Keto and low blood sugar.

Reactive Hypoglycemia

Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition in which the body reacts to a perceived catastrophic drop in blood sugar. I say perceived because during an episode, the blood sugar readings may be in the normal range, but still "feel" like low blood sugar to the person having the reaction.
In my experience, hypoglycemia happens to most people when first beginning a low carb, ketogenic diet. It may be especially strong in people who have already developed insulin resistance or pre-diabetes from a chronic excess of carbohydrate intake. There are different types of low blood sugar causes.

Transient hypoglycemia normally happens when most people who have been eating a high carb diet drastically reduce carbohydrate intake for the first time. This type happens during the first several weeks of carb reduction because the body has not had time to create the enzymes or metabolic state to burn internal fat stores for fuel. Basically there is a gap in the amount of carbohydrate available for fuel, and the process of accessing fat stores for fuel. The lack of fuel sources results in transient low blood sugar.
Reactive hypoglycemia is more of an acute reaction to a very high carb meal. For instance, when a person eats 2 or 3 glazed donuts, there is a huge spike in blood sugar and compensating insulin secretion after such a meal. The large insulin spike drives blood sugar very low several hours after the meal.

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How Reactive Hypoglycemia Happens

Insulin, a hormone, is secreted from the pancreas in response to eating food, especially foods high in carbohydrates. Its main job is to move the sugar your body makes from the food you eat into your cells so that this excess sugar can be broken down for energy or stored. Insulin is a very powerful hormone, and it acts very quickly. The amount of insulin your body secretes is closely tied to how much blood sugar is being created from food.
Eating a high carbohydrate diet over a long period of time will cause a chronic elevation of your blood sugar, which results in a chronic elevation of your insulin levels. High levels of insulin are associated with inflammation and obesity, mainly because when insulin levels are elevated, fat storage is increased, and burning stored fat for fuel is inhibited. It’s a sort of vicious circle - the more carbohydrate eaten, the higher the insulin, the less stored fat can be accessed to fuel the body, so more carbohydrate has to be eaten to provide fuel instead.
One of the benefits of eating a ketogenic diet is its ability to lower your average blood sugar and insulin levels, and allow the body to burn stored fat. However, when first starting the diet, your body might still be in high carbohydrate, high insulin mode.
As you lower your carbohydrate intake, you begin a process of retraining your body to burn stored fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Normally, it takes from 1-3 weeks for the body to adjust the new lower level of carbohydrate intake, and build the enzymes needed to burn stored fat.
Meanwhile, during this adjustment phase, your pancreas is still secreting enough insulin for the older, higher level of carbohydrate consumption. And remember, because insulin levels are high, the body is dependent on carbohydrate for fuel, since stored fat can't be accessed.
Your body hums along with less carb intake for a couple of days because it can tap into the stored carb (glycogen) in your liver and muscles. But eventually, the glycogen stores get low, more insulin is secreted than actually needed, and a couple of hours later, you have a severe episode of hypoglycemia.
Your body perceives that your blood glucose is too low, and starts evasive tactics to get that sugar from somewhere. It pumps out adrenalin (epinephrine) to tell the liver to break down stored glycogen or amino acids into glucose FAST and dump it in the blood stream, while the nervous systems pumps out acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter which acts on the sweat glands, causing profuse sweating.

The adrenalin and acetylcholine cause symptoms that are associated with reactive hypoglycemia:

• heart palpitations or fibrillation
• dizziness
• light-headedness
• sweating
• headaches
• nervousness
• irritability
• shaking and tremors
• flushing
• craving for sweets
• intense hunger
• nausea, vomiting
• panic attack
• numbness/coldness in the extremities
• fatigue and shakiness for hours afterwards

