Ketosis in 12 Hours: 3 Steps to Fast-Track Your Keto Journey
By Aishakeel, 06 November 2023
Ketosis in 12 Hours: Ready to fast-track your keto journey? Discover three straightforward steps that will have you burning fat for fuel in no time. Say goodbye to the initial confusion of starting a ketogenic lifestyle, and let’s dive right in.
In this article, I’m going to provide you with a simple yet effective framework to fast-track your journey into ketosis. By following these three steps, you can almost guarantee that you’ll achieve ketosis within just 12 hours. Whether you’re looking to kick-start your keto journey or recover from a high-carb day, this guide will get you back on track.
Table of Contents
Kick-start Your Keto Journey
The benefits of the keto diet are extensive, including weight loss, stabilized blood sugar, increased energy, reduced inflammation, and improved mental clarity. This diet has helped many people to successfully reverse insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Keto can be a powerful tool, but getting started and achieving ketosis can feel overwhelming.
Read my post Keto Diet For Beginners: 3 Steps To Success.
After all, you’re making a significant shift in your metabolism, training your body to burn fat for energy efficiently—a skill many of us have lost due to our carbohydrate-centric modern diets.
Did You Know:
- Achieving ketosis in just 12 hours is not only a possibility, but it can also be a reality when you follow these carefully crafted steps? This quick transition into ketosis can help you regain control of your metabolic health in no time.
- The modern diet’s heavy reliance on carbohydrates has made it difficult for our bodies to access and utilize stored fat for energy? Ketosis offers a solution by retraining your body to efficiently burn fat, thus letting you enjoy its health benefits.
- Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) found in coconut oil play a pivotal role in accelerating ketosis? These unique fats are processed differently by the body and can swiftly be converted into ketones, making coconut oil an excellent addition to your keto journey.
- Electrolytes are essential for a smooth and symptom-free transition into ketosis? Maintaining proper electrolyte balance can help you avoid the dreaded keto flu, ensuring a more comfortable and successful journey.
- While therapeutic ketosis has its place, most individuals can maximize the benefits of ketosis by maintaining ketone readings between 0.5 and 2.5 millimoles per liter. This provides a balance that optimizes fat burning, mental clarity, and energy stability without delving too deep into ketosis.
No matter if you’re a keto newbie or returning to the lifestyle, these three steps will put you on the path to success in no time.
Step 1: The Sprint to Deplete Glycogen
To understand this step, let’s first grasp how our bodies use energy. Simply put, our bodies have two primary sources of energy: carbohydrates and fat. Carbohydrates provide quick energy by breaking down into glucose, raising our blood sugar levels, and offering readily available fuel for our cells. Additionally, our bodies can store around 2,000 calories worth of glucose as glycogen in our liver and muscles.
On the other hand, fat serves as a more extended energy source. It takes longer for our bodies to break down fat for energy, whether from dietary fat or stored body fat. This is where the magic of ketosis happens, as fat becomes our primary energy source. However, our bodies tend to favor burning glucose when it’s available, which is problematic because it hinders fat utilization.
Ideally, humans should be metabolically flexible, switching seamlessly between carbohydrates and fat for energy. Unfortunately, our modern diets have made us excessively reliant on glucose. We’re constantly snacking on carbohydrates, preventing our bodies from tapping into stored fat for energy.
To kick-start ketosis, we need to deplete our glycogen stores, and the fastest way to do this is through maximal effort exercise. You can perform five to ten sprints for 20 to 30 seconds each, with one to two minutes of rest in between. The harder you push yourself, the quicker you’ll burn through your glycogen stores. This should only take about 20 to 25 minutes. Be sure to warm up and cool down properly.
If physical limitations prevent you from sprinting, you can achieve similar results on a treadmill, rowing machine, or stationary bike. If that’s not an option, low-intensity cardio like walking or leisurely cycling for 30 to 60 minutes will suffice. If you can’t exercise at all, don’t worry—just skip this step and proceed to steps two and three.
Step 2: Loading Up on Fat
Shortly after completing your sprints or low-intensity cardio, you’ll want to enjoy a high-fat meal. This meal should contain high levels of fat, moderate protein, and minimal, if any, carbohydrates. Aim for a macronutrient ratio of approximately 80% fat and 20% protein. As for carbohydrates, keep them to trace amounts, if any. Opt for fatty cuts of meat like ribeye steak or fatty fish like salmon. Cook your meal in ample fat, such as ghee, tallow, or even better, coconut oil, which we’ll discuss in more detail shortly. Include items like egg yolks, butter, olive oil, avocado, or olives in your meal, with an emphasis on fat content.
Coconut oil stands out in particular, as it contains a type of fat called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are processed differently by the body, going straight to the liver and being converted into ketones rapidly. This property makes coconut oil a fantastic choice for kick-starting ketosis. While other coconut and dairy products contain MCTs, coconut oil boasts the highest concentration, aside from MCT oil, which is 100% MCTs.
You can even take a teaspoon of MCT oil with your meal to accelerate ketosis. Alternatively, you can make bullet proof coffee by blending grass-fed unsalted butter and MCT oil into your coffee and drink it in place of breakfast food. The added fats satiate the appetite, leaving you full and energized, ready to take on the day.
