How to Tell If You’re in Ketosis: A Detailed Guide
So you’ve finally decided to join the countless amounts of people who are reaping the benefits of the Keto diet. What took you so long!
Keto has taken off in part because it reaps rich rewards for those who not only aim to lose weight but also live a healthy lifestyle.
A diet rich in fat and protein, many delicious things that traditionally were off-limits can be incorporated into what you enjoy on your plate.
But as keto is relying on your body to help you in your quest to keep trim, many are confronted with a problem. How do you know for sure if it is happening?
Before we get into how to tell if you’re in ketosis, let us breakdown what ketosis is all about.
How Ketosis Works
Put simply, the basic idea of the keto diet is for your body to start using the existing fat in your body as energy. This is because your body primarily uses glucose, which comes from your daily consumption of carbohydrates and sugars. For your body to start showing the signs of ketosis, you need to greatly reduce the level of carbohydrates in your diet.
When this happens your body begins to break down fatty acids and ketones molecules are produced in your liver, which your body starts to use for energy.
Sounds simple right? Where the problem lies is that as this is a physiological process all of us are different. Therefore the time it takes for someone to go into ketosis varies.
How To Tell If You’re In Ketosis
Fortunately, your own body gives you clear signals to tell you if after all that hard work you have reached the promised land of ketosis. We will now consider what some of the top indicators are.
Make Sure You Are Always Carrying Some Gum
The most famous ketosis sign is the fabled “Keto Breath”. When first going into a state of ketosis your body produces a high level of ketones. To release them, you breathe them out, meaning that you are losing weight just by breathing!
Ketones tend to have a metallic, fruity whiff to them. This comes from acetone, one of the three types of ketones that your body produces.
This is not for forever, fortunately. Your ketone level soon balances out, meaning your self-consciousness should subside eventually!
Something Keeping You Up?
Going into ketosis is a big deal for your body. As it learns to run on a totally different type of fuel, one of the main organs affected is our brain. As the brain starts getting used to the ketones, one consequence is that you may have trouble sleeping.
But don’t worry, this is only short term. Many stop experiencing this ketosis symptom within a few weeks.
No Seconds For Me, Thanks
Often being on a diet is a big turn-off for people because they associate diets with one thing, hunger.
However, keto is the one diet where it is very common for people not to feel hungry! It is believed that due to changes in our hormonal makeup we begin to experience appetite suppression.
This is one of the ketosis symptoms that is a big relief for many.
I Haven’t Got It In Me
Exercise and the keto diet together is certain to yield rich rewards. Nonetheless, those who have a habit of training regularly often notice a slight dip in performance during the initial stages of changing over to a keto diet.
This is understandable as the body is used to burning glucose and not fat. Glycogen, a product of glucose, is great for those quick bursts of energy we need for that final push in the gym. But as it is not there anymore, the body has to adapt to the new fuel it has to use, your fat.
But not to worry, this is far from permanent. Your body soon readjusts back to normal and when it does you can be safe in the knowledge that when you are on the treadmill or lifting weights that your fat stores are the ones powering your workout.
I Can See Clearly Now…
Have you begun to notice that you are better focused and seem to be sharper than before? This is because you are experiencing the mental clarity coming from your brain running on ketones.
The brain seems to love ketones and as noted in various studies there are many other long-term benefits to your brain that should give you more reason to stick to your new-found eating habits.
I’m On Top Of The World
Remember we said that you may start to notice a dip in performance in the gym?
Another euphoric change is feeling much more energetic throughout the day. Our energy levels are directly linked to our eating habits. As most of us have a diet high in carbohydrates, this gives us massive fluctuations in our insulin levels.
What goes up must come down and your craving for that afternoon siesta whilst you are sat in the office comes from the dip of insulin in your bloodstream.
Once you are burning ketones, you will begin to stop experiencing these seismic dips in energy. By eating right and trying out new keto snacks you will note that ketones are far more evenly burned throughout the day. You may even have more pocket change from not buying all those afternoon coffees that were necessary in the past.
The Most Impressive Sign Of Them All
It may seem to be a silly question for someone who is on a diet. But one of the sure signs of ketosis is if you can see that you are consistently losing weight.
One thing that many love about the keto diet, is that within the first week or so you can expect to see results. This is because not only do you burn off the carbs in your system but you also lose a lot of water.
But for weight loss to be a sure ketosis sign, you should be seeing a difference in the mirror and the scales regularly over time. Remember, your body is burning fat in ketosis so it stands to reason that if it is not there, you’re doing alright!
Peace of Mind
Due to the production of ketones all over your body, there are also other external means to find out if your keto diet is working. Blood, urine, and breath tests are available at a cost.
But as we have seen, your body is the primary and the best tool to use if you want to know how to tell if you’re in ketosis. By learning to listen to it you will find the peace of mind that you are on the right path.
So use the above as a guide but remember, as long as you are feeling the positive effects of your new lifestyle that is all that matters.
