Weight loss, improved mental cognition, hormonal balance, and treatment of various diseases like diabetes and epilepsy can all be achieved through the ketogenic diet.
When you’re in ketosis, your body stops using glucose as a fuel source and instead relies on ketones. This has a number of health advantages, such as:
- Slimming down in a healthy manner
- Staying fuller for longer with less hunger and cravings.
- Cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and even cancer can all be prevented with a healthy diet
- Increased levels of vigor
- Fewer hyperglycemia episodes
- Improved well-being for the whole family
You can get into ketosis faster if you follow these 10 steps. And in no time, you’ll be making great strides toward your health goals.
1. Drastically Cut Carbs
Carbohydrate consumption on a ketogenic diet is typically limited to 30 grams per day. This can go up to 100 grams if you’re a competitive athlete.
Some people prefer to gradually reduce their carbohydrate intake when beginning an Atkins or ketogenic diet. However, if you want to enter ketosis as quickly as possible, you must drastically reduce your carb intake. During this time, keep a close eye on your carbohydrate intake to ensure that no sneaky carbs sneak into your diet.
Even if you’re eating out or traveling, going low-carb isn’t as difficult as you might think. Dr. Anthony Gustin, the founder of Perfect Keto, frequently requests low-carb versions of his favorite dishes from restaurants, such as this porchetta and egg sandwich.
2. Increase High-Quality Fats
Ketogenic diets rely heavily on heart-healthy fats. Ketogenic eating can be a gradual process if you’ve never done it before. 70-80% of your daily caloric intake should come from fat.
If you want to lose weight, however, you should reduce your fat intake slightly so that your cells can burn fat stores instead of dietary fat, which will help your body transition to using fat as its primary fuel source.
The best way to get into ketosis quickly is to eat these healthy fats:
- Oils like coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, MCT oil powder, avocado oil or macadamia nut oil
- Fatty meats, egg yolks, butter or ghee
- Keto nuts and nut butter
- Plant fats like avocados, olives or coconut butter
3. Take Exogenous Ketones
There are supplements that can help you enter ketosis more quickly. The beta-hydroxybutyrate-based exogenous ketones are the most effective (BHB ketones). Most of the body’s total ketone bodies are BHB, which accounts for 78% of the total. It’s also a better fuel source than glucose because of its higher energy density.
Your body gets into ketosis more quickly if you supplement with exogenous ketones (sometimes in as little as 24 hours). Supplementation can reduce the time it takes and the unpleasant side effects of a low-carb, ketogenic diet.
4. Try Intermittent Fasting
Fasting is frequently used in conjunction with the ketogenic diet. Improved focus, quicker weight loss, and lower blood sugar levels are a few of the health advantages. It has also been linked to a reduction in the symptoms of a number of different diseases. Adding it to a ketogenic diet can speed up the process of reaching ketosis and aid in fat loss.
If you’re afraid of the idea of fasting, try one of these alternatives:
- For a few days, you go on a low-calorie (around 1,000 calories) fat fast, getting 85-90% of your calories from fat.
- Short-term fasting is simulated through the practice of fast mimicking. During this brief period, you continue to consume foods high in fat.
5. Exercise More
Glycogen stores are depleted by exercise (stored glucose). A lack of carbohydrates causes the body to turn to fat as a source of energy when glycogen reserves are depleted. In order to get into ketosis faster, you should increase the intensity of your workouts.
6. Take MCT Oil
MCT oil has the ability to significantly raise your blood ketone levels in comparison to other fats, such as coconut oil or butter. Combined with exogenous ketones, it can help you enter ketosis in just a few hours.
Unlike long-chain fatty acids, which take a long time to break down, MCT oil’s medium-chain triglycerides are quickly metabolized and used as energy by your cells.
7. Keep Protein Up
You don’t have to drastically reduce protein if you’re on a ketogenic diet. Not at all.
On the keto diet, getting enough protein is essential for optimal health and well-being. You can get many of the nutrients you need to stay healthy, feel full, and avoid muscle breakdown by consuming this food.
Attempting to lose weight by relying solely on fats is doomed to fail because of the lack of nutrients that adequate protein provides.
It is recommended that you eat at least 0.8% protein per pound (0.8 grams per kilogram) for your lean body mass. Grass-fed beef, for example, is a good source of healthy fats.
Try whey protein or collagen protein to help you feel fuller longer and provide the building blocks for growth and repair if you have trouble getting enough protein.
8. Find Keto Staples
Sticking to and enjoying a ketogenic diet begins with stocking your pantry with keto-friendly ingredients and following simple recipes. When you’re hungry and in need of energy, it’s easy to fall off the wagon if you don’t have any safe keto options available. What you can do then is this:
- Decide what you can eat on a ketogenic diet
- Find quick and simple recipes that are keto-friendly.
