The Everything Big Book of Fat Bombs: 200 Irresistible Low-Carb, High-Fat Recipes for Weight Loss the Ketogenic Way - Viveca Menegaz (2016)

Chapter 1. Understanding Ketosis

Your body is highly intelligent. It knows exactly what it wants, and knows exactly what it needs to do to get what it wants. What your body wants is energy. Without energy, your cells starve and you die. Your body has several metabolic pathways it can use to convert the food you eat into energy. The default metabolic pathway uses glucose from carbohydrates consumed as fuel. As long as you provide your body with carbohydrates, it uses them as energy while storing the excess as fat in the process. When you deny your body carbohydrates, it needs to get the energy somewhere else to survive.

What Is Ketosis?

Your body’s second preferred source of energy is fat. When carbohydrates are not easily accessible, your body turns to fat to get vital energy. The liver will break down fat into fatty acids, which then break down into an energy-rich substance called ketones. When your body burns fats instead of carbohydrates for energy, the process is called ketosis. The goal of a ketogenic diet is to kick your body into long-term ketosis, ultimately turning it into a fat-burning machine.

How Your Body Obtains Energy

Your cells need a constant supply of energy. Even when you’re sitting on the couch, your body is generating energy for your cells. Since energy cannot be created, only converted from one form to another, your body gets this energy from the food you eat or from its own energy reserves, your body fat. Your body can use each macronutrient (carbohydrates, fat, and protein) for energy. The biochemical process of obtaining energy is a complicated one, but it’s important to understand a few basics to get a feel for how ketosis works on a cellular level.

Energy from Protein

Protein is the body’s least favorite macronutrient to use as energy since it serves so many other functions in the body. Protein provides structural support to every cell in your body and helps maintain your body tissues. Proteins also act as enzymes that play a role in all of the chemical reactions in your body. Without these enzymes, these chemical reactions would be so slow that your body wouldn’t be able to carry out basic processes like digestion and metabolism that are necessary for survival. Proteins also help maintain fluid and acid-base balance, help transport substances such as oxygen through the body and waste out of the body, and act as antibodies to fight off illness.

This process of using protein for energy is what makes extreme calorie restriction dangerous. When your diet doesn’t provide enough calories, your body begins to break down the protein in your muscles for energy, which can lead to muscle loss or muscle wasting in addition to nutritional deficiencies.

Proteins are made up of amino acids. When you eat proteins, your body breaks them down into their individual amino acids, which are then converted into sugars through a process called deamination. Your body can use these protein-turned-sugars as a form of energy, but that means your body isn’t using the amino acids for those other important functions. It’s best to avoid forcing the body to use protein for energy, and you do that by providing it with the other nutrients it needs. That being said, if the body has no other choice but to use protein for energy, it will.

Energy from Carbohydrates

Although your body is adept at using any food that’s available for energy, it always turns to carbohydrates first. When you eat carbohydrates, they are broken down into glucose or another sugar that’s easily converted to glucose. Glucose is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine and then enters your body by way of your bloodstream, which causes your blood glucose levels to rise. As soon as the glucose enters your blood, your pancreas sends out insulin to pick up the sugar and carry it to your cells so they can use it as energy.

Once your cells have used all the glucose they need at that time, much of the remaining glucose is converted into glycogen so it can be stored in the liver and muscles. The liver has a limited ability to store glycogen, though. It can only store enough glycogen to provide you with energy for about twenty-four hours. All the extra glucose that can’t be stored or burned is converted into triglycerides, which are stored in your fat cells.

A healthy adult can store about 500 grams (2,000 calories worth) of carbohydrates. Approximately 400 grams are stored as glycogen in your muscles, 90-110 grams are stored as glycogen in the liver, and 25 grams circulate throughout the bloodstream as glucose. However, your body has an unlimited ability to store fat.

When you don’t eat for a few hours and your blood sugar starts to drop, your body will call on the glycogen stored in the liver and muscles for energy before anything else. The pancreas releases a hormone called glucagon that triggers the release of glucose from the glycogen stored in your liver to help raise your blood sugar levels. This process is called glycogenolysis. The glycogen stored in your liver is used exclusively to increase your blood glucose levels, while the glycogen stored in your muscles is used strictly as fuel for your muscles. When you eat carbohydrates again, your body uses the glucose it gets from them to replenish those glycogen stores. If you regularly eat carbohydrates, your body never has a problem getting access to glucose for energy, and the stored fat stays where it is—in your fat cells.

Endurance athletes use the terms “hitting a wall” or “bonking” to describe the point at which they’ve depleted their glycogen stores and no longer have access to a quick form of energy. Bonking usually manifests as sudden fatigue or a complete loss of energy. When you see marathon runners drinking glucose shots during a race, it’s because they want to replenish glycogen stores quickly so that they have enough energy to finish.

Energy from Fat

The body prefers to use carbohydrates for energy because they’re easily accessible and fast acting, but in the absence of carbohydrates, your body turns to fat. The fat from the food you eat is broken down into fatty acids, which enter the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. Most of your cells can directly use fatty acids for energy, but some specialized cells, such as the cells in your brain and your muscles, can’t run on fatty acids directly. To appease these cells and give them the energy they need, your body uses fatty acids to make ketones.

