When I was bodybuilding in the 1990’s, we used to use the ketogenic diet to burn off that extra bit of stubborn fat.  We would only do it for about 3-4 days however and would then cycle the diet for 2-3 weeks maximum.

The ketogenic diet works well to burn fat while preserving muscle mass which is extremely important when you are dieting because lean muscle mass is vital for good health.

What is ketosis?

The ketogenic diet converts the body into a fat-burning metabolism known as ketosis which basically means that your body is producing energy from ketones rather than glucose.  Ketones are made from fat and your body has no problem running on ketones instead of glucose.

Ketosis is not to be confused with the serious condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis which occurs in type 1 diabetes and is a life-threatening condition.  Sometimes nurses and doctors confuse these two which are completely separate physiological states.

Ketosis has been used in conventional medicine for epilepsy but it also has been found to be effective for the following:

* Type 2 diabetes

* Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

* Acne (often caused by growth hormone in milk, excess androgens and too much sugar in the diet)

* Insomnia

* Fatigue

* Difficulty losing weight

* Headaches

* Insulin resistance

* Metabolic syndrome

* Alzheimer’s

* Parkinson’s

* Neuropathy

* Lowers cholesterol and triglycerides

* Increases HDL

* Increases the size of LDL particles making them less prone to stick to blood vessels

* Obesity

* Cancer

* Improves fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels

* Autism

* Multiple sclerosis

* Brain trauma

* ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)

How do you achieve a ketogenic state?

Ketosis is fairly simple to achieve.  All you have to do is keep your carbohydrate intake less than 50 grams a day and after 3-4 days you will be in ketosis.  Some individuals must keep their carbohydrate intake less than 30 grams a day to shift into ketosis.  The way to find out if you are in ketosis is to use ketone test strips that you dip in your urine and use the color chart that comes with the strips.  These can be purchased at any drugstore or online.

There are also electronic ketone monitors that require blood and they are much more precise than the urine strips. However, the urine strips are just fine if you want to see if you are in ketosis or not.

Is this just the Atkins Diet?

Dr. Atkins made ketosis popular because it was extremely effective in losing weight however his work was misunderstood and misrepresented.  His diet was erroneously thought to just be a bunch of bacon, eggs and butter which really wasn’t his method.  Yes, these foods were acceptable in the initial phase but most people consumed too much and didn’t transition out of ketosis correctly.

Diets always have a beginning and an end so when people would stop they would just gain the weight back.  This is because the underlying reasons for weight gain were not corrected such as psychological and lifestyle factors.

Why does ketosis work?

Decreased appetite.  You just won’t really feel all that hungry in ketosis.

Increased fat-burning and decreased fat storage

Greater efficiency in burning fat

Increased thermic effect from protein consumption

Increases glutathione levels in the brain which r...