When we are preparing for ketosis we are preparing to go from sugar burning to fat burning. To do that, our cells, specifically the mitochondria – the body’s energy factory, are going to start burning fat as fuel instead of using sugar as fuel.
There is a transition phase in which the body is producing enzymes to run the body on this fat fuel. This is a much cleaner fuel, is better quality for the body and we won’t experience anymore of the ups and downs of blood sugar oscillations.
There are a lot of benefits to this, but here are a few to go over together:
1. Autophagy –which is basically cellular recycling of old damaged cell parts. When we combine the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting, the cells are going thru a condition of recycling, cleaning up bacteria, funguses, etc. and it will make us feel better and help with reversing the process of aging. Is good for the immune system, the hair, the skin.. etc. This is known as a very good therapy for health and longevity, helping us live longer and feeling better.
2. We will lose belly fat. –the best way to measure our progress, other than the tests for ketones, is the waist measurement method rather than using the scale, especially when we exercise together with the fasting and the diet. That is because when we workout and eat protein and fat mostly, we muscle mass will increase as well. Muscle is more dense than fat and it can happen that stepping on a scale, we will see little or no weight loss some days, but if we keep accurate measurements of the waist, we will see the results much better there. So we will lose inches around the belly and burn fat, but gain muscle. Ketosis also helps with protein retention, therefore more chances of gaining some muscle mass. So, keep that in mind.
3. Much better mood –think of all the regular symptoms of low blood sugar: anxiety, panic attacks, depression -most of these conditions can often be traced back to a low blood sugar problem. The mood will improve significantly.
4. Increased cognitive function –improves memory, focus, concentration. Ketones are a much better quality fuel for the brain. The transition, this adaptation can take anywhere between 3 days to 3-4 weeks or even longer to get adapted fully to the fat burning state, depending on how bad your diet has been and for how long, as well as other medical conditions you may have which trigger insulin resistance. In order to make the transition as smooth as possible you need to get minerals, especially Potassium and B vitamins. Because the cells that are burning fat require these micronutrients.
All the possible side effects, like keto flu, keto fatigue, keto rash, hair loss, are side effects of these minerals and B vitamins deficiencies. Another side effect can be kidney stones, which are uric acid stones and sometimes gout. The remedy for this is potassium which acts like an alkalinizer. If we eat the minerals and we are eating vegetables, we should be fine and adapt much easier.
If we eat just fat and protein and not enough veggies that’s when the problem comes.
Bad breath can occur from eating lots of fat and protein and not eating enough vegetables as well. We can also have some low blood sugar symptoms but it wont normally happen if we eat enough minerals, because the minerals speed up the process of getting rid of insulin resistance and that actually helps regulate the blood sugar.
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