What we’re describing here is the process the body undergoes to switch from burning glucose (short term) to burning fat (long term). Fat is simply the body’s stored food energy. In times of food scarcity, stored food (fat) is naturally released to fill the void. The body does not “burn muscle” in an effort to feed itself until all the fat stores are used. It’s crucial to note that all these beneficial adaptive changes do not occur in the caloric-reduction diet strategy.