed fat) than the non-fat adapted person in a similar circumstance. It isn't magic. It's just that a person who consumes carbs regularly and has excess glucose from recent carb consumption is going to use carbs for energy first. The fat adapted person who doesn't have excess glucose because they didn't recently consume carbs is going to use something else for energy first... the fat adapted person who recently at fat is using that.

    Notice how I haven't said that any of this negates calories? It's a question of how those calories are used and when they are used based on which macros make those calories up, the ability (adaptation) of a person to use different energy sources (glucose, glycogen, protein, and fat - protein and fat potentially coming from diet and potentially coming from our body), and their energy needs (someone competing in an endurance competition vs. a daily desk job). My point was in response to:
    you can only burn so much fat at a time.

    If you're burning more bodyfat but not losing more bodyfat it means you're also packing on more bodyfat. Is that what you're saying?

    As explained, I burn fat faster - both body fat and dietary fat. I don't use as much glucose from carbs for energy and don't add much (if any) fat from glucose. The energy in and energy out is from different sources and flows in different ways. What I'm not saying is that I will lose fat faster. Overall, calories are still important, but the different macros are used in different ways. Since I'm fat adapted, I'm burning fat faster than someone not fat adapted. That doesn't automatically mean I burn BODY FAT vs. DIETARY FAT or that I LOSE FAT any faster.

    If you claim you burn body fat faster but you don't lose body fat faster, it means that at the same time you're packing on more bodyfat.

    X (bodyfat lost) = (Y)bodyfat burned - (Z)bodyfat gained

    If X is equal in two people you get

    Y - Z = (Y+extra) - Z(+extra)

    So is that what you're saying? Because that is what you've said means.

    No, I'm saying I burn fat faster. All fat. I also eat a lot more fat than the comparison person eating a lot more carbs rather than fat. I'm not losing body fat faster. You are ignoring dietary fat.

    You said you burn both dietary fat and body fat faster.
    If you burn it faster at the same calorie intake you'd lose more overall bodyfat.
    You're saying you don't lose bodyfat faster.
    Ergo you must gain more bodyfat too.

    This is literally your words I'm using here. There is nothing to ignore, this is literally what you've said.

    It still looks like there is a misunderstanding here.

    Assume I'm using 2,000 Calories /day and eating 1,800 Calories (ignoring glycogen in both examples and assuming consumption timing is such to prevent additional movement/conversion prior to use):

    Fat adapted, eating 1,800 Calories of fat: I burn 2,000 calories of fat in a day, 1,800 from dietary fat and 200 from body fat.

    Not fat adapted, eating 1,800 calories of carbs: I burn 1,800 calories of carbs and 200 calories of fat, from body fat.

    2,000 Calories of fat use is burning fat, from all sources, faster than 200 Calories of fat use over the same time period. I will repeat, once again, that I'm not saying I lose fat any faster. I just burn it faster.


    Both the fat adapted and not fat adapted person burned the same amount of bodyfat at the same calorie intake? Seems like you don't.

    Again, this is where you are misunderstanding my point. My point is that I burn fat faster. The implication that I'm somehow not burning any dietary fat, but instead burning through my own body fat exclusively seems to be what a lot of people are reading that isn't there.

    Source of fat in my example: Diet and body
    Use of fat in my example: 2,000 Calories per day

    Source of fat in my other example: Body
    Use of fat in my other example: 200 Calories per day

    The fat-adapted person is burning / using fat faster... fat from all sources.

    ETA: I see a lot of people arguing with me over something that I don't think we disagree about, and I'm confused as to why you would argue that. Perhaps if you could all clarify your argument as I've clarified my point in many different ways. I'm not sure how I can be much more clear, so I'm going to suggest you be more clear in what you don't agree about.

    In your own example you don't burn bodyfat faster, only dietary fat as in both cases you burn the same amount of bodyfat over the same time. Yet you claimed differently.

