Ketogenic and Low Carb diet blog

Ketogenics at KetoShop.com

Fish Oils and PSMF Diet and Omega 3’s and Rapid
Fat Loss Handbook

The ever so popular Protein Sparing Modi ed Fast diet, speci cally the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook by Lyle
McDonald is one of the most e ective fat loss protocols around. Previously discussed here: PSMF

Because of the low calorie design of the diet, a few supplements are essential to be able to function properly
and stick to the diet.

The most common and possibly most important thing one must supplement with on a PSMF, other than
electrolytes, are sh oils. With such low fat intake on this diet, supplemental essential fatty acids are of utmost
importance.  As per Lyle McDonald:

Research has found that the body will saturate tissue levels of the EPA and DHA at an intake of
roughly 1.8 grams EPA and 1.2 grams of DHA.

Depending on a dieters meal frequency, this should allow 2-3 sh oils capsules (or a teaspoon
of liquid sh oil) to be consumed with each meal.
 This works out to 10 standard one-gram sh oil capsules. Some companies make extra
concentrated sh oils, typically containing about double the EPA/DHA content. The main
bene t would be less pills to swallow, and a few less calories.

Ketogenics brand Fish Oils are triple strength and have a high EPA and DHA content. 5 to 6 pills a day is all you
need compared to 10+ pills of the average sh oil product on the market.  Click the image below to read more
or to place an order:

June 9, 2019 / Uncategorized / lyle mcdonald, lyle mcdonald psmf, Protein Sparing Modi ed Fast, psmf, rapid fat loss handbook, rapid
fat loss protocol / Leave a comment

How to stay keto during the Holidays – Dealing

with Holiday Weight Gain
So it is “that” time again, or better yet that “season”. All sorts of triggers around us innocent mostly-carb-
avoiding keto dieters. We have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc and of course New Years (parties). Let
us not forget one not so really but damn close enough “holiday” – our beloved Superbowl Sunday! These are
trying times in the life of a low-carber or anyone looking to stay in shape and not derail their fat loss and
e orts.

So what can you do to stay the course or at the least, keep any “damage” you may do to the absolute
minimum?

Keepin’ it Keto
Lets be honest, us Ketotonains love this time of the year, not because of the junk food that may be all around
us but more of the food we really love. Meat and cheese trays, all sorts of low carb nger foods, etc etc. So in
that regard it is pretty easy to “keep it keto” even though you may eat more calories then you usually do, at
least the stress of being “kicked out of ketosis” is not on the table. (Not that ketosis really matters but that is
another topic for another day)

There really is no excuse this time of the year (other than those darn peanut butter cups on Halloween) to be
able to stay keto since there are so many low carb foods that are part of the holidays. So if you plan to keep on
course, not “cheat’ as well as overeat then pat yourself on the back, you are the real MVP’s of the season and
have found that keto is not so much a “diet” but a way of eating and you have the control to stick to it.

Decide in advance if you plan to stay the course or not.

You should prepare yourself mentally for these events, prep yourself, your willpower and your state of mind
and envision hat you see happening. Do you plan to stay strict and not partake in not only “unfriendly keto”
foods but also eating just way too much, keto or not. Do you know from past experiences or you just know
yourself too well that you will probably end up eating stu /junk you really should not. Or maybe you realize
you are a grown adult and can handle one day o plan and can bounce right back without screwing you up for
the next few weeks. Try to plan ahead now so that you are not stressing out for weeks on end leading up to the
big day(s).

Prepare for the big day – diet a little harder – “Earn your Carbs”
For those who know you can’t resist, plan ahead. Maybe give yourself a goal weight or a certain pant size to get
down to so when the day comes you are so ahead of the game that you can “reward” yourself (nice way of
saying eating junk) and it won’t do much if any damage. Lose 15-20lbs leading up to the big day and enjoy
yourself.

Or if you nd that too stressful then just “prep” the week before. Get real strict with your diet, keep calories
AND fat low and prime yourself for the carb debauchery. If you normally eat 2000 calories a day or 14,000
calories a week then try 1,000-1,200 cals a day for 5-7 days prior to the big day (keep protein high and fat
lower). That is only 7,000-8,400 calories whereas your normal week is 14,000 so a de cit of 5,600 to 7,000
calories. In theory if you eat 5,000 to 7,000 calories in that one holiday event you should/won’t get fat. Yes you
will add some/ a lot of water but it goes away in a few days.

