The Two Types of Fuel

[Pard]

There are only two practical types of fuel that our body can run on. These two types of fuel are carbohydrates and fats (the third kind is alcohol, however it's impractical to demand our body run on alcohol, so I am leaving it out of the picture). When I think of this I like to relate it to our own cars.

We have two main sources of fuel for our vehicles. These two sources are gasoline and diesel. Now, most of us run on gasoline because it is more convenient and that is what we are told to drive. The minority of cars in the USA run on diesel. It's funny because diesel is a far more practical means of powering your daily vehicle. It's just like our own body's fuel.

Most of us run our bodies on carbohydrates. Why? Because it's convenient. The majority of carbohydrates do not need to be cooked and they are the most plentiful food source in our local grocery stores. Plus carbohydrates simply taste better! The thing is, most of us are not cut out for running our bodies on carbohydrates! Why, you ask? Because, just like gasoline, carbohydrates are a quick source of energy that doesn't last long. If you run or bike or swim you need carbohydrates.

Runners, bikers, and swimmers need them because they participate in sports that demand lots of steady energy output with the occasional burst of energy. They actually need carbohydrates for two reasons. First of all, they need them because they need quick energy. Second, they need them because (contrary to popular thought) carbohydrates are used by the body to produce fats and these type of aerobic sports require fats to be burned in order to go on for any real length of time.

The rest of us don't need the burst-type energy. We need a slow and steady energy that stays at a relative constant the entire day. That type of energy only comes from fats. Our body loves to burn fat, it's what we are meant to run on for the majority of the time. Fats make you full faster and keep you full longer because they take longer for your body to use up. Furthermore, for anyone with more than 10 pounds of fat that they would like to see gone, eating a high fat diet actually make your body burn your own fat as a full source (so long as you do not feed it all that it needs for an entire day).

Now it's at this point that most people come up with at least two questions:

1) "Aren't fats bad for you?"
2) "What about vegetables? They are carbohydrates, right?"

OK let's see:

1. No, fats are not bad for you. And no, fats do not beget fats. Fats don't make your blood pressure high and fats don't clog your arteries. These two symptoms actually come from inactivity and no amount of dieting will correct these issues, unless you are taking supplements like Omega 9 and fiber. Fat is the way our body stores energy for another day. Our bodies do not like to waste energy, so when to much goes in it simply stores it away. Eating to many carbohydrates is far worse than eating to many fats, because carbohydrates pack more energy than fats do and because they burn of a lot quicker.

2. Vegetables, or at least the good ones, are fine for you. You're thinking "Good vegetables, are there bad ones?!". Well, kind of. When I say "good ones" I don't intent to mean there are bad vegetables that will kill you, I just mean green vegetables. Green vegetables have all the nutreints you need, with the least amount of carbohydrates. Why is this? Because most greens are leafs and thus they contain lots and lots of fiber, and although fiber is counted as a carbohydrate on the label, it doesn't function int he same manner as your various sugar carbohydrates do. You see fiber is meant for the colon, your stomach cannot digest fiber, and so it goes without being absorbed by the body.

So, what type of fuel is for you? Good question.

If you run, bike, swim, or do any activity that requires your heart to be pumping at a high rate of speed, but doesn't require much muscle mass, than you need carbohydrates as a fuel. I'd suggest eating healthy carbohydrates, like those found in brown rice.

If you do anything else (including a lack of activity) than fats are your fuel of choice.

Now, for those who know a thing or two about the two types of exercise (aerobic and anaerobic) you probably have two more questions/statements lingering.

1) "But, I thought aerobic exercise (running/biking/swimming) required the burning of fats."
2) "And I also thought that anaerobic exercise required the burning of carbohydrates."

You would be right, but here is the deal with that.

1. Aerobic exercise requires the burning of YOUR fat, not the fat you eat. Ever wonder why fat is stored around the center of your body and not so much around the extremities? It's because your body uses that fat for aerobic exercises, and so it needs it readily available for consumption. Carbohydrates are what create body fat, not fats. It's a little counter intuitive, but the fat you eat doesn't turn into the fat you store.

2. Anaerobic exercise does require carbohydrates to function. However, it is important to understand why it needs the carbohydrates. You see, the carbohydrates are not used as fuel, but as a catalyst which provides the muscles with the energy it needs. It turns out that fat is actually a far better catalyst for the muscles because it can deliver energy much more efficiently.

 

[Pard]

Here are two athletes to support my claim.

First we have Žydrūnas Savickas. He is, as of last year, the strongest man in the entire world. But look at his gut, and let me tell you, that isn't muscle, that's fat. If you look at all the strongest powerlifters you will notice (with very few exceptions) that they are all "fat". Now, they may only have 20% bodyfat, but also keep in mind they are probably 400+ pounds! Žydrūnas is actually pretty light, at only 375 pounds. This guy lifts weights, and that means anaerobic exercise.


View attachment 1987

And here we have Michael Phelps. He is a swimmer (duh!). He is "toned", huh? He uses aerobic exercise to power his swimming.

View attachment 1988

Now, what do these two guys have in common? Diet. They both eat 12,000 Calories per day. And they both eat their Calories in carbohydrates (mostly). They both eat lots of junk food. And they both exert roughly the same amount of energy at their respective sports.