    You misunderstood my point, and it sounds like you still misunderstand. I burn fat faster than someone who isn't fat adapted in otherwise similar circumstances. That fat can come from diet and body fat. Regardless of source, it is burned faster. I'm not saying I only burn fat from a particular source faster or slower... just that I use / burn fat faster.

    ETA: Here's another way to say the same thing: I burn fat faster than someone in a similar circumstance, but eating more carbs instead of fat. Fat used comes from more than one source.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Okay, I think I get it. Midwestern is saying -- although how it's relevant to the thread or anything that anyone here cares about it beyond me -- that his body starts burning fat sooner (i.e., faster) than someone who eats more carbs. That fat comes from consumed fat and body fat.

    Not sure that that's actually true -- for example, if I eat dinner and then go to sleep I mainly burn fat even if I eat 50% carbs -- but more significantly if we burn the same amount of bodyfat, who cares? Like if he started burning fat at 12:01 am and by 12:00 the following day had burned 500 calories of body fat and 1500 calories of eaten fat, plus some nominal amount of carbs, and I started burning fat at 1 am and did so more sloooowly, but by the end of the day had burned 500 calories of body fat, 450 calories of consumed fat, and the rest of carbs, so what?

    Now if we are running I might (or might not) care about how much fat my body can burn at a given speed, but I'd still bet on a Kenyan marathoner who eats 80% carbs over Midwesterner, so eh again. (And didn't OP say in like her second post that her goal was simply weight loss?)

    It's not true, substrate utilization works completely different from what he thinks.

    Yeah, I was pretty sure that was the case. But even if he were right, it simply would not matter.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    As to relevance to OP, you will note that the discussion was about why the PT would suggest restricting carbs until later in the day.

    And also remember that OP said her goal was simply losing fat.
    During that discussion, someone said "you can only burn so much fat at a time." My response was that, by becoming fat adapted, you can increase how much fat you can burn over the same time period. It sounds like OP's PT is suggesting she burns fat throughout most of the day (and protein).

    Why would OP care (or her PT think she cared) about burning more total fat if bodyfat loss was the same? Usually people push the burn more fat thing because they somehow believe that that results in burning more bodyfat, which it does not.

    How much fat I burn is going to depend on how much fat I eat. It adjusts accordingly.

    This is exactly the point I made that everyone wants to argue about. I think we all agree, just that some may not realize it.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Serious question here... how would one know that they even burn body fat faster than most? Is there a truly reliable method of testing this?

    The FASTER study looked into it for elite endurance athletes. Those who elite athletes who were fat adapted burned an astonishing amount of fat.
    http://www.vespapower.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Volek-Metabolism-FASTER-2015-Final.pdf

    It sort of makes sense. We carry around tens of thousands of calories of fat to use and only a couple thousand calories of glycogen. Fat adapted individuals will tap into those fat stores faster and easier than those who eat high or moderate carbs. Those who use carb timing or back loading probably won't be fat adapted, I would imagine. And those of us who are fat adapted and not exercising will not reap the same benefits as these elite athetes either.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    As to relevance to OP, you will note that the discussion was about why the PT would suggest restricting carbs until later in the day.

    And also remember that OP said her goal was simply losing fat.
    During that discussion, someone said "you can only burn so much fat at a time." My response was that, by becoming fat adapted, you can increase how much fat you can burn over the same time period. It sounds like OP's PT is suggesting she burns fat throughout most of the day (and protein).

    Why would OP care (or her PT think she cared) about burning more total fat if bodyfat loss was the same? Usually people push the burn more fat thing because they somehow believe that that results in burning more bodyfat, which it does not.

    How much fat I burn is going to depend on how much fat I eat. It adjusts accordingly.

    This is exactly the point I made that everyone wants to argue about. I think we all agree, just that some may not realize it.

    Like you when you say in one post that this leads you to burn more bodyfat but in another you say you don't.