The Ketogenic Diet and Fertility – A Cure for PCOS?

As I learn more and more about the ketogenic diet, I’m fascinated by how many benefits there are to eating a higher fat diet. I was surprised

to discover that many people in the ketogenic dieting groups reported not only

weight loss, but also improved health. Many of them had been suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), but after a time on the ketogenic diet, they were able to conceive. Many of them refer to their children as “keto babies.” After seeing many of them chatting and talking about their improved fertility, I decided to do some research into why the ketogenic diet was beneficial.

Causes of Infertility

The medical profession defines infertility as the inability to get pregnant after one year of trying. Infertility is commonly thought of as a woman’s issue, however it can affect men as well. In thirty five percent of couples, the man is having an issue with infertility. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that approximately twelve percent of women in the United States ages 15-44 have difficulty conceving a child and carrying it to term.

The most common causes of infertility are insulin resistance, obesity, and inappropriate hormone levels. When your body is experiencing any of these conditions, it becomes more difficult to get pregnant and carry a child. There are too many additional demands from your body in order to recreate an additional life when you have hormone issues, obesity or insulin problems.

Insulin and Fertility

Insulin has an impact on your fertility and in the conception process. Insulin is an important hormone that controls how your body changes food into energy by absorbing glucose from your bloodstream and moving it into your cells. Every function of the body relies on having normal insulin levels.

PCOS and insulin resistance often go hand in hand. Insulin resistance occurs when insulin is chronically elevated. Excessive carbohydrate intake and physical inactivity lead to insulin resistance. 

When you are insulin resistant, your cells stop responding normally to insulin. Your body can’t easily absorb the blood glucose from your blood stream. Therefore, it produces more and more insulin to keep up with the glucose demand.

Elevated levels of insulin stimulate the ovaries to produce more androgens, which are “male hormones.” This leads to the development of PCOS.

Insulin resistance is strongly associate with type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes is connected to female sexual dysfunction and issues with the fallopian tubes, uterus and ovaries. Often women who suffer from type 2 Diabetes have difficulty in the bedroom with desire, lubrication, arousal and pain during intercourse. When sex is avoided due to pain and lack of desire, the chances of becoming pregnant severly decline.

It is important to note that over seventy percent of women with PCOS have insulin resistance. Statistics also demonstrate that over eigthy percent of women in the United States with PCOS are obese or overweight. These factors comine and contribute to infertility.

 

Improves Conditions that Harm Fertility

The conditions that are playing a role in infertility – obesity, insulin resistance and PCOS –  have shown improvement for people who are following the ketogenic diet. A ketogenic diet can help women lose weight quickly and effectively. It improves type 2 Diabetes by reducing insulin resistance. Getting insulin levels normal and keeping them there can trigger healing within the body and assist proper function of the other hormones that support pregnancy. 

Research has demonstrated that obesity can factor into a woman’s infertility. Women who are overweight or obese have a tendency to struggle with mensturation and ovulation issues. Their conception rates tend to be lower. They also often suffer from miscarriages and other pregnancy complications. Studies have shown that the risk of infertility is three times as high in obese women. The causes of obesity can vary, however the ketogenic diet is very beneficial for weight loss. Getting out of the obese category will improve your chances at becoming pregnant.

Hormones and Fertility

There are some key hormones that required in order to have a baby and for your body to function properly. Some of the hormones that the body produces are known as androgens. Androgens are a group of hormones that are commonly referred to as “male hormones.” Men and women need androgens, but they require different amounts of this hormone.

Androgens are produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands and fat cells in women. They play an important role in many hormonal functions, such as the synthesis of estrogen, puberty, prevention of bone loss, and sex drive.

Excess amounts of androgens in women can produce irregular menstrual cycles, acne and excessive hair growth. Having an excess of fat cells can lead to an overproduction of androgens.

The primary femal sex hormone is estrogen. It is secreted mainly by the ovaries, but also in small amounts by the adrenal glands. An imbalance of estrogen levels will prevent ovulation and the thicking of the lining of the uterus. This makes it difficult for a fertilized egg to implant there.

Another hormone that plays a key role in pregnancy is prolactin. It is produced in the pituatary glad. Prolactin stimulates breast development and milk production. Elevated levels of prolactin can trigger infertility by inhibiting ovulation.

Lutenizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) are other hormones produced in men and women that play a major role in puberty and fertility.

Abnormal levels of LH and FSH interfere with the production of eggs and semen. Therefore, abnormal levels of these hormones hinder one’s ability to reproduce.

A 2005 study showed that women who were put on a 24 week low carbohydrate diet had the following impact on their hormone levels:

  • 12% reduction in body weight
  • 22% reduction in percent free testosterone
  • 36% reduction in LH/FSH ratio – bringing them into normal range
  • 54% decrease in the participant’s fasting insulin levels

These decreases in hormone levels tend to positively impact a woman’s fertility. During the 2005 study, two women became pregnant despite prior fertility issues.

Getting Started with the Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is one of the least expensive diets that will improve your fertility. The first thing that I would recommend is to download a free version of the Ketogic cookbook, Bacon and Butter. This will give you some great recipes to learn as the ketogenic diet becomes a way of life.

The second step you can take with the ketogenic diet is identifying what foods are carbohydrate rich and start cutting them out of your diet. You can drastically reduce your bread and pasta intake until you don’t have any around the house and then simply not buy it anymore.

Finally, you should connect with other people who are doing the ketogenic diet. There are facebook groups that share recipes and success and struggles. It can be extremely helpful to learn from other people. If you are looking for support with the ketogenic and getting pregnant,

 

 

 

Skillshare for Online Fitness Workouts

Unsure what type of workouts are best for you? Do you like to explore a lot of different classes from the convenience of your home? You may want to check out Skillshare. It has a wealth of information not just for creative crafty courses, but also for fitness, healthy cooking and self-improvement.

Skillshare Review

Name: Skillshare Online Classes

Website: skillshare.com

Price: First month Free then $15 per month

Owners: Skillshare

Overall Rank: 75 out of 100

Skillshare Online Fitness Workouts, Product Overview

Skillshare is an online subscription based platform that offers a wide variety of courses online. The fitness workouts that are available are great workouts that you can do at home including yoga, kettlebell workouts, weight lifting, calisthenics, and a few Pilates classes.

Skillshare allows up and coming online instructors to upload the courses that they created without really looking into the expertise or background of the individual. Therefore, if you have basic knowledge of something, you can teach it on Skillshare. Many people use skillshare to increase their online presence when they are just starting to build a following. It helps online instructors to gain some exposure.