So you are giving yourself some padding to say, some “breathing room” in case you over do it. And you will see
that even if you over do it, a few days later after all the water and bloat is gone, you will feel ne and look ne!
Sometimes this is a good thing, the “whoosh e ect” as it is called.

PSMF

You can employ the “nuclear warhead” of diets and do a week of PSMF prior to the holiday get together. PSMF
stands for Protein Sparing Modi ed Fast, very high protein and very low fat an carbs; you can learn more about
that here: PSMF.

Again you may end up coming out of it looking and feeling just ne!

This is similar to priming a car before you paint it. You prep the surface in such a way that when it is time to
apply that paint and clear cloat it is near imperfection free!
So prime your body and enjoy yourself. Very similar to how tness and bodybuilding competitors do when
dieting for a show and then their post show “binge”. The next day, post binge they look better than before
they started! Yes this is not only possible but very common. But don’t go overboard.

Bring out the “big guns” – Intermittent Fasting

For those of us who also practice intermittent fasting this is even easier, almost laughably easy. Why? Because
fasting is a super e ective/easy/fast way to create a major caloric de cit.

Intermittent Fasting is the treadmill of the 21st century. What I mean by this is; in decades past we would eat
too much then go workout do hours of cardio, like a damn rat spinning our wheels and punishing ourselves. In
reality how many calories did we just burn? 300? 400? 600?

Enter Intermittent Fasting.

Skip ½ or the whole day? You just skipped on eating anywhere from 1200-2200 cals (just rough #’s). That is
like 8hrs of cardio and its SUPER EASY Just don’t eat! (fast)

You can fast a little longer than you normally do leading up to the big day(s) and then fast even longer the day
after the “event” (holiday parties). Post food fasting aka “damage control” is another tool and typically just
makes you feel better, drop some water weight and bloat. Works really well and makes you feel great. But plan
it ahead, put it on paper, don’t punish yourself and feel the post food fast is a punishment. Just plan it as part
of the protocol.
Grazing

In addition to fasting, grazing is my secret weapon. On holidays especially Thanksgiving I don’t really sit down
to large meals/servings. Instead I graze all day. Small little bits of food all day long. Then when it is time to sit
down, I eat some turkey (just to say I did) and some low carb stu ng, a very moderate child-like serving and
then back to grazing “desserts” later on or no desserts at all. This really works wonders as you feel satis ed all
the time with the constant small yet satisfying portions and don’t feel deprived as well as full and bloated.

When all else fails, “Ketofy that sumbitch”

This can actually be pretty fun and a challenge to give yourself. Come up with all sorts of “keto” versions of the
common carb loaded foods. This is rather easy with the various high ber, low to moderate fat products out
there. Cauli ower seems to be a top choice to replace certain carb foods. You can also make low carb desserts,
Protein Sludge etc. There really is no excuse, with the internet you can learn to copy cat any recipe and “keep it
keto”. And if you are going to someone’s house, bring stu with you. I do it every year and no one cares
because they are happy you brought something (insert smart guy meme here)

My advice is see if you can stick to your keto macros and build up such willpower that these holidays parties or
event’s will do nothing to you, they won’t break you. That is probably the best thing to do especially for those
who have an unhealthy relationship with food or come from a binge eating background.

As far as the best method to prepare for the days where you know you may go o plan. I follow the “earn your
carbs” mantra. I don’t like post binge punishment. (fasting too long after you ate crap). This works really well
for those that like to follow a cyclical ketogenic diet or PSMF that implement random but planned in advanced
carb or “refeed” days. The various carb and refeed days can be worked into the holidays perfectly and help you
stay on course.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare and almost nothing can go wrong. And often you are so proud of what you
accomplished that you decide you do not want to ruin what you just did by eating crap. Trust me I have done
this many times; passed on eating junk even though I prepped successfully for it! A win-win!

If you are able to diet a little harder, drop some extra fat not only does this give you a nice goal to look forward
too but you will come out of this with zero issues. I don’t ever partake in o plan eating unless I earned it well
that is not including those random “snaccidents” that happen from time to time.

