The ketogenic diet is one of the most popular ways to lose weight these days. But there are some ways that you can enhance the ketogenic process to make this diet work even better. One of the ways in which this can be done is by adding ketones. But in order to understand how to use them most effectively, you have to understand what they are and what they do first.
What is Keto Diet?
The ketogenic diet, also known as keto diet, is a type of diet that is extremely effective at fat burning. By following the guidelines of the ketogenic diet, you can make your body product small fuel molecules called ketones, effectively putting your body in a state of “ketosis.” Your body uses ketones for fuel when glucose, also known as blood sugar, is low. The way that you activate a ketogenic diet is by limiting the amount of carbs that you eat and lowering your intake of protein. When you do that, your body does not have enough carbohydrates or protein to break them down into blood sugar, and so it goes into a state of ketosis and begins breaking down fat cells for energy instead.
Ketones are produced in the liver and they are made from fat, but they can be converted into fuel throughout the entire body, to power every organ. The brain is one of the biggest consumers of blood sugar, as it needs a lot of fuel to run every day, and it can only run on food that has been converted into glucose or on ketones. This type of diet can be problematic for some people, as it burns huge amounts of fat, but with the tradeoff of low blood sugar. That makes it a major no-no for diabetics or woman that are pregnant or breastfeeding.
What Are Exogenous Ketones?
Now that you understand that your body can produce ketones if you limit your carb and protein intake, and you understand that they can put your fat burning into overdrive, you know that a ketogenic diet is extremely effective. However, what you might not know is that you can actually supplement the ketones that your body produces with outside ketones – known as exogenous ketones. There are three different types of ketones that your body can run on. They include acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone. However, the one that is most commonly found in exogenous ketones is beta-hydroxybutyrate, because it is the active form of ketone and can most easily be used by your body.
There are also multiple types of ketones that you can supplement with. The first is called ketone esters. Ketone esters are raw ketone – the beta-hydroxybutyrate – that is not bound to any other compounds. They can be used by the body more quickly and raise ketone levels in the blood since your body doesn’t have to separate the compound. However, they taste incredibly awful and you may experience severe gastric problems. Another type of ketone is ketone salts. Ketone salts are combined with sodium, calcium, magnesium or potassium. Ketone salts are much gentler on your body than ketone esters. The third type is known as ketone oils.
Five Steps to Using Exogenous Ketones
If you want to know how to use ketones for weight loss, then this guide will help you. These five steps will show you how to use ketones effectively to ensure that you lose weight. There are some pretty compelling reasons to use a keto diet to lose weight, and exogenous ketones will definitely make it easier to do so.
Get Educated on Ketosis
The first thing that you have to do is become educated about ketosis. There is a great deal of information in this article on how ketosis works and what a ketogenic diet involves, as well as some information on exogenous ketones, but the information provided here is just the tip of the iceberg. You are going to have to do your own research and find out as much as you can about the process of ketosis and how it works. The first consideration is whether or not the process is safe for you, but you also want to find out if it is the most effective way for you to lose weight, or if you would be better suited for another diet method.
As far as learning about ketosis and exogenous ketones, there is a lot of information out there that you could delve into. You might even want to consult with your doctor and find out if they recommend the keto diet for you. If you are going to commit to this method of losing weight, then you want to get as much information as possible and ensure that you understand what you need to do to activate a state of ketosis; and how your body will react.
Create a Weight Loss Goal & Plan
Your next step is to create a weight loss plan and goal. The goal is the first step. How much weight do you want to lose? For many people the answer might be “all of it,” but that isn't’ really an answer. A keto diet isn’t intended for long-term use, although it can be used for quite a bit longer than most people think. A keto diet should be a short-term solution that lasts a few months. If you have a great deal of weight to lose, then you are still going to have to make lifestyle adjustments, cut down on your food intake, and incorporate exercise into your day if you want to keep losing weight.
Your next step is to figure out exactly what your plan is going to be. You need to know how much weight you want to lose with a ketogenic diet, and when you are going to transition to a regular diet. You should have a certain percentage of weight that you want to lose using ketosis and exogenous ketones, with a plan to lose the rest afterward. You should have well-defined timelines, milestones and a plan that breaks your weight loss goals into small segments that will allow you to step back and reevaluate.
Transition into Using Exogenous Ketones
The next thing that you have to do is a transition to using exogenous ketones. That means that you want to start with the ketogenic diet and producing ketones naturally. Don’t start out the process of adding ketones to your body. Instead, figure out how your body is going to do on a regular keto diet and make sure that you are losing weight and that the restrictions that the keto diet comes with are not going to have an adverse effect on your health. After that, you can start adding ketones to your diet from supplement sources.
Track Your Weight Loss Progress
You definitely want to track your weight loss progress. That starts by figuring out exactly what you weight at the very beginning and maintaining a regular record from there. Your first step is to get a scale if you do not already have one. You don’t want to weigh yourself daily, but you do want to keep track of your weight. That means having a scale available to you. You are also going to be keeping a record of your weight, as well as a diary of what you are eating and how your body is reacting. You want to know exactly how the keto diet is affecting you so that you can decide how much to supplement your body’s natural processes with exogenous ketones.
The best way to track your progress is through a spreadsheet on your computer combined with a diary that describes the food that you have eaten, the amount of exogenous ketones you have supplemented with and anything else that you think it noteworthy. The spreadsheet will allow you to track your diet with real numbers, weighing yourself once a week or so, and seeing real data on how your weight loss is progressing. This will let you know if there are any changes that need to be made.
Make Adjustments as Needed
Finally, make adjustments as needed. Don’t be afraid to adjust your keto diet to fit your unique lifestyle and body chemistry. That’s exactly why tracking your entire diet is so important. If you know something is working (or not working) then you can go back to your spreadsheet and diet journal and figure out exactly why it is (or is not) working. Make any adjustments that you need to and stick to your diet plan. Adjustments are a normal part of any diet plan, so don’t be concerned if you need to make changes.
The Bottom Line
The first consideration is whether or not the process is safe for you, but you also want to find out if it is the most effective way for you to lose weight, or if you would be better suited for another diet method. It’s always good to read more what keto supplement is best fit for you at Ketogenic Supplement Reviews. The bottom line is that there are a lot of things to consider when it comes to following a ketogenic diet and using exogenous ketones to promote further and faster weight loss. Hopefully, you will have a better idea of how to use this method of losing weight much more effectively.