You will discover with Skillshare that some courses are excellent and others are lacking. Some instructors’ teaching styles will resonate with you and others will fall flat.

 

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: The cost is low. You have access to hundreds of courses for the cost of $15 per month.

PRO #2: There is a wide variety of fitness courses, including health and wellness, self-improvement, strength training, and dieting.

PRO #3: In addition to some online fitness workouts, skillshare has classes on time management in order to help you fit these classes into your busy life.

 

The Bad:

CON #1: Hundreds of courses can be overwhelming. It can be difficult to know where you want to start. You may have one topic in mind, but get distracted by the dozens of other courses that look great.
CON #2: The quality of each course varies dramatically. Some courses seem like they are just put together quickly and others seem very professional. It can be really hit or miss.

 

Who is Skillshare for?

Skillshare is for the individual who is into self-improvement and wants to learn new things from the comfort of his or her own home. Skillshare is great for the creative individual who wants to gain more skills and create more from home. Skillshare is an excellent option for a homeschooling mom who may need some creative projects to keep her kids busy.

Skillshare is great for the self-motivated learner who is willing to put the time into learning a skill online. Many people sign up for skillshare and then forget about it and never get through one course on the platform. However, for those who are self-motivated to learn a skill, this is an inexpensive way to learn something new.

 

Skillshare Tools & Training

The tools and training for each fitness course in Skillshare will vary based on what the instructor has uploaded onto the platform. Many courses are only videos. However, some courses have accompanying worksheets that you can download in the form of a PDF. The best courses will also have a Facebook group or an online forum that you can join and ask questions regarding the course that you are taking.

 

Skillshare Support

Skillshare offers email support to its members. You can contact Skillshare support through their help center. Here’s the link for their help center: https://help.skillshare.com/hc/en-us

 

Skillshare Pricing

Skillshare charges a monthly fee of $15 per month. However, you can sign up for $99 per year if you want to reduce your cost and envision yourself using the service for a full year.

This price is a bit high considering you can find many YouTube tutorials online that don’t charge you anything. However, YouTube videos don’t always take you step by step through instructions. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. If you are learning something, you may not think about a step that is essential. This is where taking a course from an instructor can be very helpful.

 

My Final Opinion of Skillshare Online Courses
I like Skillshare for the creative courses. However, it is a bit lacking in the fitness arena. There are plenty of courses online to take through Skillshare. I have been a member for about a month and the novelty of taking online courses seems to be wearing off on me a bit.

I have found some Skillshare self-improvement courses very helpful. I have enjoyed learning about a variety of different topics as part of my two month membership. However, it is unlikely that I will continue my membership. I don’t find that I am going to watch the courses on a regular basis. I still have a tendency to gravitate towards quick YouTube videos rather than 2 hour long courses with worksheets.

Skillshare is not the best for online fitness workouts. You’d probably do better finding a free YouTube workout or joining Beachbody for online workouts instead. However, if you want additional creative courses and some home workouts, it may be the perfect solution for you.

Overall, I gave it a C. When you first join, it is fun and exciting to try to learn a lot of cool things online. However, when reality kicks in and you are faced with implementing those skills and changing your habits, it is often more effective to take a course in person. I have also discovered that if I pay a bit more for an online course, I’m more likely to stick with it and get the biggest bang for my buck. At $15 per month, it isn’t a huge investment and often I find myself forgetting to log into the site and finish the courses that I start.
Learn on Skillshare
Skillshare at a Glance…

Name: Skillshare

Website: Skillshare.com

Owners: Skillshare

Price: FREE trial- then $15 per month

Overall Scam Rank: 75 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT – This isn’t a scam. You may discover some wonderful instructors on Skillshare that you truly love. However, it is very easy to get overwhelmed with the wide variety of courses and not know where to start.

What Foods Can You Eat on A Ketogenic Diet?

If you have been considering a ketogenic diet for weight loss, seizure control, improved brain function, or improved blood sugars, you may be wondering what foods can you eat on a ketogenic diet? You may also be wondering how you are going to keep track of all those carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Don’t worry! It does not have to be that difficult. Once you have a few parameters in mind, you can easily track the most important macronutrients. It will become second nature to you. If my baby sister can figure out how to count her carbohydrates at the age of 3, anyone can do it! (My sister was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes at the age of three.)

When I started the ketogenic diet, my sister clued me in to how she mastered keeping track of her carbohydrates. She memorized which foods were considered “freebies.” She knew that she could have as much celery as she wanted. She became more careful when it came to fruits because she knew that she would have to measure them out. You can think of meats and leafy greens as your “freebies.” Don’t worry about overeating those.

Focus in On Meats

Meats do not contain any carbohydrates. They are one of the most nutrient dense foods. I learned about the healing powers of meats when I read up on the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride explained that people who had gut dysbiosis struggled to digest vegetables because they didn’t have enough bacteria in their gut to break down vegetable fiber.

Vegetables contain fiber and carbohydrates. The fiber must be broken down by gut bacteria. This can be problematic with the mechanisms that we have today for growing crops. There is a pesticide that is sprayed on crops known as Glyphosate, or Round Up. This pesticide prevents insects from eating the crops, but it also destroys the bacteria that are in our gut that help us digest food. The strongest concentration of glyphosate that you will get will be on grains. This is another great reason to focus more on eating meats.

  • Beef
  • Lamb
  • Fish
  • Seafood
  • Chicken
  • Duck
  • Eggs

Learn The Lower Carb Veggies

Eating a meat only diet can get a bit boring. Most people will want to add some variety to their diet for their own sanity. Non-starchy vegetables are allowed and even encouraged on a ketogenic diet. If you aren’t sure which vegetables are going to be low in carbohydrate, you should think of leafy green vegetables. Vegetables that grow on the ground instead of in the ground are going to make the cut as well.

Root crops, such as potatoes and carrots are going to be higher in starch. Starches turn into sugars once you start digesting them. Think about whether that vegetable grows above the ground before you eat it.

Some keto friendly veggies include:

  • cabbage
  • broccoli
  • spinach
  • celery
  • zucchini

Fruits on the Ketogenic Diet

You are going to want to limit your fruit consumption when you are on the ketogenic diet. Fruits naturally have a lot of fructose, which is a natural sugar. Fructose is high in carbohydrates, which is the macro nutrient that you want to reduce as much as possible. However, you can fit some fruits into your diet if you plan carefully.