I usually drop an extra 7-15lbs leading up to, preparing for the holiday season. Try it and see how you make
out!

November 21, 2018 / Uncategorized / Avoiding holiday weight gain, how to avoid holiday weight gain, how to stay keto on
thanksgiving, staying keto during the holidays / Leave a comment

The Carnivore Diet: Zero Carb Ketogenic Diet

So what is all the hype over Carnivore? The zero-carb, somewhat “keto-ish” diet that lots of people are really
enjoying and loving the results.
A carnivore /ˈkɑːrnɪvɔːr/, meaning “meat eater” (Latin, caro, genitive carnis, meaning “meat” or “ esh” and
vorare meaning “to devour”), is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet
consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue.

The carnivore diet – also known as the all meat diet or the carnivorous diet; entails eating almost nothing but
meat for every meal, every day. That means a lot of protein, fat, and almost zero carbs. Any carbs come from
non plant sources such as any trace amounts found in various curing methods in foods like bacon, pepperoni
etc.

The carnivore diet is based on the theory that our ancestors ate mostly meat because it wasn’t energy e cient
to gather a lot of fruit or vegetables. As a result, our bodies have evolved to run optimally on a meat-centric
diet. So the theory goes.

From my experience it seems carnivore achieves a few things:

Reduces in ammation.
Better gut health
Relieves constipation (yup without needing to add ber)
Drops water weight – reduces cortisol and in ammation
Better sleep
Better gym performance
Easier “weight” loss.
Solves digestion issues
…and some other non fat loss related things
Carnivore foods

Coming from 20+ yrs Keto to Carnivore this is the changes I made:

My keto foods:

Meats, some sh, no veggies (hate them), cheese, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, turkey, chicken, eggs, whey,
casein protein powder, almonds, mixed nuts etc, nut butters, mayo, low cal ketchup, cottage cheese, powdered
peanut butter from time to time to add to my whey protein, ax/chia/hemp seeds/meal etc.

My carnivore foods:

Meats; sh, bacon, pepperoni, turkey, chicken, sausage, etc

If you like to use protein powder supplements to meet your protein needs for the day you can use beef protein
isolate and egg white or whole egg protein powder.

Eggs and cheese are okay for some and not for others; I did not incorporate them. So my food choices are
simple. Meat and water.

I have been keto for over 20 years and started carnivore on 3/22/18. After starting strict carnivore for 7 days
and I felt amazing, down 8lbs (lots of water) and just feel darn good. Coming from an already great feeling you
get from keto, this was also unexpected since I already lost all the water weight from keto a long time ago.

Other notable things I experienced:

Great digestion/never any issues (whey and dairy and nuts would bloat me)

Never feel bloated or full, always feel good/empty in the stomach but not hungry.
Great energy.
VERY good workouts, great pump and energy.
No gas
No heartburn
Need less sleep
Don’t need as many electrolytes as I did on keto and less occurrence of headaches.

Why carnivore “works” for some

Helps breaks a “keto stall” (which is not really a stall just bad calorie tracking; read more HERE to learn why).

Since there are no foods to snack on or really over eat on, those foods that you forget to account for that add
up to hundreds of calories a day are removed so weight loss starts again. You also lose water from reduced
cortisol and in ammation and expelling all the bulk from veggies.

Helps digestion and in ammation, cortisol issues; possibly the biggest reason people do the diet. These things
mostly cause water retention.

I decided to go strict carnivore mid March 2018 for a few reasons. I had been dieting since Thanksgiving 2017, a
good solid 4 months. Weight was moving down but not as fast as prior dieting phases. Then for 6 weeks I kept
losing and gaining the same 2 to 3 lbs. It was very odd because the way I diet is I lose a consistent 1 pound of fat
per week.
It was odd because I NEVER stall. Me, stall? HA! cmon now I am a pro at dieting. Interesting tidbit: I also
started doing less and less carb ups in fact I was maybe doing once a month and I still believe that’s one of the
reasons why I was “stalling”. I had doing a CKD (Cyclical Ketogenic Diet) for over 20 years I never stalled, not
once and I owe that to the switching it up with the sporadic carbohydrate refeeds and I was not doing that for
the past 4 months. Agree or not I felt that was a factor for the problems I was experiencing.

