In this engaging podcast clip with Jeff Browning, we discuss the numerous benefits of adopting an Optimized Fat Metabolism (OFM) lifestyle. OFM not only aids in maintaining consistent energy levels and weight management, but also promotes cognitive clarity and longevity..
Why Just Eating Fat Will Not Make You a Fat Burner
When people first come across OFM, the tendency is to pigeon-hole OFM as a Ketogenic or HFLC diet because there is no frame of reference. This is because OFM is a program to optimize metabolism instead of a high fat diet. You see, the traditional high fat intake of the Keto diet has limitations to building the necessary metabolic capacity necessary for the health and performance OFM athletes enjoy . . . and the best part?. . . OFM Athletes enjoy the dietary latitude they develop which frees them from either a restrictive diet whether it is a keto diet of less than 50 grams of carbs a day or a high carb, low fat diet which has them consuming 500 grams or more a day! This is because, with OFM, part of optimizing your metabolic capacity involves using strategic carbs, depending on your training load and activity.
One area that becomes important for athletic fueling is for female athletes. This generally involves a slightly higher carbohydrate intake and the practice of fuel separation - meaning the partitioning of fats and carbs in the diet. And, regardless of gender, a higher protein intake for athletes compared to traditional Keto norms is recommended.
The point is, as Jeff and I articulate in this snippet, is OFM a 'fat burning program', not a high-fat diet. Dietary fats do play a pivotal role though. Like ‘Strategic Carbs’, dietary fats help to build metabolic capacity and protein assimilation. In practice OFM athletes never observe an extremely high fat macro composition of 70-80%, which is often associated with Keto diets. Generally, the fat macro ranges from 30-50% of calories.
Your Dynamic Physiology
You are an individual and your physiology is dynamic and changes according to your circumstance, and a big part of optimizing your fat metabolism is understanding your body and how macro distribution can shift according to the athlete's training and racing needs. On race day, carb intake tends to dominate, yet this only comprises about 20-30% of the metabolic needs with the rest coming from your own body fat.
A Ketogenic diet is not required to be a 'super high fat burner', in fact, it limits performance level fat burning capacity. During heaving training loads, the ability to consume a larger amount of healthy carbs not only doesn’t affect fat burning capacity but aids inthe development of it!.
The Benefits of OFM
In addition to the exceptional performance and longevity benefits, here some other benefits for optimizing your fat metabolism:
Enhanced cellular and mitochondrial health,
Decreased oxidative stress and Lactate load,
Optimized cholesterol metabolism
An effective strategy for preventing and combating chronic diseases
Eliminates a highly structured and restrictive diet
Makes weight management simple and achievable
Reduces chronic stressors
