Ketosis...yes or no?

[Aries13]

Could someone clarify ketosis for me? I just learned a ton of info on it in class, however it does not match up with some of the things I've heard from competitors. I was told that while cutting I should be "almost" in ketosis... barely there BUT i know that ketosis is bad for you. It means that you are not getting enough carbs and are therefore stopping glycolisis. Instead, the cells are utilizing protein and fats for energy. ATP is basically turned off in a way.
My question is for someone to therally explain ketosis in relation to cutting....Again, I did the test strip and I am in between normal and ketosis, so Im almost in it. I do not want the rebound affect once I go back to eating normally and not cutting....will that happen if I am in ketosis?. Im just confused and I wanna get my facts straight. As far as the chemistry point of view, I know all that ,Im just unsure how it ties into body building and cutting ....

 

[Sassy69]

Ketosis is the basis for the Atkins Diet and other ketogenic diets. Commercially, the initial attraction & selling point is that you do dump a pile of water weight quickly because when you cut carbs from your diet, you no longer require water to hold the carbs -- so you dump water. However the "weight" you want to lose is really bodyfat. So once you've burned thru the carbs you have available as energy, your body will go looking for other sources of energy. It finds ketones - the byproducts of protein processing. So you can continue to function on ketones as your energy source, but the body's preferred energy source is carbs. The result of not having carbs available is that you start to get fuzzy in the brain (your brain prefers to draw on carbs as its energy source as well, but can function on ketones) & very lethargic. That's why when you look at something like a Cyclic Ketogenic Diet (CKD), you go "no carb" for several days straight, like a week, and then do one scheduled carb-up and then drop back into ketosis. It is a faster route to bodyfat loss, however it generally sounds miserable - you don't have a lot of energy to support a heavy training schedule - so to that end, it isn't the best approach to trying to train while doign that diet.

My preferred method of dieting is to do a carb rotation / carb cycling - you go through a couple day cycle of systematically reducing the amount of complex carb you eat but continue to train & burn at a regular rate. Just before you go into ketosis, you start back at the beginning of the carb cycle, refuel w/ some carbs just before your body's metabolism starts to slow down to save the energy sources it has available (bodyfat) because it senses that the carb source is being depleted as if it were a drought.

 

[Miss24k]

I would also like to mention that with this sort of diet, just like anything else it doesn't work for everyone. I'm not a 100% sure maybe some ladies on here and offer a different opinion, but I don't think this type of diet works very well for women.

I'm saying this from experience, I have tried something similar recently, and well it didn't work out too good at all. I lost 4 pounds with the first 2 weeks, and then gained it back, and then the weight just wouldn't move, I felt like hell actually worse than hell, I was getting sick all the time. I introduced carbs back in and in 2 1/2 weeks I dropped 8 pounds, and didn't feel out look so damn bloated.

Now I'm currently carb cycling, but there isn't a day that I have no carbs, thank goodness, just high, medium and low days, and I feel great, I'm having great workouts, regained the strength I lost while I was doing that other diet.

Also I know a few girls that did the same diet and I was doing, and they all felt the same.

This is just my opinion through my own expierence

 

[Aries13]

Thanks girls. The carb-cycling sounds like a great idea. I am in moderate ketosis right now so that means I gotta up the carbs today? Im assuming its yes and by the way I am feeling today, my body is saying the same thing. I will up the carbs...,and then slowly bring them lover and then up them and so on....am I getting the right idea?

 

[*Bunny*]

Thanks girls. The carb-cycling sounds like a great idea. I am in moderate ketosis right now so that means I gotta up the carbs today? Im assuming its yes and by the way I am feeling today, my body is saying the same thing. I will up the carbs...,and then slowly bring them lover and then up them and so on....am I getting the right idea?

whats on your mind sweetie

 

[Sassy69]

That's exactly how it works! The value of going into complete ketosis - I've never done it except once when I tried a no-carb diet for a month just for craps & giggles. I got so "stupid" in the head it was ridiculous. Just not a fun way to get through your day. I find carb cycling to work very well for me w/ minimal cost to my regular day & training.

There are a hundred different ways to do it, an easy way is to have 3 complex carb meals (meals w/ complex carbs), on "Day1". THen each day, remove one of those complex carb meals - two ways you can do this - either just remove it from the meal completely or replace it w/ the same amount of cals in fats (e.g. 1 tbsp flax oil, handful of almonds, etc.). If you do 4 complex carb servings during the day and one of them is breakfast, keep that, and cycle down the rest 1 at a time. See how that works for you, repeat the cycle.

Part of it is discovering how you respond to it -- if you start feeling really flaky before its time for the full carb day again, consider reducing the cycle by 1 day. The point is not to be miserable but still have enough energy to do what you need to do. I would also try to make the higher carb days coincide w/ heavy training days, like heavy leg day.

 

[scorpiogirl]

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107190&highlight=carb+rotation

 

[Aries13]

whats on your mind sweetie

Girl I dont even know my self. Im 3 weeks(almost) into this diet and my mood and state of mind are crappy. Im in medium ketosis(test strip said so)...and I have NO energy....so I thought to just add in like an extra serving of carbs to help me out. Today, its an extra 1/4 cup of oatmeal(13.5 g/carbs), everything else is the same. I dont think I will do the carb cycling(at least not right now) b/c I have to stick to the basic diet...I've already altered the original diet and I dont want to alter this one for at least 2 more weeks. If I have major problems two weeks from now, I will run the carb cycling idea by my trainers and see what they think.

-Today I felt cracked out!!!! Since this morning, I've been up and down energy levels until like an hour ago when I just crashed and found my self at bed rest. I do not wish to go into ketosis so I just wanted advice on what to do about that....is the only solution to add in some carbs??I have to do a HEAVY leg day right now(in an hour).....So when you ask whats on my mind, the only thing I can say is that LOTS of things are farting in there lol....everyone in my classes is also asking me what the hell is wrong with me and where did my usual self go? LOL

 

[Miss24k]

Speak to your trainer, because you shouldn't be feeling like total crap just yet, it will happen but I think it's too soon for that feeling for you hun.

 

[Aries13]

Speak to your trainer, because you shouldn't be feeling like total crap just yet, it will happen but I think it's too soon for that feeling for you hun.

My trainers are telling me that I am in the mode of my body getting used to all this. I believe it b/c Im doing something so extreme vs. my life before I started the diet. I was not strict about diet AT ALL and now all of a sudden I shocked my body. They assured me that I will be ok soon enough. Im just looking out for my self and my health....and thats where you gals come in. Have I expressed my gratitude for all the help these few weeks? If not....I WILL NOW....THANKS a LOT ..... Youre helping me hang in there!!!