In short, fat adapted is the goal of a ketogenic lifestyle, but I don’t think you came here for the short answer of a very important component of the way we eat. Today we will cover what fat adaption is and how you are going to get yourself there to start living a keto lifestyle.
Fat Adapted by Cutting Carbs
As you know keto is switching your body from using carbohydrates as your primary fuel source to using fat for your energy. I won’t make this very technical as you can find peer reviewed papers from people much more qualified than me to talk about fat adaption, but I we will answer this very common question.
There are a few common misconceptions about being fat adapted. The first being as soon as your body enters ketosis you are fat adapted. This just isn’t the case. Fat adaption is when your body burns fat more efficiently than it does carbohydrates. Just because your body is burning fat as fuel doesn’t mean it is doing so the best it can.
When you start keto, you are depriving it of carbs. It really has no choice, but to burn what’s available… fat. Just because you left it no other options doesn’t mean it is going to handle it well. For the best part of your life your body has burned carbs. Mainly sugar, to function. The body needs to learn how to burn fat and efficiently turn it into energy.
It Can Take a Long Time to Become Fat Adapted
It can take up to a year for some people to become truly fat adapted and burn off fat as it enters your body. What limited research there is shows a period of about 3-months before the body starts to show significant signs of fat adaption. But once again that number varies greatly by the individual and what eating habits they undertake.
Another misconception is your changing over from carb adapted to fat adapted. There is an important distinction here because your body has always burned some fat and it’s not a complete flip flop. Keto changes you over to fat being your primary source of energy. Carbs were not your only fuel source, just like fat won’t be your only fuel source. The adaption part simply means your body will learn to prefer one over the other and use that more efficiently.
One Of The Biggest Myths
The biggest misconception about fat adaption, or dare I say trap, is “you can’t be kicked out of ketosis.” A lot of people out there in Google land that will say once your body is adapted to a fat fuel lifestyle that you cannot be kicked out of ketosis. That is simply untrue. I will say that your body can tolerate more before making the switch to burning carbs, but that isn’t something you really want to test. There may be limited research on this subject, but there is lots of evidence of gaining the weight back quickly if you switch back to carbs. Be careful.
From a technical standpoint you will see the definition of fat adaption as: “a long-term metabolic adjustment to ketosis, a state in which your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.” This definition according to Health Line goes on to say, “fat adaptation is said to result in decreased cravings, increased energy levels, and improved sleep.”
As I said there is peer review and anecdotal evidence pointing to what Health Line and other experts say, but like anything that involves keto the research is still a long way from being hard fast. I’m someone who has only experienced and not studied fat adaption, I can only offer what I went through.
How I Knew I Was Fat Adapted
For me personally I knew I was fat adapted when two primary things happened:
1. I could feel when my body took in too many carbs. My body became very jittery and start to crave my keto meals. A good cut of meat or nice piece of cheese took the place of chips and chocolate. The first time I didn’t long for the bread bowl at the restaurant was when I knew my body had made the “switch.” I was about six-months in.
2. My bowels returned to normal. When I started keto, I had a terrible time with constipation. Sorry for the lack of sugar coating on that statement, but it is, what it is. Going to the bathroom was awful for those first three months and the magnesium I stand by to this day wasn’t helping. I found that around that three-month mark when the cravings started going away. My bowels stabilized and a more regular scheduled developed. It was a good sign that my body was on its way to where it needed to be.
Follow Keto and It Will Take Care of Itself
In short, striving towards fat adaption isn’t something you need to do. If you follow the ketogenic principals and limit your carbs it will happen. The more you stray from that the longer it will take. There is a certain discipline needed to reach this state, but once you do everything becomes much easier.
Bill