I was also thinking maybe I was su ering from the perils of Adaptive Thermogenesis: stress, cortisol 
in ammation, water retention – which in fact doesn’t mean you’re not losing fat but it’s not seen in the
mirror or scale because of the water weight you’re holding onto while you’re losing fat (scale doesn’t move).
*Trigger warning*: carbs as well as a diet break are one of the handful of tools used to help o set this for
those who try to x it.

Adaptive Thermogenesis often kicks in after you have been in a caloric de cit too long, too low, it’s a response
to the stress of dieting. You’re body is trying to maintain homeostatic often referred to “set point theory”.
 The biggest side e ect seen other than inability to lose weight is holding onto a lot of water. I may or may not
have experienced true Adaptive Thermogenesis but one of the side e ects was the same, I was looking
soft/holding water.

To x this and drop the water etc I gured let me do what I used to do back in the 90s which was an Atkins
“Fat Fast” (silly name but people know it) which is basically strict carnivore: meat and water and nothing else.
I have people that I help that are stalled do these and it works wonders but I haven’t had to do one myself in
decades.

As I mentioned about it works for a couple of reasons; it can help with cortisol issues, removes any sort of
in ammation and water retention you’re having from any potential food allergies or sensitivities to dairy etc.
Veggies often cause issues with people (no veggies on carnivore).
It also works for another reason: it’s a 100% strict tracking because you’re not snacking on anything because
those snacks are not part of carnivore it’s meat and water and that’s it. No sneaking in some nuts or nut butter
here and there, no cheese even whey protein is eliminated (replaced with beef protein isolate and egg and egg
white protein powder if need be). So the biggest snack foods (calories) and water retention, in ammation
o enders are eliminated.

Cyclical Carnivore Diet

In 2+ months doing this I have adapted it to my style and been having great success for what I coined the term
“Cyclical Carnivore Diet” aka CCD.

In fact it’s quite genius because on a regular keto diet (or any diet) you’ll nd a couple of things; you’ll nd
people like me that cycle carbs sporadically (CKD) and then you’ll nd people like me or just your average keto
dieter who does not cycle carbs but that has episodes where they’re craving carbs very bad. The great thing
about carnivore; I don’t crave carbs but once in awhile I do crave standard ketogenic macros/foods which is
such a beautiful thing because if you go o plan for one day – who cares because you’re eating standard
ketogenic macros within your caloric limit and can still lose fat. Your “cheat meal” is not a cheat at all.

So what I’ve been doing is 5 days on 2 days o for 6 days on 1 days o where I go super strict carnivore all week
(meat and water) and then one or both days over the weekend I just eat my standard keto macros. I don’t add
veggies back since I never ate them anyway but typically involves a lot more cheese and nuts, ax meal, whey
protein for my “protein sludge”.

It gives the same e ect that I had on a cyclical ketogenic diet with regards to mentally staying the course and
always looking forward to the weekend and not eating junk on the weekend. It does wonders for diet
adherence. In fact this is the longest I have gone in decades without a “carb up” and I will see how this goes
and how long I will do it.

So for those looking to change things up or maybe you feel you are having some food intolerance issues,
holding water or just stuck at a certain bodyweight for too long; going carnivore, even if for only a short while
may be just the thing you need.

To learn more visit the Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/KetoCarnivoreIF/

May 27, 2018 / Uncategorized / Carnivore, Carnivore diet, meat and water, meat only diet, zero carb diet / Leave a comment

Atkins Fat Fast | Egg Fast | Beef and Butter Fast

What is a Fat Fast

Atkins Fat Fast, Egg Fast, Beef and Butter Fast for all intents purposes for this blog post these will be treated as
one in the same with regards to the reasons why they are done and the results they are purported to provide.
From time to time we see these phrases or dietary protocols thrown around that some people like to
incorporate into their keto lifestyle to accelerate their weight loss or break through a “stall”.  Decades ago Dr.
Atkins would recommend his patients try a fat fast if they were extremely insulin resistant and had a hard time
getting into ketosis or having a stall for longer than 3 weeks. Even though most “stalls” really are not stalls at
all (read more about that here).

