The Ketogenic Diet, most commonly knows as Keto, is a way of eating that limits your carbohydrates and replaces those calories with fat. Over the course of time your body will enter a fat burning state known as Ketosis.
In Ketosis you body will convert stored fat into fuel.
Once you enter Ketosis, your will see consistent fat loss. Frank and Cat lost nearly 50 combined pounds in just a little over 3 months.
To get into Ketosis, there needs to be an absence of carbohydrates in your diet. For most Americans, 50% - 70% of our daily calories come from carbs (carbohydrates). In this type of diet, your body will convert the carbs into glucose (sugar) for fuel.
When our bodies sense glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream, it releases insulin to shuttle the glucose out of the blood and into the bodies tissue to be used as fuel later.
Unless you are very active, this stored glucose accumulates as fat over time.
Additionally, the cycle of eating carbs, releasing insulin, and storing the sugar over and over again eventually overwhelms the bodies ability to produce enough insulin and sugar levels in the body begin to rise. This is known as Type II Diabetes. This cycle has also been linked to other destructive diseases such as obesity, cancer, heart disease and many other auto immune diseases.
When you begin the Keto Diet and restrict your intake of carbs, and increase your intake of fat, your body will go through two phases as it becomes fat adapted.
Phase I – In Phase I your body will begin burning off the stored glucose in your system. Some people experience the “Keto Flu” during this phase. Please read our article on “How to Deal with the Keto Flu” for more information.
Phase II – You have burnt through the glucose in your system and you have become fat adapted. Your body will now begin burning stored fat as its primary fuel source.
Note – Everybody is different in how long it takes to go from Phase I to Phase II. For example, Frank felt great right away and saw big success from the beginning. Cat ended up with the Keto Flu and made just a little progress for the first 30 days. Once she hit Phase II the fat began to fall of rapidly.
Here are some common Keto questions:
Q – How many carbs can I eat.
A – There are a lot of different opinions on this. We suggest you limit your carbs to 20 grams per day until you reach your goal weight. You can experiment with adding some back in once you have reached your goal.
Q – What are Macros and where should they be on the Keto Diet?
A – Macros stand for macro nutrients. There are three macro nutrients (Fat, Carbs and Protein). In the Keto diet you should strive to get 70% - 80% of your calories from fat, 20%-25% of your calories from protein and 5% or less of your calories from carbs.
Q - Do I need to track my Macros?
A - We do recommend tracking your macros for the first couple of months until you develop a more consistent eating pattern, so you can insure your diet is falling into the recommended macros above. The Carb Manager App (Free Version) works very well for this and is easy to use.
Q- Do I need to test for Ketosis?
A - Our opinion is no. As long as your diet follows the macro pattern above, you will eventually get into Ketosis.
Q - Do I need to fast on Keto?
A- No, but many people do. When you switch from high carbs to high fat, you may notice that you are much less hungry. There are times we go 16 – 17 hours without eating, not because we are fasting, but because we just are not hungry.
Q - Can I eat unlimited protein?
In the absence of carbs, your body can turn excess protein into glucose and knock you out of Ketosis. Protein is an essential part of your diet, but it should be limited to 20% - 25% of your daily calories.
Q - Are there supplements I can take to stay in Ketosis?
A - Staying in Ketosis can be hard. If you eat too many carbs, or too much protein, or not enough fat, you can easily fall out of Ketosis. There are some cutting edge supplements on the market that will help you stay in Ketosis, even when your diet is not perfect. To learn more, CLICK HERE to watch our “3 Keto Hacks” video.
Q - Can I drink alcohol while on Keto?
We have devoted an entire blog post to this topic. Click this Lin "Can I Drink Alcohol on the Keto Diet" to learn more.
