The Keto diet is a high-fat and low-carbohydrate plan in which the dieter main aim is to get into ketosis so that their body can start losing weight so that the person can achieve their weight goal. People want to get into the ketosis state as soon as possible so they want to try out different things with the keto diet to speed up the process. This article will provide you with the perfect ways and tips to get into ketosis faster and getting the optimum results.
What is Ketosis and How Does it Work?
Keto is a diet plan which involves a high-fat and low-carb nutritional profile and this change of macronutrients initiate a metabolic process in the human body known as ketosis. Ketosis is a process in which the stored fat or the fat you consume breakdowns into ketone bodies so that they can be used as the energy fuel for the body in absence of carbohydrates which helps you with weight loss and other health benefits.
When the body does not get enough carbs to provide energy to all the organs for functioning, then it starts to find out another source which is the ketosis process, this is the whole concept behind the keto diet and once your body is in ketosis you will experience weight loss and other betterments but for that, you have to maintain the ketosis process very strictly by keeping the macronutrient percentages controlled and maintained.
How Long Does it Take to Get into Ketosis When Fasting?
Intermittent fasting with the keto diet is one of the efficient and effective ways to get into the ketosis state earlier than the normal keto diet time which is between 5 to 7 days. So, if you do intermittent fasting and keto diet side by side with perfect macro ratios then you can enter the ketosis state in just 2 to 3 days which is very quick then you will have the keto results faster.
In some cases, with proper doctor guidance and precautions a person can even do a 24 hour long fast which will get them in ketosis in just one day. But it is best to do intermittent fasting and keto diet together for a 16-hour gap so that you can have more reliable and permanent keto results. Here are some of the very common questions that dieter ask regarding doing intermittent fasting with the keto diet:
Does intermittent fasting put you in ketosis?
The whole purpose of doing intermittent fasting on the keto diet is to put the body into a ketosis state because you already consuming very fewer carbs due to the keto diet and when you add fasting into the process then you’re basically reducing the no of meals per day as if you are doing 16-hour long fast and then have food window of only 8 hours which means you are going to eat only two keto meals and also without eating snacks. This entire combination of intermittent fasting and keto diet will help to get into a ketosis state faster because you are consuming a very small amount of carbohydrates in your diet plan.
Does intermittent fasting deplete glycogen stores?
Glycogen is the stored form of glucose sugar that the body uses when the glucose consumption is not enough for the body. So, when you do intermittent fasting it does deplete the glycogen stores which means that that the body starts to use stored fat instead as the energy fuel so that it results in weight loss and lower blood sugar levels in the body.
The Best Ways to Get into Ketosis Faster
Following are some of the extra ways other than intermittent fasting that will help you to get into ketosis faster:
Reducing the carbohydrates significantly
The more you reduce the carb intake, the faster you will get into ketosis. The normal carb intake in the keto diet should be between 20 to 50 grams per day so, if you consume 20 to 25 grams of carbs per day then you will surely get into ketosis faster.
More physical activity
When you do physical activity with the keto diet, the stored glycogen gets depleted faster which helps to stimulate the ketosis process sooner so it is best to add more physical activity to your daily routine.
Increase healthy fat intake
It is very important to increase the healthy fat intake on the keto diet so that your body can use the high-fat nutrients as the energy source while avoiding the insufficient carbohydrates nutrient.
Avoid snacking
Whenever you eat, the insulin levels spikes which can disturb the ketosis process so if you want to get into the ketosis process faster than you should avoid snacking.
Addition of MCT oil
MCT oil is the type of fat that gets absorbed in the body very easily and in a short time so added more of this health in your diet can increase the formation of more ketone bodies that will help speed up eth ketosis process.
