The Effects Of Fasting Ketosis
Understanding ketosis and muscle loss during fasting. The process of ketosis is one of the physiological effects of fasting in which the brain (and some other bodily processes) uses ketones produced from fatty tissues as a fuel instead of the usual glucose. This is called "muscle sparing". When glucose isn't readily available via the diet (in the form of carbohydrates) and the glycogen stores in the liver become depleted, the body could break down muscle to get it. But ketosis is an adaptation that will spare muscle during times of shortage by instead breaking down fat stores and manufacturing ketones for brain fuel. It is said this state is attained at approximately 48 hours of a water fast for women and closer to 72 hours for men. The effects of fasting ketosis have become a more popular and controversial subject in recent years due to low-carb, high-protein dieters relying on it long-term to "burn the fat". Where ketosis was once considered a "crisis response" of the body and fine only for short durations, there are some doctors who now contend ketones are an acceptable alternative fuel, produced and used by the body any time glucose is scarce, which can happen even in non-fasting, non-dieting individuals, such as during intense exercise or during sleep. They are considering it a natural metabolic process where ketone production and use fluctuates constantly in response to the body's needs. What is so controversial about the low-carbers use of ketosis is the long term, artificially produced, use of it. Over long periods of time, their high-protein diet produces excess protein by-products that become a strain on the kidneys to eliminate. Ketosis also creates a mild acidosis of the blood, which, over a long period of time is considered detrimental to our health. One ef Continue reading >>
My Four Day Fasting Results
The results are in! Here are the results of my ketosis experiment. This post will detail my four-day fast ketosis kickoff period. So… if you think I’m going nuts and wondering why the hell I would fast, well, one, I can assure you I’m not and two, I suggest you read my highly informational article on why I am choosing to fast. Truth-be-told, I’ve tracked body composition, lab work, ketone levels and other important data, so I could become more knowledgeable about them. Some of the questions I had were: Does fasting lead to massive lean tissue losses? Does it destroy your metabolism? Is it unbearable? Does it sap your energy? The good news is that all of these pressing questions and much more are answered in this life-changing article. Okay…caught you! I bet you didn’t read the linked article about fasting, did you? Well, it’s okay; I’ll touch on it really quick. Well, this fast is NOT a water-fast. Honestly, I can name a few reasons, why you should not commit to a water-fast, but I won’t get into them right now. But, what I will get into is the types of fasts that I am practicing regularly and why. So, my fast is similar to what Valter Longo, a renowned researcher, deems to be the “better” than water-fasts in so many ways. According to Longo, the preferential diet is the “fasting-mimicking diet.” In fact, much of his research heavily focuses on reaping all of the benefits (and sometimes more) of a water-fast, while minimizing many of the “negatives” commonly associated with these types of fasts. Even more exciting is that a lot of Longo’s, official “fasting-mimicking diet” involves fat, as a macronutrient, with only about 40% of the total calories of other “diets.” This type of diet is amazing because it resembles the Mediterranea Continue reading >>
This Is How To Get Into Ketosis The Right Way
What if I told you that you can get into ketosis only in 2 days. It is possible. What about one day? Also possible! 1 hour? Of course! Most people are looking for the easiest and the fastest solution to everything. “Lose 20 pounds in 1 day with this magic pill!” Did it work for you? I don’t think so. I don’t blame people who want it to be easy and fast. I was one of those people when I started a ketogenic diet. What I didn’t realize is that it is not about how fast I get into ketosis, it is about changing my lifestyle and sticking to it day in and day out. Today, I want to talk about how to get into ketosis the right way. This is a blueprint that you can use when starting out with a ketogenic diet or when you want to get back into ketosis. I will also provide you with necessary techniques, shopping list, and recipes that will help you to start the keto diet and get into ketosis. Ketosis vs. keto-adapted There is a lot of confusion all over the Internet about being in ketosis vs being keto-adapted (fat adapted). Some people use them interchangeably without fully understanding the meaning behind them. Let’s clarify both terms and find out which one we are trying to achieve today. What is ketosis? Ketosis is a metabolic process that is activated when our body doesn’t have enough glycogen (derived from carbs) for our cells to burn for energy. Instead, it starts to convert fat deposits (adipose) to energy. As a part of this process, it makes ketones. Ketone bodies are water-soluble molecules that are produced by our liver from fatty acids. We produce ketones because fatty acids can’t cross a blood-brain barrier, and they can’t be used by our brain as energy. When people talk about nutritional ketosis they associate it with the presence of ketones in your bo Continue reading >>
