Ketosis
Ketosis is simply a “state” in which your body burns fat for energy. This typically happens while following a carbohydrate restricted meal plan, the body must find “energy” other than carbohydrates, so it burns fat. As the body switches over to burn fat, a by-product is ketones. When you reach a certain level of ketones in your urine, you are said to be in “ketosis”.
* NOTE : If you are just now starting a low carb meal plan, BE PREPARED. Most of the people that I’ve spoken with, who are eating a low carb meal plan have experienced a period of lethargy or tiredness… IT IS NATURAL as your body “switches” from carbohydrates to fat for fuel. IT WILL PASS, usually in several days. When lethargy arrives make sure you are eating enough saturated fats in your meal plan.
Mark Sisson describes and discusses Ketosis here and here. Read these posts…and feel free to email me any questions you may have.
Are YOU in Ketosis?
I am only aware of one easy way to know if you are in Ketosis… purchase some test strips and perform a test of your urine. Here is a picture of the Walmart brand I recently purchased, it cost approximately $7 for 50 test strips …. so not expensive.
Why did I measure? … I talk about Ketosis and I wanted to confirm that my 20-30g carbohydrate meal and exercise plan did place me in Ketosis. If you change or vary your meal plan, you may want to measure periodically, especially if your goal is to lose fat….Ketosis ROCKS for FAT LOSS! :)
Below is the result of my test… with the shading or camera angle it may be difficult to read, but I was solidly in the “moderate” category. I joked that I did not like being labeled a moderate….and one of my Twitter friends replied that he was following a “-0- carb meal plan” and he had tested “moderate” as well….. so I didn’t feel so badly about a moderate rating after that.
My measurement was “MODERATE” … so now what? I read the instructions and I was “shocked”…ok, not really but I was a little surprised when I read the instructions below.
Uh… sorry… but the last thing I am going to do is call my doctor or “diabetes educator”. My doctor admitted to me that I knew more about diabetes and it’s treatment than he did AND…. the ONLY time I’ve spoken to a Diabetes Educator…she told me to eat the ADA FOOD PYRAMID…. that’s what got me in this mess to begin with…. a high carb meal plan. If you doubt what I say, check out this POST.
Since I stopped taking that advice and the advice of the ADA and their Minions … I have NORMAL BLOOD SUGAR and I take -0- Drugs and -0- Insulin. Here is my latest Overnight Fasting Blood Glucose test taken this morning.
Note: IF your doctor has you testing your Ketones, then BY ALL MEANS follow their instructions. I would strongly suggest that…should your doctor not support a low carb meal plan…. you find one that does.
I am consuming a LOW CARB meal plan and I am intentionally producing Ketones.
In summary: I would simply note that KETOSIS has been very very good to me. And I thank Mark Sisson for his website and all the great information he provides FOR FREE!!! He single handedly, thru the power of his website, changed my life for the better.
** Disclaimer **
I am not a doctor, dietitian nor nutritionist. :)
Here is my Diabetes Warrior Info:
My Diabetes Nutritional Chart
My Diabetes Meal Plan ( a true diabetes diet, not like most of those promoted by American Diabetes Association)
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