Ketosis and losing weight: here's how to get into ketosis faster
Have you looked into ways to lose weight and actually want to lose some pounds? If so, you've probably heard the term ketosis mentioned before. But what exactly is ketosis and how can it contribute to weight loss? In this blog, we will take a closer look at ketosis and losing weight, and give useful tips on how to get into ketosis faster.
What is ketosis?
When you follow a low-carbohydrate/keto diet, at some point your body goes into ketosis. This is a metabolic state in which the body gets energy from fats instead of carbohydrates. In this state, the concentration of ketones in the blood is elevated, which are molecules produced as soon as fats are broken down in the liver.
When you are in ketosis, fat burning is stimulated and you therefore lose kilos more easily. Ketones can ensure that your blood sugar level gets and/or stays up and they provide better and longer-lasting nutrition than carbohydrates.
How do you get into ketosis?
To get into the metabolic state where energy is obtained from fats instead of carbohydrates, you need to consume fewer carbohydrates, for instance by following a ketogenic diet. This is a diet where you take in more fats and proteins and much less carbohydrates. By barely eating carbohydrates, you actually force your body to use fat as its primary fuel, thus putting you into ketosis.
Ketosis and losing weight
Ketosis and losing weight: it can work really well! Because energy is obtained from fats instead of carbohydrates, fat burning is stimulated and so you lose fat and thus weight faster. If you want to lose weight through ketosis, it is important to start with a ketogenic diet. Losing weight in ketosis is also faster because the feeling of hunger decreases and you are less likely to overeat or snack in between meals.
Getting into ketosis faster
To be in the metabolic state, your body has to switch from burning. Your body has to start burning fats instead of carbohydrates. How long this switchover takes is different for everyone. Some can get into ketosis quickly by not eating any carbohydrates for one day, for example. Another takes a few days to a week to get into ketosis. Getting into ketosis faster is certainly possible: we explain below how you can speed up the process.
Limit carbohydrates
The fewer carbohydrates you eat, the easier it is to get into ketosis. If you want to get into ketosis fast, you have to leave out high-carb products like sugar, sweets, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, crisps, pastries. You eat more meat, fish, fatty cheese, whole yoghurt, nuts, seeds, lots of vegetables and berries and as much unprocessed as possible. The guideline is a maximum of 20 grams of carbohydrates a day to get into ketosis fast. You can easily track your intake in a nutrition app.Limit carbs
Sport and exercise
Regular exercise can also help speed up the process. During exercise, the body loses glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates, so it is more likely to switch to burning fats for energy. If you want to get into ketosis quickly and lose weight, it is wise to exercise regularly.
Intermittent fasting
If you want to get into ketosis fast, it may help to combine a ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting. This is because the ketogenic diet causes your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates, while intermittent fasting speeds up this process by using up all the carbohydrates (the glycogen stores). In intermittent fasting, for example, you don't eat for 16 consecutive hours, and you do for 8 consecutive hours.
Ketosis supplements
Get into ketosis fast and lose weight? Ketosis supplements can certainly help. Ketosis supplements are supplements that support the ketogenic diet and help you get and stay in ketosis faster. There are various ingredients in keto pills that stimulate fat burning, such as caffeine, green tea extract, guarana and raspberry ketones.
Natural ketosis supplements that support a keto diet and can ensure you get into the metabolic state faster include Keto gummies and Keto Plus. Planning to use weight-loss pills? Then always read the package insert first.
How do you know if you are in ketosis?
If you want to lose weight in ketosis, it is useful to know whether you are actually in ketosis. You can often tell yourself by a number of things. In the beginning, you may have a headache and feel a bit fuzzy. Of course, your body has to switch over and that takes some energy in the beginning. Does your body get its energy from fats instead of carbohydrates after a while? Then you often notice that you are clearer, have more energy, are less hungry, lose weight and can perform better in sports.
A less pleasant side effect is that most notice a bad breath odour, which can smell a bit like acetone. To be really sure if you are in ketosis, you can use breath analysis or ketostrips. Ketostrips measure the concentration of ketones in your urine, after which you can read the result.
Conclusion
Want to lose weight and get more energy? Then losing weight in ketosis might be for you. When you are in this state, not only is your fat burning stimulated; you can actually lose weight. Read up on a ketogenic diet, be conscious of your carbohydrate intake and exercise regularly and chances are you will start losing weight through ketosis.