How To Get Into Ketosis In 24 Hours: Practical Tips And Tricks
Some people need to be in ketosis for medical reasons while others need to be in a fat-burning mode for athletic competitions. Whatever the reason, I’ve conjured up tips on how to get into ketosis in 24 hours. Before I begin… These tips are purely from experience. While a lot of it has been backed by research, always take things with a grain of salt. There is no one size fits all diet that will turn you into superman. Anyways.. When I first adopted the low carb high fat keto lifestyle a couple years back, I became obsessed with it. To me it felt like I just struck a goldmine. It felt like some sort of esoteric subculture that no one knows about and those that do, have a leg up on their competition. With this newfound obsession, I spent hours on researching, implementing, and documenting how to get into ketosis as fast as possible. The science is out there. Study after study showing how beneficial being in ketosis is. Through trial and error, I’ve conjured up these tips on how to get into ketosis in 24 hours. Some of it is probably obvious and common sense but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective. Starting Tips On How To Get Into Ketosis In 24 Hours Start Intermittent Fasting (IF) I’ve mentioned it in a previous post, here. Intermittent fasting is like peanut butter and jelly, like batman and robin, like a fork and spoon, like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (just kidding). But seriously. By prolonging the time in which you eat your first meal, your body begins to enter a fat-burning stage (ketosis). I emphasize intermittent fasting with the ketogenic diet because it speeds up the whole process in depleting your glycogen storages. My recommendation is to skip breakfast completely. A popular protocol that many people praise is the 16:8 hour fast. This means y Continue reading >>
Fasting Without Exercise To Induce Ketosis
how long would it take someone approximately to reach a state of ketosis after carbing up the night before and fasting the following day. for example: last night I consumed 250g carbs around 10pm, slept until 8am. that's 10 hours of fasting. say i extended this until 2pm that would equal 16 hours of fasting. would this be enough for a lot of people (if keto adapted) to re enter ketosis after the above mentioned glyocgen restoration of a couple hundred grams of carbs? thanks Lucas Continue reading >>
How To Get Into Ketosis Fast | (7 Keto Hacks) To Enter Ketosis Quickly
How To Get Into Ketosis Fast The biggest question I get is how to get into ketosis fast? When I first started my ketogenic lifestyle two years ago, I was just trying to lose weight “period”. I didn’t understand being in a state of nutritional ketosis let alone being fat adapted. For those reasons, I failed miserably trying different types of the ketogenic diet like CKD (Cyclic Keto Diet). It was painful eating low carb during the week because all I could think about was refeeding on the weekend. Was it because I was doing it wrong? Or maybe I shouldn’t be doing it at all…Hmmm It seemed like every Monday and Tuesday I was experiencing keto flu all over again…lol… It was horrible repeating that week after week. Basically, if I was reaching ketosis by the end of the week, I was kicking myself out of it come the weekend! But like I said, I didn’t understand what ketosis was at the beginning stages so I had to learn the hard way. So I’m grateful you found this as I want to inspire you to give your all… Sorry about the rant… Let’s get down to the Dirty! When you’re in a state of ketosis your liver oxidizes fat into energy molecules that the brain then utilizes as fuel. To be in ketosis you have to be producing 0.5 mmol/L – 5.0 mmol/L of ketones which you can test using a glucometer. Below I’m going to give you some tips that have helped people that I’ve worked with get into ketosis fast. Get to Bed Early Sleep is the most important factor on a ketogenic diet because this is when the body produces the most ketones. Basically, you body repairs at night from releasing growth hormones. Here are a few reasons to get to sleep on time… 1: You don’t want high cortisol levels at night because it can cause an inflammatory state and spike your glucose Continue reading >>
Yes, You Can Get Into Ketosis Even If You're Vegan. Here's How
One of the most interesting panels at this year's revitalize, mbg's exclusive event in the Arizona desert (think TED but with a lot more yoga and probiotics), was a discussion on intermittent fasting and ketosis, two buzzwords just beginning to become familiar in the health world. Mention a ketogenic diet, and those who are familiar typically picture something similar to a high-fat paleo diet, heavy in animal protein and plant and animal fat. Because of this, panelist Carrie Diulus, M.D., made waves when she detailed using intermittent fasting and ketosis to maintain an almost 100-pound weight loss and manage her type 1 diabetes. Oh—and she does it all while being plant-based. Fascinated (and filled with questions!), we caught up with her after the panel to learn more. CD: I stopped eating