- Snack on keto snacks for a more nutritious on-the-go meal
9. Watch Your Snacks
Keeping a keto diet on the go is more difficult than keeping a keto diet at home. It can be nearly impossible to find keto-friendly foods while at work, on the road, or at the airport.
Having the right on-the-go snacks can make the difference between staying on track to becoming keto-adapted or veering off the path altogether.
The following are some of the best keto snacks:
- Keto Bars
- Keto Nut Butter
- Low-Sugar Beef Jerky
- Nuts and seeds
10. Make Healthy Swaps When Eating Out
It’s much simpler than you might imagine to make healthy substitutions when dining out. There is no reason to abandon your efforts because you’re meeting a friend for lunch.
Most restaurants are able to accommodate special requests, such as:
- Burger without a bun
- Salad without dressing (dressing are often loaded with carbs)
- Tacos without tortillas
- Unsweetened beverages
You’ll have an easier time adapting to a fat-adapted diet if you follow these 10 guidelines when starting out your keto diet.
How Long Does It Take to Get Into Ketosis?
Getting into ketosis can’t be done in a single 24-hour period. Throughout your life, your body has relied on sugar as a primary energy source. It will take some time for it to get used to running on ketones instead of gasoline.
It depends on a number of factors. It’s possible that this changeover could take anywhere from a few days to a week. When it comes to how long it will take you to lose weight, it all depends on your lifestyle, activity level, body type, and carbohydrate intake. Intermittent fasting, drastically reducing your carb intake, and supplementation are just a few of the methods you can use to hasten this process.
Remember that once you enter ketosis, there is no guarantee that you will remain in ketosis. Glucose is a type of energy that your body uses when you eat a lot of carbohydrates or practice carb cycling. To get back into ketosis, use the same methods you used to get into ketosis in the first place.
3 Additional Tips For Transitioning Into Keto
First, your body switches its preferred fuel source when you enter ketosis for the very first time. Some people may experience flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, dizziness, sugar cravings, brain fog, and stomach issues, as a result of this transition. Symptoms of the “keto flu” can be seen.
This can be alleviated by taking in exogenous ketones in the form of powder or liquid. Try these tips if supplements aren’t enough for you.
1. Stay Hydrated
It’s common for people who go from a high-carb diet to a ketogenic one to gain a little water weight. As a result, it’s critical to drink plenty of water. In addition, dehydration is frequently mistaken for hunger. Drinking water frequently, especially when you’re feeling hungry or craving something, can help you avoid this.
2. Take Electrolytes To Avoid The Keto Flu
Electrolytes are also necessary for replenishing fluids and replenishing electrolytes that are flushed out with water.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Hormone production and repair are both aided by a good night’s sleep. Lack of sleep is detrimental to the adrenal glands and the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. Sleep for at least seven hours each night. Creating a sleep-friendly environment can help you get a good night’s rest. One or two hours before you go to bed, turn off all electronic devices in your room and put on a sleep mask if necessary.
How To Know If You’re In Ketosis
Your ketone levels need to be checked if your goal is to enter ketosis quickly. Why? To learn what foods or habits are causing you to slip out of ketosis, a blood test can help.
In order to measure your ketone levels, there are three primary methods:
Urine Testing: Because it’s so cheap, it’s also the most inaccurate method. Ketones that have not been used by the body are excreted in the urine, so you are essentially testing for the presence of unburned ketones.
Breath Testing: These tests are much more precise than urine tests, but they are far from ideal. When you want to measure the amount of BHB, you should use this to measure the amount of acetone.
Blood Testing: You should use this method to measure your ketone levels to the best of your ability. A simple finger prick can tell you how much BHB ketones are in your blood.
The #1 Reason Why You’re Not in Ketosis Yet
If all of the above methods have failed to get you into ketosis, excess carbs are the most common culprit.
Carbs can sneak into your diet and keep you from getting into or staying in ketosis, and this is the most common reason new keto-ers think they’re doing everything right but still aren’t in ketosis.
Hidden carbs can from:
- Restaurant Meals. Sugar, for example, is a common ingredient in sauces.
- Healthy Snacks. Even low-carb snacks contain cheap ingredients and syrups that raise your blood sugar and kick you out of ketosis..
- Too many nuts. However, not all nuts are created equal when it comes to their carb content. Car limits can be exceeded if you eat large amounts of nuts without weighing them.
The Takeaway
You won’t have to wonder how long it takes to get into ketosis if you test your ketone levels regularly, follow the ten steps outlined above, supplement as needed, and monitor your carb intake. In no time at all, you’ll be in the game, burning fat and making great strides toward your health goals.
