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  • More on Ketosis…

    Once you start ketogenic living…then what?  What is going on in your body?  Ready for some nerdy scienc-y stuff?

    During ketogenesis, the fatty acid that is produced when fat is broken down by the liver is broken down even more, and the result is acetoacetate, a ketone body.  Acetoacetate converts into two other types of ketone bodies: beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and acetone.  The BHB is what your muscles produce from acetoacetate once you are keto-adapted, and the acetone is mostly waste (that’s where some of the “keto breath” and different smelling body fluids come into play).

    Just a reminder of why ketogenic living is amazing, our brains prefer BHB as fuel!

    As you are fat-adapted, your body becomes more efficient at using your BHB and you waste less.  That’s why I tell people that high readings on ketone urine test strips aren’t accurate or desirable…we want to use our BHB, not lose it in our urine!   If you are sticking to your macros, you are in ketosis…don’t worry about testing.

    Back to the liver breaking down fat…one result was a fatty acid, but it also results in glycerol, which becomes glucose via gluconeogenesis.  Gluconeogenesis creates glucose from the amino acids in protein, lactate from muscles, and glycerol from fatty acids.  Glucose IS needed in small amounts, but we don’t need carbs to get it.  Our liver maintains enough (in normally functioning bodies) glucose for us to remain healthy without added carbs.

  • Keto Diet what is it?

    Everywhere you turn, someone is talking about low carb/high fat or keto.  We’ve been ketogenic living since 2016 for medical reasons and I love to learn about it, teach about it, talk about it!

    Why are carbs and excess glucose a bad thing?

    When you eat carbohydrate based foods or excess amounts of protein, your body will break this down into sugar – known as glucose. Why? Glucose is needed in the creation of ATP (an energy molecule), which is a fuel that is needed for our daily activities.

    If you’ve ever used a calculator to determine your caloric needs, you will see that your body uses up quite a lot of calories. It’s true, our bodies use up much of the nutrients we intake just to maintain itself on a daily basis. With glucose, if you eat enough food, there will likely be enough excess that your body doesn’t need.

    There are two main things that happen to glucose if your body doesn’t need it:

    • Glycogenesis. Excess glucose will be converted to glycogen, and stored in your liver and muscles. Estimates show that only about half of your daily energy can be stored as glycogen.
    • Lipogenesis. If there’s already enough glycogen in your muscles and liver, any extra glucose will be converted into fats and stored.

    So, what happens to you once your body has no more glucose or glycogen? Ketosis happens.

    How Does Ketosis Work?

    Ketosis is a metabolic state that our body enters when we don’t eat carbohydrates (or even when we sleep). It’s a way for our body to use fats (body fats included) as the primary source of energy we need.

    How do we get that energy from the fats?

    Ketosis allows our liver to break fats down into ketones, which provide the energy we need.  These ketones are created when the body breaks down fats, creating fatty acids, and burned off in the liver in a process called beta-oxidation. The end result of this process is the creation of ketones, which are used as fuel by the muscles and brain.

    If you want to go into weight loss instead of just medical benefits, you incorporate calorie deficit and since you aren’t eating enough energy (calories), your body will use your own body fat for energy!

    Is Ketosis safe?

    The body can adapt very well, processing different types of nutrients into the fuels that it needs. Proteins, fats, and carbs can all be processed for use. Eating a low carb, high fat diet just ramps up this process, which is a normal and safe chemical reaction.

    Ketosis is pretty amazing and studies have shown that the body and brain actually prefer using ketones, being able to run 70% more efficiently than glucose.

    What do you think about it?