meat because I thought it was healthier when I was 12, and I was vegan/vegetarian for about two decades. During my 20s, this resulted in me eating mostly processed junk, which resulted in me weighing 100 pounds more than I do now. I started medical school and lost the weight eating a calorie-restricted, low-fat, mostly vegan diet. During my orthopedic residency, I started eating meat again. I gained 60 pounds with each of my pregnancies and lost the weight (again!) eating low-fat vegan and exercising. My diet at the time wasn't healthy for me; it was super carb heavy even though I wasn't eating many processed foods. My health declined and I was gaining substantial weight. Eventually, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and started eating a low-carb diet with meat to keep my insulin steady and blood sugar balanced. This worked nominally well for a while, but I never felt really, really great. Finally, I went back to being vegan but stayed keto. I've never felt better in my life, and Continue reading >>
How To Get Into Ketosis Fast: Your 3-point Checklist For Max Fat-burning
So you're thinking about "going keto". I like your style. Pretty soon you’re going to experience the superhuman cognitive performance, energy, and fat-loss you’ve only read about. I won't lie to you, there's going to be a "break-in" period while your body adjusts to this metabolic shift. Which is why we wanted to find the best and fastest way to transition into ketosis. And what better way than ask the keto expert himself, Dom D'Agostino (who joined us on OPP episode 75) Dom whipped up a protocol designed specifically so you can achieve ketosis as fast and efficient as humanly possible. The Expert's Guide to Achieving Ketosis Dr. D’Agostino may in fact be the world’s premier authority on ketogenic diets. He's an associate professor in the department of molecular pharmacology and physiology at the University of South Florida. He is also a senior research scientist at the Center for Human and Machine Cognition. And the distillation of his experience and knowledge comes down to a three-tiered approach to rapid ketosis. Each of the actionable strategies below are effective on their own, but together, this trifecta will turn your body into a fat-burning machine. Step 1: Fasting To Get Into Ketosis Intermittent fasting by definition means not eating anything for a given period of time. Contrary to what the fitness "experts" often cite as gospel, skipping breakfast will not cause your muscles to shrivel up into little raisins. It doesn't mean you'll lose strengths either. Fasting is a powerful tool to achieve ketosis because it drives insulin levels down. When combined with a low-carb, high-fat diet, fasting pushes the body even more towards using fatty acids for fuel, and eventually you'll start producing ketones -- the primary fuel source for ketosis. Fasting Protoco Continue reading >>
How To Get Into Ketosis Faster.
The shift from burning glucose to fat takes a long time. It depends on the individual and their degree of carbohydrate tolerance. Usually, the initial adaptation period will last about 2-3 weeks. There is also a way to get into ketosis fast within a few days. To get into ketosis several things have to be met. We need to have lower blood sugar and insulin levels for an extended period of time. Once insulin has been suppressed for some time, the pancreas will release its counter-hormone called glucagon. Its job is to deplete the liver glycogen stores and increase the fatty acid concentration in the blood stream. This will also lead to the production of ketone bodies by the liver. To satisfy its extremely high energy demands, the brain will begin to utilize fat for fuel. For this to happen, we have to either: Fast for a prolonged amount of time. Restrict our carbohydrate intake to a bare minimum. Both options are very effective ways of inducing ketosis. However, those two things aren’t always enough. Someone who is burning sugar may not ever be able to get into ketosis, despite following the guidelines. The body is just too addicted to sugar and enters an energy crisis. To provide energy for the brain and body, it is necessary to have a substitute for glucose. If you want to become fat adapted, then you have to promote the production of ketone bodies as well. Ketones are the third fuel source and are above glucose and even fatty acids. The outcome of burning the ketone body acetoacetate in the Krebs cycle creates 2 additional ketone molecules. Beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetone can create 25% more energy than pyruvate (sugar). This means that to get into ketosis faster we have to assist our body in producing more ketone bodies. To do that, we would have to consume fat that Continue reading >>
7 Tips To Get Into Ketosis
