Starting a Ketosis diet

[Go_Girl]

Anybody else using ketosis?  What does it mean when your body is in ketosis and how can you tell if you're in ketosis?

[Dominique]

No experience with ketosis (I like carbs way too much), but if counting carbs doesn’t do the job, you could use a blood ketone meter such as the one mentioned in this older post. You may want to have a look at The Ketogenic Diet, an e-book by Lyle McDonald’s. I’m not familiar with that particular book, but I’ve read another one by him (A Guide to Flexible Dieting) and I liked it. You can also search his site for "ketosis" and "ketogenic". You’ll also find a lot of (partisan) information on Peter Attia’s blog (he’s the guy with the blood ketone meter mentioned above).

[JohnRi]

As for being in Ketosis, most people that do it, get keto breath.  Really bad breath due to the body burning fat.  The only way for your body to get rid of some of the by product of burning fat is to release it through your breath.  Although you will not be able to smell it, your spouse, partner, etc., will smell it when you kiss them.  Most describe it as a very foul smell, unlike bad breath.  Unfortunately no amount of brushing, or mouthwash will help.  You can only mask it with sugerfree gum, breathmints...  

So if they tell your breath stinks, you're in ketosis. 

It's one of the reasons so many back in the day, when the Atkins diet was big, that caused people to quit. 

I stumble into ketosis, not because of diet, and more because a 1800 calorie diet, and burning 3400-4000 calories a day, requires my body to burn fat.

In Ketosis, your body is burning fat, instead of glucose.  It's because you body doesn't have enough glucose to power your body.  So it has to burn fat.  Carbs are very easily converted to glucose.  So by cutting carbs, your body is forced to burn fat.

I'm like Dominique, I like carbs too much.  I run a diet around 20-25% protein, 25-30% fat, and 45-50% carbs.  1800 calories a day.  1-2 hours of walking every day.  I've lost almost 50 lbs.  Today I crossed the halfway mark to my first goal of 183 lbs.

[Go_Girl]

That’s a lot of good information. What’s the average time before your body turns to ketosis? Am I looking at months or weeks?

[Dominique]

---

@Go_Girl wrote:
What’s the average time before your body turns to ketosis? Am I looking at months or weeks?

---

As I said, no personal experience with Ketosis, but Google is your friend:

Q: How Long Does It Take To Get Into Ketosis? 

A: Anywhere from 2 – 7 days, depending on your body type, activity levels, and what you’re eating.

Q: How Long Does It Usually Take To Get Into Ketosis?

A: The body can only store a two-day supply of glucose in the form of glycogen, so after two days of consuming no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates, most people go into lipolysis/ketosis.

[professorpete]

I know 2 people who have done this "diet". They were both morbidly obese and developing serious problems because of that- high blood pressure, blood sugar issues, etc. they did it woth medical supervision, as anyone should. Both had to sea ch for a doc who would work with them as their own docs refused. This is not a healthy way to go. It is not very good nutritionally, is medically risky. One stopped after the doc said, no more, time to learn to eat on a healthy wqy. The other stopp d du to it causing kidney worries. (Not unusual with this). So, why would you go for something extreme? If we want to lose weight to be healthier, to be more vital, which do something less than healthy to get there? There are scientific studies, in medical journals, linking excessive meat to cancer. We are being told to cut back, even with grass fed organic meat, and to not use the other kinds. I just dont get the foolish things people advocate in the name of getting thin. I do know other people who tried it and luckily couldnt stick with it, What about trying to cut out all junk- sugar, processed foods, white breads, factory made "food products" that have chemicals for shelf life and wreck your life? How about being active for longer periods each day? I am assuming your health and quality of life long term matter.

[Dominique]

The main objection I’d have against ketogenic diets is the fact they’re so unpractical: how can you have any semblance of a social life if you can’t eat staple food such as potatoes, rice, pasta, vegetables, fruits etc. (or can only eat them in ridiculously tiny quantities)?

