Raise your blood ketone levels
How to get the body into ketosis? Basically, ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body gets energy not from glucose (which would be the most common functioning of the body, called glycolysis), but from molecules called ketone bodies.
These ketone bodies are produced by the liver during periods of food (fasting) or carbohydrate (low carb diets) restrictions, to be used as a source of energy. So, ketosis is nothing more than this state in which the body draws energy from a source other than the usual.
Whether you are new to ketogenic or veteran diets, a question that always comes up is something like getting the body into ketosis or speeding up ketosis. The process may take a few days, and sometimes the test strips indicate that we are not reaching the goal.
To better help ensure we reach that state, and to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible, here are some ways that can help you get your body into ketosis faster.
One quick note before we start … The general rule with the ketogenic diet is that you consume 20g – 50g per day or less of carbohydrates.
For faster results, hold up to 30g or less. A kind of prerequisite, shall we say.
Here’s how to get the body into ketosis
Exercise + Fasting
Ketosis usually takes 2 to 7 days to transition. But it is something extremely variable from individual to individual.
One way to speed up this process would be to train on an empty stomach.
When you exercise, your body depletes glycogen stores in the liver. And in response to this, the liver will create ketone bodies (out of necessity) to use as energy.
So, by working fast, this will increase your ketone production faster. Also, if blood ketone levels are already low, they will rise during exercise.
As a result, if you are just starting out, the chances of exercise really make a difference in your ketone levels, are very good. Try to fast for 16 hours and then exercise. This is a great time for this!
Fat fasting
Fat fasting can be a powerful boost to your entry into ketosis. It is particularly useful for people who are already fit and trying to break a weight loss threshold. It can also be used by someone who is regularly on ketosis but is not at that moment.
This type of fasting can be one of the best ways to get back on track.
Note that fat fasting is not a permanent solution to remain in ketosis. It should be used as a temporary aid. So, what exactly is the greasy fast?
Fasting of fat differs from traditional fasting and intermittent fasting in that you will practically only consume fats as calories over 3-5 days.
Generally, you will consume 80% to 90% of total calories from fat and, at the same time, will not consume more than 1200 calories per day.
So, in general, your total calorie intake will be low and almost all of these calories will be derived from fat.
Fat fasting beyond 5 days may have some scratches but nothing more troubling than regular water fasting. One tip to not extrapolate is to remember that low protein intake (obvious since you’re only consuming fat, practically) can make you lose muscle, something that usually causes dread in anyone.
When you are in ketosis, the tendency is muscle preservation. But we still need a small amount of protein to prevent the loss of muscle mass. So, if you decide to take a greasy fast, be sure to impose a time limit.
Use of Caffeine
The use of caffeine, as it relates to ketogenic, has many benefits. Helps to reduce appetite, maintain healthy liver and burn fat. Caffeine acts to increase the production of ketones in the body in a way that correlates directly with the dose consumed.
Higher consumption of caffeine means more ketones in the blood, which, in turn, means more fat burning. What is not a carte blanche to consume buckets and buckets of coffee, because although caffeine helps on the one hand, can disrupt by another, accelerating the production of hormones that play against weight loss. So 3 cups is a good request.
Limit Protein
Actually, the ketogenic diet is not a high protein diet as some people think. In fact, it is a diet rich in fats and moderate in protein.
Eating too much protein can impair your body’s ability to reach ketosis. The reason is that proteins and carbohydrates are broken down into sugar in the body.
Some of the protein you eat will be converted to glucose, and if you take in too much protein – a more common mistake than you might think, that glucose it generates may be enough to slow or even prevent your entry into ketosis.
On a ketogenic diet, the recommended amount of protein is between 0.8 and 1.5 g per kg of body weight, so if your goal is to accelerate the entry into ketosis, stick to the bottom of those amounts.
Reducing stress levels
The negative effects of stress are well known. But, did you know that there is an implication here for ketosis as well?
When we are stressed, the hypothalamus sends signals to our adrenal glands. The adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol into our bloodstream. When cortisol levels are elevated for a long period of time, this can cause the breakdown of both proteins (gluconeogenesis) and fat into energy. When the protein is broken, this results in an increase in blood glucose.
And, of course, this peak blood sugar results in preventing us from getting into ketosis. Always take stress seriously. It is the cause of much frustration in the matter of weight loss.
What you should be aware of before trying a keto diet
With a ketone diet, you can lose weight quickly (but at the same time you gain it back very fast). Therefore, you should be aware of the negative consequences and possible health damage caused by such a drastic diet.
No matter how persistent and stubborn you are, you will not get rid of the desire for carbohydrate so easily. As soon as you begin to enjoy a normal amount of carbohydrates you will get back all the lost pounds or even more.
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