The Ketogenic diet has become increasingly popular over the past few years as more people are choosing healthier, low-carb lifestyles that aid in improving health and assist with weight loss at the same time. However, entering a state of ketosis can take time, and definitely a lot of willpower, in order to see favorable results.
If you are anxious to experience ketosis and don’t want to wait, there are things you can do to speed up the process. Below are some things you can do to make getting into ketosis easier and quicker.
To reiterate, the ketogenic diet is a high-fat, very low-carb diet that requires drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This in turn lowers insulin levels as well as a person’s blood sugar. It repositions the body’s metabolism away from carbs and, instead, to fat and ketones.
Therefore, one of the first things you can do to reach ketosis faster is to drastically cut out carbs. That means you should only be eating around 20 grams of net carbs a day. This low amount should cause the body to deplete it’s glucose reserves quickly and is a foolproof method to get you into ketosis within 3 days.
Another tried and true method to help you reach ketosis faster is to amp up your healthy fats consumption. Make sure your fat intake accounts for 70-80% of your total calories. The goal is to transition your body to using fat as its primary fuel source. Keto-approved healthy fats include oils like extra virgin olive oil, MCT oil, coconut oil and avocado oil. Fatty nuts and nut butters and plant fats like olives and avocados are also approved. So are eggs and fatty meats.
Speaking of eggs, this protein-rich food is an excellent item to incorporate into your keto diet, as they are packed full of valuable nutrients. If you are looking to enter ketosis quickly, you may opt to try the keto egg fast to help you jumpstart the process. During a keto egg fast you essentially restrict your diet to only eggs, full-fat cheeses and healthy fats for 3 to 5 days, abstaining from most other types of food.
The goal here is to eat at least 6 eggs a day along with an ounce of cheese and a teaspoon of butter or other healthy fat options, and additionally, you have the freedom to eat your eggs in a variety of ways — scramble them in the morning, fry them for lunch, and make an omelet for dinner.
It’s important to remember that in addition to watching your carbs, exercise also helps deplete the body of stored glucose. When glucose reserves are low, the body turns to burning fat for energy. Therefore, increasing your exercise intensity can help you enter ketosis quicker.
When your body enters ketosis for the first time, the transition can cause flu-like side effects in some people, called the “keto flu.” Make sure to stay hydrated during this time as it will help offset the symptoms of the keto flu.
By following some of these pointers, you’ll be in ketosis, burning fat and reaching your health goals in no time.