Berries are the fruits with the least amount of carbohydrates. You can have a quarter cup of berries with breakfast or for dessert. Apples and oranges tend to have more than 20 grams of carbohydrate, which is all that you should be eating in one day. If you don’t have many carbohydrates during your meals, you could eat half an apple or an orange. Most people don’t use their carbohydrates on one piece of fruit though.

  • Avocado
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Blackberries
  • Tomatoes

Nuts on the Ketogenic Diet

Many ketogenic dieters include nuts in their diet. However, the carbohydrate count for nuts adds up quickly. If you have an autoimmune condition, you’ll want to be a bit careful with nuts as they do have some phytonutrients that can be problematic for people with autoimmune diseases.

  • macadamia nuts (very low in carbs, high in MUFA)
  • pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds
  • Brazil nuts – very high in selenium. Make sure you don’t consume too many.

Mind Your Macros

Some people are excellent at recording their food and counting their carbohydrates. I am not one of those people and I doubt most people are! However, you can still be successful with a ketogenic diet even if you aren’t counting every gram of food. Having a general idea of what is acceptable on the ketogenic diet and approximately how much of it you can eat without going overboard can help you stay on track with the ketogenic diet.

Keep these things in mind when you are planning your meals for the day –

  1. Enjoy a moderate amount of meat.
  2. Eat veggies that grew on the ground – leafy greens!
  3. No more than one serving of fruit per day.

These three guidelines will help you to stay within your maximum of 20 carbohydrates for the day. Staying below 20 grams of carbohydrates will usually trigger weight loss in the average individual as their body starts to rely on burning fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. Keep in mind that this usually happens within the first three to four days. You may experience cravings for higher carbohydrate foods during those first few days as your body is adjusting.

Carolina Country Snacks Pork Rinds

Carolina Country Snacks Pork Rinds Review[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B00IERRSZQ” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51KlvklKUpL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”432″]

Name: Carolina Country Snacks Pork Rinds

Website:[easyazon_link identifier=”B00IERRSZQ” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″ cart=”n”]Amazon.com[/easyazon_link]

Price: $24.00

Owners: Carolina Country Snacks

Overall Rank: 90 out of 100

Carolina Country Snacks Pork Rinds, Product Overview

These are flavored pork rinds. They are light and crispy. They mostly have a lot of air in them. The pork rinds are freshly cooked and packaged from Carolina Country’s kitchen. Coming in at less than one gram per serving, they are great alternative snacks for the Paleo, Ketogenic and low carbohydrate diets.

Carolina Country Pork rinds come in three flavors. There is plain, hot barbecue, sweet-mild barbecue and salt and vinegar. Due to the fact that there is a lot of air in them, the package size is only 1.75 ounces. Plain is only 1/5 ounces.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: This will fit into the autoimmune, paleo, Ketogenic and any low carbohydrate diet.

PRO #2: The carbohydrate count is very low. It will not raise your blood glucose levels at all.

PRO #3: The flavors that these come in are very tasty.

The Bad:

CON #1: These are not snacks that are going to fill you up. Most likely, you can munch on these if you are adjusting to life without snacks.

CON #2: These snacks are mostly air. It is kind of costly. However, they are snacks and should only be eaten on occasion and not as your main source of sustenance.

Who are fried pork rinds for?

This is a snack for anyone who enjoys pork products. However, it does not taste that much like pork. Many restrictive diets include pork rinds and they can be used for the Ketogenic dieters, diabetics, low carbohydrate diets, Atkins diet, the South Beach Diet, the Autoimmune Paleo diet, the Paleo diet and even the Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet.

Pork rinds can be crushed and used in place of breading in some recipes that would use breading. An example of this could be mozzarella sticks, or buffalo wings.

Carolina County Snacks Support
You can contact Carolina Country Snacks with questions regarding the product. They offer contact information on their website. Their phone number is 888-526-0271. You can also contact them via email through their contact form on their website – https://ccsnacks.3dcartstores.com/crm.asp?action=contactus.

Additionally, you can use traditional mail and send it to the following address:

Carolina Country Snacks

513 Commerce Drive

Henderson, NC. 27537-9551
Carolina Country Pork Rinds Price

You can purchase a case of 24 bags of 1.8 ounce pork rinds for $25.00. I was able to obtain a bag of pork rinds for $0.99 at the grocery store. To me, a dollar an ounce is quite a bit of money for food. You mostly pay for air, but this product is supposed to be an occasionally fun treat and not your main sustenance.

My Final Opinion of Carolina Pork Rinds

I tried out the Salt and Vinegar flavor of Carolina Country Snacks Pork Rinds. The texture to me was reminiscent of Cheetos, cardboard and flavored rice cakes. I thought the flavoring was very mild. I could hardly detect the vinegar. I did like that there was a bit of crunch to them and can see how they may jazz up some dishes if you use them as an ingredient.

This was not my favorite ketogenic snack. I will likely not be purchasing them again, unless, I discover some recipe that calls for them that I really want to try. I suppose I could top off some recipes that use croutons, like the broccoli cheese casserole dish that is supposed to include croutons, and replace them with pork rinds. However, I will likely not keep them as a staple in my kitchen.[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B00QIUJIMM” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Y0qcYMtpL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

I would not try using them in place of chips in order to eat guacamole or another ketogenic dip. They were not even similar to chips in the least bit. While they may hold a dip well, there just isn’t much flavor to the pork rinds. I’m not a fan.

Carolina Country Pork Rinds at a Glance…

Name: Carolina Country Pork Rinds

Website: CCSnacks.com

Owners: Carolina Country Pork Rinds

Price: $24.00 for a case of 24

Overall Scam Rank: 75 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT – These pork rinds can add a crunch to a casserole. They can be a snack as you are cutting your carbohydrates and haven’t adjusted to not munching on snacks all day.

