The main reason why you are considering taking up a keto diet in the first place is your overall health. Unfortunately, not everyone knows exactly how to get into ketosis in a healthy manner, which often results in many side effects and discourages many dieters from their diet.
Reaching ketosis is definitely not the easiest task you have ever been faced with, but if you do it properly, you will be enjoying its benefits in no time. This aggressive change in your body’s main fuel source is usually followed with several side effects such as insomnia, migraines, keto flu, a sudden drop in your energy levels, the infamous “keto breath” and many others.
Well, what if we told you that you can get into ketosis in a rather short period of time, but without these unpleasant downsides?
Though healthy and fast are never used as synonyms, you probably did not know that you can actually manage to combine the two with our top five tips for reaching ketosis. Using these simple shortcuts will help you jump right into it and finally start your keto journey to health!
Reducing your carb intake is a must!
The first one is quite obvious, and it is the foundation of every ketogenic diet, but it is still worth mentioning. You must, and we mean must reduce your carb intake to a bare minimum. Once you do, your body will be forced into producing more ketones, which will then become your main fuel source. You won’t be able to reach ketosis in any way without following this step.
But don’t forget, since all of our metabolisms work in their own ways, your optimal carb intake will probably differ. For example, you can be just fine with a daily intake of 20 grams of net carbs, but your best friend may need up to 50. Make sure to understand your body’s needs and then allow it the needed amount of carbs.
Keep your protein intake balanced!
The second tip for getting into ketosis is to supply your metabolism with an optimal amount of protein. Note that your liver will have to work hard to produce enough ketones to keep you going, but some of your organs and blood cells cannot work solely on ketone fuel. Your liver will need a certain amount of amino acids that it will later turn into glucose that your brain, kidney, and red blood cells need in order to maintain their proper functionality. Maintaining a balanced protein intake is as important as cutting down your carb intake, and either one won’t result in ketosis without the other. When it comes to ketogenic diets, balance is everything!
Include coconut oil in your diet as often as you can!
Another great tip on getting into ketosis in a healthy way is to try to include coconut oil in your diet in all ways possible! The reason for this is that coconut oils contain a large amount of MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides).
MCTs are healthy fats that are easily absorbed and used as a fuel source, or rapidly taken to your liver where they are then turned into ketones. They can also help you get into ketosis without an aggressive carb intake reduction, making it easier to gradually reduce your carb and calorie reduction, rather than make this drastic change all of a sudden.
Maintain an exercise regime!
If you are an athletic person, you will love this healthy way to get into ketosis. All you have to do is make sure that you exercise more!
Once you start working out or playing any sport, you are actually depleting your body of its glycogen stores – meaning your liver is then forced to start producing even more ketones in order to make up for this loss. People who exercise before their meal can have up to 300 percent higher ketone levels than those who don’t, or those who decide to work out after their meal.
Although many dieters experience a sudden decrease in their energy levels once they just start their keto diet, due to the keto flu, there are several things you can do in order to maintain your exercise regime.
The first and the most effective thing to do is to get some healthy supplements that will help you maintain optimal ketone levels in your blood. This will not only help you boost up your energy, but it will help you lose weight more easily. There are lots of different keto-friendly supplements on the market that will surely help you achieve your goal. You have probably already heard of creatine, exogenous ketones like those from Konscious Keto, and BHB ketone supplements. They are specially designed to help you maintain healthy levels of ketones, and will also help you stay in ketosis without too much effort!
The second thing to do is to start training with some low-intensity exercises, such as yoga or light jogging. Though taking up any type of exercise when you are experiencing the keto flu may seem like hard work, exercises such as the previously mentioned two will not only help you alleviate keto flu’s symptoms, but they can also help you get into ketosis faster. The only thing you have to do is to adjust your type of keto diet you are going for to the type of exercise you want to take up. There are three types of ketogenic diets: standard ketogenic diet (SKD), target ketogenic diet (TKD), and cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD). This power trio can easily be adjusted to whichever type of training you want to, be it weight lifting or a recreational sport. Do your research on the do’s and don’ts of all three diets and pick the one that suits you best!
Now that you know the many benefits of exercising while on a ketogenic diet, you can choose if you want to start off your exercise regime using a supplement or just by starting it off on a lighter note.
No matter which one you end up going for, both of these tips are guaranteed to do the trick!
Give fasting a chance!
We saved the best for last because this tip will actually be the fastest and healthiest way for you to get into ketosis. Try fasting! Fasting is a major part of many cultures and religions, and it is considered to help people cleanse and get rid of any irregularities in their blood.
Your body actually gets into fasting mode in the short period from breakfast and dinner, so imagine all the benefits it could have if you try fasting for a day or two. You would be able to flush out any toxins left over from before you started your diet, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of ketosis sooner!
Although you may have thought that getting into ketosis fast would be a nightmare, you can see that there actually are some great ways for you to achieve it. You can either pick one of them, or go crazy and combine them all, but there is not a doubt in our mind that these five great tips will help get you into ketosis safely and quickly while staying healthy and fit at the same time!