The original “Fat Fast” designed by Dr Atkins consisted of a 3 to 5 day cycle in which you consume around
1,000 calories a day. 85%-90% of those calories would come from fat. In addition, Dr Atkins preferred people
eat 4-5 small meals per day instead of 1-2 larger ones during the fat fast.

Unlike, Atkins’ general advice of eat all you want (until satis ed) and just count carbs, the Fat Fast is a calorie,
carb and protein restricted approach where one eats a very narrow range of fat-based foods for a short period
of time.

Why the fat fast works

The fat fast is often (but not always) lower calorie than what you were previously consuming. Atkins had
people keep calories at around 1,000 and the typical Atkins dieters on their normal days kept calories between
1,500-1,800/day. So this large reduction of calories down to 1,000 calories/day will of course cause weight loss.

It is a nearly carb free protocol, so even more water is lost similar to when a keto dieter rst starts a ketogenic
diet; hence scale weight drops. This is also good for those who are very carb sensitive and need to severely
restrict carbs to become fat adapted, be e cient at using fat for fuel or enter ketosis at all (even thought
ketosis does not equal fat loss as discussed here)
Typically most dairy type of foods (but not always) are removed during the fast, especially during egg and beef
and butter fasts. Those sensitive people who remove dairy during the fat fast will have better results due to
reduced water/cortisol/in ammation. Certain individuals are sensitive to dairy as well as certain protein
sources that leads to in ammation and water retention. The removal of these foods often cause a large drop in
water weight rather fast.

Removing any sort of plant based foods, veggies, nuts, etc will also help o set in ammation, bloat and water
retention; for those sensitive to these things.

So in essence the “fat fast” was a quick way to drop water weight.

On average the typical dieter would lose around 1lb a day (of scale weight) on a fat fast. It’s rather hard to lose
pure fat that fast, especially for someone who has already been dieting and losing weight for a while; so it is
mostly water. It could though lead to more weight loss and a higher percentage of it being fat if one was to do
the “fast” (large de cit) longer.

In my opinion, a huge reason why the fat fast works is because it requires precision with tracking, no snacking
or cheating. You are taking a person who may not be counting those nuts they eat here and there, maybe some
food they picked on while making dinner, maybe a few tbsp of heavy cream in their co ee etc. Often 500-600
calories a day are going “unnoticed” or unaccounted for by the typical keto dieter. So this removes all those
“mysterious calories” that you are eating and did not realize and thus stalling your weight loss.

Dr Atkins was very speci c in saying the Fat Fast is a calorie, carb and protein restricted approach where one
eats a very narrow range of fat-based foods. This makes a person track with near precision and not “lazy keto”
as we call it. So those extra 500+ calories are no longer being consumed and yet another reason why these fat
fasts “work”; the people are eating less.
The Fat Fast is a controlled carb program where you COUNT CALORIES. (Atkins, Robert C. Dr Atkins’ New Diet
Revolution. New York, 2002. 272-274.)

From the Atkins o cial web site:

The Fat Fast is a low-calorie, high-fat program (1,000 calories/day and 80% fat).

*They do not recommend the Fat Fast without medical supervision.

*All it does is shift water balance.
*You will see the scale move, but as soon as you start eating normally again, some weight will creep back often
to the same starting point.

Typically the way we did the fat fast in the early 1990s was just have lots of meat and water, basically a zero
carb carnivore diet; a “carnivore fast”. Things like ground beef, sausage, bacon etc. No condiments, no mayo,
ketchup, sauces (regardless of how low carb they were) etc. This did work well, it did result in “scale weight
loss”.

The “eat more fat” segment of the ketogenic world

These “fat fasts” are what I blame for all the misinformed keto dieters who chant “eat more fat” to accelerate
fat loss because they heard from the 80’s and 90’s that FAT fasts causes people to lose weight (not fat) and
break through a stall; they assumed it was the fat intake causing the weight loss. But it was not. They also
assumed it was fat loss, it is not. It was lower calories and water loss that caused the weight loss during the
“fast”. Do this too long (high fat, low protein) and then you start losing muscle, hence more “scale weight”
loss. Not a good idea.
So are these “fasts” a gimmick”?

Yes and no.

They are not fasts because a fast is the act of not eating. If you are eating you are not fasting. Period.

