Ketosis - Day 6

As I happily skip into day 6 of ketosis, I am surprised to be loving it!  I read so much about the "keto-flu" that occurs during the first few days of ketosis; I was dreading feeling that way.  But here I am in full keto-mode (check with Ketostix) and feeling really good. Of course, I want to share my theories on why and what seems to be working for me.

As your brain and body adapt, ketone levels rise and the muscles switch over to burning fat for fuel. During this process the body loses a lot of water (as well as potassium, magnesium and sodium), thus you become dehydrated and basically feel like you have a hangover/flu. Being a good little Girl Scout, I was prepared (that might be the Boy Scout motto).

First and foremost, drink lots and lots of water, then more water, other sugar-free drinks and then more water! I also found a great supplement that replaces all those very important minerals that get lost during ketosis. (Maybe they need Google Maps since they keep getting lost.) Yep, I figured it out and I am not telling, just kidding; here is a link: Ionic Magnesium. I also added a Vitamin C supplement, because as cool as pirates maybe, I don't want scurvy.  For good measure, I added really good probiotic; good probiotics are sold refrigerated and need to stay refrigerated at home.

The shot glass is how much Ionic Magnesium is in a dose.
Note: It tastes awful, add water and take it like a shot.
Then, chase it with something that tastes good.

Flora Adult's Probiotic (store in refrigerator)

Even with the supplements and all the water, there were a couple times that I started to feel a little tired or weak, so I ate fat and a little protein and it helped very quickly. 

Here is the most exciting part for me, I have been sleeping better!  Turns out that high fat diets can help with REM Sleep and deep sleep (SWS) - Bonus! 

Also,my heart rate has been about 20 BPM (beats per minute) higher than normal.  I can't find any scientific research that studies this specific side effect, but there are lots of blogs and forums noting the same effect.  I am theorizing it is my body adapting to using fat for fuel instead of carbs and when the adaptation is complete (2-4 weeks) my heart rate will return to normal. 

Overall, I am feeling great. I have dropped 1 lb; I consider this to be a good thing, because it means my body isn't just dumping water weight and I am staying well hydrated. Eating this much fat feels counter-intuitive, and yet oh so amazing!

Anyone else considering jumping on this train?  I will have some of my favorite keto-foods in my next post. Stay tuned...

Chelle

Bacon!

I am considering putting my body into a state of ketosis as a means to jump start my fitness routine after 6 weeks on the sidelines due to major surgery . As I was researching, it occurred to me that I have thought about this before, moreover, I have researched and written about this before. So of course, I Googled myself and found my old blog! Hi old friends, and new ones! 

By the way, have you ever "googled" yourself? Well once you stop, get on the computer and look yourself up. That joke is for you dirty minded kids; you know who you are.

Back to business, if you aren't familiar with keto, or just want to refresh your memory, flashback a few years on the ol' blog here and check out all the details. My curiosity in keto was refreshed by a friend that told me high fat content is a really important part of the keto diet. And not just healthy fat, but butter, cream, bacon, and cheese; yes please! Kind of seems too good to be true, I mean, sure I have to give up carbs, but add in all those indulgent foods and I might just jump on board this crazy, carb-free, train. "Nutritional ketosis" is widely debated, with study after study showing pros and cons.

After reading several studies, conducted over the last two centuries, my conclusion is that high fat, low protein intake allows for the maintenance of lean muscle while also burning fat for fuel. It is widely accepted that carbohydrates are needed to replenish depleted glycogen stores in the muscle post-workout, however, after 2-4 weeks of adaptation, physical endurance is unaffected by ketosis as long as high amounts of fat replace the carbohydrates.[1] Bonus! You can take 2-4 weeks off working out while your body adapts; I wish I knew this 4 weeks ago.

The ideal amount of protein is 1.5g per kg of "ideal" body weight. I don't know about you, but I don't know my weight in kg, so here is the conversion factor for you: (lb/2.2) I love seeing my weight in kg. Now multiply your kg by 1.5 and that is how many g of protein you need to consume for a healthy diet. I find the number to be surprisingly low. In Ketosis, the rest of your diet has to come from fat. That means 80-85% or your daily caloric intake needs to be from fat.* Too much protein (25%) leads to the fatigue and malaise noted by people who are attempting low-carb diets unsuccessfully.  The source of the 80% of fat is noted as coming from meat, fish and poultry. Getting that much fat seems exceedingly difficult without a large percentage being "unhealthy", so maybe my friend is right and we should all eat more bacon!

Choo-choo!  I think I am jumping on this train.  Let's see what happens.

Chelle

*It is very important to note that sodium and potassium supplements were provided during the study where keto-adaption occurred and health was maintained. The exact supplementation from the study is as follows: sodium at 3–5 g/d and total potassium at 2–3 g/d. 

Source:
 (1) Phinney SD (2004). "Ketogenic Diets and Physical Preformance"