Article At A Glance:
- You’ve probably heard of Keto diet and ketosis – and how people are using it to maintain a healthy weight. But what is it and how can you get into ketosis?
- For many people, ketosis has become a healthy, natural way to maintain a healthy weight, stay sharper and get some great health benefits
- Read on to find how to get into ketosis and maintain it. Our favorite? Keto F1. Read on…
If you’ve not heard of KETOSIS, pay attention because everyone seems to be talking about it, and its benefits – such as healthy weight management, lasting energy, sharper cognition among others.
Most people associate healthy weight management with dieting, tough exercise, personal trainer, etc.
Not always!
For most people, staying on ketosis is a healthier way to stay at a healthy weight.
Read on to find out how to maintain this healthy lifestyle and reap all its benefits!
WHAT IS KETOSIS?
Ketosis is a natural state where your body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn for energy. Instead, it produces ketones (ketone bodies) out of fat, and using these ketones to produce energy. Ketosis happens when there’s a high concentration of ketones in the blood.
Since your body uses fat to fuel our energy needs when in ketosis, this naturally means that with time, you’ll notice that your body has less fat.
Ketone bodies pass through the blood-brain barrier, and provide healthy food for the brain. This increases mental energy and cognition.
But how can you get into ketosis? There are several ways you can get your body into ketosis:
INTRODUCING KETO XP SUPPLEMENT
KETO Supplement:
- Is formulated with the ketone BHB, the most common ketone.
- BHB gets into the body fast, to start using fat as the primary source of energy.
- It’s both fat and water soluble, so it crosses the blood-brain barrier, supplying energy to the brain increasing brain power.
You end up with a lower percentage of body fat and a higher percentage of non-fat mass.
2) KETOGENIC DIET
Restricting carbohydrate intake is one of the fastest ways to induce the body to start producing ketones from fat.
A ketogenic diet is high in fat (about 75%), moderate in proteins (about 20%) and low in carbs (about 5%) – 1.
Eat about 75% nutrient-packed fats, about 20% proteins and about 5% carbs that primarily come from low-carb veggies.
Fat is naturally satiating, helping you feel fuller for longer (2). Prioritize on nutrient-dense low-carb foods like avocados, nut butter, coconut oil, olive oil, wild-caught fish, etc.
Is it easy to get into ketosis on diet alone?
If you’re taking less than 50g of carbs a day, it typically takes 2-4 days to get into ketosis.
Some people report taking 1-2 weeks to enter ketosis!
The time it takes can depend on factors like physical activity level, age, metabolism, and carb, fat, and protein intake.
Still, the will to change your diet can be enormous. Supplements like keto XP help you through this journey.
3) EXERCISE
Prolonged exercise depletes glucose and glycogen. This triggers release of fatty acids from fat deposits, which as converted to ketone bodies in the liver.
4) INTERMITTENT FASTING
Intermittent fasting triggers the body to start burning fat for energy.
This typically starts within 12-16 hours of fasting.
Key Takeaway:
You can induce ketosis through Keto Supplements like Keto XP, through ketogenic diet, exercise or intermittent fasting.
HOW KETOSIS HELPS YOU MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT
Here’s how ketosis helps you maintain a healthy weight:
A) In Ketosis, Your Body Breaks Down Fat Deposits
When you maintain your body in ketosis, your body breaks down body fat into ketones. Ketones provide energy for the body giving you a sustained, increased energy boost which doesn’t crash like when you take carbs.
You can go for hours without thinking about food. This makes you unstoppable!
This happens whether you’re using supplements (such as Keto Supplement) or not.
Key Takeaway:
When your body is in ketosis, it breaks down deposits of fat to supply the body’s energy needs, leading to easier weight management.
B) Ketones Help You Feel Less Hungry & Eat Less
Ketones affect 2 hormones that affect your eating habits:
- Ghlerin (hunger hormone) – This hormone tells your body you’re hungry. The more ghlerin you have in your body, the hungrier you feel. Ketones suppress ghlerin levels, which is why people on keto experience less hunger (1).
- Cholecystokinin (fullness hormone) – Cholecystokinin tells the body you’re full. Ketones balance cholecystokinin levels so you feel satisfied sooner after eating (3).
Key Takeaway:
When you’re in ketosis, the ketones in your body suppress the hormone ghlerin, making you feel less hungry. They balance the hormone cholecystokinin so you feel full faster.
C) Keto Reduces Fat Deposits
One of the downsides of eating carbs is that if they’re not immediately used for energy, they’re converted into fat and stored in the body (4).
Secondly, carbs block the hormone leptin, which tells your body you’ve eaten enough for your energy needs (7). You therefore tend to get a second or third helping!
In contrast, in ketosis, leptin is not interfered with – so you end up eating less!
Key Takeaway:
Eating carbs suppresses the hormone leptin which tells your body to stop eating. You therefore tend to eat more than you should.
In ketosis, leptin is not interfered with, so you tend to eat less.
6 BENEFITS OF KETOSIS
Ketosis offers 6 main benefits:
1: Healthy weight management: – As we’ve seen, since ketosis breaks down fat as a source of energy, you can expect a lower body weight with a higher percentage of non-fat mass and a lower percentage of body fat.
2: Better mental health: – Ketones (such as BHB) cross the blood-brain barrier, thereby enhancing several processes that promote mental alertness and sharpness. Ketosis is also known to reduce age-related cognitive decline.
3: Heart disease: – Ketosis helps improve risk factors for heart disease such as blood total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol (8).
4: Controls sugar in the blood: – Research shows that ketosis and ketogenic diet help control levels of sugar circulating in the blood, as well as diseases associated with these sugars (9, 10 11).
5: Controls blood pressure: – Ketosis has been shown to reduce blood pressure, which helps reduce risk of associated diseases such as heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, and help you live longer (14, 15).
6: Therapeutic for several brain disorders: – Ketosis is known to reduce age-related cognitive decline. It has also been used effectively in certain brain disorders such as epilepsy (12), seizures (13), Alzheimer’s (14) and Parkinson’s (15) diseases.
KETOSIS FREQUENT QUESTIONS
How do Keto supplements work?
Keto supplements introduce ketones in the body, getting it into ketosis – where your body breaks down body fat for energy.
Does ketosis have any side effects?
Regardless of how it’s induced, ketosis has some mild side effects such as:
- Keto fever – this is a group of symptoms that may appear 2-7 days after getting into ketosis, such as headache, foggy brain, fatigue, irritability, nausea, difficulty sleeping, and constipation. This wears off after a few days when your body gets used to being in ketosis.
- Bad breath – due to acetone, a by-product of fat metabolism. Again, this wears off after a few days
- Muscle cramps & increased heart rate – these happen if you’re dehydrated. Staying well hydrated fixes this
Should I watch calories while on keto?
The beauty of ketosis is you can easily manage your weight without watching calories (5). Also, you feel less hungry and eat less often when in Ketosis, which makes cutting down how much you eat much easier.
Should I eat carbs while on keto?
Carbs are the bodies preferred source of energy. So, whenever you eat carbs, you slow down the process of breaking down fat in your body.
Should I stay on keto while pregnant?
Ketosis is not recommended while pregnant because you can starve the baby. However, it’s perfectly fine when breast-feeding.