If you have heard of ketosis and the benefits you can achieve by getting into this state, you might be planning to try it out.
Yes, it’s a special diet called the ketogenic diet. However, before you jump into your new diet, you must safely learn how to get into ketosis to maximize the benefits.
Most of you might have already tried to get into ketosis quickly. However, did you get the results you expected? If no, then you might have felt hugely disappointed. You might have even decided never to try it again.
But how about giving it a second chance?
What if I provide you some tips that will help you get into ketosis successfully in a few days?
Sounds exciting?
Read on to find some proven strategies to kickstart ketosis and enjoy this unique diet’s multiple health benefits.
But, before this, let us have a look at some benefits you would be able to achieve during and after getting into ketosis.
Benefits of Getting Into Ketosis:
- Research studies have proven that a ketogenic diet promotes a ketosis state that can help you lose considerable weight in a concise duration. It is believed to work by increasing the utilization of fats in your body and suppressing your appetite.
- Emerging clinical research has indicated that ketosis may help control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
- Ketosis may also be useful for patients with certain forms of cancer. It can also be used as a preventive measure for reducing your risk of this disease.
- Getting into ketosis quickly can also keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels within normal limits.
You can achieve these benefits of the ketogenic diet by learning how to get into ketosis faster. Here are some strategies that will help you to plan your ketogenic diet and get into ketosis quickly.
1. Minimize Carb Consumption
Avoiding carbs in any form should be the key if you want to get into ketosis within just 2 days. In fact, it forms the foundation based on which your body would go into a state of ketosis.
When you stop eating carbohydrates, your body is deprived of its ready source of fuel. So, it starts looking for an alternative source that it finds in the form of fats.
Your body then stimulates the liver to convert the fats stored in your body into ketones and fatty acids. Your body can make use of these ketones and fatty acids to perform various functions.
The longer you deprive your body of carbs, the higher the utilization of fats and ketosis benefits.
So, did you see how you can trick your body into using fats at a faster rate? Simply by skipping carbs from your diet, you can change the tracks for how your body works.
Instead of carbs, it will be forced to rely on fats, which will help you lose considerable weight. So, the first rule of your ketonic diet is “NO CARBS!!!”
Never get wrong with this strategy because if you offer even a minimal amount of carbs to your body, it will switch the gears again and start using them as fuel.
It would reduce the effectiveness of your diet, and all your efforts so far would become futile. You will have to start all over to get into the ketosis mode again.
Here’s what exactly you need to avoid:
- Chocolates and candies
- Pastries and Cakes
- Cookies
- Pasta and bread
- Smoothies and ice creams
- Soft drinks and fruit juices containing sugars
- Fruits (Yes, fruits may be healthy for your body, but they contain a higher amount of carbohydrates. Eating fruits can harm the purpose for which you are getting into a ketogenic diet)
- And everything else that tastes sweet.
2. Eat Fats, Fats, and Some More Fats
Yes, you read it right. If you want to get into ketosis rapidly, eat as much as fats you can. But, make sure you include only healthy fats in your diet.
Consuming healthy fats can boost the ketone production in your body and allow you to reach ketosis.
In fact, an ideal ketogenic diet has no carbs but has plenty of fats. You must keep in mind that since fats make up a large share of your ketogenic diet, you must choose only the high-quality fatty food sources. Some of them include:
- Olive oil
- Avocado oil
- MCT-Oil
- Butter
- Lard
- Tallow
3. Consume Proteins in Moderate Amounts
You learned about carbs. You also learned about fats. But what about proteins? Aren’t they also an integral part of our diet?
Of course, yes! Proteins form a major group of nutrients that our body needs for its growth, development, and various healing process.
So, while discussing what you should eat or avoid, we cannot skip special attention to proteins.
The best way to get into ketosis is to consume proteins in moderate amounts. This is an important aspect of getting into ketosis, particularly for those who want to adopt this diet to manage epilepsy or cancer.
Cutting back on proteins can increase ketone production. However, since proteins are essential for the body, you must not skip them completely.
It is possible to skip carbs because fats can replace them as a source of fuel. But proteins are proteins! There is no replacement for them. So, you cannot skip them completely.
It’s important to ensure your diet comprises enough proteins. Your digestive system would break down these proteins into amino acids that the liver can use to support gluconeogenesis, a process that converts glycogen into glucose.
