Let’s start with a textbook definition: Ketosis (Key-toe-sis) is a metabolic state characterized by elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood. Physiologic ketosis is a normal response to low glucose availability, such as low-carbohydrate diets or fasting, that provides an additional energy source for the brain in the form of Ketones.

Keto is a Low carb, healthy fat lifestyle that some employ to lose fat.  Others utilize it for a myriad of beneficial effects: mental clarity,  increased energy, reduction of inflammation, and increased libido.  It can put epilepsy and type 2 diabetes into remission, reduce insulin needs for  type 1 diabetes,  stabilize blood pressure, and slow the progression or stops the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.  It reduces chronic inflammation, high blood sugar levels, heart disease, polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, and has been reported to reduce or eliminate migraines. 

I know all this sounds too good to be true, but as luck would have it you don’t have to take my word for it. Take a look at the resources page, there you can read the work of researchers, doctors, dietitians, and other professionals that actually understand the disease processes and mechanisms  behind these metabolic syndromes.

It is called a variety of things (Keto, LCHF, VLCKD, to name a few), and has even more iterations than it does names, which can get confusing.  Knowing which keto is right for you depends on what works for you, and what your goals are.  Someone who is trying to lose fat is going to need a much less regimented version than someone battling Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) or epilepsy. 

Before I dive in, here are some helpful tips I picked up along the way:

1) 🔑 Mindset.  As with everything else in life, success is largely dependent on mindset and perception. Keto is no different, and calling it a “diet” automatically implies rules and deprivation, and that my friends is not sustainable. Have a positive mindset, and I can’t stress this enough. If you think of it as a diet, you will treat it like a diet. Diet’s are bad, no one likes diet’s. Throw out the diet mentality and embrace keto as a lifestyle. There are a myriad of delicious foods to eat that involve very little carbohydrates.

Open your mind to ideas that will go against everything you have ever been taught about nutrition, including the fallacy that your body needs carbohydrates; it does not. There are only two essential macronutrients: Protein and fats. Two other widely held beliefs, seemingly rooted in science, are that fat is bad for you, and that cholesterol will kill you. These are only true in the presence of carbohydrates, see the problem there, our current dietary guidelines focus on carbohydrates(which turn into sugar in the body). Don’t blame the butter for what the bread did.

2) Choose to live a healthy life. Keto can cure a metabolic disease, increase mental clarity, help control seizures, increase energy, strengthen libido, slow or prevent cognitive decline, lower blood sugar and insulin levels, reduce inflammation, stabilize mood, and burn stored body fat. Although keto hasn’t made me a mindreader, I can guess what most people will think upon reading that statement, because I was guilty of thinking that it sounds a little kookie, and too good to be true.
I thought that until I got the mental clarity, the increased energy, stamina, lost 130 pounds, and met people in the keto community (yes. there is a community numbering in the hundreds of thousands) for whom keto has changed and saved their lives.

Living a keto lifestyle, and what that looks like:

Put simply, it’s eating real, delicious food,  keeping carbs low, and making good choices.

3) Choose to eat real, unprocessed food and stick with it even when you think (or the scale says) it isn’t working. The scale is a lying liar that lies. Period. The proof is the way you feel, and if fat loss is the goal, how clothes fit.

What a ketogenic lifestyle is not: 

Consuming copious amounts of butter,  bacon, and cheese; or about putting oil on everything to “meet the macro’s”.   Please understand, there is nothing wrong with these foods, they are quite delicious.

It isn’t about eating a standard diet, then drinking expensive exogenous ketones, or other “miracle” supplements to “get into ketosis”. Having said that, exogenous ketone supplements do have their place, but are by no means necessary for fat loss, and anyone that tells you they are is full of horse$#!&.  

For many years now I have focused on eating delicious and nutritious foods while keeping my carbs very low, aiming for under 20 total grams per day; that’s what worked for me, and I go into that more here.

OK, you’re still with me. Good, and welcome to the community!
Ketosis is a normal metabolic state in-which your body ceases burning glucose for fuel, because you aren’t giving it any carbohydrates , and burns ketones instead. Yes, there are parts of the body that require glucose, but making glucose is one of the functions of the liver, and it is able to supply the demand through a process called gluconeogenisis. Ketones are also made in the liver from fatty acids through a very elegant process that I won’t go into yet. These fatty acids either come from healthy fats that you put in your mouth or from the fat stored on your body and around your organs.

Ketones can be measured using various tests including a ketone strip urine test, breath test or a blood ketone meter which resembles a glucose meter. Ketone levels are best measured through the blood with a meter. Keto-Mojo (I have no affiliation with them) makes a really good meter that tests both glucose and ketones. It uses one test strip for glucose, and another for ketones.

*Remember that annoying cookie disclaimer that popped up when this site opened, the one about me not being a doctor, and that this site is meant to be informational and not medical advice; It applies here. If you’re doctor isn’t supportive of a low-carb ketogenic lifestyle, and many are not (yet), find one who is. I’ve put some links on the resources page for low carb friendly doctors. We can’t get mad at doctors though, most have their hands by managed healthcare, and a culture that would rather a pill than make any meaningful lifestyle change.

Getting into Ketosis

Getting your body to make the switch from glucose to ketones isn’t hard, but does take a little effort, and there really aren’t any shortcuts. There are exogenous ketone supplements which can be helpful in the transition, however, they are pricey. Exogenous ketones should only be used to supplement a healthy ketogenic lifestyle, not as the lifestyle. They don’t help with weight loss, but they do help with ketosis. I have utilized Perfect Keto (again, no affiliation) exogenous ketones from time to time, when I started my journey, or I wanted a little boost during exercise; they were helpful. If you do choose to go that route, do your homework and make sure the company is reputable. There are defiantly companies out there that will sell you snake oil. I already mentioned the one I know and trust, Perfect Keto, Pruvit (no affiliation) is also a very good company.

The ketogenic lifestyle is a way of eating that is focused on healthy fats, adequate protein and under 20g total carbs. Jimmy Moore’s phrasing really resonated with me: 🔑 Protein is a goal, carbs are a limit, healthy fats to satiety; remember that.  What that looks for you will be different than for me; it’s not a one-size-fits-all lifestyle. It is also important to note that the quality and types of foods are important for a nourishing well balanced ketogenic lifestyle.

1) Stop eating grains, in any form. This includes corn, wheat, rice, millet, quinoa, barley, etc.. Also, read labels because manufacturers often add these things to products in surprising places.

2) Stop eating sugar in any form. Agave, honey, fructose, dextrose, maltose, maltodextrin; the list is long. I did a quick search for “names for sugar”:

Though it isn’t listed there, my all time favorite one is “dehydrated cane juice”. As I said about grains, read the label, because some are indeed tricky. As a general rule of thumb, if I am not sure about an ingredient, I just avoid the product. It is more true than for sugar than for grains; manufacturers put it in virtually everything. for instance, I have found one marinara, Rao’s, that has no added sugar. I was also surprised to find that 99% of store bought broths have sugar added.

3)Avoid industrial oils: vegetable, canola, corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed oils. These oils are created by chemical extraction and high heat industrial processes. Opt instead for pure olive oil for salad dressings, tallow, lard, ghee, avocado oil, almond oil, sesame oil, avocado and coconut oil.

🔑 TAKE-AWAY:

I am successful because I never think of keto as a “diet”.  For me it is a lifestyle. I don’t have “cheat meals”, because that perpetuates the “diet” mentality, and undermines my goals.  I prioritize nutrition and quality of food over macro’s.