Jump-Start Your Metabolism With These Keto Tips

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has gained popularity for its health, cognition, longevity, fitness, and weight-loss benefits. To jump-start your metabolism on keto, it is important to understand the basics of ketosis and make necessary adjustments to your diet and lifestyle. Here are some key steps to help you get started:

- Understand Ketosis: Ketosis is a metabolic state where your body uses ketones, derived from fat breakdown, as its primary fuel source instead of glucose from carbohydrates. This shift occurs when your body has limited access to carbohydrates, forcing it to rely on fat stores and ketone production for energy.

- Adjust Your Diet: To induce ketosis, reduce your carbohydrate intake to a minimum and focus on consuming high-fat, moderate-protein foods. Aim for a macronutrient ratio of around 70-80% fat, 15-25% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates.

- Monitor Your Progress: Use tools like a macronutrient calculator, blood glucose and ketone meters, and weight tracking to monitor your body's adaptation to the keto diet. This will help you fine-tune your diet and ensure you're on the right track.

- Be Mindful of Calories: While calorie counting is not necessary on keto, remember that excess calories can hinder weight loss. Ensure you're not consuming more calories than your body requires, especially from high-fat foods.

- Intermittent Fasting: Intermittent fasting can help accelerate ketosis and weight loss. Try fasting for 12-15 hours on 3-4 days a week, combined with a strict ketogenic diet on non-fasting days.

- Exercise: Incorporate exercises like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and weightlifting to boost your metabolism and promote fat burning.

- Seek Professional Guidance: Before starting the keto diet, consult a healthcare professional, especially if you have any pre-existing health conditions or concerns. They can provide personalized advice and ensure the diet is safe for you.

Consume more protein

Consuming more protein is an essential aspect of the keto diet, but it's important to understand how much protein is suitable, as the keto diet is primarily a high-fat diet. When you eat more protein than is required, the body will convert the excess amino acids into glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. This glucose becomes the primary source of energy for the body instead of ketones from fats.

To speed up weight loss, your daily protein intake should not be more than 35% of your total calorie consumption. This will ensure that you're getting enough protein to support muscle growth and maintenance while also promoting ketosis.

• Meat (chicken, pork, steak, bacon, turkey, ham, and ground beef)
• Eggs
• Dairy products (full-fat cream, hard and soft cheese, cottage cheese, etc.)
• Seafood (tuna, halibut, cod, trout, scallops, and salmon)

Drink water

Drinking water is essential for anyone, but it's especially important for those on the keto diet. Here are some reasons why:

Prevent Dehydration

The keto diet's low-carb nature can make it harder for the body to retain water, so keto dieters are more prone to dehydration. This is further exacerbated by the diet's removal of sodium, which normally helps the body maintain water and electrolyte levels. As a result, active individuals on keto or those in warm conditions are at an increased risk of severe dehydration.

Alleviate Keto Flu Symptoms

The keto diet can cause "keto flu" symptoms such as muscle weakness, cramps, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, nausea, irritability, and lethargy. Drinking plenty of water can help ease or prevent these symptoms.

Aid in Weight Loss

The keto diet helps with weight loss by turning fat and fatty acids into ketones, which the body uses as an energy source. This process requires plenty of water, as it occurs not only in the digestive tract but also in the body's fat stores. Water is therefore an essential tool for maximizing the weight loss benefits of the keto diet.

Curb Cravings

Some dehydration symptoms, such as weakness, dizziness, and fatigue, can feel similar to hunger. Before reaching for a snack, consider drinking a glass of water, as you may simply be dehydrated.

Prepare for Physical Activity

Exercise, especially while in ketosis, increases the risk of dehydration due to the body's reduced water storage. Therefore, it's crucial to properly hydrate before and after working out, and to ensure you're receiving adequate electrolytes.

As a rule of thumb, you should aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, aim for 80 ounces of water per day. However, this amount may need to be adjusted if you're on the keto diet, as it alters your body's water and electrolyte levels.

The National Library of Medicine recommends adults drink 2.7 to 3.7 liters of water per day, but they note that there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. Factors such as age, weight, activity level, and diet can influence your specific water needs.

Eat Greek yoghurt

Greek yoghurt is a great option for breakfast, snacks, and desserts on keto or low-carb diets. It is a healthy and high-protein food that contains a moderate number of carbs, making it something you can add to your keto diet in moderation.

Greek yoghurt is strained three times, so most of the liquid (whey) remaining in the mixture of milk and bacteria is removed. This is what makes Greek yoghurt thick and is why Greek yoghurt products are higher in protein. Greek yoghurts are also lower in carbs because, when draining the liquid whey, more of the lactose (the source of carbs) is removed.

According to the USDA, a typical 6oz serving (170g) of plain, unflavoured yoghurt has the following carb count (these vary slightly by brand):

• Full-fat Greek yoghurt: 6.77 grams
• Low-fat Greek yoghurt: 6.70 grams
• Non-fat Greek yoghurt: 6.19 grams

Yoghurt is generally considered a high-fat, high-protein snack. Protein helps build muscles and cells in your body, and yoghurt, especially Greek yoghurt, is high in protein, which generally decreases appetite and helps you feel full—making it great for diets like keto.