I think the word fast is thrown in there to imply your body will be acting as if it is fasting and magically lose
weight super fast while you are still “eating”. So who really knows. They are though very gimmicky, “egg
fast”, “beef and butter fast” there is even a “avocado fast”. These are just wacky names for those who feel
they need some gimmick to lose weight when in fact all they need is proper tracking of their daily food intake
and consistency. Nothing else.

The #1 reason deiters fail is because lack of consistency in their diet. Understand that all diets work, it is the
dieter that has an issue adhering to the diet and the reason for less than desirable results on most “diets” a
person follows.

I would avoid doing these things, which are often short term and stick with a sensible long term way of eating;
ie ketogenic diet with tracking your food intake. The ketogenic diet is regarded to be superior to just about any
other dietary protocol with regards to adherence. Adhering to the diet, adhering to the meal plan/food choices,
adhering to the being able to control your food intake ie; maintain a caloric de cit. So don’t try to x what
isn’t broken.

Do you need a fat fast to break a stall?

No.
Or better yet understand what it is and why it works:

It is lower calorie then your previous intake.

It is nearly zero carbs.
It is limited food choices.
It requires you to count calories.
It results in a large caloric de cit.
It often reduces water retention, in ammation

BUT you can do that without having to partake in some fancy named short term dietary gimmick.

How? By tracking everything you eat so there is no guessing and no cheating on your diet.

Avoid snacking, avoid eating while you prepare meals. Nuts, and nut butters are notorious for pushing people
over their daily caloric maintenance. A serving size is so small that most people hardly ever keep it to “one
serving”. Also they taste great and have a “Doritos e ect” where you can’t have just one. Stop using so much
creamer and heavy cream or “BPC” co ee that just results in a huge amount of often nutrient void calories. So
in essence, control/watch your food intake.

If you would like to learn more how to overcome a stall on a ketogenic diet click here.

BUT before you go… what if there WAS a super e ective “fancy named short term dietary (non gimmicky)
protocol” that would ensure you not only break through a stall but to lose fat at an accelerated rate?

Good news; there is one.

Enter, The Protein Sparing Modi ed Fast.

First developed in the 1970s, the PSMF has been ned tuned by Lyle McDonald in his Rapid Fat Loss Handbook
and is regard by those in the health and tness and dieting world as the gold standard and most e ective fat
loss protocol that has ever been put down on paper.

To read more about the PSMF click here.

May 8, 2018 / Uncategorized / Atkins fat fast, beef and butter fast, egg fast, Fat fast, Protein Sparing Modi ed Fast / Leave a comment

Whey Protein Sludge

So what exactly is protein sludge?

It all started way back around 1993 when I bought my rst box of Met-Rx meal
replacement packets (MRP’s). I was used to egg white, whey and some other protein
powders but never tried a true MRP. I added it to the blender like I would with any other
powder and did not use enough water. Compared to just straight protein powder, Met-
Rx required a lot more liquid. Well it was so thick I gured why not let me eat it out of
the blender with a spoon, and I was sold on it forever! From that day on I started making
protein “sludge” as I coined it, every time I had a packet.
After that and to this very day I hardly ever “drink” a protein shake, 99% of the time I eat with a spoon via
“Protein Sludge”.

There are so many variations and the key is to make it smooth and creamy and without the carbs. Met-Rx
contained a protein blend plus maltodextrin (a carb) so this is what made it so creamy or like a sludge when
added to a small amount of liquid.

To replicate the consistency using just protein powder I had to add a few things. Whey protein was always the
base but it clumps up by itself. I then discovered Soy Protein Isolate. It was a game changer! Made it so perfect
and creamy, my perfect sludge. Then after a while I realized soy really should be avoided no matter how good a
quality of a soy I used.

I started adding in ax meal which helped a lot even a little sugar free Jell-O pudding (8gms of maltodextrin
per serving) and this helped as well. But the REAL “binding agent” to make the PERFECT sludge was PEANUT
BUTTER. Oh…. that plus whey and some cold water, milk, etc was the bees knees.

But keep it low carb, low fat or mainly protein a whey protein blend or various sources of protein powder was
needed. Then many years later Micellar Casein protein became popular and this was the needed ingredient to
make the perfect, protein only sludge!