Otherwise, there is nothing magical about ketogenic diets (from a weight loss point of view): if you must eat 1500 calories a day in order to obtain a 500 calorie deficit, it doesn’t matter where these calories come from. Yes, fats tend to make you feel full, so you’re less likely to be hungry (or so goes the argument), but proteins and fiber-rich carbs also have the same effect.

If you think "bad" carbs (white flour, sugar etc.) are the root of all evil, just replace them with "good" ones (veggies, fruits, dark bread etc.). There’s nothing inherently fattening about carbs (even "bad" ones), or fats, or proteins, it’s over-eating the stuff that gets you fat. 

[emili]

Agree 100% with Dominique. Carbs are not the enemy - bad carbs don't do anything for you nutritionally so its a waste to eat them but you can eat 1200 calories in twinkies and 1200 calories in fruit and veg and lose the same. You will feel much different of course, but lose you will. I would strongly urge you to read read read and read some more about different nutrition arguments and decide what's best for you. You might be taking something away from yourself that you don't need to which will create a situation of over eating, binging and unhealthy habits. If you find this is the best alternative for you- terrific, but either way you will know for sure.

[USAF-Larry]

---

@emili wrote:

Agree 100% with Dominique. Carbs are not the enemy - bad carbs don't do anything for you nutritionally so its a waste to eat them but you can eat 1200 calories in twinkies and 1200 calories in fruit and veg and lose the same. You will feel much different of course, but lose you will.

---

If you're diabetic, you will feel very, very differently if you eat 1200 calories of Twinkies vs 1200 calories of fruit and vegetables.  Being diabetic, I look at the glycemic index of the foods, especially carbs. The high glycemic index foods, such a Twinkies, will spike the blood glucose and then very quickly drop to a low reading.

[Go_Girl]

Thanks for the info, I'll check it out

[emili]

Well of course Larry. A diabetic would also never use a super low carb diet because you need long term carbs to carry you through insulin spikes. My husband has type 1 for the past 30 years. Very well educated in the diabetes space.

[OCDOC]

@emili

"A diabetic would also never use a super low carb diet because you need long term carbs to carry you through insulin spikes. My husband has type 1 for the past 30 years. Very well educated in the diabetes space."

Type 1 DM is a completely different animal than Type 2; DM2 is characterized by Insulin RESISTANCE (rather than insufficiency which is Type 1). The main cause of DM2 is obesity.

2 things..1) a calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie. Suggesting 1200 cals of twinkies is the same as 1200 cals of veg (according to Newton) is not helpful.

2) There are (finally) OFFICIAL American Heart Association recommendations suggesting that not only are sugars and sweetened beverages to be avoided completely, but people should also limit carbs from grains/potatoes (this is new) in favor of leafy greens and legumes. The AHA released its mega-review and dietary recommendation in the January 2016 issue of Circulation (available for free as a pdf..easy to google).  IMO they don't push down carbs enough, but it's the biggest carb push-down since the first gov't recommendations in 1977.

The 'big boys/girls' in charge of out heart health are finally catching up to what researchers of Metabolic Syndrome have been saying for years...carbs are a real problem; far too serious a problem to be dismissed casually as a 'calorie is a calorie'.

Crappy carbs and the food industry are the 'big tobacco' of our generation...NOT an exaggeration when needless deaths and disability are measured.

Anyway, on a lighter note to OP I hope you indeed study/learn/be happy and healthy. It's what we ALL want! 🙂  Best  Rob K

ETA...here's a link...hope it works 🙂

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/133/2/187.full.pdf+html?sid=50aa3782-e20b-429a-ac4b-39da26a9bd03

[emili]

My original post had nothing to do with diabetes. This was brought in later. My original post had nothing to do with condoning Twinkies... It was a math illustration of calories. The argument of carbs has raged for decades and will for decades more. We can all agree to disagree. I wish you all the best too, e

[Rion55]