6 Tricks to Speed Keto-adaptation
When you start a keto diet, your body goes through a major transition that is from glucose metabolism to ketosis in which it changed its fuel sources from sugars to ketones. During the keto transition, the body shows various symptoms like nausea, headaches, fatigue, etc. which can get a person uncomfortable but you can speed up the adaptation and also you can overcome the side effects of the transition. Here are 6 tricks that can help you with keto-adaptation:
Keto and intermittent fasting
Always combine intermittent fasting with the keto diet at the same time as they both are powerful tools and strategies to drop insulin levels to speed up the process of ketosis and weight loss. Otherwise, if you do intermittent fasting with too many carbs then you are not to get into the ketosis state, and likewise if you do keto alone and eat a lot of meals that you would not be able to drop the insulin levels so it is best to do them together to speed up the keto-adaptation.
Apple cider vinegar and lemon in water
A mixture of 1 tablespoon of ACV and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a glass of water will help to speed up the keto-adaptation as they both help in the burning fat process.
Electrolytes and nutritional yeast
Electrolytes and nutritional yeast are both very helpful in keto-adaptation as it keeps protect a person from mineral deficiencies and weakness during the transition period.
Extreme stomach hunger
Extreme stomach hunger means that you should only eat when you are extremely hungry because every time you eat, it spikes your insulin which is not good for the keto diet so, only eats when you have extreme stomach hunger.
Add more fat
Fat is the most important macronutrient that you have to consume during the keto diet which will help you with the ketosis process. so, add at least 65 to 70 % fat in every meal, and if you feel extreme hunger other than the meal times then you can have added more fat to the diet by eating a snack that is mainly fat-containing like pecan nuts or avocado, etc.
Add more greens
Add more green vegetables and salads to your keto diet as the potassium will heal the insulin and it helps stabilize the blood sugars at the cellular level so the minerals in the vegetables will help you speed up the keto-adaptation.
Can You Feel When You are in Ketosis?
It is very important to notice whether your body is in ketosis or not, there are certain signs that you can observe that will let you know that your body is in ketosis and you will start to see these signs after the first week of the diet plan. Here are the signs that will let you know that you are in ketosis:
- The major sign that your body is in ketosis is weight loss, your weight starts reducing especially from the belly area once you are in a ketosis state.
- Suppressed appetite and no hunger issues are a great way to know that you are in the ketosis state because once your body gets adapted to ketones as energy fuel you will not feel hunger anymore.
- Improvement in focus and overall, brain functions occurs when the body gets comfortable with the ketones which means that the metabolic process is at work.
- Another very prominent sign of ketosis is that you will have an increased level of ketone bodies in your blood, urine, and breath which you can test by specialized equipment like indicators, breath analyzer, blood equipment, and it will tell you that whether your body is in the ketosis state or not.
- When your body is in ketosis, you will feel less fatigue and tiredness because the body becomes adapted to the new metabolic process.
These are all the signs that will confirm that your body is in ketosis or not. And here is a study that proves these claims.
How Long Does it Take to Get Back into Ketosis After a Cheat Weekend?
When you are on a keto diet, having a cheat meal is equal to a crime because it can mess up the ketosis process. Your body usually gets into ketosis after 1 to 2 weeks of the diet and then if you have a cheat meal, it can take up to 48 to 72 hours for you to get back into the ketosis state, and also it can take up to a very disturbing week. Although, the time of the ketosis process recovery depends upon different variables like your metabolism speed and age, also how much you cheat and how long does it take you before to get into ketosis which makes it a pretty long process.
So, the best thing is to not cheat while being on the keto diet and the meals and food alternatives that you have on this diet plan are already very appetizing and delicious so that there should be no need for you to cheat on the keto diet plan. But to speed up the recovery, you can try intermittent fasting to get back into ketosis faster and other tips.
Conclusion
Keto diet is a very put-together health program that it is not just a diet plan formulated by a dietitian but it is a highly profiled and medically approved diet which makes it even more highlighted and positive for people. Now the best thing that a dieter achieves on the diet plan is to get into the ketosis state as soon as possible which they can do through intermittent fasting and other tips but the thing that matters the most is to do it correctly with proper guidance.
