I don't know who needs to hear this but carbs aren’t the only way to get energy.

I can’t tell you how many times I hear “but if I take out fruit and oats and rice, how will I get energy?!”

Easy… from FAT!

Fat is a long lasting energy source that burns low and slow so it keeps your blood sugar stable and keeps you satiated for hours. Fats are like the logs in a fire. Carbs on the other hand are quick sources of fuel. They’re like the kindling.

They burn hot and fast, raising your blood sugar, which then causes a big release of insulin. The insulin takes the sugar out of the blood and puts it into the cells of the body to store or use for energy.

Then we are left with low blood sugar which makes us feel hungry again because we have just used up our energy.

Carbs = energy for a short time (which means you need to eat more often = terrible for blood sugar)

Fats = stable energy for long periods (don’t need to eat often = great for blood sugar)

Of...

Wondering what kind of things we study in Blood Sugar Mastery?

In module 1 we take a deep dive into which foods are bad for blood sugar, which ones to focus on, and which ones to slowly start reducing.

The best foods for our blood sugar are those with fats &/or protein.

Fat has almost no impact on our blood sugar & insulin levels.

Think of fat as like a on a . It burns low & slow providing long lasting energy.

Protein has a small effect on blood sugar & insulin and that effect is lessened when the protein is eaten with a lot of fat.

e.g., A fatty ribeye steak won’t spike you as much as a chicken breast because of the fats.

That’s why when it comes to stable blood sugar, I always recommend “fatty proteins” like beef, eggs, salmon, etc.

Some of the worst offenders for blood sugar are refined sugars, flour & vegetable oils.

Vegetable oils, like oils used for frying, used at restaurants, & those used in most processed foods, inflame insulin...

One of the most common mistakes I see with people trying to improve their blood sugar and lose weight on a keto diet is overdoing it on fat.

(Coincidentally, the other most common issue I see is people UNDER eating fat.. but that’s a topic for another day).

I made the mistake of making fat bombs when I first went keto and all I could think about all day were the fat bombs!

I’d be driving home from work having a mental battle with myself like, “ok you can have two. Ok maybe 3.. no more than 5…” It was exhausting.

I even tried making them without any sweeteners and found I was still obsessing.

The problem with these is that they may be perpetuating your addiction to “treats” but also they’re taking the place of real, nutrient dense foods.

Same with bulletproof coffee. 5 tablespoons of butter in coffee is not a meal. I’m all for the butter, trust me. Butter is my love language… but it can’t take the place of an entire meal.

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For those starting out on a journey to better blood sugar (the most effective way to burning fat and having more energy), you’ll want to think about having carbs as a condiment.

If you want more energy and to burn fat, you won’t want carbs to be the bulk of your meal.

Sure carbs give you a burst of energy but then insulin will spike (insulin is a hormone that lowers blood sugar by building fat).

With high levels of insulin in our blood, we shut off fat burning (lypolisis) and instead start building body fat.

With the sugar down from the insulin, we will start to feel tired and hungry because our body senses low energy.

This only puts us in the carb craving zone because our body wants fast energy and this starts the cycle all over again.

With carbs as a condiment, (also best if eaten LAST), we hardly have any blood sugar response and limited insulin release.

The fats and proteins keep sugar and energy stable for hours and with insulin low, lypolisis (fat burning) can turn on.

When you are not metabolically flexible and can’t easily burn body fat for fuel, your body will be dependent for energy from the carbohydrates you eat.

Think about carbohydrates like kindling in a fire. Carbs burn hot and fast. If there are no logs in the fire (dietary & body fat) you will be out of fuel very quickly.

Your brain which is very energy hungry, will be the first to indicate to you that there is an energy crisis.

All of the symptoms above and more can be signs that your body is unable to burn body fat for fuel and this is often accompanied by cravings and urgent hunger for foods high in carbohydrates and sugar.

Becoming metabolically flexible is one of the keys to health! You can start by lowering carbs AND INCREASING FAT!

Remember, the fat is like the log in the fire. It will burn low and slow and give you energy for hours! If you can’t make it more than a few hours between meals, up the fat and see if that helps!

Stop blaming it on your willpower. If your body can’t efficiently burn fat or produce ketones, your need for sugar increases.

This damaged metabolism is what drives sugar and carb cravings.

Your body senses an energy crisis, and since it can’t get what it needs from fats or ketones, it will drive you to seek out your only other fuel source: sugar!

Improving your metabolism, becoming a fat burner, and getting into a state of nutritional ketosis can begin healing the metabolism so it is more flexible and efficient.

This decreases the demand for glucose and will finally help reduce cravings and sugar dependency.

So excited to be diving into the “how to” with this incredible group of students in my Blood Sugar Mastery course!!

Do you feel dependent on sugar?? Do you do fine for a few days but then inevitably “fall off”??