Yoghurt also contains vitamins B and D and a lot of minerals like magnesium and potassium. Vitamin B is good for heart disease, and vitamin D is great for strong bones and can help prevent a variety of terrible diseases! Magnesium and potassium help with blood pressure, metabolism, and other health benefits.

Since yoghurt is a fermented food similar to kombucha, sauerkraut, or kimchi, it contains a lot of healthy bacteria that are great for balancing out the good and bad bacteria in your gut and contains probiotics well-known to help general digestive health.

• Choose whole, unflavoured Greek yoghurt for the lowest carb option.
• Keep your serving sizes small.
• Choose yoghurts with active cultures since those friendly bacteria will have had even more time to consume the lactose (the sugars/carbs).
• Cater your yoghurt to your macro goals. If you always have too much protein and not enough fat, find a yoghurt type that fits that need, and vice versa.
• If you're going to add fruit, add berries. Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all pretty low carb.
• Add stevia or another low-carb sweetener for extra sweetness.
• Add more fat if needed (MCT oil and heavy cream are great options).
• FAGE Total 5% Milkfat Plain Greek Yogurt
• Siggi's Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
• YQ by Yoplait Plain Yogurt
• Chobani Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
• Forager Plain Cashewmilk Yogurt
• So Delicious Plain Coconutmilk Yogurt

Exercise more

Exercise is an important part of any healthy lifestyle, and it can be especially beneficial when it comes to boosting your metabolism on the keto diet. Here are some tips to help you incorporate more physical activity into your routine:

• Strength training: Strength training or weight training is a great way to build lean muscle mass, which in turn increases your basal metabolic rate. Aim to include strength training in your workout routine once or twice a week. You can use free weights, weight machines, or even your own body weight to build muscle.
• Low- to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise: This type of exercise is an effective way to burn fat during your workout. Aim for a heart rate of 70-80% of your maximum heart rate, which you can calculate by subtracting your age from 220 and then multiplying by 0.7 and 0.8. Running, walking, cycling, swimming, and cardio machines are all great options for aerobic exercise.
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT): HIIT involves short bursts of intense cardio, such as sprints or burpees, followed by short recovery periods. This type of training increases your body's resting metabolic rate, so you continue to burn fat even after your workout is finished. Aim to include HIIT in your routine once or twice a week.
• Interval training: In addition to HIIT, you can also incorporate other forms of interval training into your workouts. This involves alternating between periods of moderate-intensity exercise and high-intensity exercise. This type of training increases the number of calories you burn after your workout, leading to greater fat loss.
• Daily walking: Walking is an often-underrated form of exercise, but it can be a great way to increase your daily caloric expenditure and improve your overall health. Aim for 30 minutes or more of walking each day.
• Modify your exercise routine: When you first start the keto diet, you may find that your performance in high-intensity exercises decreases temporarily. This is because your body is adapting to using fat as its primary fuel source instead of carbohydrates. To maintain your performance levels, you can modify your keto diet slightly by adding a small amount of carbohydrates before your workout or incorporating a few higher-carb days into your weekly diet.
• Listen to your body: Starting the keto diet can be a big adjustment, and it's important to give your body time to adapt. Don't be afraid to reduce the intensity of your workouts during the first few weeks on the keto diet. Once your body becomes fat-adapted, your physical performance will likely return to baseline.
• Set a daily calorie goal: While the quality of your diet is important, the quantity of calories you consume also matters. Use a calorie calculator or nutrition tracking app to determine your daily calorie needs and set a goal that aligns with your weight loss or muscle gain goals.
• Connect a fitness device: Using a fitness tracker, such as a FitBit or Apple Watch, can help you monitor your workouts and track your progress over time. Many of these devices can also sync with nutrition tracking apps to give you a comprehensive view of your diet and exercise habits.
• Get enough protein: Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass, especially when you're in a caloric deficit. Aim for 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or up to 1.6 grams per kilogram if you're looking to gain significant muscle mass.
• Get plenty of rest: Rest and recovery are crucial for optimal physical performance. Be sure to take days off from exercise and prioritize getting enough sleep each night. This will allow your body to recover and build muscle tissue effectively.
• Drink plenty of water: Staying hydrated is always important, but it becomes even more crucial when you're combining exercise with the keto diet. Water helps prevent dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, which can be more common when you're in ketosis.
• Maintain electrolyte levels: In addition to staying hydrated, it's important to maintain adequate electrolyte levels when exercising on the keto diet. Include plenty of leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, in your diet, and consider adding a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt to your food and water. You can also take a commercial electrolyte supplement if needed.

Drink coffee

Coffee is a great way to jump-start your metabolism on keto. It contains caffeine, a psychoactive stimulant drug that has been shown to boost your metabolic rate—the speed at which your body turns calories into energy. Early research suggests that caffeine supports fat-burning during exercise. In a 2018 study, participants who were given 3mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight burned more body fat during exercise, as opposed to burning carbs alone.

Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, a compound that can help protect your mitochondria, support metabolism, and support eye health. It's also one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the average person's diet.

However, it's important to be mindful of what you add to your coffee. Avoid artificial creamers and added sugar, as these can mess with your gut bacteria and cause blood sugar spikes and energy crashes. Instead, try adding in some flavorful spices, like Ceylon cinnamon, which also supports fat-burning.

Frequently asked questions