Generally, drinking or eating something that is high in carbohydrate, like orange juice or candy, relieves the majority of the symptoms after about 15 minutes. There may be some residual fatigue and shakiness for a time afterwards. (I've have episodes of reactive hypoglycemia so bad I was still shaky 6 hours later.)
In my experience, eating 1-2 glucose tablets are an easier and faster way to relieve the symptoms. When beginning a ketogenic diet, I highly recommend buying some glucose tablets or glucose drinks like the ones below and carrying them around with you. They are available at most discount stores in the diabetic supplies section.
In addition, my friend Luke, who loves rock climbing, swears by a product called SuperStarch by UCAN. He says it has helped him get past some hypoglycemic episodes when he started a keto diet. He says the product is marketed as a gluten free sports drink, and supplies sodium and potassium as well as carbohydrate to help with low blood sugar. He writes "It has really saved my bacon more than once and allows me to stay on my ketogenic diet with confidence."
I have never used Superstarch, but Dr. Peter Attia at the Eating Academy blog uses this product and he's pretty savvy about ketogenic diets and exercise.

How to Avoid Reactive Hypoglycemia

In the short term, when first starting a low carb diet, eating more frequently may help.
Long term, the best way to avoid reactive hypoglycemia is to permanently reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat on a daily basis.
This will eventually lower your daily blood sugar and circulating insulin. Once insulin returns to normal levels, your body can then access its fat stores, and quickly switch over to burning fat for fuel when you go without a meal or two.
During the first phases of eating a lower carb, ketogenic diet, it’s a good idea to make sure you eat every 3-4 hours. Until you can retrain your body to burn fat, don’t try to go for more than 4 hours without food.
Paradoxically, some people who experience chronic hypoglycemic reactions report that waiting 5-6 hours before the next meal actually helps reduce the reactions.
Be aware that mainstream physicians aren’t generally knowledgeable about this condition because it is rooted in nutritional causes. Doctors aren’t taught about the power of nutrition, and so he or she may minimize your concerns about it.
But if you having these reactions, it indicates you are becoming insulin resistant, and that can mean you are on a path to diabetes, even if your fasting blood sugar is normal.
You may have to reduce your carbohydrate consumption slowly over a longer period of time to minimize these reactions, but eventually, by continuing to consume a diet lower in high carb foods, you should be able to avoid reactive hypoglycemia completely.

Cheet Sheet

The Best Keto Friendly Tortillas!!

So I was at Walmart, and was having a craving for something that was super loaded with carbs. Like some bread, or cheese tortillas. I looked through the entire bread isle, and while i found some really low carb bread and things that were still too high in carbs for a keto diet. I accidentally stumbled across Mission Carb Balance Tortillas . It has a net carb count of 6g carbs. which is the lowest pre-made and packaged tortillas or bread i can find. So while this is still fairly high, i have found that i can get away with one a day. and it makes it really nice to have a turkey club wrap, or a cheese quesadilla again, while staying conpletly low carb. Also the Fajahita tortillas are only 3 carbs, but they didn't have them at Walmart. They are in the baby blue trim packaging. Enjoy!!

One of my Favorite Keto Dishes

This one is super easy to make, and doesn't take very long to do. It is basically just Stuffed Mushrooms with bacon and spinach.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
5 slices bacon  
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
 12 large mushrooms  
 3 tablespoons butter 
 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced  
 3/8 cup heavy cream
 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 salt and pepper to taste
 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

• Prep
  15 m
• Cook
  30 m
• Ready In
  45 m

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons butter.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
3. Place frozen spinach in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook spinach covered 10 minutes. Uncover and stir. Remove from heat and drain.
4. Remove stems from mushrooms. Arrange caps in the baking dish. Finely chop stems.
5. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and mix in onion and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, or until tender, then mix in bacon, spinach, chopped mushroom stems and heavy cream. Bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat and mix in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
6. Stuff mushroom caps generously with the mixture. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes until lightly browned.

And there you have some super quick and easy keto Bacon Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms!!!

Dr. Oz

This is a great video overview of what a keto diet is all about from the Dr. Oz Show.