Best Beef Sticks – Grass fed, Organic and Natural Beef Sticks

Sogo Snacks Beef Sticks Review[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B01LXXACU0″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61igKwCahuL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”488″]

Name: Sogo Snacks Beef Sticks

Website: [easyazon_link identifier=”B01LWMBPDQ” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]Amazon.com[/easyazon_link]

Price: $39.99 for 24 sticks

Owners: Sogo Snacks

Overall Rank: 90 out of 100

Sogo Snacks Beef Sticks, Product Overview

  • 100% Grass-Fed Beef sticks which are verified by the Non-GMO Project.
  • No Added Hormones and No Antibiotics Ever in these Beef Sticks.
  • Meat is Pastured Raised, Free Range – Never Confined to Feedlot, and Vegetarian Fed
  • There are no artificial ingredients.
  • No MSG.
  • No Soy.
  • No Added Nitrates
  • No Added Sugar
  • Gluten Free
  • Paleo, Whole30 and Ketogenic Friendly

Sogo Snacks beef sticks are made with all real meat! Sogo Snacks beef sticks are made with 100% Grass-Fed Beef which is verified by the Non-GMO project. This means that it is guaranteed not to have added hormons or antibiotics.  The meat is free range and never confined to a feedlot. Sogo Snacks beef is pasture raised, vegetarian fed, natural and minimally processed. Sogo Snacks does not use artificial ingredients.

The ingredients in Sogo Snacks beef sticks include beef, water, sea salt, celery juice, encapsulated citric acid, black pepper red pepper, granulated garlic, coriander, onion powder, and white pepper. There is absolutely no MSG, no gluten, no sugar. Most importantly there are no added nitrates.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: These sticks fit into many restrictive diets. They are keto-friendly, whole 30 friendly, Paleo, and GAPS legal. Everyone should be able to eat these. They are very natural.

PRO #2: The company avoids using nitrates when processing their meat sticks. They stick to simple ingredients that are not going to harm you. There is no MSG, gluten or added sugars.

PRO #3: These sticks taste like real meat because that is precisely what they are. They have a great flavor and will fill you up.

PRO #3: These sticks are perfect for the ketogenic individual who is on the go. They can easily fit into a backpack for travel and are convenient when playing sports.

The Bad:

CON #1: They are more expensive than the generic and grain fed brands of meat sticks.

CON #2: While they are tasty, some people feel that the taste doesn’t match the price.

Who is Sogo Snacks Beef Sticks for?

These are for the health conscious meat stick consumers that have an active lifestyle that may require a convenient snack. People who are following the ketogenic diet, a Whole 30 dieter, Paleo dieters and GAPS dieters will love these. These are great for people who want the best quality in their meat sticks. They are made from grass fed beef, so the meat is very high in nutrition.

Beef sticks are great for the diabetic patient. They will not raise their blood sugar levels and the protein will fill them up.

Sogo Snacks Beef Stick Support
You can contact the owner if you get a bad batch of beef sticks.

Dan Bellrichard

dan@sogosnacks.com

563-419-5571

408 Jefferson St

Decorah, IA 52101

Sogo Snacks aims to be a transparent company for their customers. If there are any questions regarding the product, simply contact them and the owner will respond.

 

Sogo Snacks Beef Sticks Pricing

The beef sticks are available on Amazon for $1.66 an ounce. The price for Sogo Beef Sticks is more expensive than grain fed beef sticks, but very competitive with other brands of grass fed beef sticks.

My Final Opinion of Sogo Beef Sticks[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”405″ identifier=”B01LWMBPDQ” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51fflPVK6gL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

These are a great option for people who are interested in sticking with the ketogenic diet, the Whole 30 diet, and the Paleo diet. It is great that they are made with all natural ingredients. The flavors that Sogo Snacks Beef Sticks come in are wonderful. They are offered in an original flavor, smokey sweet, jalapeno, chimichurri.

Sogo Snacks also has a Barbecue and Pineapple pork stick and a Buffalo wing chicken stick for those who are interested in different meat sticks.

Sogo Beef Sticks at a Glance…

Name: Sogo Beef Sticks

Website: [easyazon_link identifier=”B01LWMBPDQ” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]Amazon.com[/easyazon_link]

Owners: Dan Bellrichard

Price: $39.95 for a pack of 24

Overall Scam Rank: 90 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! These are great ketogenic snacks. They will help you stay satiated during the day and stick to your ketogenic diet!

The Ketogenic Diet and Diabetes

Diabetes has become an epidemic in America. I’ve always had an interested in curing diabetes because I had a sister who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at an early age.

When I really started to dig down into the ketogenic diet, with its recommendation of extremely low carbohydrates, I realized that the ketogenic diet and diabetes were a great fit. In fact, my neighbor, who is a doctor that started having pre-diabetes symptoms went on a very low carbohydrate diet to combat the illness.

 

Understanding Diabetes

Before you understand how the ketogenic diet impacts the person with diabetes, it is important to understand Diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder where the pancreas does not produce the required amount of insulin.

Insulin is a hormone. It’s made in the beta cells of the pancreas, and one of its main roles is to help regulate, or control, your blood sugar. When there’s enough insulin in the body, it helps to keep your blood sugar from going too high. In people who don’t have diabetes, blood sugars are very carefully and tightly controlled, staying within a safe and healthy range.
After a person without diabetes eats a meal or a snack, the pancreas releases insulin. The insulin then signals muscle, fat, and liver cells in the body to absorb glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream to be used for energy. In this sense, insulin is like a key that unlocks the doors of the cells to allow glucose to enter. You can also think of insulin as a “storage” hormone, since when there’s more glucose than the body needs, insulin helps the body store that excess glucose in the liver to be used at a later time. Insulin also signals the liver to stop releasing glucose into the bloodstream.

Insulin also helps shuttle amino acids (from protein digestion) and fatty acids (from fat digestion) into cells.

Carbohydrates turn into sugars when they are consumed. This raises the blood sugar higher. Without enough insulin in the blood stream to control the blood sugar, the blood sugar remains dangerously high.

 

Carbohydrates and Diabetes

The macronutrient that raises the blood glucose the most are carbohydrates. Therefore, keeping the consumption of carbohydrates as minimal as possible is the goal of most diabetics. It is also important for diabetics to consume foods that are natural and have the necessary micronutrients and complete proteins to support activities of daily living, such as exercise and work.

The ketogenic macronutrient profile requires you to consume fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, and have a ratio of 75% fats and 20% protein. With this macronutrient profile, many diabetics have seen a significant improvement in blood glucose control. This is in part due to the fact that they are consuming so few macronutritents that will raise their blood glucose levels.[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”1943721068″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51H-8ofM6ML.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”333″]

 

 

Nutritional Ketosis vs. Ketoacidosis

The ketogenic diet will keep a person with diabetes (or anyone really) in a state of nutritional ketosis. Many diabetics are warned about ketoacidosis and there is some confusion surrounding the two. Ketosis is not a life-threatening condition. However, Ketoacidosis, which is a complication of type 1 diabetes can be.

