Introduction
There are a lot of threads around low-carb diets and you will find an incredible number of resources by simply using Google. One of the benefits of low-carb diets is that your body will enter into a state of ketosis where it will be utilizing fat for energy instead of carbohydrates which, in some cases will speed up fat loss. For long term fat loss, there is currently only one practice that is proven to be successful and that is adherence to whatever method you have chosen.
Many people will fail to enter ketosis simply because removing carbohydrates will make them feel incredibly lethargic and generally down which in turn makes them give up. The number one mistake we have found, and not only on these forums are people trying to low-carb and at the same time restricting calories, this is literally the number one error and will set you up for failure, almost guaranteed. Not only will you feel lethargic due to your body getting used to no carbs but it will also rebel against not getting enough calories. This is a recipe for disaster in our opinion.
Ketosis – the easy way
If you are planning to use low-carb as your way to a slimmer body, we strongly recommend you take the following approach. As you are setting up your diet remove carbohydrates from your food two to three weeks ahead of time, this is before you start restricting your calories. Do not restrict calories in any way shape or form during this time with the exception of protein intake as no more than 30% of your calories should come from protein. This is important as it could lead to a process known as gluconeogenesis where the body will create glucose from non-carbohydrate sources and potentially knock you out of ketosis. This might sound far fetched but trust us when we say that it is very common. Once you have confirmed that you are in Ketosis you can start restricting calories if that was the goal to begin with.
For the impatient individual
Not all of us are willing to wait for weeks to enter ketosis so there is a trick to get to that state faster. This is not for the weak hearted but will guarantee you to get to ketosis faster. The only way for you to 100% know you if are in ketosis is to use a device like this one Nova Max Plus Glucose and Ketone testing with one monitor that will tell you exactly what is going on. Forget ketostix, through that in the garbage as those things, are inherently inaccurate. You might wonder why you need this device. Well, you do not 100% need it but the protocol we describe here is not something you want to prolong and as soon as you are in ketosis you will want to start eating more food again.
The protocol for getting to ketosis faster than any other way consist of fasting, MCT oil (Coconut oil for example) and one crazy depletion workout.
Fasting
You will start fasting and use MCT oils as your only source of energy.
MCT
MCTs are short enough that they can be made into ketones in the liver and used as energy rather than undergoing normal digestion. There is some controversy as whether this counts as proper "ketosis" or not, since you're putting the fuel in your body rather than burning your own fat, but we would say that fasting is the best way we know to get into ketosis quickly, and by taking some MCT oil it will give you energy in that fast without impeding the ketosis, if you see what we mean, allowing you to fast a bit longer and get the fat burning going inside your body quicker than if you ate a few carbs. Remember to not restrict the amount of oil you consume as this is not about losing weight at this point, only to get you into ketosis as quickly as possible so you can resume your normal diet routine. Some people are extremely sensitive to MCT oils so make sure to Google "disaster pants" before getting going.
Depletion workout
To do a depletion workout, you will want to adopt a circuit-style training protocol so that you are moving from one exercise to the next with little or no rest in between. You are also going to strive to perform 15-20 reps per set, so the weight you are lifting should be on the lighter side. This is all about exhausting your glycogen stores to the maximum and if you feel like you can even walk out of the gym you are not done. Nothing else matters during this time.
That is it! We hope one of these two ways will help you to reach ketosis and help you burn fat. Good luck!
Note: I have used "We" here as I was getting input from other forum members in writing this.
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