Keto Fast Food

A lot of fast food chains have tried to include healthier choices in recent years. However apple slices, full carb wraps, and 6 new fat free salad dressings don’t mesh with the low carb high fat lifestyle. Luckily there are still options when you need a fast food fix and are following the ketogenic diet.
This will be your go-to guide to keto food when you’re in need – fast – and not at home.
We’ve all been there. You’re out running errands on a Saturday afternoon and your tummy growls: it’s 2 pm and you haven’t eaten yet! Or it’s a Tuesday night and you’re at a friend’s house and they want to grab a meal quick.
What to do? Luckily, you have keto fast food options! I have happily eaten my way through the research for you – here’s a quick look at the most common fast food restaurants in the U.S. and keto meal options for you.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries:

Bacon Cheeseburger – Lettuce Wrap or Bowl

I only recently discovered the amazing keto to-go meal that is Five Guys. This is one of the few burger places I’ve been to that doesn’t flinch when I ask for no bun – you can either get your burger wrapped in lettuce or in a to go box (as pictured).
You can pick the toppings you want from their board. Best part is, if you order a bacon cheeseburger, you can ask for extra cheese and extra bacon for no extra charge! Another perk if you eat inside the restaurant is that they have all you can eat peanuts in the shell. A fun keto side that won’t make you long for their carby fries!

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Jimmy Johns:

Unwich

This is one of my favorite fast food options for a keto meal. Not only can you get an unwich to go, they deliver too! All of their sandwiches can be ordered as an unwich, which substitutes the bread/tortilla for a lettuce wrap.
This allows you to get your favorite Jimmy John’s sub in a low-carb version! Another perk of Jimmy John’s is that they have a very customizable nutrition menu builder online so you can easily add the macros of your unwich to your daily tracker!

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Chipotle:

Burrito Bowl Sans Rice/Beans or Salad

Up for Mexican food? You’re not alone! Chipotle is my favorite go to spot when I am craving spicy food while on the go. At Chipotle you can choose between a burrito bowl sans rice and beans or a salad.
Meat, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, salsa (the hot tomatillo-red chili salsa has the fewest carbs) – guac costs extra. That’s fine with me! Add on the fats and flavor, leaving the carbs behind – a great on the go meal can be had at Chipotle.

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In-N-Out Burger:

Protein Style Burger or the Flying Dutchman

Are you lucky enough to have an In-N-Out Burger nearby? While I unfortunately do not live near one, you are able to get a great keto-fied burger there as well! Order your In-N-Out burger “protein style” and they will swap out the bun with a lettuce wrap. To up the flavor without the carbs, swap the house spread for mustard and more pickles.
You can also order a Flying Dutchman which is two meat patties, two slices of cheese, and no bun or lettuce wrap! If you want any condiments, be sure to request them as they are not included on the Flying Dutchman.

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Hardee’s/Carl Jr’s:

Low Carb It Menu

This is another great place to grab a keto-fied fast food meal and where the staff are comfortable knowing their low carb menu options. They are one of the best spots to grab a keto breakfast on the go with their Low Carb Breakfast Bowl – a delicious selection of egg, cheese, and meats.
For lunch, dinner, or an afternoon snack, they offer the Low Carb 1/3 lb Thickburger or the Low Carb Charbroiled Chicken Club Sandwich; low carb versions of your favorite sandwiches served on a lettuce wrap. Hardee’s/Carl Jr’s websites also allow you to see the nutritional information of these items, helping you to easily track your daily macros.

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Panera Bread:

Salads and “Power” Items on the Hidden Menu

Don’t let the “Bread” in Panera Bread stop you from giving this place a try for a keto meal – there are plenty of options! While they have a few salads that are low-carb with no dressing, there is a newer, better option for keto menu items at Panera found on their hidden menu.
For a breakfast meal, ask for the Power Breakfast Egg Bowl with Steak at 3g net carbs or the Power Breakfast Egg White Bowl with Roasted Turkey at 4g net carbs. For lunch or dinner, order the the Power Mediterranean Chicken at 7g net carbs, the Power Mediterranean Roasted Turkey Bowl at 7g net carbs, or the Power Steak Lettuce Wraps at 6g net carbs.
Panera also does a great job of listing the nutritional information for these menu items on their website.

