Ketosis

While talking to a trainer at my gym to inquiring about getting ready for a fitness competition, he mentioned that I would want to put my body in to a state of ketosis for 2 weeks before.  Having lived though the Atkins craze I am familiar with the term and am none to happy to have to try it again.  I tried Atkins, where you eat a very minimal amount of carbs, for a few days about 8 years ago...it was awful.  I felt shaky and jittery; I could feel my blood sugar dropping and if you have ever had a sugar crash, you know that you have to get sugar and you have to get in NOW!  So it made me wonder, what exactly is a "state of ketosis" and why is it so important for body building? 
Ketosis is when the body lacks fuel from food sources and must burn its own fat for fuel. Normally the body burns carbohydrates for fuel -- this is the main source of fuel for your brain, heart ,and many other organs. A person in ketosis is getting energy from ketones, little carbon fragments that are the fuel created by the breakdown of fat stores.

As a result, your body changes from a carbohydrate-burning engine into a fat-burning engine. So instead of relying on the carbohydrate-rich items you might typically consume for energy, and leaving your fat stores just where they were before (alas, the hips, belly, and thighs), your fat stores become a primary energy source.  It also benefits people weight training is by increasing the growth hormones released due to low insulin levels. Don't worry about getting bulky if you are considering ketosis, as women it is nearly impossible to "bulk-up" without the use of steroids; we just don't have enough testosterone to make it possible.

This sounds pretty good, the body burning fat for fuel, I'm totally loving this clever evolutionary trick.  Think about early man, meat would often be more readily available than crops containing a high amount of carbohydrates, thus the body would find another way to get energy...from fat stores.

Since in our modern, fast food world, we are never at a lack for carbs our body wants to avoid this "state" at all costs.  It can take several weeks for your body to get used to using ketones for energy instead of glucose(derived from carbs). During these weeks, your body will fight to get its carbs back and I can say from experience, it fights dirty.  I can't imagine feeling that way for several weeks; I only lasted a few hours. 

So can I get in "competition" shape without ketosis?  Only time will tell...