TAGS
Here is the guide to ketosis. The contents of this article can be located . If you're currently wondering what on earth ketosis even is, then you're in luck for I plan not only to befuddle but also to enlighten. All you have to do is read on.
I've personally had fantastic results on keto, and I really believe in the validity of this diet - not only in terms of fat-loss, but also in terms of health-gain. There is a lot of understandable skepticism and tons of misconceptions about keto; I want to let newcomers know, however surprising it may be, that keto (or at least a diet low in grains/sugars and high in fats) is a very healthy diet with numerous benefits.
This guide is very long so I've partitioned this post into subsections. The links contained within the contents are 'clickable' and will transport you directly to that section. You can also right click and select "copy link address" of a particular section/section title, and you can either bookmark it so that you can return to a specific section easily or you can give the link to a friend if you want them to read a particular section. If you want to return to the contents of the page simply click on the 'upwards' arrows that are next to each of the section titles within the main article.
I. 1A. 1B. 1C. 1D. 1E. 1F. 1G. 1H.
II. 2A. 2B. 2C. 2D. 2E. 2F.
III. 3A. 3B. 3C. 3D. 3E. 3F. 3G. 3H. 3I. 3J. 3K. 3L. 3M. 3N.
IV. 4A. 4B. 4C. 4D.
V. 5A. 5B. 5C. 5D. 5E. 5F.
YOU. 6A. 6B. 6C. 6D. 6E. 6F. 6G.
Ketogenic diets have long been a known and established treatment for epilepsy. Ketosis somehow stabilizes the brain in a way that a normal glycolytic metabolism does not. It turns out based on Devivo’s “Chronic Ketosis and Cerebral Metabolism” that ketosis actually increases the ATP/ADP ratio in the brain; in other words, under a ketogenic metabolism there is actually more energy available for your brain to utilize, so the brain is able to function more efficiently, quickly, and effectively than it would otherwise be able to.
Many people cite anecdotal experiences of "brain fog" as proof that ketosis actually hinders mental thinking, but this is false. This misconception arises from the fact that one must undergo a period of induction into ketosis (approximately 10-30 days) in which the body adjusts itself fully to a ketogenic metabolism. It is during this induction period that people experience the physical and mental sluggishness that is often associated with ketosis; unfortunately, these people often employ "glycogen refeeds" prematurely so that they suspend themselves in a perpetual state of ketogenic adaptation.
The article goes into further detail on the mechanisms behind the stability of the brain under ketosis.
All that we care about though is the initiation of the cycle:
As you can see, all that is required for the initiation of the krebs cycle are the molecules and . Oxaloacetate is naturally regenerated from the cycle, but Acetyl-CoA must be fed into the cycle continuously. Both of these molecules can be produced from the molecule pyruvate as shown in the diagram. Pyruvate itself is produced thru glycolysis.
begins with a glucose molecule that is phosphorylated and reduced down to 2 molecules of .
Pyruvate is the molecule from which acetyl-CoA originates if you remember from the previous section. This is what happens to all carbohydrates; they are all converted into a form that can be fed into this pathway for the eventual production of acetyl-CoA.
So what happens when you do not ingest carbohydrates for a while? Well it turns out that there is a store of carbohydrates in your liver in the form of glycogen that will get broken down into glucose when none is ingested. If you do not ingest glucose for such a long period of time that liver-glycogen stores become depleted then you will take all of your energy from fatty acids.
When the body is glucose-starved and glycogen-depleted then one will obtain almost all energy from fatty-acid beta-oxidation. This begins with the activation of the enzyme lipase which cleaves fats into a glycerol molecule and 3 fatty acid chains effectively freeing the fatty acids from their cell.
These fatty acid chains then undergo a series of beta-oxidations in which acetyl-CoA is produced (and free CoA is used up when it attaches to the acetate ion) after each beta-cleavage. This acetyl-CoA molecule can then enter the krebs cycle as normal.
If this is allowed to continue for a period of time then eventually the acetyl-CoA/CoA ratio will increase since now we will be producing 7,8,9+ acetyl-CoA molecules for every 1 fatty acid. When this occurs the krebs cycle will be temporarily shut down so that the acetyl-CoA molecules can no longer enter.
Citrate synthase is the enzyme that accepts acetyl-CoA for entry into the krebs cycle. When acetyl-CoA concentrations increase citrate synthase is inhibited because there exists an allosteric site of inhibition on citrate synthase for acetyl-CoA; so acetyl-CoA can bind to this site and change the conformational shape of the protein rendering it ineffective.
