2019
Let’s talk Ketosis
Written by: Kyle Grundy & Chris O’Neill
The Keto Diet, you know the one that everyone swears by, yet so little truly understand the science behind how it affects the body or more importantly the effects during and after the diet is implemented and finished. I was not so different than anyone else as little as 7-8 years ago before this was a career and was solely a passionate hobby, and topics I knew minimal about aside from the “bro science” we all know too well but yet would love to chime in as we all do. It is common to have an opinion and we all should but educating yourself on the topic you want to give input on is vital in any conversation but when relaying health, fitness, and nutrition advice that is something you HAVE to truly understand before starting or recommending to anyone.
The interesting thing about Keto is the appeal, the misconceptions, and above all I believe the reason people love to talk about and try this method of dieting is simply one thing: IT WILL WORK. Now I believe that to be entirely true, most will agree but my question for the readers diving into this blog is one thing, do you know WHY it will work for majority of people who try this and do you understand the process itself of ketosis? The honest answer for most would be that they do to a fair extent but when breaking down the true science of this diet and how it actually effects your hormones, how it makes you feel and above all the rebound aspect following this are things we are all to some degree familiar with but at the same time there is a giant disconnect.
The way the Keto diet works is fairly simple to explain as a whole and it is simply removing one of your core macronutrients completely from your body and daily diet. You only have three to begin with and they are protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fats which are ALL vital and work vastly different in the body from a hormonal and digestion aspect. In the introduction I stated that most understand it to a degree and it works for the majority of people who try this, and that is exactly why. Think about any comparable scenario you could possibly use and do the same process of elimination, if you remove 33% of anything vital in any area of your life I do not care what it is, you will without any doubt see a substantial impact (whether positive or negative) and chances are you would see it FAST. Well, that is essentially exactly how Ketosis works because if you know anyone who has tried it, they will more than likely tell you one thing, and it will be that it worked and it worked extremely quickly. Then they will almost immediately start to tell you the aftermath, but I will get to that below in a bit. All three macronutrients are vital as they play different roles in powering our bodies for health and longevity.
-Protein is bar none the macro we need as its your source of amino acids which are largely responsible for the muscle building process but let’s put training aside for a second and simply talk health. Protein is responsible and truly the building block for your bones, muscles, cartilage, and blood. Your hair and nails are comprised of essentially all protein and it is used to make hormones and enzymes as well.
-Carbohydrates are incredibly important to the human body and this is one of the most misunderstood and unfairly scrutinized macronutrients we have. Somewhere along the line carbs became “BAD” and even more so we can and should only eat them up to a certain time of night, only have so many or cycle them or not have them and before you know it….your head is spinning and carbs are literally the devil’s food lol but all of that has SOME truth and this varies drastically person to person but to generalize that or think all of that is true would be ignorant of any of us. Carbohydrate’s are not only not terrible for you but they are one of the most important factors for building muscle and growth, but again lets put that aspect aside and talk health. How do carbohydrates work? Carbs are broken down almost immediately after consumption (fun fact most are unaware of is that carbohydrates break down MUCH faster than fats or protein and if eating alone will almost immediately spike insulin which aside from immediately out of a fasting state or post workout this would not be a good thing) but they are then converted into sugar and ultimately glucose. Glucose is king and responsible for all of your bodies energy, almost solely responsible for healthy function of your immune system, and control things we do not even realize like temperature of our bodies, major effects on the stomach and GI tract and honestly the list goes on and on but point being, they are vital.
-Dietary fats are the entire reason we are writing this blog and why I saved the best for last. Dietary fats are a rare breed and although I feel ketosis is not healthy nor sustainable long term, I do believe whole heartedly that if I were forced to remove one of my three macronutrients that it could never under any circumstances be dietary fats. Why? Fats are responsible for brain development, controlling hormonal balance and protecting your organs. They are largely behind your body being able to process certain things and convert it efficiently and positively into others. Dietary fats help control inflammation in the body and even aid in blood clotting. If you are an adult male, fats are responsible for almost every ounce of your sexual reproductive system and if you are a woman, things like your menstrual cycle and child bearing etc. all revolve heavily around this. So overall as I am sure you can see, this is one very important macronutrient.
Now that we have a pretty solid breakdown of what the “idea” of ketosis actually is and how all three elements of dieting work and how they affect our everyday lives and overall health function, let’s dive head first into what ketosis actually is from a non-biased and scientific standpoint. To put it simply, the body will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS try to utilize carbohydrates not only first but wants to ONLY use carbs for its energy source. All of that is entirely true but leads me directly to what ketosis is and how/why it works. When the human body is 100% deprived of carbohydrates it will have no choice to find another source of energy, and it will. That source will always be dietary fats if it has to choose, and in a ketosis diet this is exactly what happens. Where the misconception lies HEAVILY is how long, how aggressive and amount of fats/carbs need to be in place or removed for this to happen. To truly deem ketosis you must ENTIRELY remove any 100% non-fibrous carbohydrates from your body for a minimum of 5-7 days (this varies person to person) but that is a good gauge and where the misconception lies is people think because they are “low carb” or I have even herd “carb cycling” hard can put you in ketosis and both are not true. The science and factual backing of ketosis is this simple….After a sustained stretch of ZERO carbs (again minimal 5-7 days) the body will acknowledge the fact it isn’t seeing any carbohydrates in the foreseeable future and understands it must find a way to fuel itself for survival, which leads directly to dietary fats. This process starts by the body producing what are known as “Ketones” in the blood and after doing so for a consistent and fairly short time frame is when the body will start to utilize this “new” effect as its main and essentially only energy source. We can dive deeper in a million ways from there but for sake of generalized point of this blog that is a perfect and fairly easy breakdown.
Ketosis does not seem So bad right? Well in an overview no, but what happens when all this takes place in the body? A lot…..Things like “Keto flu” you may have heard before and it isn’t made up, remember the body loves carbs for many things but two main components are immune function and body warming so you can say goodbye to those leading to what has been deemed “Keto flu” where many who truly enter ketosis either feel or actually are sick for a short time due to this harsh transition, and you better layer up as you will be quite chilly. Things like this although not life threatening, are not very fun. Health wise though there are many implications and some debatable of course but there is caution for possible elevated risk for heart disease, as well as concern for negative effects on cholesterol levels. Now always remember much of this is opinionated, driven by genetics, driven by choices of the dietary fats you choose while embarking on a ketosis diet, and other variables as well. Ultimately there is no proven negative side effects that are guaranteed from following a true keto diet and I will not be ignorant and say I know there are but one thing I want to leave you with is something I feel I have seen proven time and time again, and it is the aspect of longevity. Although the ketosis diet does work, and could be used for life is one chose to, the reality is it is short lived for most and what ensues is the worst and only real negative aspect which is the inevitable yo-yo that will take place as you go from not one gram of carbohydrates for weeks or months and jump into (most often for most deprived people at this stage) a ton of bad, sugary, and dense carbohydrates will inevitably lead to one big mess and not only physically but mentally as well. There is good and bad to anything in life and this I no different, so take away one thing from this blog regarding ketosis and it is that should you choose to embark on this nutritional method of dieting just please please please get educated best you can, if possible get guidance from someone knowledgeable and proven, and most of all please have a long term and short term plan in place for when and if you choose to transition back into a traditional diet. That’s our take on Ketosis from Healthy Hustle Fitness!
