You Know, What is the main problem with the Keto diet?
Finding Out the if you are in Ketosis or Not, Agree?
In this guide, I am sharing 13 important ways on How do you find out if you are in Ketosis?
What Is the Meaning of Ketosis?
In recent years, Ketosis induction has become and more and more popular as people become more informed about matters concerning their diet. Many now want to be in control of their nutritional intake.
You’ll understand what I mean in a minute.
In the article Myth about Ketosis, I have explained in-depth about Ketosis.
Ketosis is a state where the blood ketone levels are raised. During ketosis, your body generally uses body fat instead of glucose to meet its energy demands.
This process is a good thing if you are looking to shed some body fat. Ketones which have not been used for energy are normally removed from the body through kidneys in the urine.
Normally, the body breaks down glucose for energy and stores the excess as fat for future needs and for most people this is where the weight problems come from Inducing ketosis is the way to go if you want to make your body use more fat and store less.
To do this you will have to adopt a strict keto diet.
Wondering what a keto diet entails?
A Keto diet, or Ketogenic diet, is one that consists of a very low carb quantity, more fat and just enough protein. This makes the body go for the fat as an energy source instead of carbohydrates.
Fewer carbohydrates mean you have to keep off foods like soft drinks, whole grains, some high fiber content fruits, and beans.
Adopting a Keto diet will require you to take up other healthy habits like avoiding fast foods and drinking a lot of water to keep up with the body's demands.
While on the Keto diet your plate should consist of up to 75% of fat content, not more than 10% of carbohydrates and proteins take up the rest.
How do you know if you are in ketosis?
To really know the specifics of your ketone levels you can get tested by your doctor. The doctor will take a blood or urine sample and run some tests.
You can also check for some signs and symptoms that indicate you are in ketosis yourself.
Here are some symptoms and signs of ketosis
1
You might just catch the keto flu.
Many of you might be wondering whether Keto flu is even a thing, yes it is A Keto flu mainly occurs as your body is adjusting to the new diet and way of life.
As I have already discussed in this Guide of Keto Flu, It is a side effect of the Keto Diet (low carbs and high-fat diet).
"Keto-Flu" doesn't mean sneezing and a runny nose. If you have this symptoms, the doctor's office is where you should be heading right now.
Being used to the Ketogenic diet does not just happen smoothly. Usually, it might take up to two weeks for your body to come into terms with getting fewer carbohydrates and using fats as fuel.
A Keto flu presents itself with a couple of symptoms like Diarrhea, urges to vomit, muscle spasms and cramps, a headache, and general fatigue.
Headaches are one of the most uncomfortable side effects of ketosis you will have to go through. They are caused by taking small amounts of carbs, mainly sugars. Other major causes include an imbalance of electrolytes and dehydration.
These headaches can last from a day to a week.
Muscle spasms occur as a result of electrolyte imbalance and dehydration. Important electrolytes like sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium are essential to have on your diet and can also be taken as supplements.
However, this should not stop you because once your body gets used to the diet it only gets better from there.
2
Your ketone levels are up.
This is the main reason behind going on the keto diet and is the ultimate sign that it is indeed working.
Compared to a person on the normal diet, the one on ketosis will show higher ketone levels in their blood and urine. You can leverage the Ketone lever checker like KetoMojo.
Testing for ketosis on blood is a way more accurate method to test the ketone levels as compared to using urine samples.
Higher ketone levels are really what you want at this point because that's the body's main source of energy.
It would be abnormal for someone on a ketone diet to have very low amounts of ketone and it might be a sign of something going wrong somewhere.
3
No more cloudy brain.
Refined carbs like white bread and cereals containing a lot of sugars are notorious for making blood sugar levels to increase fast making you feel energized for a moment and before you know it, you feel tired with a cloudy brain when they suddenly drop.
Being on a keto diet keeps your sugar levels balanced. This keeps you energized and with a clear mind all day every day with fewer cravings.
Do not forget that being on a keto diet also means that you keep off soft drinks and fruit juice with lots of sugar.
4
Maybe some constipation.
Constipation is a very common issue among individuals on the keto diet.
Low Garb intake is a sure way to invite constipation since you have to off keep foods like vegetables, beans, some fruits and whole grain due to their high fiber content that you don't want in this diet.
Another major cause of constipation is the loss of large amounts of water. Lack of adequate water in your system will definitely guarantee you a hard time on the toilet seat.
This, however, does not always have to be the case as you can increase your daily water intake and eat some fiber-containing foods like nuts, berries, avocados, and vegetables containing no starch.