At the same time that citrate synthase is inhibited there exists another enzyme in liver mitochondria that is activated named beta-ketothiolase. Beta-ketothiolase is activated because free CoA is an allosteric inhibitor of it and as concentrations of free-CoA decrease the enzyme is allowed to function as normal.
This is your new food pyramid:
This ratio was created by assuming a man whose daily Caloric goals being 2,000 kcal possesses 150 pounds of LBM and thus requires at least 150 grams of protein for muscle-preservation making his protein requirements 30% of his energy intake. As you can see the ratio will certainly be a non-personal estimate for everyone else. Though the percentages are good enough for weight-loss it might be beneficial to calculate yourself exactly what you require. The steps to do so are contained in the last subsection of this section.
The protein/fat balance is important to a degree. If one does not consume enough protein then muscle-mass will be lost since the body requires a certain amount of glucose per day, and if one consumes too much protein then ketosis may be halted since protein is converted to glucose via gluconeogenesis. The dangers of a disruption of ketosis by protein consumption are highly unlikely as one would have to consume an unnatural amount of protein with the help of supplementation to cause this, so the more probable danger is a loss of muscle-mass. So eat enough protein if you care at all for aesthetics.
It is also vital to understand that the driving force for weight-loss even under a ketogenic metabolism is in fact an energy deficit. Ketosis works so wonderfully for everyone because it blunts appetite and increases satiety and in so doing causes a natural energy deficit. Because of these qualities it may not be necessary for very obese individuals to keep track of energy intake but as you near lower body-fat percentages it might be helpful to keep track of energy intake and ensure that you are at a deficit in order to continue to lose weight.
If you are lazy you can enter your information into the in order to find out exactly how many calories of each macro-nutrient you should eat per day. A more highly recommended procedure would be to calculate energy intake and macronutrient layout yourself. You can calculate energy intake by referring to , and you can calculate your macronutrient goals by referring to section 3F of this guide.
Skip down to to find out exactly what foods you are allowed to eat.
The case for PUFAs:
There is some evidence that a ketogenic diet which utilizes a majority of polyunsaturated fatty acids versus saturated fatty acids induces a deeper state of ketosis than a diet high in saturated fatty acids. A diet high in PUFAs induces a deeper ketosis in which levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate are significantly higher, and insulin sensitivity is increased. Since beta-hydroxybutyrate levels increase when a majority of dietary fats are polyunsaturated, it stands to reason that fat lipolysis and beta oxidation activity increase as well; so, in other words, you will rid yourself of fat more quickly and easily if a majority of your fat percentage comes from things like seeds, nuts, oils, and fatty fish.
The study that this section is based on performed its experiment with a dietary ratio of 70/15/15 fats/proteins/carbohydrates, so it may not necessarily translate to the 60/35/5 ketogenic diet as advocated by Lyle Mcdonald.
The ratio that was used in the study though is a 60/20/20 polyunsaturated/monounsaturated/saturated fatty acids. It may not be necessary to replicate this ratio exactly, but instead to aim for a ratio which holds PUFAs as the major fatty acid.
You can determine which keto-friendly foods contain polyunsaturated fats by checking the ultimate ketogenic food list in section 3 M of this guide; all of the foods that contain mostly polyunsaturated fats will be colored green and purple.
The case for SFAs: (the following is a repost of El_Dangeroso's post which can be found .
This is an example of an ideal ketogenic daily meal plan. Be creative and make your own meal plans.
If not already, you will soon be in ketosis in a short matter of time.
When the body is under a ketogenic metabolism, you will exhale gaseous acetone and excrete acetone thru the urine.
Acetone is said to have a "fruity" smell, so if your breath or urine smells somewhat like fruit then you're under ketosis. Many people also report a metallic taste in their mouths when under ketosis.
There are also ketostix available at any pharmacy with which to test yourself for ketosis.
If this is your first time ever on a ketogenic metabolism, or if you haven't been under ketosis for a long time, then you will experience a period of induction in which your body adjusts itself to a ketogenic metabolism. The length of this induction varies, but can last anywhere from 10 to 30 days.
During this period, you will most likely experience headaches, brain fog, cramps, moodiness, and fatigue.
This is normal and temporary. After this induction period, your body will be fully adjusted to a ketogenic metabolism and your energy will be restored.
It is important to stay under ketosis until your body is fully adjusted. Do not undergo any "carb-ups" until this induction is complete. You will know because all of your symptoms and sluggishness will disappear completely and you will suddenly feel fine.
