4 Easy Strategies to Achieve (and maintain) Ketosis

Whether you’re a religious Keto devotee or brand new to the world of keto, there is no
doubt that following this diet can truly change your body and your life for the better. One of the
most central components of the diet is achieving ketosis, a metabolic process where the body
converts stored fat into energy. Reaching ketosis has an impressive variety of benefits on the
body, including: lessened cravings, higher energy levels, reduced blood triglycerides, increased
good cholesterol, and overall improvement in general sense of well-being ( 1 ). But how in the
world can we achieve and harness such a power?
First, it is important to recognize that achieving and maintaining ketosis requires true
dedication to a fairly strict, low-carb diet. Depending on how long you’ve been following the keto
diet, what type of body composition you have, what your activity levels look like, and when you
eat, it can take anywhere from two days up to a few months to get reach a true state of ketosis.
With all of that in mind, I have listed 4 of the most important factors below that will impact your
ketosis progress, and help to speed it up as well!

1 – It All Starts With Your Diet

Cut Out the Carbs!
Our ultimate mission when “eating keto” is to achieve a fat fueled lifestyle, in
which we force the body to consistently burn fat as fuel instead of fast-burning carbs.
The first place to start is by ridding the body of glycogen, also known as sugar. In laymen’s
terms, this means that you will need to significantly reduce the amount of carbohydrates that
you eat in order to promote fat-burning ketosis.

The amount of carbohydrates that are typically allowed on this diet can vary from person
to person, however, the most effective amount sits around 20-25 grams per day. Keep in mind
that this is accounting for net carbs, which means subtracting the total amount of carbohydrates
minus the fiber in the food that you are eating. As you begin to master this balance in your diet,
your glycogen levels will naturally trend downward, which will help to encourage your body to
convert fat into energy instead.

Fat is Phat!

Not only is it vital to decrease your carb intake, but it is also important to increase your
healthy fat consumption in order to encourage your body to utilize these stores for energy.
Ideally, you should aim to get 60-75% of your daily calories from fat. Some healthier fat choices
include: olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee, lard, and tallow. Still not sure how to get
enough fat in your diet? Check out these tasty recipe ideas for some easy solutions.

2 – The Best Ketosis Catalyst – Medium Chain Triglycerides
If you are looking for a way to get into ketosis quicker, then MCTs should become your best
friend ! One of the quickest shortcuts for achieving ketosis is through increasing consumption of
Medium Chain Triglycerides. These little beauties are rapidly and efficiently absorbed by the
liver, and can be immediately converted into ketones for energy.

Some of the easiest ways to ingest this magical energy source include: Brain Octane Oil,
Coconut oil, or MCT oil. I personally love adding these oils to coffee in the morning for a quick
boost. If you are looking for other ideas, check out some of these tasty MCT-laden recipes.

3 – Sweat it Out!
Exercise is another way to fast-track ketosis. Think about it… if the first step for achieving
ketosis is to use up all of your carbohydrate stores, then what is one of the fastest ways to burn
through that energy? By exercising, of course! When you work out, specifically during
cardiovascular exercise, your body naturally uses carbohydrates as its first source of fuel. Once
these reserves are depleted, your body will be forced to switch over to burning fat for fuel
instead. Check out this blog for information about exercise and keto!

Not sure where to begin? Focus on aerobic activities that activate many muscles at
once, including (but certainly not limited to): jogging, brisk walking, swimming, biking, and
zumba.

4 – Give Fasting a Shot!
One of the most popular methods to speed up ketosis is through Intermittent Fasting,
which is simply cycling between strategic windows of eating and not eating. T he most
popular method of this type of fasting is choosing a window of time during the day when you will
consume all of your calories (such as 10 am through 5 pm).

This means that the hours outside of this window will be spent fasting, during which your
body is once again forced to pull from other various sources for energy, such as from fat. You
will likely be surprised by how much energy you have during this time – since fat is a slow
burning fuel, many people often report feeling more mentally clear and energetic during these
fasted states!

Whether you are looking to increase your energy levels, lose weight, or simply test out this new
keto-craze, following these guidelines should truly help to streamline your ketosis goals. And
don’t be surprised if you get hooked on this new way of life… it is truly fat- tastic!!