Alright then, this is where the application of the past three posts has the opportunity to manifest itself physically with you my dear reader. Today’s episode of Adventures in KETOSIS will feature all you need to know to start yourself down this path of body re composition with the confidence you need to know you’re doing it right. Remember I’m here for you and am happy to answer any questions you may have in the comments section. So now that we’re sitting comfortably, let’s begin.
The first thing you need to do is get into ketosis. Obviously you need to drop your carbs as low as you can in order to accomplish this. For the first couple of weeks it’s advisable, in this person’s humble opinion, to eliminate milk and fruit entirely. Potatoes, grains, beans and lentils should also go.
It’s best to get into ketosis as fast as you can because that sluggish, foggy feeling you may have heard some speak of is not in fact ketosis. It’s your confused brain switching back and forth from using glucose to ketones and back to glucose finally realizing that ketones are what’s plentiful. Early on all it will take is an apple for your brain to decide that glucose is still the principal energy source because there seems to be a steady supply coming in. In a couple of weeks you can have that apple because your brain is using ketones but for now just hold off a while.
Something I do for at least a week is go overboard on the fats to send the message that this is a plentiful energy source. It’s whip cream in coffee and butter with everything. I actually don’t gain fat during this week but don’t lose either. The second week I’ll get a little more moderate with my fat intake.
As the diet progresses and if very low body fat is desired, you can continue to lower the fat on a week by week basis to achieve that shredded look. Once there, you can even up the fats and stay shredded, however we’re human and most of us go straight for some carbs after a period of restriction. I’m referring to getting very lean. You can quite easily maintain at around eight percent all year doing nothing drastic from my experience.
So the first couple of weeks are the tough part. You think you’re hungry but you aren’t. You just still want to go for those easy snacks which are all carb based. It isn’t often you think of eggs or meat as snack food but now they are as is the old steady peanut butter.
Anyone who knows me knows that peanut butter and I are basically inseparable. Eating a jar a day, every day is not uncommon at all. So during those early days whenever the urge strikes for fruit or grains, I just reach for the jar that is never far and have a few spoonfuls to settle the cravings.
After the first two weeks it’s time to add in a weekly cheat meal or carb meal. Your body reacts very well to these and the fat loss always picks up after them. Some people have a full day or even the weekend as their carb time but I prefer to limit it to one meal and still keep it sensible. I’ve heard of people that do all you can eat sushi or go crazy with pizza but if fat loss is your goal than a regular meal that has carbs is really all that’s needed.
It’s purpose is to give your muscles a refill of glycogen as well as your liver which is responsible for converting inactive thyroid hormone T4 to active T3. The number following the T is how many atoms of iodine per molecule are attached to it if you’re interested, but I can sum this up by saying you need a weekly cheat meal to keep your metabolism humming along nicely.
Another thing worth looking at is how much protein and how much fat should make up your day to day diet. After your added fat first week in order to accelerate ketosis, the sweet spot that works for me personally is a 50/50 split with respect to calories. Keeping in mind that a gram of each is four and nine calories respectively. A 50 gram serving of protein would need to have 22 grams of fat. Two scoops of protein powder mixed with water and two very generous spoonfuls of peanut butter thrown in is an example of a 50/50 split. A few of those a day with some animal protein and vegetables and you’re well on your way to getting that lean and muscular body you’ve always wanted.
A lot of examples in this write up are what I would personally advise someone to follow if I were helping them to get into that very lean state and I would make adjustments according to their goals as we went along. Someone else might do this differently but I have always had success with both myself and others I’ve advised. As you can see, this article was a bit of a departure from the others in that sense and I hope that you have enough information with all four parts to get started. Remember, if you have any questions feel free to ask. That’s it until part five of our travels through ketosis.
Happy Lifting.
