What Is Getting into Ketosis?
Ketosis states that the body can
enter through a metabolic reaction when the body is only nourished by the fats
we accumulate.
This is because the body needs to obtain energy by
"pulling" reserves (fats). After all, it is in a state of lack of
blood sugar (glucose).
Ketosis: What Is It?
Surely you have heard of the ketogenic diet, also referred to as
the keto diet. This is because ketosis comes from ketosis.
Keto refers to the ketones created when a catabolic window opens
on the fats we store, and we get into a state of ketosis.
However, the ketogenic state does
not occur only when we go on a ketogenic diet:
Nutritional ketosis also occurs
when we practice intermittent fasting or at its extreme when we stop eating.
For example, severe cases of anorexia live in a constant ketogenic state.
Ketosis is a metabolic response
that our body is programmed to initiate in unfavorable circumstances or
malnutrition. Therefore, it does not seem a priori a very healthy option to
cause this drastically, right?
What Is the Ketogenic State?
The creation of ketone bodies
promotes the ketogenic state. These are, in essence, shorter fat chains.
In other words, it is as if the body prepares the fats that we
have stored in the body so that they can be used at any time; otherwise, we
would die.
As I said before, this is due to
the absence of glycogen in the blood. That is, the ketogenic state comes as a
result of a decrease or elimination of carbohydrate intake.
Under these conditions, the body obtains energy from ketone
bodies instead of extracting it from carbohydrates.
How Do You Enter Ketosis?
The answer to how to get into
ketosis, actually we have already seen. In short, when we stop eating food, our
blood glucose levels are so low that we begin to feed on our fat. There, we
have entered ketosis.
How Do I Know I Am in Ketosis?
There is no reliable way to know if we are in ketosis except to listen to our bodies.
As we enter a ketogenic
state, our body will begin to bring the idea of eating to our mind.
Over time, these signals may no
longer happen, as the body and mind can adapt.
Is It Possible to Get Out of
Ketosis and Back In?
Sure, that's the idea. We cannot
be in a constant ketogenic state. The moment we eat again, we will have
glycogen available again. This must be the case.
How Often Does It Take to Get
into Ketosis?
This will depend on each person's
metabolism, but in a standard way, between 8 and 12 hours will be the time that
the body will take to enter into ketosis.
This means that our body will have consumed all the energy
injected in the last intake after this time.
This will also vary depending on
the type of food since, for example, the white pasta produces a fast discharge
of energy, and the integral pasta is of slow liberation.
How to Get into Ketosis Quickly?
I'm sorry if I don't answer this
question directly, but in that case, I will refer you to my grandmother's
advice: "Haste is not a good advisor."
I would ask myself, why am I in
such a hurry to get into ketosis? Why do I want to lose weight quickly?
The ketogenic state comes
naturally; naturally, we do not have to force ourselves to stop eating or do very
intense exercise to achieve this.
If you get rid of all the blood sugar in your body, you will get
there sooner; however, you should not be obsessed with this.
Symptoms of Nutritional Ketosis
When we manage to establish
ourselves in a ketogenic state, the body usually undergoes a series of changes.
Some symptoms of nutritional ketosis are:
1. Change the nutritional balance: Think what, when we stop taking carbohydrates, we also stop taking properties of foods that may be necessary.
Such is the case of
fiber. It is common to experience constipation or other digestive problems.
2. Tiredness or exhaustion: Doing without carbohydrates can mean that we find
ourselves lacking in energy and feeling sleepy, that we find it difficult to
carry out our daily tasks.
3. Decreased appetite: Our body understands nutritional ketosis as a state of malnutrition due to an absence of possibility to feed us.
In this way, it may
inhibit the orientation to provide us, or also called hunger.
4. Halitosis: Forcing our body to work breaking down fats promotes the
secretion of acetone, which is responsible for solid body odor and bad breath.
Ketogenic Diet or Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet is a somewhat
transgressive approach in the world of nutrition. As we well know, and as the
WHO has actively and passively indicated to us, it makes no sense to do without
carbohydrates in our diet.
However, there is indeed an abuse of carbohydrates in the
Western way of eating.
Ketosis, Diet, and Fasting
However, carbohydrates are the
primary energy source available to us. It is estimated that approximately 60%
of the energy we obtain to maintain our organic functions (basal metabolism)
and our daily activity is obtained from carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates cause a discharge
of glucose, which is converted into glycogen (blood sugar) once synthesized.
When insulin starts to act and/or our glycogen depot runs out,
the body begins to extract energy from other sources such as proteins and
mainly fats.
This is how "fat
burning" occurs. For example, if we want to lose weight, it is not
advisable to do sports while our blood sugar levels are very high. In such a
case, we would be consuming that energy but not burning fat.
From a pragmatic point of view,
we could think that the ketogenic diet is the best option to lose weight, but
is it so?
Is the Keto Diet A Recommended
Option for The Flu?
A study carried out by
Yale University has found in a study with mice that compared to two groups (one
fed on carbohydrates and the other following a ketogenic diet), the immune
system of the second group responded better against the virus.
Now it remains to be able to
extrapolate their results to humans; we will be attentive.
Does the Ketogenic Diet Really
Work?
The latest studies I have
consulted suggest that people who start on a ketogenic diet have a rapid
decrease in body fat during the first two months. However, after this time,
there is a rebound or plateauing effect.
Do not be surprised if you are following this type of diet, and
when you stop, you start to gain weight without any apparent cause or reason.
The reason for this is that the
best way to lose weight is progressive. If the body is prepared to store fat,
it is for a reason.
In the past, this reservoir was what ensured survival. Because,
when the "lean cows" came, you could continue to have the energy
necessary to maintain vital functions thanks to it.
Although much time has passed
since then, evolution is slow. For our body: a rapid loss of fat means going
into vital alarm.
The body interprets it as a time of famine and activates the
economic mode to consume as little as possible. It may even paralyze some
bodily functions.
In addition, it will understand
that whatever can be ingested must be conserved and retained as much as
possible (rebound effect).
When Does the Ketogenic Diet
Start to Lose Weight?
This is something gradual; we cannot
expect having found with the ketogenic diet the definitive solution to all our
problems.
The burning of fat starts from
minute zero; however, our body has mechanisms to regulate itself and cause no
sharp weight gains or losses.
However, it is the same as
always; each body is an enigma and responds differently.
Dangers of The Ketogenic Diet
Another problem associated with
the ketogenic diet is the abundant consumption of protein. The WHO recommends
that we consume no more than 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of our body
weight.
That is to say, if, for example,
I weigh 70 kg, I should take about 56 grams of protein daily. The average
protein intake in a ketogenic diet can double or triple this amount.
In the long run, a high protein
intake can cause irreparable damage to the liver and kidneys. And immediately,
infection.
Types of Ketogenic Diets
Initially, the ketogenic diet was aimed at health. It is theorizing that the consumption of carbohydrates is unnecessary.
By provoking
specific states of ketosis, it is possible to promote a detox effect similar to
the one that occurs when we practice autophagy.
Autophagy was carried out by
reducing carbohydrate consumption to the maximum and increasing fat consumption
considerably.
Nowadays, many people have taken
the ketogenic diet into the realm of magic diets to achieve immediate results.
For this reason, they decrease the consumption of fats and increase only the
consumption of proteins.
If this article has satisfied your curiosity and you think it may be of interest to others, I encourage you to share it.