There are two techniques that, when combined, make for a POWERFUL way to kickstart fat burning. If you're dealing with stubborn fat that won't seem to go away, this is for you.
Maybe you've tried eating at a caloric deficit, but I'm telling you that simply eating at a deficit is the minimum you need to start losing weight.
If you REALLY want to ramp up the fat-burning, try these two things in combination. First is glycogen depletion through carb-fasting.
Glycogen is the stored form of glucose (sugar), ready to be used when you need a quick energy boost.
Our bodies love this kind of energy source. It's ready, available, and fast.
When we eat carbohydrates, our body converts them to glucose in the bloodstream, which is then stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle tissue.
You can think of glycogen as being like ice cubes that turn into water when you need to drink. It's the go-to fuel in fight-or-flight situations or during intense exercise.
So...why would we ever want to deplete such a handy fuel source?
In today’s world, where Type II Diabetes and obesity are rampant, managing energy storage is crucial. We’ve got too much food and not enough movement.
Modern metabolic issues like diabetes, obesity, and even Alzheimer’s can be traced back to insulin dysfunction. Insulin's job is to store energy and resist its usage.
But when your body is constantly bombarded with carbs, insulin goes into overdrive, pushing energy into limited storage spaces. Once these are full, the excess energy overwhelms your system, leading to metabolic diseases.
If we never deplete our glycogen stores, then we never give our bodies a reason to start burning fat as their fuel source. If glycogen is available, your body will always use that first.
That's why if you want to start seeing fat melt away, you need to restrict your carbohydrate intake through something like carb-fasting and deplete your existing glycogen stores in the liver and muscle tissue through intense exercise. This brings me to the second part of this secret fat-burning formula.
HIIT. High-intensity interval training.
This is a form of exercise that is designed to run your glycogen stores to EMPTY.
Here's how it works:
Instead of getting on a treadmill and jogging at a steady pace for say, 45 minutes. In HIIT, the goal is to run as intensely as you can for 60 seconds, and then walk for 2 minutes. Then sprint as hard as you can for another 60 seconds, and then walk for 2 minutes. You get the idea. It doesn't have to be running. It could be cycling, rowing, whatever. You just want to push your body to its limits in short, repeatable bursts.
You might be thinking, "That's it? 60 seconds at a time? Doesn't seem so hard" Go try it and let me know how it goes. In my experience, HIIT leaves me exhausted pretty dang quickly. But the reason I keep doing it is because high-intensity interval training demands energy at a rate that can’t be met by steady-state pathways, which means your muscles will deplete their glycogen stores.
This triggers an emergency response, releasing adrenaline and free fatty acids from fat stores.
HIIT shakes up your metabolism, which leads to a higher rate of fat burn both during and after your workouts.
That's it.
That really is the secret to burning fat.
Restrict your carb intake through carb-fasting (20g or less on a carb-fasting day) a few days a week, AND engage in high-intensity interval training.
Combined, these two will deplete your glycogen stores and signal your body to start burning fat as its primary fuel source.
So, if you're serious about losing fat, try carb fasting and start incorporating HIIT into your workouts!
If you have health goals and are looking for a community to help you reach them, you should check out our H40 health sprint. It's a 40-day guided sprint to better physical and mental health, and our next one starts on July 15th. Go HERE to join the waitlist!
We're building a community of people who are dedicated to improving their physical and mental health, and we'd love you to be part of it, so go sign up and I'll see you on the other side.
Live Free,
Greg
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