One of the key components of the keto diet is putting yourself into ketosis. Doing so, you burn fat relatively quickly, especially if you’re physically active. But is ketosis a healthy state of being?
Some would state that it’s a great way to live and remain trim. That is as long as you’re satisfied with the restrictions of something like the keto diet.
Then, there are some who believe ketogenic diets are unsustainable. In reality, it comes down to each individual’s wants and needs.
Remember, losing weight is only half of the battle. You’ll need a diet that you plan to maintain for the long term. Otherwise, you’ll more than likely pack on the weight. Keeping yourself at a healthy weight is a life choice, which means you’ll need to permanently adjust your eating and activity habits.
What is Ketosis?
Ketosis is when your body begins burning fat for fuel by creating ketones. Instead of converting carbohydrates into glucose, the body will use these ketones for energy. The end result is burning fat faster than when you’re mixing a diet with more carbohydrates.
This state is actually the premise behind a lot of diets on the market. Most notable is perhaps the “Keto Diet,” or “Ketogenic Diet.” However, ketosis is also the backbone behind Lean for Life and many others.
Keto isn’t merely for those who want to lose weight, though. In fact, doctors will suggest the ketogenic diet to treat epilepsy as well as acne, heart disease, and the prevention of Alzheimer’s.
This is in addition to the evidence for keto diets being used to treat a variety of other neurological diseases.
What is “Keto Flu?”
Keto flu is a set of symptoms that often mimic the flu and is often felt by those who try ketogenic diets for the first time. While some people experience it for a few days, others may have symptoms for a few weeks. However, not everyone will experience keto flu.
Symptoms for keto flu can include:
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Irritability
- Muscle soreness
- Nausea
- Cramping
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Restlessness
- Brain fog
- Various food cravings
Dealing with Keto Flu
In many instances, the symptoms will disappear once your body is accustomed to the transition of not using carbs for energy. In my case, it lasts just a day and usually consists of fatigue and brain fog. You can still work to reduce the symptoms by drinking water. Staying hydrated helps with fatigue and cramping, not to mention the other benefits of drinking water in general.
Keeping your electrolytes in check is also ideal. Your body will expel a lot of salt as the levels of insulin in your bloodstream decrease. There are a lot of ways to boost electrolytes, and a lot of people will simply add a tad more salt to their meals.
Strenuous exercises can also exacerbate keto flu. Remember, your body is learning how to use fat for energy. Pushing yourself too hard at the gym, in the beginning, might make matters far worse for you.
Perhaps one of the most beneficial things to help fight keto flu is sleep. Of course, sleep is vital for so much more than just dealing with the onset of ketosis. Everything from motivation to mood is affected by how much sleep you get at night.
8 Ways You Benefit from Ketosis
With a healthy mixture of fats, proteins, and carbs, something like the keto diet is sustainable for the long term. That is as long as you’re willing to give up the sugary goodness that is widely available. And let’s not forget indulging a bit on pasta.
You can also do something like “dirty keto,” which is more tailored to keeping the carb intake low but not focusing intently on food quality.
Anyway, what kind of benefits are related to being in ketosis?
Faster Short-Term Fat Loss
Due to the premise of turning fat into energy, ketogenic diets are usually some of the quickest methods for losing weight without starving yourself. It’s all about higher fats (not saturated fats, mind you) and lower processed carbs.
Although it’s mostly anecdotal, people have reported losing up to 10 pounds the first week of keto. Personally, I lost just shy of 10 pounds in a week with a “dirty” version of the diet when I tried it for a few weeks.
Reducing Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels
It’s believed ketogenic diets improve blood sugar levels while reducing the body’s need for insulin. This is good news for those who suffer from type 2 diabetes.
But there is a bit of a caveat. For those who suffer from frequently low levels of blood sugar (hypoglycemia), there needs to be a better balance of foods and sugar intake. That’s why it’s always a good idea to keep a blood sugar testing kit when pushing any kind of diet plan. Some kits are relatively affordable and can greatly reduce risks.
Improves Acne In Many Cases
Another anecdotal element of ketosis is how some people report that low-carb diets have helped with acne. Although I haven’t been able to find a scientific study on this yet, it’s something I’ve heard myself both online and in person.
It would stand to reason that there is potential. A lot of people develop acne from certain processed foods or sugars. By reducing that intake through ketogenic diets, it would potentially reduce the onset of acne for those individuals.
Reduced Triglycerides
High levels of triglycerides increase the risks of heart disease and stroke. Ketogenic diets reduce the amount of triglycerides in your bloodstream, which then reduces your risks of these issues.
Now, some levels of triglycerides are important as they are part of what keeps you alive. It’s when these numbers are at excessive levels that can cause severe complications.