Some organs and cells can use this glucose in your body to not use ketone bodies as fuel, such as some parts of your brain and kidneys and the red blood cells.
You can include the following foods in moderate amounts in your diet to meet the protein requirement of your body while getting into ketosis:
- Whole Grains
- Oats
- Nuts
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Meat
- Poultry
4. Intermittent Fasting
You might be wondering why we are discussing intermittent fasting. After all, intermittent fasting is also another special diet recommended for weight loss.
I agree intermittent fasting is a form of diet recommended for weight loss. But, it is for this reason only that we include it as a strategy to optimize your results with ketosis!
Avoiding eating food in any form for several hours is an effective way to get into ketosis much faster, and this is what intermittent fasting does.
Intermittent fasting is a dietary strategy that involves short-term fasting interspersed at regular intervals. It can help to induce ketosis by restricting your calorie intake.
There are 2 basic ways to get into ketosis with intermittent fasting:
- Do not eat food in any form for any two days of the week. But, these two days should not be continuous.
- Eat only one full meal a day. Avoid eating anything for the rest of the day. The meal should be based on the ketogenic diet principles: high in fats, moderate in proteins, and devoid of carbs.
Both these approaches to intermittent fasting would starve your body of its fuel source and promote the conversion of fats into ketone bodies, thus setting the stage for ketosis.
5. Get Going With Physical Activities
Ketosis and physical activities form a two-way phenomenon. Studies have shown that getting into ketosis quickly can improve your athletic performance, endurance, and stamina.
On the other hand, being physically active by exercising can help you get into ketosis faster. Hence, if you want to get into ketosis in just one day, you should pep up your physical activities.
The form of exercise you can choose depends on the goal you want to achieve. To be more precise, it depends on how fast you want to get into ketosis.
The more intense is your workout, the faster you would go into ketosis!
However, if you are a beginner and not used to intense workouts, it is best, to begin with, the low-impact and less strenuous exercises such as walking or jogging.
You can perform these exercises for about 30 to 40 minutes a day to begin the process of getting into ketosis.
You can move up steadily and perform strength training, weight lifting, and high-intensity exercises after a few days.
Working out strenuously will cause your body to mobilize a higher amount of fats and convert them to ketones. This will help you to get into ketosis faster.
These exercises would also help you maintain the state of ketosis to long-lasting results with your diet.
6. Make a Dash for Coconut Oil
If you want to get into ketosis in just 7 days, include coconut oil in your diet. It contains some forms of fats known as medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs.
Unlike other forms of fats, MCTs can be absorbed in your body rapidly and then taken to the liver directly, where it is converted into ketone bodies.
Thus, your body can use it almost instantly and help you get into ketosis faster.
That’s not all! There’s something else about coconut oil that makes it a useful addition to your ketosis diet.
Among the four forms of MCTs, it contains, one is lauric acid. Clinical evidence shows that lauric acid can produce sustained ketosis levels and help you attain your goal faster.
You can consume one tablespoon of this oil every day for the first 2 to 3 days. Then, work up to about three to four tablespoons a day over the next few days. You can use this oil in cooking instead of your regular oils.
Some Bonus Tips to Get Into Ketosis Faster
1. Stay Hydrated:
Drink plenty of water while on a ketosis diet to avoid the risk of dehydration. It will help you feel fresh and energetic, even when you are not eating your favorite carbs.
2. Avoid Constipation:
A high-fat diet can increase the risk of constipation. In case you experience this symptom, you can increase your water intake further. You can also avoid constipation by eating fibrous vegetables, Chia Seeds, and Flax Seeds.
3. Avoid Alcohol:
The hidden carbs in alcohol can provide your body with a ready fuel source and prevent you from getting into ketosis. Avoid this by skipping alcohol.
The best way for how to get into ketosis involves making the right dietary choices. Being aware of the foods you can eat in plenty of moderation and the foods to be avoided completely forms the crux for maximizing ketosis benefits.
Before you begin your ketogenic diet, make a list of the foods to eat and avoid, and stick it at a place you can glance at every day.
Whether you have had an unsuccessful attempt at getting into ketosis in the past or are a first-timer, planning ketosis based on the strategies provided here will help you derive maximum benefits safely and effectively.