Ketoacidosis results from dangerously high levels of ketones and blood sugar. When this happens, your blood becomes very acidic. It can change the normal functioning of internal organs such as the liver and kidneys.

There are a few things that can lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis. These include an improper diet, not taking an adequate dose of insulin, or consuming alcohol when you have been fasting.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is when the body has high levels of ketones and high levels of blood sugar. This can be prevented by regular blood testing and insulin injections.

When you consume a low-carbohydrate diet, your body will produce ketones. This is known as ketosis. Ketones are a chemical your body produces when it burns stored fat.

Ketosis is the natural results of a low carbohydrate diet that instructs the fat cells to release the fat and instructs the liver to convert that fat into ketones. Ketones, such as actocetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate, are tiny energy molecules clipped from long fatty acids to replace a portion of the glucose requirements of many key organs, especially the brain. Over time, the body becomes metabolically flexible in its ability to utilize glucose, ketones and fat instead of just glucose and fat for fuel.
Being able to utilize ketones for fuel is important to those with Diabetes who may experience hypoglycemia since ketones are capable of supplying the brain with fuel when the glucose in the body is temporarily low.

 

Reducing Inflammation

A low carbohydrate ketogenic diet is known to be anti-inflammatory. It improves cardiovascular risk factors in people with metabolic syndrome. Keeping the body in ketosis means that the body is utilizing fat instead of sugar for energy. Sugar is inflammatory.

Excess sugars in the body leads it to:

  1. Produce higher amounts of insulin
  2. Raise inflammatory markers
  3. Produce free radicals, which are molecules which inflame blood vessel linings. They stimulate the body’s immune response.
  4. Trigger chronic disease.

Consuming a ketogenic diet, which is very low in sugars and carbohydrates, halts the insulin spikes that happen from unregulated sugar levels. These raise the blood sugar and create inflammation in the body.

During ketosis, ketone bodies are released. The most important one that gets released is beta-hydroxybutyrate. Research has demonstrated that beta-hydroxybutyrate can block what’s known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is an immune system receptor linked to inflammation.

The NLRP3 inflammasome will react quickly to threats to the body. These threats could be infections, toxins or too much glucose. This can be helpful, however when this receptor is activated too much, we become constantly exposed to inflammation. This happens when we eat inflammatory foods everyday.

This is one reason that people experience anti-inflammatory effects when they are strictly following a ketogenic diet. They are consuming fewer inflammatory foods as well as triggering ketosis and releasing NLRP3 into the body.

 

Carbohydrates and Inflammation

Now, let’s examine how eating carbohydrate rich foods relates to pain and inflammation in the body — and how ketosis can help to remedy this.

After you consume something with excess carbohydrates, which get broken down to sugars, the blood glucose levels remain higher than usual. The constant consumption of high sugar foods triggers a build up in the blood. This will create inflammation. Chronic inflammation will lead to issues such as insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.

The excess sugars that are in the body will also be stored as fat.

This process can happen when you eat too much protein as well. The body will start to break down the protein into glucose. This process is called gluconeogenesis. For this reason, the ketogenic diet, is characterized with low carbohydrate and moderate protein. The ketogenic diet is far better than a standard low carbohydrate diet for addressing inflammation.

 

 

Conclusion

The ketogenic diet helps Diabetics by reducing the carbohydrate levels that they are consuming. This reduces their need for insulin. As their body begins to go into a state of nutritional ketosis, the increased levels of NLPR3 help to reduce the inflammation in their body. Reducing inflammation in the body enables it to start to heal itself. The ketogenic diet takes the body out of a constant state of inflammation and allows of healing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<<Click Here for a FREE Ketogenic Cookbook to get started on the Keto diet>>

Keto Crave | Keto Meal Replacement Bars and Snacks

Keto-Crave Review [easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”420″ identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Qhjjo16wL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

Name: Keto Crave

Website: Amazon.com

Price: 39.97

Owners:Zenwise Health

Overall Rank: 80 out of 100

Keto Crave, Product Overview

This is a great tasting ketosis friendly snack with natural and organic ingredients that support your macronutrient intake for the ketogenic and low carbohydrate diets.

  1. The KetoCrave bars are perfect for your ketone needs. KetoCrave bars are formulated with five grams of net carbs, sixteen grams of fat and eight grams of fiber to ensure great results for people that care about ketones. They contain no added sugar.
  2. KetoCrave bars are created with premium ingredients for the ketogenic dieter. KetoCrave bars are made with MCT oil, cacao butter, grass fed whey protein, and almond butter. When you combine these powerful ingredients, you promote increased energy for the body and mind.
  3. KetoCrave bars will help people lose weight. KetoCrave bars are great for breakfast, lunch or after dinner. These snacks are not caffeinated and provide energy without jitters while supporting metabolism to encourage fat burning and weight control.
  4. Both beginners and advanced dieters will enjoy Keto Crave bars. KetoCrave bars are gluten free keto snacks, which are great for those who are interested in a faster per-workout solution, athletes, sports activities, weight lifting, running and biking.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: Excellent on the go energy bars. Easy to take with you when you don’t have time to eat. Very convenient.

PRO #2: Keto Crave bars are a great source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs promote ketone product which promotes improved mental focus, alertness and concentration. They will help you conquer your day.
[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”n” identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]
PRO #3: Keto-Crave bars are a rich source of pre-biotic fiber, which helps to feed the gut microbiome. They can increase metabolism and support weight loss.

PRO #4: Keto-Crave bars are created with quality ingredients. Coconut oil, MCT oil and cacao are all the highest quality. They are very healthy and many people on the ketogenic diet implement these ingredients into their daily lives.

PRO #5: Great for curing a sweet tooth as you are transitioning to the ketogenic diet. The taste is delicious and you will discover many rave reviews of the flavor on Amazon as well. 77% of people gave these bars five stars! An overwhelming winner!

 

The Bad:

CON #1: Somewhat expensive. At $3 per bar, eating these on a daily basis can explode your grocery bill! These fit better into a rare treat category in my book.

CON #2: Some people complain that they seem to be a bit on the smaller side.

CON #3: Prebiotic fiber can cause gas in some people. Some people complained about the gas that these bars caused them and recommended not to eat them while at work.

Who is Keto Crave Bar For?

The KetoCrave bars are specifically designed for people who are adapting to the ketogenic diet. They are best suited for people who live busy, on-the-go lifestyles and don’t have time to cook and experiment with flavors in the kitchen.

