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You Don’t Need to Cut Carbs or Sugar to Lose Fat (BV #36) — Key Takeaways

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You Don’t Need to Cut Carbs or Sugar to Lose Fat (BV #36)

Jay Feldman Wellness1h 16mNov 5, 2026

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You do not need to deplete glucose or glycogen before burning fat, so intermittent fasting and carb restriction are not required for fat loss — focus instead on metabolic function, gut health, and managing stress.

Key takeaways

After a 15-hour fast, liver glycogen is only ~37% depleted

After a 15-hour fast, liver glycogen is only ~37% depleted

  • Full depletion requires multi-day fasting, not a typical 16:8 window.
  • Fat loss occurs without full glycogen depletion—the premise that it's required is false.

High-carb diets can beat low-carb for fat loss despite lower fat oxidation

High-carb diets can beat low-carb for fat loss despite lower fat oxidation

  • Studies show high-carb diets with higher insulin and lower fat oxidation still produced more body fat loss than low-carb diets.
  • Insulin does not prevent fat loss—clients with insulin levels of 12–20 still lost weight.

Long-term IF/low-carb can crash thyroid, libido, and recovery

Long-term IF/low-carb can crash thyroid, libido, and recovery

  • Common symptoms: anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, low body temp, constipation.
  • Fasting proponents DeLauer, Attia, and Patrick have all walked back fasting recommendations due to lean tissue loss and hormonal impacts.

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In this video

  1. 1mintro
  2. 2mdo you have to deplete glucose and glycogen to burn fat?
  3. 11mis she lying or just uneducated? is it okay to stretch the truth on social media?
  4. 16mis intermittent fasting the best way to lose body fat?
  5. 24mdoes burning more fat mean losing more body fat?
  6. 28mfasting and low-carb diets cause fat loss at a cost
  7. 38mwhat’s responsible for the benefits of low-carb diets and intermittent fasting?
  8. 43mis high insulin preventing you from burning stored body fat?
  9. 53mwhat Mike thinks is preventing weight loss; it’s not the carbs, it’s the calories
  10. 1h 3mwhat Jay thinks is preventing weight loss; can you really lose weight using a bioenergetic approach?
  11. 1h 12mketo and carnivore didn’t work, she thought it was perimenopause; here’s what worked

“The baseline elevated level of insulin is not because people are consuming carbs. That's not what's driving the hyperinsulinemia and metabolic dysfunction.”

— Mike Fave

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