The Creation of Ketones

When your body doesn’t have access to glucose, (i.e., during times of fasting or when intentionally following a low-carbohydrate diet) it turns to fat for energy. Fat is taken to the liver where it is broken down into glycerol and fatty acids through a process called beta-oxidation. The fatty-acid molecules are further broken down through a process called ketogenesis, and a specific ketone body called acetoacetate is formed.

Over time, as your body becomes adapted to using ketones as fuel, your muscles convert acetoacetate into beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, which is the preferred ketogenic source of energy for your brain, and acetone, most of which is expelled from the body as waste.

The glycerol created during beta-oxidation goes through a process called gluconeogenesis. During gluconeogenesis, the body converts glycerol into glucose that your body can use for energy. Your body can also convert excess protein into glucose. Your body does need some glucose to function, but it doesn’t need carbohydrates to get it. It does a good job of converting whatever it can into the simple sugar.

Ketosis and Weight Loss

Now that you understand how your body creates energy and how ketones are formed, you may be left wondering how this translates into weight loss. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, your body happily burns them for energy and stores any excess as glycogen in your liver or as triglycerides in your fat cells. When you take carbohydrates out of the equation, your body depletes its glycogen stores in the liver and muscles and then turns to fat for energy. Your body obtains energy from the fat in the food you eat, but it also uses the triglycerides, or fats, stored in your fat cells. When your body starts burning stored fat, your fat cells shrink and you begin to lose weight and become leaner. Of course, in order for that to happen, you will have to reduce your caloric intake, as your body will otherwise store the fat you eat as well.

Triglycerides are the storage form of fat in your body from the food you eat. When you eat more food than your body needs for energy, it is converted into triglycerides and stored in your fat cells for later use.

How to Induce Ketosis

Inducing ketosis is not always an easy task, but once you get the hang of it, it can become second nature. The first step in inducing ketosis is to severely limit carbohydrate consumption, but that’s not quite enough. You must limit your protein consumption as well. Traditional low-carbohydrate diets don’t induce ketosis because they allow a high intake of protein. Because your body is able to convert excess protein into glucose, your body never switches over to burning fat as fuel. You can induce ketosis by following a ketogenic diet—one that is high in fat and allows moderate amounts of protein with a small amount of carbohydrates.

The exact percentage of each macronutrient you need to force your body into ketosis may vary from person to person, but in general, the macronutrient ratio falls into the following ranges:

· 60-75 percent of calories from fat

· 15-30 percent of calories from protein

· 5-10 percent of calories from carbohydrates

This largely differs from the standard low-carbohydrate diet, which typically allows more calories to come from protein, and the traditional dietary reference intakes set by the Institute of Medicine.

Currently, the Institute of Medicine recommends getting 45-65 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 20-35 percent of your calories from fat, and 10-35 percent of your calories from protein. Although the individual recommendations of low-carbohydrate diets differ based on which one you follow, they typically allow about 20 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 25-30 percent from protein, and 55-65 percent from fat.

Once you’re in ketosis, you have to continue with the high-fat, low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein plan. Eating too many carbohydrates or too much protein can kick you out of ketosis at any time by providing your body with enough glucose to stop using fat as fuel.

Signs That You Are in Ketosis

Signs that you’re in ketosis may start appearing after only one week of following a true ketogenic diet. For some people, it can take longer—as much as three weeks. The amount of time it takes for you to start seeing signs that your body is burning fat for fuel largely depends on you as an individual. When signs do start to show, they are pretty similar across the board.

Keto “Flu”

“Keto flu” or “low-carb flu” commonly affects people in the first few days of starting a ketogenic diet. Of course, the ketogenic diet doesn’t actually cause the flu, but the phenomenon is given the term because its symptoms closely resemble that of the flu. It would be more accurate to refer to this stage as a carbohydrate withdrawal, because that’s really what it is. When you take carbohydrates away, it causes altered hormonal states and electrolyte imbalances that are responsible for the associated symptoms. The basic symptoms include headache, nausea, upset stomach, sleepiness, fatigue, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and lack of mental clarity, or what is commonly referred to as “brain fog.”

Carbohydrate addiction is a real thing. Some research shows that carbohydrates activate certain stimuli in the brain that can be dependence forming. Carbohydrate addicts have uncontrollable cravings, and when they do eat, they tend to binge. In a carbohydrate addict, the removal of carbohydrates can cause withdrawal symptoms, such as dizziness and irritability, and intense cravings.

The duration of symptoms varies—it depends on you as an individual—but typically a “keto flu” lasts anywhere from a couple of days to a week. In rare cases, it can last up to two weeks. Some of the symptoms of the “keto flu” are associated with dehydration, because in the beginning stages of ketosis you lose a lot of water weight. With that lost fluid, you also lose electrolytes. You can replenish these electrolytes by drinking enhanced waters (but make sure they are not sweetened) and drinking lots of homemade bone broth. This may help lessen the severity of the symptoms.

