Getting your body in the state of ketosis and maintaining this state can be a struggle for people. My goal in this article is to give you some of the best ways to get into ketosis and maintain it. These ketogenic diet tips that I am about to share are (in most cases) topics that I have written in depth about, but you probably didn’t know that these same topics can skyrocket your ability to maintain a state of ketosis.
If you haven’t read my article on the Ketogenic Diet, go back and read it. I outline what the ketogenic diet is, and then I list all the foods that you can and cannot eat while on the ketogenic diet. Now let’s dive into the 5 ketogenic diet master tips to help you find success with the diet.
1) Use Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a very powerful tool to push your body into a fat burning mode. When I coach people, I will typically have the individual fast for a period of 16 hours and eat all their meals within an 8 hour time frame. The reason intermittent fasting works so well to help you get into and maintain ketosis is because during the fasting interval, your body turns to fat for its energy source. Though it takes your body a few days to want to maintain that fat burning status on a consistent basis, intermittent fasting will consistently push your body in the right direction, that being the ketosis state.
Beyond k etosis, intermittent fasting has many benefits. Some of the benefits include raising growth hormone, weight loss, hormone balance, and so much more. Most people feel so good and notice so many benefits from intermittent fasting that they practice it daily.
To find out more about intermittent fasting, check out these two articles:
Intermittent Fasting to Get Ripped
Intermittent Fasting Pro Tips
2) Hit the HIIT
If you want to get into a state of ketosis and maintain it, exercise is an absolute must. The one thing we know is that from a physiological perspective, not all exercise is created equal. This is why I suggest High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for my patients. The HIIT workouts highly activate what is known as a GLUT-4 receptor in the body, which pulls blood sugar out of the blood stream and then utilizes that blood sugar much more efficiently. HIIT workouts should only be performed every other day for maximum efficiency. If HIIT workout are performed too often, such as every day, they can cause more harm that good.
For more information on how to do HIIT, watch this video: https://nuvisionexcel.com/podcasts/episode-7-hiit-for-fat-loss-top-5-hiit-workouts/
3) Monitor Protein Intake
Many people who are avoiding carbs while on the ketogenic diet tend to overdose on protein. It then causes them to fail at maintaining a ketogenic state. The reason for this is because protein breaks down into sugar when you over-consume protein in amounts that your body can’t utilize. This is a process called gluconeogenesis.
The protein that an athlete requires is much different that the protein a couch potato needs. The general rule of thumb to determine how much protein you need is to divide your body weight by 2.2 and that is the magic number. At 180 lbs., I personally need 81 grams of protein. 81 grams is sufficient for me with no exercise. I increase this number depending on the intensity of exercise which I perform. I determine how much I need to increase my protein intake by measuring my state of ketosis using the ketostix. I may throw in another 50 grams of protein on a heavy workout day, but if I notice I start to fall out of ketosis, I will cut the protein back. This simply takes some fine-tuning. It may sound daunting, but trust me that it isn’t. Monitor your body for a week or two and see what protein intake you require and then you’ll just know based on your workout and how you feel.
4) Embrace the MCT’s
Using a MCT oil to maintain ketosis is one of the best Keto-ninja tricks I know. It is like a high-octane fuel for your body during ketosis. The reason for this is because the medium chain triglycerides (or MCT’s) can be metabolized quickly into ketone bodies. The body metabolizes the MCTS’s so quickly because it recognizes them as more of a carb than a fat.
MCT’s have also shown to enhance thermogenesis in the body, thereby promoting fat burning. MCT’s also have fewer calories, which will essentially allow you consume more proteins and carbs, making ketosis easier to maintain. I like to add MCT oil to my coffee. You can also cook with it as well on a low heat.
This is the MCT Oil I use: http://store.nuvisionhealthcenter.com/MCT-Oil-Brain-Fuel-p/nhc42.htm
5) Optimize Thy Sleep
Sleep is one of the most under-rated nutrients that our bodies need in today’s world. Yes, I called it a nutrient because your body requires it in healthy doses. I personally have seen huge struggles in my own health due to a lack of sleep. This is what led me to write an e-book, to teach people every sleep strategy I utilized to regain my health.
When you don’t get adequate sleep, stress hormones are driven through the roof, causing blood sugar deregulation. Sleep alone can cause your ketogenic diet to go completely off the rails and leave you clueless as to why you cannot get it right. Clinically, we can see a cascade of unfortunate health events when you don’t get enough sleep and try to maintain the ketogenic diet. It just isn’t a good combo.
Use these ketogenic diet master tips to your advantage. Ketosis often requires fine-tuning, which is what lead me to write this article for my readers. These are the best ways I’ve found to get into ketosis and keep your body there.