11 Steps You Can Do Today to Get Into Ketosis Quickly
11 Steps You Can Do Today to Get Into Ketosis Quickly
by Eric Gordon on January 06, 2020
What You’ll Learn...
Cut Out Carbohydrates
Add Healthy Fats to Your Diet
Fast
Plan Your Snacking
Supplements With Exogenous Ketones
Increase Your Physical Activity
Don't Forget Your Protein
Consume Medium-Chin Triglyceride Oil
Plan Your Keto-Friendly Foods
Test Your Ketone Levels and Make Changes as Needed
Conclusion
Transitioning your body into ketosis is a process. Ketosis is the state where your body is burning ketones from fat and using it for energy. Normally, your body relies on glucose from food. The main way that you can make this change is by cutting down on carbs, as they provide the glucose.
You have to remember that if there is glucose, your body will choose this method to get its energy first.
It can take anywhere from a few days to a week to fully make this transition, but you can make choices that speed the process up. Ketosis is more than a diet; it is a lifestyle choice. It involves exercising, taking care of yourself, and cutting your carbs as much as possible. If you focus on all aspects of this change, you will be able to get your body into ketosis more quickly and keep it there.
Screen shot this image for yourself 🙂
1. Cut Out Carbohydrates
The first rule of the keto diet is to cut your carbs. It may be tempting to slowly transition to a low carb diet, but if you want to figure how to get into ketosis quickly, you can cut carbs out starting today. The recommended carb count for the keto diet is 30 grams each day. Rather than slowly reducing your carbs, jump right in and cut them all the way down.
You should also learn more about hidden carbs. There are sneaky foods that have higher carb counts than you might expect. Clearly you want to avoid pasta, rice, bread, starchy vegetables, and cereal. Grains and starches are loaded with carbs, and they will prevent you from achieving ketosis. However, there are some foods that you might not suspect, such as the following:
Processed meats: Meats are a good source of protein and fat, but you should avoid processed meats, as they may have gluten, preservatives, and sugar in them.
Liver: Liver is known for its nutrients, but keep the portions small. Too much liver will raise your carb count.
Healthy Juices: Make sure that you check the label because many juice drinks are loaded with sugar.
Condiments: Be careful to limit how much you use. For example, ketchup has five grams of carbs in one tablespoon.
Certain nuts: Pistachios, peanuts, chestnuts, and cashews have a higher carb count.
Starchy vegetables: Stay away from potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, and cooked onions.
It is important to read the labels on everything because carbs can be hidden in food that seems to be healthy. Even food that is marked “low carb” might have carbs if you aren’t careful with the portion. To jumpstart your ketosis, watch out for sneaky carbs and reduce your carbs to 30 grams a day starting today.
2. Add Healthy Fats to Your Diet
Ketosis uses the ketones from fats to make energy for your body to function. This is vastly different from the process of using glucose from foods and converting it to energy. It stands to reason that healthy, high-quality fats are going to be a huge part of your keto diet. In fact, 70 to 80 percent of your calories should be from healthy fats.
Increasing the healthy fats you eat will help you to get into ketosis more quickly. For example, you can increase your intake of the following:
Fatty meats
Butter
Egg Yolks
Coconut oil and macadamia nut oil
Avocados or olives
Nut butters and fatty nuts
3. Fast
Often, keto and fasting go hand in hand. There are different ways to fast, and each of them helps to drive your body into ketosis. Most of the time, people who are trying to achieve ketosis use what is called “intermittent fasting.” This involves eating at set, specific times and fasting the rest of the day.
The simple process for beginners is to skip a meal. Choose a meal, and eliminate it. Don’t snack, and plan what you eat for the other two meals. This will prepare your body for the method where you choose a block of time each day to eat. For example, you might set your times at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. You will eat during those times and fast the rest of the day.
Fasting can help you get your body into ketosis quickly. During your eating window, make sure that you stick to high-fat foods, and they will help reduce your hunger between meals. When you are fasting, your body uses up your glycogen reserves more quickly, and once they are used up, you will enter ketosis. Fasting is a great way to get into ketosis quickly.
4. Plan Your Snacking
If you are at work or traveling, it can be hard to stick to the keto-friendly foods that you need. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a position where you eat higher carb foods and ruin your progress and plans. Make sure that you carry keto snacks with you so that you have them in an emergency. You can bring beef jerky that is low in sugar, keto bars, or nuts with you in the car. Plan ahead, and you will stay strong in your keto diet.
5. Customize Your Food at the Restaurant
Most restaurants are willing and able to accommodate minor requests to customize your food. For example, you can order a burger without the bun. You can also substitute the bread on a sandwich for a lettuce wrap. You should always order sauces and salad dressings on the side so that you can control how much you use.
Another way to stick with your keto diet is to be conscientious about portion control. Sometimes, you can order a half portion. This helps because it can be tempting to eat the whole thing, especially when you are just adjusting to the reduced carb intake. Minor changes to menu items can drastically improve your carb reduction, and most restaurants are happy to accommodate you.