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McDonald’s and Burger King:

Breakfast Items and Bunless Sandwiches

Both McDonald’s and Burger King offer items that can be made low carb at a cheap price – this makes it a great stop on a road trip as one of these restaurants can usually be found in the smallest of pit stop towns.
You can ask for a breakfast sandwich at either restaurant and order it without the bun and the same goes for a grilled chicken breast or burger for a lunch or dinner. My personal favorite of these two is the McDouble from McDonald’s Value Menu without a bun or ketchup. They will usually serve it in a bowl and sometimes will add lettuce with it. Very tasty and keto-friendly at only 4g net carbs (ketchup will add an additional 1g net carb)!
My only complaint with these two restaurants is that the staff usually aren’t sure what you mean by “no bun” – however Burger King has the “low carb” option and seem to be better trained. Both chains offer their nutritional information in a customizable menu builder that has nutrition information – great way for you to plan out a meal ahead of time or track macros after.

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Wendy’s:

Bunless Double Stack or Grilled Chicken Sandwich

A great meal that is also minimal on the wallet is Wendy’s Double Stack ordered without a bun. At 4g net carbs and on their Right Price Right Size Menu, it is delicious and gives you the meat, cheese, and toppings you crave.
While in university, I ate at Wendy’s for lunch every day for 3 months and ordered two bunless Double Stacks plain, to bring down the carb count even more. Another good keto option is the Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich – served without a bun, it is only 5g net carbs.

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KFC:

Grilled Chicken

KFC is a great place to stop for a keto meal – each serving of their grilled chicken is either only 0 or 1g of net carbs. Ordering a few pieces of grilled chicken is super simple and super quick. Skip most of the sides – but if you must have one, ordering an individual serving of green beans is 2g net carbs.
If salad is more up your alley, the caesar or house side salad without dressing and croutons is 1g net and 2g net carbs respectively. A Heinz Buttermilk Ranch Dressing packet is 1g net carb, Marzettie Light Italian Dressing is 2g net carbs, and a KFC Creamy Parmesan Caesar Dressing is 4g net carbs.
In the hopes that the Grilled Double Down Sandwich returns someday (one of my personal favorite fast food keto meal in the past), I’ll list it here. That sandwich is only 4g net carbs and they are super delicious.

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Subway:

Chopped Salad or Bunless Breakfast Item

Subway used to be a great place for low carbers as they had teamed up with Atkins to offer low carb wraps. Unfortunately that ended many years ago now and we’re left up to our own devices to make a keto friendly meal!
Luckily you’re able to make a chopped salad out of any of their sandwiches and they have plenty of meats and toppings to choose from. For the lowest carb count, choose the Grilled Chicken Breast chopped salad made with spinach. As a dressing, your best option is the olive oil blend which is 0g net carbs. The next best keto option is the ranch dressing but it’s 4g net carbs!
As Subway has also recently started serving breakfast, you can now also get any of their breakfast subs without a bun and add any topping you please – a great keto way to start the day!
As a quick aside, attempting to “Calculate Yours” on their online menu is a bit tricky for breakfast as they will not allow you to select “None” for bread and you will have to manually figure out macros by subtracting out the bread nutritional information.

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Gas Station and Convenience Store:

Quick Bites

I never thought I would be one to eat a sandwich from a gas station but a long car trip last year changed that; I didn’t want to have to stop for gas and at a restaurant when I just wanted to keep driving!
I picked up a breakfast sandwich from inside a gas station and after peeling off the bun – it was pretty tasty! Just sausage, egg, and cheese. A lot of gas stations now offer hard-boiled eggs, deli meat, and string cheese in their cases in addition to other keto friendly snack items like almonds and pork rinds.
Take a look around, you can easily make a keto meal when you’re in a rush. Many gas station chains have also started to make their cheap coffee more “gourmet” too and offer add-ins – I have found sugar-free syrups at more than one chain, making that late night pick-me-up taste so much better!

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Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, or most Coffee Houses:

Coffee or Tea and Bunless Breakfast Sandwich

When you are looking for a drink to warm you up or cool you down, you can always head to a coffee place. While the easiest option is to ask for a black coffee or tea, hot or iced, you can always ask them if they have heavy whipping cream, almond, or coconut milk (make sure these are unsweetened, if they carry it). I have found most small mom and pop coffee shops will have heavy whipping cream and Starbucks will usually have it if you ask.
Other low carb options include an Americano, which is hot water added to espresso, and a Depth Charge, which is a shot of espresso added to a cup of coffee (also known as a red eye, turbo, and shot in the dark). Most baristas will not bat an eye at your drink requests – they are used to getting silly long orders!
A lot of coffee houses now offer hot breakfast sandwiches as well – so if you are in a rush, order a breakfast sandwich and get rid of the bun – you’ll be left with a gooey and delicious mess of eggs, cheese, and sausage or bacon!