So why does the guy who lifts weights look so "fat", but the guy who swims looks so "toned"? Because Michael is burning any fat that his body does produce when he swims (that's how aerobic exercise is fueled, remember?). And Žydrūnas' body is simply making more and more fat because it never gets consumed, since his sport requires an anaerobic metabolism.

Do you see the difference? Both guys eat the same amount of energy and it's from the same type of fuel and they both spend the same amount of energy every day, but one guy has a lot of fat on him and the other guy doesn't.

 

[Pard]

Obviously I am pushing for the high fat diet. It's not only the one that makes sense, but it's the one I have found to work. What can you expect on a high fat diet?

Let me tell you.

The first 12 days are anything but a picnic. You will experience diarrhea, as your colon converts from digesting mostly carbohydrates to mostly fats. You will also experience constipation, as your body adjusts to less fiber. You will have some of the worst cravings you have ever felt in your entire life, this is expected because your body is switching primary means of fuel and while it does it will be in protest. Your lack of carbohydrates will lower serotonin levels, and it takes up to 12 days for the body to readjust, this means you will be in a bad mood for up to 12 days. You will experience low energy, again your body needs to adjust itself to this new fuel source, it will go away. You will notice HUGE weight loss, this isn't the fat melting off, it's the water going away (carbohydrates store excess water, if you don't eat carbohydrates the water goes away).

Then what? It better be good, because the first 12 days sound like hell, right? Oh, it is!

You will lose fat, I guarantee it. It's very possible to maintain, as low as, 10% bodyfat all year round with this type of diet. If you properly restrict your Caloric intake (to 1000C less then your normal), you will find that you can lose 2+ pounds per week, almost entirely in fat!

You will gain muscle. This diet relies heavily on red meats, and red meats contain testosterone, and testosterone makes you gain muscle. You will find you are gaining muscle even if you do not do any type of work out.

Your body will be healthier. You will have lower cholesterol, less plaque, controlled insulin levels, and less acne (if you have it at all).

You will not be hungry. Eat every three hours and you will never feel hungry again (heck I'm pushing five hours since I last ate and I don't feel hungry at all). Fat provides for longer "full" feeling.

You will not have the 4 o'clock yawns. Fat also maintains a constant energy level throughout the day, meaning you will not be dosing off come 4pm.

OK, so what do you need to ensure for this to work properly? Maybe you have tried to Atkins diet and it didn't work. Wonder why? Simple, Atkins didn't push it enough. Here is what you need to ensure that this diet works:

60% Fat consumption per day
40% Protein consumption per day
No more than 30g of carbohydrates per day (I shoot for 20)
Lot's of water (a glass with every meal and sip a liter in between meals, don't have to finish it, but sip from it)
Watch the Calories, figure out your Calorie needs on a normal day and then eat that if you want to maintain weight or less if you want to lose it

 

[Pard]

Optional Weekend "Shake-Up"

So, you run or bike or swim, but you are overweight? Want to know how you can drop that weight and still maintain the energy needed to do your aerobic activities?

For a 48-hour period, usually the weekend, you can eat carbohydrates. How many? 60% of your Calories should be in carbohydrates during this 48-hour period of time. 25% of your energy should come from fat (this prevents the body from switching back to burning carbohydrates), and 15% should be in protein. It's that simple. The only thing is, don't do this until after you have gone 12 days of no carbohydrates (30g maximum).

This weekend "carbohydrate loading" feeds your body the carbohydrates it needs for the aerobic exercising. It only takes a day or two's worth of carbohydrates to give you all the fuel you need for the entire week.

 

[tim-from-pa]

I fuel nicely on alcohol.

But seriously, I read somewhere that Saturated fat basically breaks down to monounsaturated fat and something like two other harmless fatty acids in your body.

When we delve into the realm of the "fat world" the medical establishment has that backwards, too. They talk about "good fat" and "bad fat" just like "good cholesterol" and "bad cholesterol" and there is no such thing.

Just as they rather you basically live off of carbohydrates, they rather you also live off of polyunsaturated fats first if they had their choice. Actually, of the 3 main types of fats, I place that one last. I would say mono, saturated and poly last. Although since saturated breaks down to mono, it is basically tied score there. The body has to do extra work, that is all, but is otherwise harmless. Many Poly's have too much omega 6's which we all are getting too much of already. We have to concentrate on more or the omega 3's so that the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio is not too high. Most vegetable oils are polyunsaturated as opposed to meats that have saturated fats in them. The fats in meats are healthier (surprise!)

 

[Pard]

And don't forget Omega 9s. With the crazy polys everyone ends up eating our body doesn't have enough saturated fats left to make omega 9, which means the body has to cannibalize omega 9s from other energy stores. Just another reason to avoid those polys.

I read somewhere that the same goes for protein. Plant protein is so acidic that, unless you eat spinach (and other HIGH alkaline foods) by the ton it will actually deteriorate muscle tissue instead of building it up. It actually makes sense when you look at people who eat so very little animal protein, they look very withdrawn, and it's because they literally have their muscle tissue eaten away by the high acid in plant proteins.