5
Losing weight faster than you expected
If you choose to take up the keto diet do not be surprised by a significant sudden drop in your weight. Mostly this is what many of you wanted, right?
Well, this might come as a shock mainly because the sudden loss of weight does not result from losing the body fat. It is only because of the huge amounts of water the body loses as a result of low carb intake.
Normally the body depends heavily on carbs as a source of water since they hold a lot more water compared to fats and proteins.
The water in your body makes you heavier thus less water means fewer pounds.
As a result of the low carb intake, your body will depend heavily on external sources of water.
6
Smelling something fishy?
Kato breath is actually referred by some as dragon breath. It comes as a result of the body's natural production of acetone which is a by-product of ketones.
Most women might be familiar with acetone as it is used to make removers for nail polish.
One thing about acetone is that its molecules are very tiny.
This characteristic makes it able to get through into the lungs and then exhaled when breathing thus the keto breath.
You might also experience a metallic taste in your mouth but it goes away as you get used to the diet
7
Thirsty like every time.
It is only normal that your body needs more water as you excrete a lot of water while on a keto diet.
This means that if you are a strict follower of the diet you will most likely always be thirsty.
To some, it might be helpful to trigger drinking more water since most of us hardly drink any water.
Although there's no saying how much water you should be drinking on a keto diet, make it a habit to drink enough as dehydration can lead to serious health issues.
Always check the color of your urine to know if you need more water.
Clear or pale yellow means you are well hydrated while darker urine shows you need to drink more
8
You don't feel hungry all the time anymore.
Normally it is expected that while losing weight you feel hungrier and have to deal with some serious food cravings.
Surprisingly, individuals on a strict keto diet report decreased food cravings and even lesser hunger than while on a normal diet.
This is a major relief to sugar addicts wondering how they can suppress their urges and shed some weight.
It's not really known why but experts think that low Garb intake leads to decreased production of hormones that cause hunger An example of these hormones is ghrelin which is produced by the stomach and in other parts like the pancreas, small intestines, and brain in small amounts.
9
Your skin finally getting smoother.
Another great result of the keto diet is a very smooth skin free of pimples. Intake of huge amounts of carbs is known to be linked to very bad acne.
Carbs cause inflammation and signal the releasing of hormones that increase the production of oils that clog pores on the skin.
These oil clogs mainly affect the face and this lowers the self-confidence of many.
10
Having a dry mouth?
A dry mouth is another thing you have to expect while on a keto diet.
This is, of course, owing to the fact that the amount of water loss from your body is higher than normal.
It can be a sign that you are moving towards the point of dehydration or already dehydrated.
To prevent more serious health problems you should maintain adequate water intake every day you are on the diet.
Eating some succulent keto-friendly fruits will also help to keep you hydrated just enough to keep you going.
11
Are you fatigued and weak?
You may experience fatigue and generally feeling weaker in your first days on the diet.
This is mainly because carbohydrates are an easy and quicker source of energy and now the body is switching to fats to get that same amount of energy.
This only lasts for a few weeks and your energy increase to even better levels than before assuming the diet.
12
You cant get yourself to sleep
While starting up on a ketogenic diet you may experience disrupted sleep.
At first, you might go through difficulty while trying to fall asleep or even waking from your sleep in the night.
This might not be a nice experience but as your body adapts to ketosis the symptoms are expected to vanish after the first couple of weeks and the quality of life gets better.
13
Some stomach upset
As expected, changing your diet will take your stomach some getting used to The poses a major risk of upsetting your stomach and some digestion problem.
Not to worry though because you can solve this by drinking a lot of water and eating vegetables with lass starch.
Taking probiotic supplements also promote gut health and will keep you going smoothly until your stomach adapts.
BONUS - You might just end up stressing your kidneys a little
Some individuals on the keto diet progress smoothly but along the way forget it's not just about reducing the amount of curb on their plates and increase their meat intake.
Consuming a lot of meat can cause a lot of health problems especially involving the kidneys.
The kidneys are greatly involved in the protein metabolism process.
Taking a lot of meat or protein will stress your kidneys affecting their functioning and you really don't want your kidneys failing.
Kidney failure is life-threatening so it is advisable to keep off excess meat.
It is important that you just eat the amount you need or even consult a nutritionist before starting your ketogenic diet.
conclusion
Ketosis is a very efficient way to get rid of that extra weight and feel better about yourself.
To get the best out of ketosis requires a great deal of discipline and endurance.
Just get through the first weeks and stick to the diet strictly and all will be alright.
However, if you have a serious medical condition like diabetes you should consult your doctor before starting the Keto diet.