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Taco Bell:

Make Your Own Menu Item

I honestly didn’t believe this was true until I tried it: you can order just the sides at Taco Bell! Skip their tacos and salads in an effort to make a low carb dish here and just order the items you want. You can order a side of chicken, beef, lettuce, and guacamole for under $2.
Add a hot sauce packet or two on top and you’ve got that tasty Taco Bell meal you want – without the carbs. You can also do this for a breakfast meal as well, ordering eggs and a sausage patty or two as side items. Definitely gives their Dollar Cravings Menu a run for the money!
So what are your favorite keto fast foods? What local fast food places do you have that you can keto at?

What is a Keto Diet?

A keto diet is well known for being a low carb diet, where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy. It’s referred to as many different names – ketogenic diet, low carb diet, low carb high fat (LCHF), etc. When you eat something high in carbs, your body will produce glucose and insulin. Glucose is the easiest molecule for your body to convert and use as energy, so it will be chosen over any other energy source.

Insulin is produced to process the glucose in your bloodsteam, by taking it around the body. Since the glucose is being used as a primary energy, your fats are not needed, and are therefore stored. Typically on a normal, higher carbohydrate diet, the body will use glucose as the main form of energy.
By lowering the intake of carbs, the body is induced into a state known as ketosis. Ketosis is a natural process the body initiates to help us survive when food intake is low. During this state, we produce ketones, which are produced from the breakdown of fats in the liver.
The end goal of a properly maintained keto diet is to force your body into this metabolic state. We don’t do this through starvation of calories, but through starvation of carbohydrates. Our bodies are extremely adaptive to what you put into it – when you overload it with fats and take away carbohydrates, it will begin to burn ketones as the main energy source.

What Do I Eat?

To start a keto diet, you will want to plan ahead. That definitely means having a viable diet plan ready and waiting. What you eat really depends how fast you want to get into a ketogenic state. The more restrictive you are on your carbohydrates (less than 15g per day), the faster you will enter ketosis. Normally, anywhere between 20-30g of net carbs is recommended for every day dieting – but the lower you keep your glucose levels, the better the overall results will be. If you need ideas for food, there are plenty of keto recipes for you to choose from.

You might be asking, “What’s a net carb?” It’s simple really! The net carbs are your total dietary carbohydrates, minus the total fiber. Let’s say for example you want to eat some broccoli (1 cup) – seriously my favorite and most delicious vegetable out there.

• There are a total of 6g carbohydrates in 1 cup.
• There’s also 2g of fiber in 1 cup.
• So, we take the 6g (total carbs) and subtract the 2g (dietary fiber).
• This will give us our net carbs of 4g.

 

 

 Here’s a list of the most common low carb vegetables.

Vegetable	Amount	Net Carbs
Spinach (Raw)	1/2 Cup	0.1
Bok Choi	1/2 Cup	0.2
Lettuce (Romaine)	1/2 Cup	0.2
Broccoli (Florets)	1/2 Cup	0.8
Cauliflower (Steamed)	1/2 Cup	0.9
Cabbage (Green Raw)	1/2 Cup	1.1
Cauliflower (Raw)	1/2 Cup	1.4
Collard Greens	1/2 Cup	2
Kale steamed	1/2 Cup	2.1
Green Beans steamed	1/2 Cup	2.9

Your nutrient intake should be something around 70% fats, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrate. You want to keep your carbohydrates limited, coming mostly from vegetables, nuts, and dairy. Don’t eat any refined carbohydrates such as wheat (breads, pastas, cereals), starch (potatoes, beans, legumes) or fruit.
Dark green and leafy is always the best choice. Most of your meals should be a protein with vegetables, and an extra side of fat. Chicken breast basted in olive oil, with broccoli and cheese. Steak topped with a knob of butter, and a side of spinach sautéed in olive oil. If you’re finding yourself hungry throughout the day, you can snack on nuts, seeds, cheeses, or peanut butter to curb your appetite.