Bad Breath

Unfortunately, bad breath is another early sign that you’re in ketosis. When you’re in ketosis, your body creates acetone as a waste product. Some of this acetone is released in your breath, giving it a fruity or ammonia-like quality. You can combat bad breath by chewing on fresh mint leaves and drinking plenty of water, since bad breath is also associated with dehydration.

Decreased Appetite and Nausea

As your body adapts to a ketogenic diet, you may have a decreased appetite. This is because you’re providing your body with plenty of fat and protein, which are both highly satiating, and not a lot of carbohydrates. The nausea associated with “keto adapting” can also decrease your appetite. When you reach this stage, it’s important that you eat regularly, even if you feel like you aren’t hungry. You want to make sure your body is getting enough nutrients and maintaining steady blood sugar levels, especially in this time of transition.

Increased Energy

When the fog begins to clear and your body starts to become keto-adapted, the uncomfortable symptoms you felt will dissipate and you’ll start seeing the benefits of following a ketogenic diet. One of the first beneficial signs many people experience is an increase in energy. When your body breaks down fat instead of carbohydrates, more energy is produced gram for gram, leaving you feeling alert and energized. Also stable blood sugar levels avoid the rushes and crashes of excess carbohydrate consumption, giving you a stable, enduring source of energy.

Improved Focus and Mental Clarity

Many mental issues, such as brain fog and problems with memory, are caused by what is called neurotoxicity, the exposure of the nervous system to toxic substances. For the brain, exposure to too much glucose can result in neurotoxicity. When you reduce the supply of glucose in your body and your brain starts to use ketones as fuel, the toxicity levels diminish. As a result, you may be able to think more clearly, focus better, and have better memory recall.

Other Possible Signs

Other possible signs of ketosis include:

· Cold hands and feet

· Increased urinary frequency

· Difficulty sleeping

· Metallic taste in the mouth

· Dry mouth

· Increased thirst

Measurable Ketones

Your body is pretty good at letting you know when you’re in ketosis without any testing, but if you want to be absolutely sure, you can test your ketone levels with urine strips or a blood meter. Urine strips allow you to easily test for the presence of ketones in your urine, while blood meters can test for ketones with a small blood sample from a prick in your finger. These testing methods tend to be more reliable than just trusting the presence of symptoms. If you really want to know if you’re producing ketones, these tests are a great way to find out. Keep in mind that some methods are more reliable than others. For example, urine strips are a great way to test at the beginning of ketosis, but they become unreliable once you have keto-adapted.

Although these signs are common among many people who follow a ketogenic diet, your experience may be different. Everybody is unique, so it’s impossible to say exactly what your personal experience will be. Keep in mind that in the early stages of ketosis your symptoms may be unpleasant, but as your body adapts you will begin to experience the benefits of following a ketogenic diet plan.

During the first few weeks on the ketogenic diet your body undergoes a series of changes to adapt its functions for burning fat as the preferred fuel source. This process is called keto adaptation. Some of these adaptations include adapting the brain to burn ketones instead of glucose. The brain will be able to use a maximum of 75 percent ketones for energy; the rest will always have to be glucose. As stated, the body will be able to produce its own glucose from protein and triglycerides.

Managing Uncomfortable Symptoms

The initial symptoms of a ketogenic diet are uncomfortable, but if you choose to ride it out, rest assured, in time, they will go away. If the thought of being uncomfortable is really too much to bear, there are a few things you can try to help decrease the chances of experiencing symptoms, or at least lessen their severity.

Start Slowly

Like anything else, symptoms tend to be the worst when you transition to a ketogenic diet cold turkey. If you’ve been following a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet for years—even decades—abruptly asking your body to run on fat instead is like a slap in the face. Instead of jumping right into a ketogenic diet, transition slowly.

Start by gradually eliminating non-nutritive carbohydrate sources, such as soda, desserts, sugary snacks, pasta, and pizza, over a period of a few weeks. As you eliminate these carbohydrate sources, increase the amount of fats you eat—coconut, avocado, and cheese, for example. When you’ve gotten used to the general principles of the diet, start tracking specific numbers and macronutrient ratios.

Snack Regularly

Eating a high-fat or a fat-protein snack, such as a fat bomb, will help stabilize your blood sugars during the initial phases of keto adaptation, so it will help ease certain symptoms, including headache and irritability. When you’re first starting a ketogenic diet, make sure to snack regularly to keep yourself from getting too hungry.

Drink Water

Many of the symptoms, such as bad breath, are associated with being dehydrated. Drink plenty of water while you’re transitioning and for the entire duration of your ketogenic diet. To make sure you stay hydrated, add a pinch of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt to every glass of water you drink. It won’t taste salty, but it provides you with essential electrolytes.

Drink Bone Broth

Drinking homemade bone broth will also provide needed electrolytes to the body. It can be beef, chicken, lamb, or even fish broth. Drink about 3-4 cups a day for best results.