Meal replacement and snack bars are also great for the athletes who don’t want to stop their training to eat.

Keto Crave Bars Price

At $3.33 each, these are a treat to have once in a while. This could be the same cost as a fast food restaurant, but you could easily make a meal from ingredients in your kitchen for a bit less.

My Final Opinion of Keto-Crave Bars
While these bars are quite delicious and fit nicely into the macronutrient profile of the ketogenic diet, they are a bit on the pricey side. KetoCrave bars are ideal if you are traveling and won’t know when you will be around low carbohydrate foods. It is also great for the professional or athlete that is always on the go. Having a snack bar or meal replacement bar on hand will help you stick with your diet when it seems impossible.

These bars can fend off cravings when you are stuck in traffic and getting hungry. For me, they are quite expensive and a rare treat rather than a regular part of my ketogenic diet.

These bars receive good ratings on Amazon. The average rating is four and a half stars. Many people write rave reviews of this product as it helped them transition from a higher carbohydrate diet to the ketogenic diet.

Keto-Crave Bars at a Glance…

Name: Keto-Crave Snack Bars

Website: Amazon.com

Owners: Zenwise Health
[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61fZZRZM9OL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]
Price: $39.97 or $3.33 each

Overall Scam Rank: 80 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! These are great snacks or meal replacements for the ketogenic dieter. The macronutrients fit nicely into the ketogenic macro profile.[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”73″ identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41R69X4X7FL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”160″]

The Side Effects of a Ketogenic Diet

Many people are wary of starting a ketogenic diet because they have long heard the American Medical Association promote five fruits and vegetables per day. They have heard that fiber is touted for its ability to keep us regular. Fat was painted as an enemy to personal health during the 1980s. Therefore, before starting the diet, people want to know what are the side effects of a ketogenic diet going to be? What impact will the ketogenic diet have on your health?

I personally was reluctant to adopt the ketogenic diet despite having epilepsy for many years. My neurologist dismissed it as a treatment when the first line of anticonvulsants produced moderate results. However, as the years went by, the side effects of lamictal, keppra, depakote and tegretol took their toll on me. Eventually, I started experimenting with diets. Although, I started with a more popular raw vegan diet and tested out the AutoImmune Paleo diet, the GAPs diet and finally decided to go all in with the ketogenic diet when my chiropractor was recommending it. I’m glad I did! I’m completely off anticonvulsants now and enjoying much higher levels of energy.

The Most Common Side Effects

When restricting carbohydrates, the most common side effects include:

  • Bad Breath
  • Headaches
  • Weakness
  • Fatigue
  • Diarrhea or Constipation

It is important to note that most of these side effects subside after the first few weeks. The studies that put obese patients on a ketogenic diet for 6 to 2 years demonstrated that the subjects had no side effects or complications. Marathon runners, cyclists and Ironman competitors who were on the ketogenic diet for up to 3 years reported no side effects either.

Athletes reported that the ketogenic diet actually improved their performance and helped them burn more fat for fuel than when they were on a high-carbohydrate diet.

When the ketogenic diet is used to treat epilepsy in children, it rarely leads to serious complications. Research suggests that they should supplement with magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin B. It is also suggested that children take trace minerals after two years on the ketogenic diet.
While major side effects are rare on the ketogenic diet, even after an extended period, it is important to understand what happens during ketosis and how it impacts the body. This can help to prevent or relieve almost all potential side effects and help people feel better on a low carbohydrate diet.

What Happens When You Restrict Carbohydrates

At the onset of the ketogenic diet, your body will be searching for more sugar to burn for fuel. You may even find yourself craving carbohydrates for the first few days. When the glucose from foods is exhausted, your body must adapt and start to use fat. Your blood sugar levels will decrease and your body will increase its levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone that your adrenal glands release to make sure you have enough energy to survive. Low blood sugar levels signal to the brain’s adrenal glands that cortisol should be released. This stimulates a process called gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogensis converts protein into sugar.

In time, the body will adjust and start burning fat for fuel instead of protein. This is the process known as ketosis. It is the body’s way of preserving glycogen and muscle mass during times of starvation or carbohydrate restriction. Ketosis does not happen immediately. It may take a few days or even a couple weeks before your body enters ketosis. This can leave you feeling fatigued, weak and even a bit stressed in the mean time.

While increasing cortisol isn’t a good thing, the increase that happens on the ketogenic diet is insignificant when compared and contrasted to the cortisol levels of people who consume high and moderately high carbohydrate diets. I

One main concern for people looking into the ketogenic diet is the ammonia that is produced as a by-product when protein is used for fuel. The ketogenic diet limits the amount of protein consumption to a moderate level. The body is mainly burning fat for fuel. Therefore, studies that were done on patients on the ketogenic diet showed no evidence of kidney damage.

Mineral levels will fluctuate on the ketogenic diet. When cortisol gets released as a response to the carbohydrate restriction, it prevents cells from releasing sodium and accelerates the rate of potassium secretion. This may lead to fatigue, constipation, and weakness. The cortisol increase is not the only factor that is responsible for the fluid and mineral loss noticed by a low carbohydrate diet.

Loss of Minerals on the Ketogenic Diet

As you transition to a much lower carbohydrate level, the body wants to eliminate more waste. This creates a diuretic effect and flushes out some minerals. This is why many people who are on ketogenic diets are concerned about ensuring that they are getting their electrolytes.

Additionally, less insulin can lead to less sodium. Insulin is a hormone that decreases our blood sugar when it is too high. The main job of insulin is to move sugar into cells so that they can use it as fuel and store the excess sugar as fat. Insulin will also act on the kidneys to promote sodium readsorption.

Therefore, when people restrict carbohydrates, insulin levels tend to be reduced as well. This is one of the reasons why low-carbohydrate diets are beneficial for people with diabetes and obesity. However, it is another reason why low-carbohydrates have a diuretic effect. Low levels of insulin lead to reduced sodium re absorption.

Sodium then draws more fluid into the kidneys to be ready for excretion.

If you experience symptoms like headaches, nausea, confusion and fatigue that doesn’t go away, it is important to increase your sodium levels. You can do this through unrefined salt and water intake. Many people also drink pickle juice to replace the sodium and minerals lost.

The sodium will then be able to draw more fluid to the kidneys for excretion. If you are seasoning your foods with salt, this is unlikely to lead to low levels of sodium.

