What is Ketosis

When you follow a Keto Diet, the goal is for your body to burn fat for energy rather than relying on carbohydrates for its energy source. Ketosis is the metabolic process your body goes through when your body doesn’t have enough glucose (carbohydrates) to burn for energy, so it starts to burn stored fat instead; this process causes the body to build up acids called Ketones.

How Long Does it Take to Get Into Ketosis

Your body can only store a two-day supply of glucose in the form of glycogen, so if you are keeping your carb intake around 20g net carbs, you will likely achieve ketosis within two days.

How to Tell if You’re in Ketosis

Ketones are an excellent fuel source for your brain, and there have been many medical tests that report increased clarity and improved brain function, so you will likely notice less brain fog and a little more pep in your step once your body adjusts to your change in diet.

In my personal experience you don’t wake up one morning feeling totally different; it’s more of a gradual process and figuring out what foods best fuel your body.

The best and least expensive way to test your bodies Ketone levels is to buy a $8 pack of Keto test strips, so when you are first starting you can easily monitor ketone levels to help identify foods that push you out of ketosis.

Keto flu Symptoms

The most common Keto Flu symptoms are:

Fatigue
Headache
Irritability
Brain Fog
Dizziness

New Keto Dieters typically experience some of these symptoms within the first week of a Keto diet, because you're depleting your body of its fuel source and trying to teach it to switch over to burning fat instead.

How to get into ketosis fast without feeling “Keto flu symptoms?”

These 7 Tricks will be the Fastest way to get into ketosis and minimize the Keto flu symptoms.

#1 Minimize Carb Intake + Track Your Macros

The main goal is to lower blood sugar and insulin levels by limiting your daily carb intake to 20-50g net carbs a day. This will release stored fatty acids that your liver converts into Ketones.

Important Note: Net carbs = total carbs - Fiber and sugar alcohols

It's also important that you are eating a good balance of macronutrients (Protein, fat, carbs), you can determine your Macros using this Keto Macro Calculator.

YOU AREN'T COMPLETELY ELIMINATING CARBS, you are eliminating starchy carbs, processed foods, and sugar. The best way to be sure you are eating a healthy balance of macronutrients is to use an app like the Carb Manager App

#2 Use Exogenous Ketones

If you have looked into Keto you have probably heard of exogenous ketones before.

When I first started a Keto I honestly questioned do exogenous ketones work? and wasn’t sure I really needed to use a supplement.

Through research and supplementing with exogenous ketones every morning I've found 5 benefits to using exogenous ketones:

more energy in the morning
noticeable mental clarity
ease of getting into ketosis
constant fat burning
avoiding the “Keto Flu”

I’ve tried several brands, my favorite and brand I use on a daily basis is Perfect Keto.

My favorite is the Perfect Keto Exogenous ketones and Nootropics blend. I drink it every morning mixed with unsweetened almond milk. (it's basically like Keto Chocolate milk)

7 Easy Steps - How To Get into Ketosis Fast without Keto Flu

#3 Eat Healthy Fats Not Just Meat & Cheese

Consuming at least 75% of calories from fats will boost your ketone levels. BUT Keto Does not mean eating excessive amounts of lunch meat, cheese, and steak. This is not the Atkins Diet, you should be eating moderate amounts of protein, which is also another reason you should track your MACROS ;)

I like to add a lot of:

eggs
avocados
nuts and seeds
MCT Oil
Olive Oil
Grass Fed Butter on my Veggies

to my diet to help hit my fat intake goals each day without going overboard on protein. I previously wrote an entire article on How to Increase Your Fat Intake When Following a Keto Diet that goes into more detail on adding healthy fats to your Keto diet.

#4 Add MCT Oil to your Diet

Medium chain triglycerides are unique fatty acids found naturally in coconut oil. These fats are quickly absorbed and converted into ketone bodies in your liver.

You can read more about the benefits of MCT oil here and check out the MCT oil I use on a daily basis.

I usually drink a tablespoon each morning (it's tasteless) or add it to coffee or fat bomb recipes.

#5 Stay Extra Extra Hydrated

While on Keto your body doesn't retain as much water, so it's important to keep up with your water intake to prevent that "keto flu" feeling.

This was the biggest struggle for me because no matter how much water I drank I was still feeling really BLAH.
If you are drinking at least 90oz of water a day and still feel blah you may want to consider using electrolytes.

Someone recommended adding Hi-Lyte to a big glass of water every morning, which has been a life saver for me! Hi-Lyte is a liquid electrolyte concentrate made of all-natural sea minerals, no calories, no sugar, and no artificial flavors.

#6 Exercise every day

Physical activity is key. Getting your heart rate up and everything moving can increase ketone levels during carb restriction, even if it’s just a 20 minute fast walk MOVE YOUR BODY EVERYDAY . You can download my free 5-day workout plan to help you get started on a gym workout routine.