I started doing low calorie dieting in mid-November of this last year. In December almost one month later I had lost 10 pounds but I had a friend suggest I try the Keto Diet. I switched at that point to Keto. I am now down a total of 47#s. Keto takes some getting use to I keep my carbs below 20 grams a day I have been doing that since I started. I hit plateaus often and my weight will bounce up and down 1 1/2 pounds. I weigh all my food, measure all my food, and log all my food. I also weigh every day not because I want to but to make me accountable. I never did do my measurements and I wish I had done that. The only way you can keep up accurately with the food you consume is to weigh and measure. It takes 2-3 weeks for most people to get into Ketosis. You can use the Ketosis Urine sticks that are available near the diabetes supplies in your local pharmacy. Those are accurate but not as accurate as a blood checker ketosis checker. On the urine ketosis sticks, all you want is a color change from the normal range any slight tinge of pink is good.

If you keep your carbs below 20 grams a day you will get into ketosis. The thing I like about the keto way of eating is I can still cook for my husband and take mine out before adding sauces etc. I miss fruit a lot and eating other types of vegetables than the leafy green ones. I never realized vegetables and fruits had so many carbs in them. After two weeks of eating this way, you will not miss the carbs. I am now adding 1 teaspoon of MCT oil to my coffee in the morning. I set up my goals to be 1000 calorie deficit a day most of the time I am a bit more because I am pretty active. I will start lifting weights once I am 10 pounds from my goal weight. The hardest part of keto dieting is actually getting your ratio right of fats, protein and carbs. I mean about 60% of your diet needs to be good healthy fats and about 8-10% needs to be carbs, the rest is protein. The key is truly balancing it all out. There are several keto calculators online that will help you do this.

[Dominique]

---

@Rion55 wrote:

It takes 2-3 weeks for most people to get into Ketosis.

---

You mean you deprive your body from its normal fuel (carbs) and it takes it 2-3 weeks to figure out what to use as an alternative source of energy (that replacement being fats)?! How does it cope during that period? Does it have to live on whatever protein you’re feeding it? 

[OCDOC]

---

@Dominique wrote:

---

@Rion55 wrote:

It takes 2-3 weeks for most people to get into Ketosis.

---

You mean you deprive your body from its normal fuel (carbs) and it takes it 2-3 weeks to figure out what to use as an alternative source of energy (that replacement being fats)?! How does it cope during that period? Does it have to live on whatever protein you’re feeding it? 

---

Agree w D that 2-3 weeks to ketosis is a bit long. 

Abrupt fasting results in enteric metabolism (what's in your gut from the last meal) for about 4 hours, then glycogen use from muscle and liver until about hour 24. After that, it's lipids ie ketosis.

Eating superlow carb (<5g/day) doesn't change this timeline too much.

Eating more carbs (40-100) plus protein (.7g/kg) will delay ketosis, but not by 2 weeks.

Most people who do the 'dietdoctor' scheme are 'ketotic' within 5 days.

Just a btw...eating less garbage carbs will be healthful, with or without 'ketosis'. I've not seen convincing evidence that 'spilling ketones' per se means anything special in and of itself.

[Rion55]

It is obvious I Meant 2-3 days. Many get the KETO flu that can last a few weeks. I did not get that at all. In fact I feel fantastic.

[Rion55]

The best information out there can be found on the KETO forums or blogs. I find the blog articles easier to view and get the information I need. I ordered two great cookbooks that can be found on Amazon.

Forums:

http://www.ruled.me/forum/

http://keto.boards.net/

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?f=91

Blogs:

http://www.wickedstuffed.com/

http://ketodietapp.com/Blog

[Whyrun]

I can limit my carbs to 20g and be ketonic in less than 48hrs, I verify this by using urine test strips easiest way to check... Obviously this is not for everyone, I do this for awhile then slow reintroduce good carbs as just a way to shake up my body when I hit a plateua, I can tell you this, I feel I have more energy when my body is using fat instead of glucose...

[Go_Girl]

Just thougt I'd give an update.  I started the keto diet with the help of a nutritionist.  So far, I've lost 8 pounds in two weeks & I feel terrific.  I'm learning how different foods affect my body.  Looking forward to obtaining a new body and keeping the weight off.