Ketosis is a normal metabolic process that provides several health benefits. During ketosis, your body converts fat into compounds known as ketones and begins using them as its main source of energy. Studies have found that diets that promote ketosis are highly beneficial for weight loss, due in part to their appetite-suppressing effects (1, 2). Emerging research suggests that ketosis may also be helpful for type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders, among other conditions (3, 4). That being said, achieving a state of ketosis can take some work and planning. It's not just as simple as cutting carbs. Here are 7 effective tips to get into ketosis. Eating a very low-carb diet is by far the most important factor in achieving ketosis. Normally, your cells use glucose, or sugar, as their main source of fuel. However, most of your cells can also use other fuel sources. This includes fatty acids, as well as ketones, which are also known as ketone bodies. Your body stores glucose in your liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. When carb intake is very low, glycogen stores are reduced and levels of the hormone insulin decline. This allows fatty acids to be released from fat stores in your body. Your liver converts some of these fatty acids into the ketone bodies acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. These ketones can be used as fuel by portions of the brain (5, 6). The level of carb restriction needed to induce ketosis is somewhat individualized. Some people need to limit net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) to 20 grams per day, while others can achieve ketosis while eating twice this amount or more. For this reason, the Atkins diet specifies that carbs be restricted to 20 or fewer grams per day for two weeks to guarantee that ketosis is achieved. After this point, s Continue reading >>
The Top Tips For Getting Into Ketosis Quickly
Ketosis is a metabolic state where the body starts producing ketone out of fat and your body converts fat into compounds known as ketones and begins using them as its main source of energy. So, instead of your body using carbs for energy, it will shoot for fats. Ketogenic diets have become incredibly popular in the recent years with more and more people starting to practice diets such as Atkins, Keto, Low-carb, Slow-carb and much more ketogenic related diets. The first step to starting off a ketogenic diet is to put your body into a ketosis state. One of the hardest things that beginners struggle with is getting themselves into ketosis. In this article, we’ll cover the top tips for getting your body into ketosis and the health benefits behind a ketogenic diet. Weight Loss There are a lot of health benefits associated with ketosis. One of the most common ones is weight loss. Most people put their body into ketosis to speed up their weight loss process. One of the reasons for this is that ketogenic diets tend to get rid of excess water from the body. Our body is mainly made up of water and when you are eating a lot of carbs, our body will naturally retain those water. With a ketogenic diet insulin levels are lowered, the results of this is that the kidneys start shedding excess sodium, leading to rapid weight loss in the first week or two. This is why a lot of people tend to drop a lot of weight quickly in the early weeks. This is usually just water weight that was retained over time. In this study, which compared low-fat diets vs low-carb diets. People with low-carb diets tend to lose weight 2-3x faster than people on a low-fat diet. Another reason for people losing more weight on Ketogenic diets is because your body will go straight into fat burning mode after it’s Continue reading >>
10 Tips For Getting Into Nutritional Ketosis For Weight Loss
10 Tips For Getting Into Nutritional Ketosis For Weight Loss What is Nutritional Ketosis? Ketosis is an eating plan where the body uses ketones to fuel the brain and body instead of glucose like most people use when on the SAD (standard American diet). It can be very helpful for blood sugar and consistent energy because fat is a very stable source of fuel. We all have a few million calories of fat we would gladly burn off, right? It takes a while to get into ketosis and it can be elusive if you are not paying close attention. It can be very safe for a period of time (even forever) but each person has to decide what feels compatible with their own lifestyle. Some experts do not think it is an optimal state for athletes but others experts disagree. I think we all have bio hack ourselves to see what feels right. Of course, I believe that the paleo template is good starting place for optimal health but ketosis can be an add-on or tweak for people who get stuck or feel hopeless. It can be a powerful and effective way to lose weight without hunger and many of my friends have had success with it. Always ask your doctor before beginning any new nutrition or weight loss plan. Here are some ways to make it work for you: 1. Eat Less Protein I have a made a handy dandy chart here for figuring out the right amounts for you. Most average ladies need about 50-100 grams, no more, fyi. You have to self experiment a little to find what is right for you. The idea is that protein can turn to sugar if someone eats more than they need, then the sugar spikes blood glucose encouraging fat storage. 2. Eat More Fat I used to see this all the time in clients, I say add more fat and people add a tsp of evoo to their salad, NO!!! I am talking about seeing fat as a food group not a side item. Avocad Continue reading >>
5 Simple Steps To Get Into Ketosis