Muscle Cramps[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”1623158087″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61hG18Us8LL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”406″]

Muscle cramps occur due to a loss of minerals. This frequently happens when you first start the ketogenic diet. Drinking lots of water and eating salt can prevent this common side effect. Many drink pickle juice to combat this side effect. If you feel that a supplement would be better, you can look into taking three slow release magnesium tablets each day for 20 days. After that reduce it to one tablet each day. This is recommendation from Dr. Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney.

Stinky Breath on a Ketogenic Diet

One uncomfortable side effect of a ketogenic diet is bad breath. Once you achieve that goal of burning fat for fuel, your body produces acetone, which is the main cause of bad breath on a ketogenic diet.

Acetone is one of the by-products of ketosis. It can leak out of your breath and sweat when you are first entering ketosis. The degree of smell will depend on how your body handles the by-products of ketosis.
While I personally, have never experienced bad breath on ketosis, many people do. It can take a few weeks to go away. It is best to simply mask it with herbal mint sprays and sugar free gums, adequate fluid and salt intake and good oral hygiene.

Tips to Avoid the Side Effects of a Ketogenic Diet

It is the transition in and out of ketosis that tends to trigger these side effects. Therefore, you will want to avoid too much in and out transition. Many of these side effects can be remedied by the following steps:

  • increase water intake
  • increasing your salt intake
  • ensure fat levels are high enough

If you discover that you are still struggling with the symptoms, adjust your level of carbohydrates. Test out a slightly higher level of carbohydrates and slowly decrease to a lower level. Listen to your body and keep track of how you feel on the different levels of carbohydrates. Don’t stress out about it too much. You’ll get to a fat-burning body in no time!
 

Conclusion

While there are some side effects to the ketogenc diet, the benefits of the ketogenic diet far outweighs the side effects. The side effects tend to go away over time, while in the long run, the ketogenic diet can help stabilize your weight, stabilize your mood, protect your brain health and even prevent Alzheimer’s. It is well worth your time to check out the ketogenic diet and incorporate it into your life, especially if you are suffering from epilepsy!

 

 

Fit Over 40 Review

Fit Over 40 Review

Name: Fit Over 40
Website: FitOver40asap.com
Price: $39.95
Owners: Brett Yokley
Overall Rank: 65 out of 100

Fit Over 40, Product Overview

Fit Over 40 is an online course to help people who are over the age of 40 slim down quickly. Brett Yokley is a personal trainer and he focuses on diet and exercise. Rather than cardio exercise, he prescribes weight training exercises to build muscle.

Brett Yokley makes recommendations for supplementation that he feels is essential and unique to people who are over forty years of age. As we age, our hormones and metabolism does change, so it can be worthwhile to take a look at the nutrients that you are getting.

Finally, Brett gives you a simple diet plan to follow. He says that it works every time. This is delievered to you throug a manual in a PDF format. He claims that with a simple 60/40 rule, you will have sustained energy all day long and you won’t feel hungry.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: Solid recommendations for exercising focusing more on weight training than on cardiovascular exercise.
PRO #2: Eight customizable workouts that are geared towards fat loss.
PRO #3: You are taught how to easily incorporate these workouts into your daily life. This means that you are more likely to do them!

The Bad:

CON #1: Supplements are not necessary to lose weight. However, this program recommends five essential supplements and a schedule of when to take them during the day.
CON #2: The dietary recommendations are sub-par. If you are not going to cut carbohydrates, you are going to continually have inflammation in your body. The dietary recommendations are based on calories and do not eliminate carbohydrates.

Who is Fit Over 40 for?

Fit over 40 is designed for the person who is over forty who just wants to slim down. This program is not designed well for anyone over 40 who has a metabolic disorder, epilepsy, or a psychiatric condition. The recommended diet in this program is based on a calories in and calories out approach. This could be detrimental to anyone who has a pre-existing or inflammatory condition.

Fit Over 40 Tools & Training

You’ll receive a digital manual that gives you information on what diet to follow, what supplements to take and what exercises to do. The instructions will come to your email inbox and be in a PDF format.

 

Fit Over 40 Support

With this product, you will receive email support. The support for this product is at – support@fitover40asap.com

Fit Over 40 Price

The cost of this program is $39.95. This program comes with a sixty day money back guarantee if you don’t see results. Therefore, there is no risk to you as a consumer.

The program does come with a bunch of bonuses that may make it worth the price! The first bonus is Healthy Eating Cookbook Special by Canadian Living. This ebook contains over 125 good for you recipes that are healthy and delicious. They are also super effective at fat loss.

The second bonus is the Science of Staying Young by Scientific American. This is a 14.95 value. You will discover firsthand reports from leading researchers. It is jam packed with in depth reports on how to slow down the aging process.

backpainebookThe third bonus that is included is the Top 10 Exercises for Beating Back Pain by Dr. Tom Meehan. This ebook is a $19.99 value!

The fourth free bonus that comes with your order is the Complete Body Detox Guide to Better Health.  This is a complete guide on how to eliminate harmful toxins from your body. It is a 76 page ebook. It will help you clean, clear, and cleanse your system!

downshiftingThe fifth free bonus gift is “Downshifting” How to Work Less and Enjoy Life More. This book by John D. Drake, Ph.D. This ebook demonstrates to readers how to resist pressure and actually spend less time in the office! John Drake examines the frantic pace of today’s business environment, and assists readers in overcoming the fear of working less. He also shows them how to make that change. Dr. Drake uses real-life examples to provide practical strategies for freeing up personal time.

The sixth free bonus you’ll receive is “Bally’s Total Fitness” health eBook, which is valued at $8.95! This ebook gives information on portion control and eliminating workout excuses!

ballyebookAnd your last free bonus is “Time Management with Exercise” that is workth $12.95! This is a workbook that will show you step-by-step how to systematically map out the most efficient use of your time when you exercise.

 

My Final Opinion of Fit Over 40

As someone who has been a personal trainer and studied the different fad diets over the years, I am giving this program a thumbs down. While the exercises may be great and the diet may lead you to weight loss, it won’t do anything in the way of improving health conditions. The ketogenic diet is an anti-inflammatory diet that will reduce your weight and put you on the road to better health.

Fit Over 40 at a Glance…

Name: Fit Over 40

Website: fitover40asap.com
Owners: Bretty Yokley
Price: $39.95
Overall Scam Rank: 65 out of 100

VERDICT: NOT LEGIT

Don’t buy it. Check out the FREE Keto Bacon and Butter cookbook to get yourself on the way to better health! The ketogenic diet has been proven to help eliminate neurological conditions, stabilize your weight, reduce hunger and prevent Alzheimer’s. If you are going to start a diet for your health, this is the diet to go with!

