Dr. Diane Cridennda is a well-respected Acupuncturist specializing in fertility and Athlete specializing in the Half-Ironman distance (70.3) Triathlons. Her story illustrates how Vespa and OFM have taken Diane to her potential in every facet of life! At the young age of 66 she is enjoying life to the fullest!
Diane and I first started corresponding in the fall of 2013, 6 years ago, when she purchased Vespa to help her racing. At the time she was struggling with GI issues, mental fog and literally ‘willing’ her way to finish a Half Ironman let alone compete. Since starting to use VESPA and follow the OFM Program she now competes for the Age-Group podium.
Just a few of her accomplishments as a Vespa/OFM Athlete:
1st in her Age-Group in her first Vespa/OFM Race at Ironman 70.3 St. George, Utah
Third Overall Age-Group at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in South Africa
Recently she won her Age-Group at Ironman 70.3 Calgary, Canada which garnered her a slot for the 2020 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in New Zealand (she’s going)
In this impromptu interview Diane discusses the benefits of becoming an OFM Fat-Adapted athlete:
How it helped her specific health issues
Reversed the aging process
Yields winning performance at any age!
Why is optimizing fat metabolism (OFM) the key to your Sports Nutrition?
Every physiological and metabolic process of our bodies is dependent upon fat. Fat metabolism is our base aerobic energy source. Beta-oxidation, ketosis and even gluconeogenesis (in a fat-adapted athlete) use fat as their fuel source. Humans are meant to metabolize fat as their primary aerobic energy source.
Just as importantly, fats carry proteins, peptides and amino acids which are called lipoproteins. Fat is the main constituent of cholesterols, a key component of every cell in your body! Hormones and enzymes are composed of fats.
What will happen to you when you go into Ketosis and get your Fat Metabolism Optimized?
As Diane mentions in the video, when she started to make the shift to ‘fat as fuel’ there were some side effects.
Diet: Diane did what we term as a ‘Hard Reset’ in her diet by cutting out all concentrated forms of carbohydrates in her diet. This made her lethargic and mentally foggy for the first week. Essentially, she was taking away the energy source (carbs) her body had grown addicted to using as her main energy but, until her insulin levels came down she could not access the thousands of calories of body fat she wanted to harness.
During this time there are a LOT of metabolic & hormonal changes occurring which can manifest itself in various ways. It’s not uncommon to have skin rashes, digestion issues, headaches, cramping and changes in sleep. Most are transitory and can be easily addressed.
Diuresis. As the adaptation starts to occur the athlete will experience a sharp loss of fluid weight which needs addressing by replacement with water and electrolytes and/or broth.
What are the benefits of becoming Fat Adapted (OFM)?
As Diane found she can perform at a high level, retain a very healthy physiology along with feeling and looking years younger!
When you become Fat Adapted you will:
Find that recovery a snap because OFM minimizes the damage of oxidative stress caused by burning carbs.
Your general health will improve in ways you can’t imagine!
You carb tolerance will improve so that carbs will become a “go-to” performance tool which won’t impact your fat-adapted physiology and won’t wreak havoc on your digestive system.
Feel like you have reversed the aging process
Become “Blood Sugar Stable”. This imparts a physiological stability which has profound impact on mental & emotional stability, coordination/fine motor skills to be able to function and execute in every aspect of your life!
“Where should I start? in my OFM Journey”
Often times an athlete will put off this process because they think it is too hard, to rigid and not sustainable. In reality, you can approach this in whatever manner you like.
You can do a Hard Reset which would entail:
Normally less than a few days of hard-core substance withdrawl to establish your fat-adapted physiology, the one Nature intended you to have.
Proper, experience and real-world guidance specifically for the Athlete to eliminate the pitfalls of the current ‘keto’ or Low-Carb diet craze. As an Athlete, YOU are very different than the average person who is doing ‘keto’ or Low Carb. OFM pioneered fat-adapted performance.
Or you can take a slower approach slowly eliminate concentrated carbs from your diet, here is what you can do.
Start by reducing or eliminated concentrated forms of carbohydrates, including simple sugars, from your diet.
Do not ‘graze’ or constantly snack as this disrupts hormonal signalling
Eat 2-3 meals a day of whole foods with plenty of natural whole protein and fat
Get onto Vespa - Vespa naturally ‘jump starts’ your fat metabolism using your own body fat, the fat you want to burn.
Use Vespa ahead of and instead of a snack to attenuate hunger triggers to get off snacking
Hydrate after your workout with water and electrolytes instead of calories then eat your normal meal 1-4 hours later.
If you want specialized 1-2-1 help with your Fat Adaptation journey, click here to see how you can work with us.