Short-Term Improvements to Good HDL Cholesterol
Studies have shown that ketogenic diets reduce LDL cholesterol (bad) and improve HDL cholesterol (good) over the short term. Although more research is needed to determine long-term effects, it’s also found that the levels switch if maintaining the diet for the long term.
Also, it’s not advised to be on the keto diet if you have bad cholesterol levels due to family genetics. Always consult your physician before attempting any diet plan.
Reducing Blood Pressure – ish
Data suggests that ketogenic diets reduce blood pressure, but not so much as to distinguish it from any other diet. Instead, it appears the reduction of blood pressure is due to weight loss in general.
Obese people tend to have a higher blood pressure than someone who is fit. So, any loss of weight would directly affect the cardiovascular system in a positive way. Ketosis just makes it happen quicker than many other diets out there.
Potential for Brain Health
Ketogenic diets have been used to treat epilepsy for decades. However, studies today show how these diets can also affect other areas of the brain in a positive manner such as mood, alertness, and improved cognitive stress.
Not to mention that keto dieters are less anxious, depressed, and lonely.
There have also been studies conducted on mice that demonstrate memory and brain function, but I tend to trust studies done on humans rather than rodents.
Reduces Risks of Some Cancers – ish
While more studies need to be done, there is some evidence that ketogenic diets reduce the risks of cancers. A few scientists believe it has to do with starving cancers of glucose, which our bodies create from carbohydrates.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of empirical evidence to support whether going into ketosis will cure something like colorectal cancer, but it is interesting that there is potential.
How to Get Into Ketosis
By reducing your carb intake to 20 to 50 grams per day, you should put your body into ketosis within two to four days. Of course, the amount of time it takes varies from person to person.
In my case, I’ll be in ketosis within two to three days depending on the week. However, my obese friend will go into ketosis extremely quickly, usually after the first day. And after three days, her ketone strip will be ultra purple compared to mine, which is more of a darker pink.
If you need help figuring out your timeline, ketone strips are quite useful.
There are a few variations of ketogenic diets, but they will all have the same basic principle – reducing carb and increasing fat intake. However, you need to be careful with the fats. Some people think all fats are the same, which they are not.
For instance, saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol levels, which contributes to heart disease, among other issues. So, try to stay away from saturated fats while doing any keto diet.
An example of a keto-esque diet would look something like this:
- Fat – 70% of your calories
- Protein – 20% of your calories
- Carbs – 10% of your calories
As I said, though, different variations of the keto diet will have varying numbers.
Ketosis vs Ketoacidosis
Ketosis is the process of breaking down fat in your body for energy instead of turning carbs into glucose. The byproduct of breaking down fat is an increase of ketones in your blood.
Ketoacidosis is the build-up of ketones and acid in the bloodstream and is usually related to forms of diabetes. It’s very rare for anyone without diabetes to have ketoacidosis, but those who do will require a great deal of medical attention.
Does this mean you’ll eventually suffer ketoacidosis while committing to the keto diet? No. Well, that is unless you have diabetes, which is why you want to talk to your physician before trying any diet.
The build-up of ketones to trigger ketoacidosis is far more than what normal people will experience during keto diets. It’s ultra-rare that anyone doing a ketogenic diet would suffer from ketoacidosis unless they already had a pre-existing condition with diabetes.
Keeping Yourself Safe
I can’t stress enough about talking to your physician before committing to any diet plan. Some diets are just not feasible depending on personal physiology and medical conditions. For instance, I could never do a fasting diet because I suffer hypoglycemia all the time. And I have passed out from low blood sugar in the past.
It doesn’t matter how many people praise certain diets or what “fitness influencer” says is the best. It all comes down to what you can handle.
When it comes to something like the keto diet, they are safe and have been used for a myriad of purposes. While there is a lack of data for the long-term effects of keto, it has effectively helped a lot of people.
The hardest part for me was staying away from processed sugars and carbs. I love chocolate and pasta. Nonetheless, there are healthy and keto-friendly alternatives available for a variety of foods.
If you’re unable to maintain the keto diet, don’t try to force yourself to stay in ketosis. There are plenty of methods that you can try for losing weight. You don’t need to be locked into something simply because someone told you it was “the best.”
As I’ve said before, the best diet plan is the one that works for your needs and wants, not mine.
What Is Your Go-To Diet Plan?
When technology is working, my go-to diet plan is my Net 600 Calorie diet. I know how well it works for me, especially if I actually follow it. My diet focuses on increasing physical activity to offset the caloric intake. So, even though the goal in MyFitnessPal is set to 600 calories, I wind up eating around 1800 or so due to being more physical.
I also try to keep the carb intake low, but not for ketosis. I know that keeping the carbs under 100g per day has a profound impact on my weight loss.
Ketogenic diets can be quite helpful for short-term fat loss. Just be careful of the types of foods you eat and make it as sustainable as you can.
About Author