6. Supplement with Exogenous Ketones
These supplements will help you achieve ketosis more quickly. In addition, taking exogenous ketones can actually lower the potential side effects of switching to a keto diet, including the keto flu. In addition, they will help to control hunger and cravings, and they reduce the “brain fog” that sometimes accompanies the shift in diet.
The most abundant ketones produced outside the human body is Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). It is the most common exogenous ketone supplement. “Exogenous Ketones” just means ketones outside the body being consumed.
You can use exogenous ketones for the first three to five days of your keto diet to help your body get into ketosis more quickly without many of the keto flu symptoms that some people experience.
7. Increase Your Physical Activity
Exercise helps to burn the glucose that is stored in your body. The more quickly you use up whatever glucose is stored, the sooner you will get your body into ketosis. Your body will begin using stored fat for its energy source, and you will enter ketosis more quickly.
You can work out at the gym, go jogging, or even go walking to increase your physical activity. Be careful not to overdo it, or your body may in fact need some extra carbs. Increasing your exercise gradually is a great way to use up your stored glucose and get your body to start burning fat.
8. Don’t Forget Your Protein
Protein is an important part of the keto diet. Even though fats will make up the majority of your diet, you still need protein to stay healthy and keep your muscles strong. Remember that switching to the keto diet is a healthy alternative lifestyle, but you still need to give your body all of the nutrients that it needs. A great high-quality source of protein is grass-fed beef, which has the added benefit of being a source of healthy fats.
9. Consume Medium-Chain Triglyceride Oil
MCT oil contains medium length chains of triglycerides, which are easy to digest. It is generally extracted from coconut oil, and there are several ways that it helps you get into ketosis more quickly.
MCT oil helps with fasting because it helps you to feel full. When your carb intake is low, MCT oil can help you achieve ketosis more quickly because the MCTs can be converted into ketones and used to make energy.
MCTs don’t take long to break down, and they are a more instant source of energy. They can help your brain to be more clear and focused more quickly, and you can avoid some of the brain fog that happens when you begin the keto diet.
10. Plan Your Keto-Friendly Foods
You can get your body into ketosis quicker if you plan ahead. It can be overwhelming to suddenly change the way you have eaten for most of your life, but you can take control of it by planning.
The general guidelines are to increase healthy fats and cut carbs. Avoid sugars, starches, and grains. That all sounds great, but what should you eat? The time when it is most difficult to stick to your keto diet is when you are starving and you have nothing keto-friendly to eat. When your body needs energy, it initiates cravings. You want to be prepared with the right foods.
You definitely need some keto-friendly snacks on hand, both for when you are out and about and at home. As mentioned earlier, consider having healthy nuts, keto bars, or low-sugar beef jerky for snacking emergencies.
Click To Download Your Keto Meal Plan
As for your meals, you should start by finding keto recipes that you will enjoy. There is a variety of wonderful recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you can find many great recipes online.
You should focus on fresh, unpackaged plant-based foods and meats. Stay away from prepackaged and processed foods as much as possible. Just the preservatives will throw you out of ketosis. Always remember to check the labels for any hidden carbs, sugars, or additives that will interfere with your keto diet.
Your fats are important, as they will make up 70 to 80 percent of your diet. You want to focus on grass-fed beef and organic meats. Dairy products including butter, heavy cream, and ghee are great choices. Use avocado oil and virgin olive oil to help with your cooking.
Preparing for your keto diet by researching and planning your foods and meals will help to get you into ketosis more quickly.
11. Test Your Ketone Levels and Make Changes as Needed
You can test your ketone levels with several different kinds of tests. A blood ketone meter works similarly to a glucose meter, and you simply prick your finger and place a small drop of blood on the test strip. The meter will tell you what your ketone level is.
Another option is a urine test, which is simple to use and very affordable. They are known to be less accurate than the blood test, but they will tell you if you are in ketosis.
Once you test your ketone levels, you can either keep going if you are in ketosis or adjust your diet if necessary. These tests can be a great way to verify that you are in ketosis.
Final Thoughts
When you are starting out on the keto diet, you might want to get into ketosis more quickly. The keto diet is a lifestyle change, and you need to begin with a commitment to making this change. The goal is for your body to transition from using the glucose from carbs and sugary food for energy to using ketones from stored and high-quality fats.
The important thing is to plan ahead. You need to learn about which foods are best for the keto diet, and you want to know what kind of meals you are going to prepare. Making sure that you have done your due diligence beforehand will help you have food that is compatible with the keto diet on hand.
You should cut carbs drastically, as much as you can. In addition, increase the healthy fats that you consume. Fats, such as grass-fed beef, will help you to feel full, and you won’t be as hungry.
Add exogenous ketones to your diet to help avoid the keto flu-like symptoms. Most of all, embrace your lifestyle change. There are so many health benefits to the keto diet, and it will help to remind yourself why you are making this choice.