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Know Your Macros

“Macros” is an abbreviated term of macronutrients. Your macros are your daily intake of “the big 3” nutrients: fats, protein, and carbohydrates. You can use the following calculator to see what your daily needs will be. If you exercise or want to see a more in depth explanation on how we are calculating this, you should use the full version of the Keto Calculator.

Enter Body Weight (lbs.)
Enter Body Weight (kgs.)
Enter Body Fat Percentage

Enter your total body weight in pounds or kilograms, and your total bodyfat percentage. If you don’t know your bodyfat, you can visually estimate your body fat percentage.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)
BMR + TEF:

This will give us an idea of how much the minimum amount of calories your body will burn in a day by calculating the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF).

	Sedentary. Not much daily activity, little to no exercise.
	Lightly active. Daytime walking. 1–3 hours a week of light exercise.
	Moderately active. Active day job. Exercise 3–5 hours a week.
	Very active. Intense exercise 6-7 days a week.
	Extremely active. Training twice a day, very intense workouts.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (kcal)

Based on your activity level, we will get a more realistic look at the average amount of calories your body burns per day. We will be using this to gauge the amount of calories you need to eat, along with the fats, proteins, and carbs you will need to consume in order to achieve you goals.

Deficit or Surplus Percentage	%
	Lose Weight
	Maintain Weight
	Gain Mass
Total Calories to Consume

Do you want to lose weight, maintain your weight, or gain mass? Choose your goals appropriately and only ever use a 10-15% calorie surplus or 20-25% deficit. Any higher of a deficit can have negative effects on your dieting, based on this study.

Daily Protein Ratio (g/lbm)
Daily Carb Intake (g)

It is highly recommended to keep your carb intake below 30g per day and protein between 0.7g – 1.2g per pound of lean body mass.

0	kcal Daily Calorie Intake
0	g Net Carbs (0%, 0 kcal)
0	g Protein (0%, 0 kcal)
0	g Fat (0%, 0 kcal)

Here are your nutritional macros. You should eat according to these, and try to spread your meals out during the day.

Benefits of a Keto Diet

• Cholesterol. A keto diet has shown to improve triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels most associated with arterial buildup.
• Weight Loss. As your body is burning fat as the main source of energy, you will essentially be using your fat stores as an energy source while in a fasting state.
• Blood Sugar. Many studies show the decrease of LDL cholesterol over time and have shown to eliminate ailments such as type 2 diabetes.
• Energy. By giving your body a better and more reliable energy source, you will feel more energized during the day. Fats are shown to be the most effective molecule to burn as fuel.
• Hunger. Fat is naturally more satisfying and ends up leaving us in a satiated (“full”) state for longer.
• Acne. Recent studies have shown a drop in acne lesions and skin inflammation over 12 weeks.

Physical Performance

You may see some limitations on your performance when you first begin a keto diet, but as your body fully adapts to using fat as the primary source of energy – all of your strength and endurance will return to normal. Many people ask if carbs are needed to build muscle. Of course they’re not. If you’re asking this question, I will assume you know how you gain mass. 

Your glycogen stores can still be refilled while on a ketogenic diet. A keto diet is a great way to build muscle, but protein intake is key here. It’s suggested that if you are looking to gain mass, you should be taking in about 1.0 – 1.2g protein per lean pound of body mass. Putting mass on may be slower on a ketogenic diet, but that’s because your total body fat is not increasing. If, for some reason, you need to put on body fat also, you can achieve your goals through a Cyclical Keto Diet or a Targeted Keto Diet.
People often argue that performance is affected when on a keto diet, but that’s not true. A study was done on trained cyclists who were on a ketogenic diet for 4 weeks. The results show that aerobic endurance was not compromised at all, and their muscle mass was the same as when they started. Their bodies adapted through ketosis, limiting both glucose and glycogen stores, and used fats as the predominant energy source. There was another study done on 8 professional gymnasts who had the same results.
Both groups were fed a strict diet of green vegetables, proteins, and high quality fats. So, even if you are doing long bouts of cardio – a keto diet has been proven time and time again. The only real time where ketosis can give performance loss is in exercises that need an explosive action. If you need a little boost in your performance during these, you can “carb-up” by eating 25-50g of carbs about 30 minutes before you train.

