What in the world is keto?

amother

Dandelion

Tue, May 10 2022, 10:21 pm

Some background on the science. Insulin is a hormone, made by your pancreas. Insulin processes the glucose in your bloodstream and then transports glucose throughout the body, distributing it where it’s required.
The problem occurs when there is already enough energy in the body, because then insulin will convert the glucose into fat. Fat is essentially stored energy.

When you shift into a lower carbohydrate diet like keto, your body first relies on stored glucose. This is stored by the body as glycogen. When that runs out, the body shifts to burning body fat. Without consuming any carbohydrates for one to two days, the body starts to produce an alternative energy source known as ketones. Essentially the body recognizes it is running out of energy and starts making a backup source. During the process of ketogenesis, our liver breaks down fat rather than carbohydrates. This is where the idea of a ketogenic diet being ‘fat burning’ comes from. As soon as ketogenesis kicks in, ketone levels begin to rise, and the body is formally in ketosis.

There are a number of different ways for the body to enter ketosis. One popular method is by fasting which kickstarts your way into ketosis- it is the fastest method that produces ketones. Since the body thinks it is starving, it begins to produce ketones as a backup form of energy. It starts decreasing its use of glucose, and begins to rely on ketones for energy.

Another approach to entering ketosis is through the keto diet.

Cut out the carbs (should be about 5% of your caloric intake).
Drastically increase your fat (to be about 80% of your caloric intake).
Make sure you consume healthy proteins, for the remaining 15% of your daily calories.
Don't drastically lower your calorie intake as that will not help burn fat. Rather, it's about the scientific ratio.

As you begin to stop using glucose and shift to ketosis, your level of circulating ketones will increase. As ketosis kicks in, steady and quick weight loss usually follows. This continues indefinitely, as your body starts burning away stored body fat.