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Comment by njfdarfv | Hacker News Reader

This is so wrong it hurts my eyes.

I encourage you to listen to the Huberman lab podcast - specifically this episode https://hubermanlab.com/dr-andy-galpin-how-to-build-physical...

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Actually, they are correct. The only nuance I would add is that, from reading the scientific literature, we are not exclusively in fat or carb burning mode, it's usually a mix of the two. The mix depends on how well your body is adapted to fat oxidation, your blood sugar/insulin levels, etc.

The podcast you linked is very interesting but doesn't necessarily refute the parent comment? You can improve fat burning in a multitude of ways but I believe the best ways are to avoid carbs/sugar and do quite a bit of training below your aerobic threshold. Most people have such a low aerobic threshold that any exercise they do is above the aerobic threshold, so they won't "burn fat" by exercising, instead they use liver/muscle glycogen.

I've always been a runner but a few years ago discovered the low carb diet. I eat less than 50g carbs a day now. I'm very well adapted to be a fat burner and have very little body fat compared to most people < 10%. I did a metabolic test recently and at my aerobic threshold I was burning 2g of fat per minute (which is alot), at an aerobic threshold HR of 158 bpm (lactate threshold at 177bpm), which enables me to run at 6.30min/mile pace and I can keep that up for hours without bonking.

If I eat a piece of bread and go running, my aerobic system never really kicks into gear because blood sugar/insulin levels are too high and the above doesn't hold.

If your insulin is high, you can't utilize your fat stores. They are essentially locked away. You must use your glyocgen stores and glucose to fuel your brain and body. When your insulin is low and not stimulated by carbs/protein, you can utilize your fat stores and produce ketones. Your brain and body use the ketones for energy. Our brains prefer ketones over glucose when it has the choice. This is the point OP is trying to make. The article doesn't bother to mention basic human physiology of being in a fasting state vs a fed state.

If you have hyperinsulemia (massively ignored and undiagnosed in western countries), or are eating 3 meals /day + snacks with carbs and proten, or such... it is very hard for your body to have a chance to burn fat stores. Your body becomes adapted to storing energy, not burning it. Your insulin is too frequently elevated.

This huberman pdocast you link is more about athletic performance for low carb vs high carb. There's huberman podcasts covering the fact that metabolic disease and obesity is driven by high insulin too

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