How To Lose Weight on the Ketogenic Diet

Losing weight through eating fat is a concept that challenges the mind of anyone who lived through the dietary rhetoric of the 1980’s. Before you even attempt the ketogenic diet, it is useful to understand how eating fat can help you to lose fat.

The ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate, high fat diet that has been known to be one of the most effective weight loss tools. Not only will you shed pounds on the ketogenic diet, but it has many health benefits from supporting your brain health to improving your fertility.

Ketosis is a state at which your body produces ketones in the liver, shifting the body’s metabolism away from glucose and towards fat utilization. Once your body is able to do this, is has become what is commonly known as fat-adapted. Fat adaptation is the preferred metabolic state of human beings. It is how we’re meant to be. Stored fat is a reliable source of energy. However, when we constantly consume carbohydrates, our bodies use up the glucose for fuel first. It is a faster burning source of energy.

Cutting the Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are full of sugar. The sugar comes in the form of fructose from fruits, but starch is also turned into sugar in the body. As long as you are consuming excess carbohydrates, you are going to be staying in a sugar-burning mode instead of becoming fat adapted. This means that the stored fat isn’t being used for energy. There is an inability for skeletal muscle to oxidize the fat.

When your body is in sugar-burning mode, it is difficult to go more than four hours without food. It can seem impossible to skip a whole meal. Sugar burners are ravenously hungry and tend to rely on snacks as a pick me up in the afternoon. The adipose tissue even releases a bunch of fatty acids 4-6 hours after eating and during fasting. Once the blood sugar is all used up, hunger sets in and you may find yourself reaching for chips or snacks.

Sugar burners tend to have a low ratio of fat to carbohydrate oxidation. This is a strong predictor of weight gain in the future.

When people are sugar-burners, they rely on glucose, which is a quick source of energy. It is like trying to start a fire with kindling. It will start quickly, but it ends up being used up rather quickly as well. When you are in sugar burning mode, you will quickly burn through your glycogen stores during workouts. This is great if you are trying to eliminate them, but often people simply eat more carbohydrate rich foods and they don’t get into the fat burning zone after the exercise.

Cutting the carbohydrates will help you transition from a sugar burning individual to a fat adapted individual. Learning what carbohydrates are and what foods they are found in is the first step in your ketogenic journey. Reducing your carbohydrate load will reduce the amount of sugar that your body has to burn before it starts to burn fats for energy.

Becoming Fat Adapted

When you start the ketogenic diet, you usually are coming from a sugar or glucose burning state. You will have to adjust to a ketogenic diet. Sometimes this means that you will go through a period of the “keto flu” as your body adapts towards burning fats instead of sugars. Don’t worry. This only lasts for a few days.

Here are some guidelines to determine if you have become fat adapted:

  • You can go more than three hours without eating.
  • Skipping a meal does not cause considerable discomfort or extreme hunger.
  • Steady, even energy throughout the day.
  • Mid-day naps are pleasurable indulgences rather than necessities.
  • You are able to exercise without carb-loading.
  • Headaches and brain fuzziness has passed. Your thoughts are clear and focused.

While it may take a few days to become fat adapted, it does not mean that you are necessarily in ketosis. Fat adapted describes the body’s ability to burn both fat directly through beta-oxidation and glucose through glycolysis. Ketosis, on the other hand, describes the body’s use of fat-derived ketone bodies by tissues that normally use glucose.

The ketogenic diet puts your body into a simulated starvation state with very little glucose. The result is that the body produces ketones to use instead of glucose. When the body is using ketones for fuel

Familiarizing Yourself With Ketogenic Meals

I feel that this step is by far one of the most important steps. When you eat, doing math isn’t always the first thing on your mind. Therefore, I feel that if you really want to lose weight on a ketogenic diet, learning what types of foods you should be eating is far more important than calculating your macros. When you have a ketogenic meal plan in place, you will discover that the ketogenic lifestyle becomes easy and almost effortless.

Check out a ketogenic cookbook(I recommend Bacon and Butter). You can also look up some simple and easy ketogenic diet menu for some go-to meals. Beginning to incorporate lower carbohydrate meals into your daily lifestyle will help you adapt faster to the ketogenic diet.

Another great thing to do is to join ketogenic groups. There are facebook groups that share their ketogenic journey. Being in a ketogenic group will help you with different food ideas and when you come to a plateau, they can help you identify where you need to tweak your diet.

Calculating Your Macros

To lose weight with the ketogenic diet, you don’t have to be perfect with calculating your macros. However, if you discover that you aren’t losing weight, knowing your macronutrient ratios will help you tweak them and give you a better idea of what you need to be eating to lose weight.

Here is an online ketogenic calculator to help you calculate about how much carbohydrate, fat and protein that you should be eating during a normal day. This calculator will adjust to your current weight and height and whether or not you are active or sedentary. Keep in mind, this is a starting point. If you see that you aren’t losing weight within the first few weeks, you will need to adjust your protein and fat levels. (Click Here for the online ketogenic calculator that I use. )

As a general rule, the ketogenic diet restricts carbohydrates to less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Some people measure this as net carboydrates. They subtract the grams of fiber, since fiber doesn’t trigger an insulin response. However, if you have a health condition, such as epilepsy, you should stick to the total carbohydrates.

Creating Weekly Meal Plans

You may have gone through life without worrying too much about what your next meal will be. However, when you are on the ketogenic diet, your success relies on you having planned meals and knowing what will keep you in a fat burning mode and what won’t. I’ve found that weekly meal plans help me to stay consistent with my diet, lose weight and save money, so I highly recommend having at least a general idea of what you will be eating for the week.

If you are brand new to a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic lifestyle, you may want to check out my ketogenic meal plan. I have meals that I create in just a matter of minutes that fit the ketogenic ratios. As a general rule, I eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, a salad type lunch and a stir fry or different protein for dinner. This gives me plenty of variety and lots of fats to keep me satiated.

For me, creating weekly meal plans was a key to sticking to the diet. I liked the meals that I scheduled and even if I swapped one out for a different meal, I knew there was something fun to cook. Many of the ketogenic meals are very tasty and I discovered after a few days, I didn’t need to snack. My time spent in the kitchen was greatly reduced!