Dangers of a Keto Diet

There are a lot of misconceptions about low carb dieting which has caused an infamous outlook on this type of diet. There’s been tons of studies published over the last 30 years that show how high amounts of fat and low amount of carbs are beneficial.
People normally get this confused with high fat and high carb diets, which are terrible for the body. Of course when you eat a lot of fatty foods that are high in sugar, you’ll be getting yourself in trouble.
Thinking of going on a low fat diet? It’s been shown that a ketogenic diet is healthier AND more effective than low fat dieting. When you eat foods high in carbohydrates, your body naturally produces glucose. Carbohydrates are the easiest thing for the body to process, and therefore it will use them first – resulting in the excess fats to be stored immediately. In turn, this causes weight gain and health problems that are associated with high fat AND high carbohydrate diets, NOT a keto diet.
As a precaution, you should always check with your physician if you have any concerns about starting a keto diet. You should especially be weary if your family has any pre-existing kidney or diabetic conditions – as the higher intake of proteins will put strain on your kidneys.
High cholesterol, high blood sugar, and heart disease is not something you need to worry about. High fat, low carb diets are well-known and documented for their improvements in cholesterol, blood sugars, and reduction of heart disease.

What Happens To My Body

Your body is used to the simple routine of breaking down carbohydrates and using them as energy. Over time the body has built up an arsenal of enzymes ready for this process, and only has a few enzymes for dealing with fats – mostly to store them. All of a sudden your body has to deal with the lack of glucose and increase in fats, which means building up a new supply of enzymes. 

As your body becomes induced into a ketogenic state, your body will naturally use what’s left of your glucose. This means your body will be depleted of all glycogen in the muscles – which can cause a lack of energy, and a general lethargy. In the first few weeks, many people report:

• Headaches
• Mental fogginess
• Flu-like symptoms (known as the “keto-flu”)
• Dizziness
• Aggravation
• Yep, it’s pretty much a week of PMS for everyone!

Most of the time, this is the result of your electrolytes being flushed out, as ketosis has a diuretic effect. Make sure you drink plenty of water and keep your sodium intake up. In fact, you should go overboard with the salt – salt EVERYTHING! This will help with water retention, and help replenish the electrolytes.
For a normal person that is starting a ketogenic diet, eating 25-40g of net carbs a day, the total adaptation process will take about 2 weeks. My advice is to cut your carbs to fewer than 15g to ensure that you are well on your way into ketosis within 1 week.
You may notice that if you’re an avid gym goer, you lost some strength and endurance. This is normal. Once your body becomes keto-adapted, your body will be able to fully utilize the fats as its primary source of energy. Many studies done have shown that there is no long term drop in performance for professional athletes on a very low carb ketogenic diet. Many also report more energy at sustainable levels throughout the day.

Getting Started

If you’re not sure on where to start, and new to the website, I’d highly recommend reading through my “Start Here” article.
Overall, eating a high amount of fat, moderate protein, and low amount of carbs can have a massive impact in your health – lowering your cholesterol, body weight, blood sugar, and raising your energy and mood levels.

Once you’re in the mindset to start a more realistic, healthy approach at losing body fat – a low carb lifestyle doesn’t seem as bad. Give it a few weeks to get over the initial hump, and those cravings for carbs will go away. Some studies have shown links between artificial sweeteners and sugar cravings, so if you drink diet sodas or if you use a lot of artificial sweeteners – try to throw them out and reform your eating philosophies.

If you need help tracking your calories or carbs for the day, I’ve written up an article to help you do that. While it’s not necessary, it certainly helps to know exactly what you’re eating so that you can pinpoint mistakes easily.
There’s no real danger involved in a keto diet unless you have previous health conditions relating to the kidney or type 1 diabetes. Just be sure to know that the first week usually gives you some killer headaches and lethargy while your body adapts.