Before we proceed to step three, it’s essential to highlight the significance of electrolytes when you’re in ketosis. An electrolyte imbalance can be the difference between feeling incredible in ketosis and feeling less than amazing. Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals that play critical roles in muscle contractions, immune function, and maintaining a regular heartbeat. When we don’t get enough electrolytes, we can experience muscle cramps and fatigue, among other issues.
The primary electrolytes to focus on are sodium, potassium, and magnesium. To ensure you maintain a healthy balance, Health Coach Kait recommends Sodis Everyday Hydration Salts. They contain the perfect mix of these electrolytes without any artificial ingredients. Additionally, they taste great and are far superior to sugary sports drinks like Gatorade, which can kick you out of ketosis.
So, whether this is your first time diving into ketosis or you’ve encountered the keto flu before, replenishing your electrolytes is essential.
Step 3: Fasting for 12 Hours
With exercise in step one and a high-fat meal in step two, you’ve made significant progress in depleting your glycogen stores and setting the stage for fat burning. Now, it’s time to take it to the next level by fasting—specifically, fasting for 12 hours. Keep in mind that the time you spend sleeping counts towards this fasting period, so overnight fasting works perfectly.
While fasting for 12 hours, avoid consuming any food. However, remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and supplementing electrolytes. Unsweetened tea or other calorie- and sugar-free beverages are also acceptable. After a good night’s sleep, you should wake up in ketosis.
In nutritional ketosis, you aim for a minimum of 0.5 millimoles per liter on a blood ketone meter. If you have a breath ketone meter, like the one from Biosense, target a reading of five Aces. Please note that most breath ketone meters on the market are not as reliable as Biosense, which is both FDA-registered and medical grade, highly correlated with blood ketone levels.
When it comes to urine ketone strips, they can be useful when you’re just starting keto, but their accuracy diminishes as you become fat-adapted. Thus, it’s not wise to rely on them.
You might think that higher ketone levels are better, but that’s not always the case. For most people and their goals, aiming for ketone readings between 0.5 and 2.5 millimoles per liter (or 5 to 25 Aces) is the sweet spot. This range maximizes fat burning, mental clarity, and energy stability. Going higher may result in therapeutic ketosis, which offers additional neurological and healing benefits but is harder to maintain. Most individuals don’t need to venture that deep into ketosis for their goals.
Conclusion
Achieving ketosis in just 12 hours is a very do-able challenge when you follow these three key steps. We’ve explored the importance of depleting glycogen through high-intensity exercise or low-intensity cardio, loading up on fat to encourage the transition to fat burning, and fasting for 12 hours to bring you into the state of ketosis.
The benefits of ketosis are vast, ranging from weight loss and stable blood sugar to increased energy and mental clarity. By following this comprehensive guide, you can also minimize the risk of encountering the dreaded keto flu by replenishing vital electrolytes.
As you embark on your journey into ketosis, remember that the key to success lies in moderation. While achieving higher ketone levels may have its place, most individuals can reap significant benefits by maintaining ketone readings within the 0.5 to 2.5 millimoles per liter range. This balance allows for optimal fat burning, clarity of mind, and sustained energy levels.
So, whether you’re a beginner just starting on ketosis or a seasoned keto enthusiast looking for a quick reset, these three steps offer a valuable framework. Your metabolic health and overall well-being will thank you for the effort you invest in this transformative journey.
And remember, your journey towards ketosis starts with one step, so take it with confidence and commitment. The rewards are well worth the effort. Here’s to your successful and satisfying ketogenic adventure!
FAQs
The best way to start a keto diet is by gradually reducing your carbohydrate intake while increasing your fat consumption. This allows your body to adjust to using fat for energy.
The time it takes to enter ketosis can vary, but by following the recommended steps, you can achieve ketosis in as little as 12 hours.
Yes, you can exercise on a keto diet. In fact, incorporating regular physical activity can enhance your results and overall well-being. Just remember to adjust your carb intake accordingly.
Your high-fat meal should consist of foods like fatty cuts of meat (e.g., ribeye steak), fatty fish (e.g., salmon), and healthy fats (e.g., olive oil, avocado). Aim for a macronutrient ratio of 80% fat and 20% protein.
You can determine if you’re in ketosis by measuring your ketone levels. A blood ketone meter or a breath ketone meter can provide accurate readings. Nutritional ketosis typically begins at 0.5 millimoles per liter.
For most individuals, the ideal range for ketone levels is between 0.5 and 2.5 millimoles per liter. Staying within this range maximizes fat burning, mental clarity, and energy stability.
Electrolytes are crucial during ketosis because your body excretes more of them. Insufficient electrolytes can lead to symptoms like muscle cramps and fatigue. Proper supplementation can help you avoid the keto flu.
Fasting for 12 hours is recommended to ensure you reach ketosis efficiently. A shorter fasting period may not provide adequate time for your body to transition into a state of fat burning.
While starting with a high-fat diet is essential to enter ketosis, you can adjust your fat intake as your body adapts. Many people find success with a well-balanced, moderate-fat approach.
The keto diet offers numerous benefits, including weight loss, stabilized blood sugar, increased energy, reduced inflammation, improved mental clarity, and the potential to reverse insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
