So What In The World Is Metabolic Flexibility?
As the ketogenic diet gains popularity many people have at least hear the word “Keto” even they don’t know what it means. However, most people have never heard the term Metabolic Flexibility, which is a bummer because it’s pretty awesome. My goal here is to give you the super high level view, then point you in the right direction if you want to know more.
I’m sure everyone knows the basics of metabolism, but as a quick refresher, our bodies need energy that comes from the food we eat. Like putting gas in your car, you put food in your mouth which your digestive system breaks down in order to extract the “energy” from. This energy powers your body.
To most people's surprise, your body is actually a hybrid that uses two different types of fuel. Like a Toyota Prius can use electricity or gasoline, your body can use glucose or ketones. Glucose comes from breaking down carbohydrates while ketones come from the breakdown of fat. Eat an apple, glucose. Slurp down some coconut oil, ketone zone. Easy peasy...right?
Unfortunately, because of our high carb diets, 99%* of people these days CAN’T burn ketones...yet. Glucose is easier for the body to use and always available, so fat burning never needs to happen, and doesn’t. This lifetime of sugar burning has told our bodies to simply shut off it’s fat burning capabilities. The old, “If you don’t use it, you lose it” adage holds true.
Sad face.
Becoming metabolically flexible really just means to reactivate your fat burning abilities. Run out of gas (aka glucose)? No problemo. Ketones can step in to save the day. Unfortunately when most people run out of gas, there’s no ketones to step in. Instead, headaches, fatigue, shakiness, extreme hunger pangs, and serious hangry mood swings happen. The classic signs of low blood sugar. With all the craziness of a wedding day this is more common than most people think.
The real interesting piece is that ketones are waaaaayyyy more efficient at powering your body than glucose. We’re talking like 10x here. Less brain fog, higher energy levels, and oh yea if you wanna lose weight, think of burning your own stored fat for fuel. Mind blown, I know. My husband and I lost 30 pounds each without really trying.
And it’s great for everyone on the wedding day!
WHY THIS IS GOOD FOR WEDDING VENDORS: We all know that vendor meals are in our contracts. And we all know that there’s been those crazy days where we don’t get to sit down to eat until 10pm. Sometimes stuff happens and we don’t get to eat. Sometimes we forget our snacks. Or sometimes we have our snacks and get so busy we don’t have a chance to eat them. This is where being metabolically flexible is SO CLUTCH. To be able to switch over to burning ketones and power through the day without getting shaky and hangry is major. It all allows you to think more clearly and have more energy which I would say is a major plus for any wedding vendor.
WHY THIS IS GOOD FOR BRIDES/GROOMS: So as we know, the wedding day is busy AF. Getting ready, pictures, ceremony, more pictures during cocktail hour. It is likely you will go HOURS without food. As a planner I always carry some good quality snacks in case brides need it, but having ready access to good snacks is not the reality for all brides and grooms. Not to mention, while I do have a few snacks, I certainly don’t have enough to feed a bridal party. So this is where being metabolically flexible comes in. Imagine being able to make it through pictures without feeling the pains of low blood sugar. Oh, and not to mention, for any of those couples looking to shed a few pounds before the wedding, metabolic flexibility will help with that.
Best resources to get started:
SO…if I’ve piqued your interest at all and you are loooking to learn more, I recommend starting with Mark Sisson's book, The Keto Reset Diet. He’s a wealth of knowledge on metabolic flexibility, and isn’t so extreme like some other keto peeps. My husband Eric calls him the Silver Fox and aspires to be as fit as him in his 60’s. (insert eye roll here). Eric and I have actually been following a keto diet on and off for about five years and he wrote a book called Ketogenic Diet Mistakes to Avoid and created a Udemy course too! They basically detail all the mistakes we made in becoming metabolically flexible. The book is only $2.99 on Amazon, but if you prefer a video course use the code SIMPLYSWEET and get 20% off!
And final words to leave you with….”He or she who is most flexible is most successful”
* making up that number LOL, but I know it’s high