Sorry it's taken so long for me to update this section. My article on fat-loss can be found at .
My article on building muscle-mass can be found at .
The body burns primarily glycogen when the heart rate is above 70% of its max. Therefore, aerobic exercises such as HIIT are good for burning liver-glycogen stores during induction, but such high-intensity exercise is not recommended once under ketosis as once muscle-glycogen stores are depleted, the body will begin catabolizing mainly muscle-mass under any high-intensity activity.
The ideal aerobic exercises to perform when under ketosis are MISS (medium intensity steady state) and LISS (low intensity steady state).
HIIT = Periods of high-intensity activity followed by an abrupt switch to low-intensity activity.
MISS = Maintained medium-intensity activity (lightly jogging).
LISS = Maintained low-intensity activity (walking).
Dairy
Dressings
Fats & Oils
Fish
Flours/Meals/Powders
Fowl
Fruits, low sugar/glycemic
Fruits, moderate sugar/glycemic
Meats
Nuts/Legumes
Seeds
All of the figures and ratios found in the step by step guide below are taken directly from Lyle Mcdonald's .
Standard Ketogenic Diet
Targeted Ketogenic Diet
Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
Before beginning
Steps to a CKD
If you'd like to showcase your keto transformation in this section then please go .
Enter in any specific food or food type and this website will give you back "synonyms" or substitutes of that food/food type. This might be very helpful when devising your own recipes.
Nutrition data on all major restaurants and fast-food chains.
Easily figure your B.M.R., daily caloric allotment, and calorie breakdown in terms of the ketogenic diet. Alternatively, you can use calculator download which can be found here: .
These sites are great for buying nuts, seeds, flours, and oils in bulk.
This site is great for any type of keto snack or food. They have loads of keto-friendly pasta, breads, chips, cookies, flours, etc.
I haven't actually bought anything from this site so I can't vouch for the validity of it, but it has a nice database of various keto foods and companies.
Great keto-friendly bread.
Tasty keto-friendly pasta.
These sites are great for keto-friendly sweets, sugars, syrups, powders, and baking goods.
One of the best keto recipe sites out there. It is very organized and she rates each recipe honestly.
An organized archive of the keto recipes that have been posted at bodybuilding.com
A keto thread at the somethingawful forums
Robert Lustig explores the damage caused by sugary foods.
Great site with good information. Her printout grocery list is great.
This is a documentary about the ketogenic diet and fats. I haven't watched it, but I've heard good things.
Goes into greater detail than I did about fat metabolism.
Awesome article on ketosis.
A ketogenic diet can be thought of as training your body only to use fats as energy by reducing your consumption of carbohydrates. If your body is trained only to use fats as an energy source, then when there is no dietary fat floating in your blood-stream your body will extract your body-fat and use that as energy.
No. The ketogenic diet is actually so extraordinarily conducive to real human health that it quickly and readily reverses the diseases and malformities that a diet high in grains/sugars and low in fats will inevitably bring about. The idea that fat is bad for you is a complete and utter myth that never had any scientific backing whatsoever, and it is frankly a laughable notion considering how prevalent and important fats and cholesterol are in our bodies. Most vital hormones and steroids stem from cholesterol. Every single one of your cells are covered with and contain lipid membranes that are incredibly important to the functionality of the cells. Do not fear for your health when entering a ketogenic diet, because not only will you quickly rid yourself of body-fat, but you will experience numerous health benefits.
No. The ketogenic diet is far more natural for human beings than a diet high in grains and refined sugars. The current diet based on grains and sugars is completely foreign to the human body, and may be responsible for most of the diseases and ailments that we face today (diabetes, heart disease, depression, ADD, obesity, alzheimer's, cancers, etc etc etc).
Eating fat is actually the most effective way of losing body-fat. Basically you are training your body to only use fat as energy, so when there are no dietary fats floating around in your blood-stream your body will take out some of your body-fat stores and convert that into energy.
If you like the idea of ridding yourself of excess fat while you gain muscle then probably keto is right for you. Ketosis has also been shown to increase testosterone levels which would of course be conducive to a muscle-building regimine. The only drawback is that insulin activity is reduced under ketosis. Insulin controls the synthesis of muscles by regulating the uptake of amino acids. Since insulin spikes in activity after the ingestion of fast-metabolizing substances such as glucose or medium-chain triglycerides, it is these substances that should be ingested in accordance with protein (whey perhaps) after weight-training in order to increase muscle-mass whilst under ketosis. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides.
.
