1. Altered partitioning (due to the differences in energy cost of losing fat vs. muscle see the Energy Balance Equation)
2. An alteration in actual energy output. See Insulin Sensitivity and Fat Loss on the main site.

The impact of lowcarbs on stubborn fat is discussed in excruciating detail in The Stubborn Fat Solution.

In your articles when you mention that something improves fat lose (yet with the same calorie and protein intake), do you mean that it improves calorie partitioning? As in they will be a similar weight but more muscle and less fat?

Also, could you point me to somewhere where you explain why low carb is better for getting rid of stubborn fat?

Thanks

Re: MCT’s the data set is very mixed but it may help certain types of activities (longer duration endurance would be the most likely). Then again, so would caffeine. One strategy to avoid blood sugar/insulin crashes is to avoid immediate pre-workout nutrition and wait until exercise has been begun to start sipping carbs. Exercise blunts the normal insulin response so you avoid potential blood sugar crashes that way. So wait until maybe 10 minutes into your warmups to start with carbs.

My question: What is your opinion of using MCT oil as a pre-exercise energy source, as opposed to carbs, so as to avoid raising glucose & insulin levels? I tried 1 teaspoon mixed with some whey protein and I swear it gave me more energy for 1+ hour bike rides on rolling hills.

.

Here’s one of about 300 reviews.

***
Int J Sports Med. 2000 Jan;21(1):1-12.
Exercise and insulin sensitivity: a review.

Borghouts LB, Keizer HA.

Department of Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. lars.borghouts@bw.unimaas.nl

Physical activity has a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity in normal as well as insulin resistant populations. A distinction should be made between the acute effects of exercise and genuine training effects. Up to two hours after exercise, glucose uptake is in part elevated due to insulin independent mechanisms, probably involving a contraction-induced increase in the amount of GLUT4 associated with the plasma membrane and T-tubules. However, a single bout of exercise can increase insulin sensitivity for at least 16 h post exercise in healthy as well as NIDDM subjects. Recent studies have accordingly shown that acute exercise also enhances insulin stimulated GLUT4 translocation. Increases in muscle GLUT4 protein content contribute to this effect, and in addition it has been hypothesized that the depletion of muscle glycogen stores with exercise plays a role herein. Physical training potentiates the effect of exercise on insulin sensitivity through multiple adaptations in glucose transport and metabolism. In addition, training may elicit favourable changes in lipid metabolism and can bring about improvements in the regulation of hepatic glucose output, which is especially relevant to NIDDM. It is concluded that physical training can be considered to play an important, if not essential role in the treatment and prevention of insulin insensitivity.

Regarding carb addiction, I read somewhere that if you feel an intense craving for carbs, and the idea of eating a piece of fruit doesn’t sound very satisfying but a Ho Ho sounds great, this might be more than just a low blood sugar-driven craving. It could be a genuine addiction to processed food additives: milk and wheat protein concentrates that bind to opioid receptors, MSG to stimulate appetite, fructose that disrupts the “full” signal to the brain, and on and on … What do you think of the notion that carb addicts are often “additive addicts” who may have a genetic pre-disposition to get higher on this stuff than your average joe?