Ketosis

[Gladiola]

Anyone know how *low* carbs have to be and for how long in order to get into the state of ketosis?

I know that it is when you eat no carbs & the body must metabolize fat for fuel, aka the "Atkins Diet". I read a great article on this that said using fat for fuel is like running your car on lighter fluid!

I know this is dangerous for the kidneys & also has the side effects of fatigue (since we get energy from carbs!), & foul acidic breath.

I suppose if you rotate carbs & only have zero carbs for ONE day, you aren't in ketosis? & if any of the stuff I think I know is wrong, I'd appreciate the insight.

Just curious, I have no desire to deplete my body of carbs. I'm sufficiently moody as it is (30 - 40% carbs!)

Thanks!

 

[Sassy69]

There is GOBS of info on keto diets on the diet board -- also there is lots of info if u search at About.com. Start w/ the search button here first.

I was able to drop from 13% bf to 9% bf using carb rotation for 2 months to prep for a competition -- personally I prefer that. Ketosis sucks. Low carb days suck. And I personally think my training suffers terribly if I go low carb more than 2 days at a time.

Many of the girls here are big proponents of carb cycling...

 

[Sapphire]

I know what you mean about the moodiness associated with low carbing. I'm just getting back to diet/workout seriously again. Am doing Atkins to get a jump start on weight/fat loss

According to Atkins the first two weeks limits carbs to 10-25g, after that add 3-5g per day. Ketosis takes 3-4 days according to this, but everyone is different. Buy the KetoStix, that will tell you for sure.

Downside... kidney damage, loss of calcium and tiredness

Hope that helped some...

 

[Sapphire]

I know what you mean about the moodiness associated with low carbing. I'm just getting back to diet/workout seriously again. Am doing Atkins to get a jump start on weight/fat loss

According to Atkins the first two weeks limits carbs to 10-25g, after that add 3-5g per day. Ketosis takes 3-4 days according to this, but everyone is different. Buy the KetoStix, that will tell you for sure.

Downside... kidney damage, loss of calcium and tiredness

Hope that helped some...

 

[Gladiola]

Thanks, Sassy! Sometimes I kinda forget all those other boards exist! I gotta wander more.

Am doing Atkins to get a jump start on weight/fat loss

Downside... kidney damage, loss of calcium and tiredness

Is it really worth it?
I'm gonna stick with the slow-but steady route of just natural, healthy, & balanced. I value my energy too much & don't want to comprise the energy I have to hit the iron & thus gain muscle. I'm not interested in competing, at least in the near future, so I'm just looking for habits that I can maintain for my whole life, & Atkins seems SOOOO far outta that picture.

Well, the only role I see Atkins having in my life long term is to rattle off the downsides to the [non-exercising] idiots at my office who tell me carrots make you fat! GRRRR

-----------Sorry to rant, Atkins was so trendy in the summer of '99 I was ready to choke the next person I heard that sh!t from... & most were non-exercisers looking for a magic potion. Got no patience for that.

 

[diamonddiceclay]

carbs must be below 20g a day for 2 straight days-this should do it for ya

 

[toga22]

You can not eat more than 5 grams of carbs per meal and no more than 20 grams in 24 hours. It usually takes my body 18 hours to reach ketosis, naturally.

~toga

 

[MR. BMJ]

The amount of carbs one can eat to establish and maintain ketosis will vary between individuals. This is something the dieter must find out through experimentation to find out for themselves. Under a CKD, I just try to eat as few carbs as possible (or as close to zero as I can) since you are on a time limited schedule...no time to fuck around due to the carb-up which will come in a few days. I wouldn't even think about doing a straight keto diet (no carb-ups).

If you are not used to eating fat, then you should expect a hard switch-over to this style of eating. Whether or not a CKD is right for you, good luck!

Personally, and I know many others haven't gotten the same positive results, I like doing CKD's. Just so that I avoid the whole "which diet is best" debate, CKD's do not necessarily mean you will lose more bodyfat than any other type of diet. I, as a male, usually will incorporate it into my routine the last couple of weeks to help rid my body of stubborn body fat. This has worked very well for me. however, I try and follow other diets (that contain carbs) to reach me as close to my goals before making the switch to a CKD. No sense in cutting out my carbs as long as I am still getting results.

MR. BMJ

BTW, where are some of you getting your info on kidney damage???? I have yet to see this in any research, but would be interested if there is such out there...thanks.

 

[Sapphire]

I found my info on ketogenic diets causing kidney problems on the internet prior to my starting Atkins. There was info on WebMD and under Stanford University Medical Center. There are quite a few articles out there..