I think almost everyone agrees with me when I say that the ketogenic diet is probably one of the most complex and difficult eating plans out there. Even when you’re not on a diet or trying to lose weight you still have to bring a lot of attention to detail. Getting into ketosis isn’t as important as we would think, but there are still 5 simple steps we can make to get into a ketotic state. What Needs to Happen The conditions of nutritional ketosis are: Low blood sugar levels (about <85 mg/dl) Low insulin And because of that there are going to be: Higher glucagon, which is released by the liver, in response to low insulin, to increase the amount of fatty acids in the blood stream. High serum blood ketone levels, with the optimal zone being in between 0.5 and 3.0 mMols. Here are the 5 simple steps to get into ketosis. Step #1 Do a 24-Hour Fast Ketosis is the by-product of a prolonged period of fasting. After your liver glycogen stores have been depleted already after an overnight fast, the liver then begins to create more ketone bodies. After 2-3 days of fasting, you’ll be definitely in ketosis. Your brain will adapt to using ketone bodies and gets about 75% of its energy from fat. Overall, the body’s glucose demands and protein catabolism get reduced to a bare minimum. However, to get into ketosis we don’t necessarily have to abstain from eating that long. We’re already in mild ketosis in the morning and doing a 24-hour fast will increase our ketogenic pathways by a significant amount. Step #2 Start Eating Low Carb Ketogenic Meals Once you finish your 24-hours, you can start eating keto foods. Make your first meal something extremely ketogenic, meaning: Ultra-low carbs – cruciferous vegetables, like spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, chard. Your Continue reading >>
Four New, Cutting-edge Ways To Easily Shift Your Body Into Fat-burning Mode & Ketosis.
Great article. You actually answered my question as to the ratio of the 3 BHB salts which is quite helpful for me. For me, I had Keto O/S and found it quite good – my favorite was the chocolate swirl. But it was and is very expensive. Only 15-20 servings and would break the bank. So I turned to KetoCaNa and I’ve tried two flavours. Both of them were so salty that I almost threw up every time. Like flavoured sea water. Also only 15 serving per bottle. Then I turned to Ketond which is okay – Tigers Blood and Caramel Macchiato. What I like about Ketond is that it has a full 30 servings and is very transparent with it’s ingredients. It’s also the same price as Keto OS but you get 30 servings. But still, not the best taste. So in the end, I ordered 1kg of pure BHB Magnesium from a supplier in China and I will be developing my own Ketone product with 30 servings as a lower price than all the competitors, and with more Magnesium, and Calcium in it than Sodium so that it tastes the best and actually helps with weight loss (which Magnesium is proven to do at the right amount). What the companies don’t tell you is that actually Sodium BHB is the cheapest, then Calcium BHB and then Magnesium BHB to source so I would be interested in knowing if what you wrote is actually true or just an excuse to make the product cheaper. Probably a mix of both. So I have 2 questions Ben: 1. If you had to split the 11.7g of BHB into Sodium, Ca, and Mg, what ratio would you do for the best health results and potential weight loss? The current products on the market are about an 80/12/8 split. I would think it should be the other way around. 2. When I develop my own product and sell it, would you be up for sampling it and reviewing it on your website here? What flavours do you like/would Continue reading >>
3 Tricks To Get Into Ketosis Fast!
Ketosis is a normal metabolic process that provides several health benefits. During ketosis, your body converts fat for energy instead of using carbohydrates and glucose. It does this by converting fat into compounds known as ketones. “Getting into ketosis quickly is the key to successful weight loss” Getting into ketosis fast is important because when the body produces ketones, your hunger level goes down, your energy goes up, and you experience a state of well-being. These benefits will make it easier for you to stick to your diet plan. On a typical keto diet, it takes 3 to 5 days to enter into the state of ketosis, depending on how many carbohydrates per day you were eating before you started restricting them. If you’re coming from a carb-heavy diet, it could take even longer. However, there are much quicker methods than a standard keto diet. These 3 tricks are the best ways we have found to get into ketosis as fast as possible! Instead of taking 14-30 days, it may only take you 2-4. Give them a try and see for yourself that they can really promote and support your transformation towards using your excess body fat for energy to your brain and body. FASTING The best way to turn on your bodies fat burning process, is to fast. It couldn’t be any easier. Just don’t eat, and make sure you drink lots of water. Your carb/glycogen stores will deplete quickly just by fasting alone. Therefore your body has no choice but to find another fuel source (such as fat) other than relying on carbohydrates Intermittent fasting is one of my favorite methods to get into ketosis fast but it’s not for everyone. Going days without food can be hard for anyone, especially those just starting out. To make this Fasting Process EASY, consider a “Fast Mimicking” meal plan. The Fast Continue reading >>