Usually it’s a 1:1 ratio or 1.5:1 So 1 to 1.5 scoop of whey protein isolate and 1 scoop of casein. 2 scoops/2 scoops,
etc.

You can add anything else you like: nut butter, ax meal, chia meal, ax seeds, some almonds, you name it. As
long as its keeping within your macros.
The “invention” of powdered peanut butter; PB2 etc really took this to a new level such that if you add
enough, you don’t need any casein to make the whey creamy but the carb/calorie count ads up.

You can also use cottage cheese as the binder or “sludge catalyst”. Whey alone just doesn’t do it so that is why
these other protein sources, nut butters etc are used AND they taste amazing!

EDIT: since this post I have received a lot of feedback from people basically saying “how the heck do I make this, give
me the cli notes”  so here you go:

Basic sludge recipe:

Take a mug, cup, bowl etc and add a little liquid, you can use water, unsweetened almond milk, liquid egg whites etc.
Whatever “keeps it keto” for you.

Start with 2-4 ounces of water (cold or room temp) then add in 2-3 scoops of powder. Typical ratios to make the
sludge creamy is 1 scoop of whey, 1 scoop of casein. Or 1.5 scoops of each, 2 scoops of each etc. Trial and error. Less
liquid is best, add more if you need too and if it is too thick

You do not need anything else, that it is it!

You can add a little cinnamon if you want, maybe a touch of Stevia, whatever is your fancy.

For those who want to kick it up a botch you can add:

1-2 tbsp of powdered peanut butter

And/or:
1-2 tbsp of real peanut butter, almond butter or any nut butter.
Flax meal, chia meal, hemp etc.
Halo Top, etc type low cal ice-creams  – in moderation.

Keep in mind this adds a lot of fat, protein sludge is meant to be a protein snack not a fat bomb but do as you please as
per your goals. Also those low cal ice creams like Halo Top will start pushing your carbs and calories up, so remember
protein sludge was always about protein rst so add whatever else you want, like you would add options on a car…to
each their own.

Though I can tell you protein sludge + ax meal makes one VERY “regular” and is a tasty way to help keep the “pipes
moving” so to say.

Here are a bunch of my Instagram protein sludge posts to get an idea of how creative and tasty you can get.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb28oh7B-xi/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/B _pTIh5fM/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf02ebWh9As/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be1cApEh7OL/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUX_xGFAnWp/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQEKHOCgA3Z/?taken-by=keto_diesel
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFfPrlIwPoS/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFW9YZ-QPvf/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFNQUArwPkM/?taken-by=keto_diesel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKbxx5_gzYw/?taken-by=keto_diesel

April 11, 2018 / Uncategorized / Protein Fluff, Protein Powder Fluff, Protein Powder Sludge, Protein Sludge, Whey Protein Sludge /
Leave a comment
Do you have to Count Calories on a Ketogenic Diet
– Do Calories Matter?

Do you need to count calories on a low-carb or ketogenic diet?

Answer: Yes.

I could end this blog post right  there but I wont.

So yes the simple answer is that you do need to count calories and calories count, no matter what you have
heard otherwise; this is a fact.

The long answer.

The biggest misconception of the ketogenic diet is that you do not need to track calories and track macros and
that calories really do not matter as long as you eat low carb. Some have gone as far as making claim that you
can “eat as much as you want and still lose fat” as long as you are eating low carbs.

This error in this thinking dates back decades ago when Dr. Atkins would preach that you do not have to worry
about calories on a ketogenic diet BUT that does not mean they do not matter or that they do not count.

What Dr. Atkins was trying to explain is that because a ketogenic diet (with adequate protein) has very strong
appetite suppressing e ect; it makes you naturally eat less. So while his statement of not worrying about
calories is true, he means that you won’t eat enough that it will be a problem or better yet it is hard to eat too
much on this diet because of the satiating e ects of the diet.

“A hierarchy has been observed for the satiating e cacies of the macronutrients protein, carbohydrate and
fat, with protein as most satiating and fat as least satiating.”
ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17824197

Unfortunately too many people took this to mean you can eat all you want and lose weight. This then became a
catchphrase in marketing of diet books. Just think how many books/diets one can sell if the title says “Eat all
you want and lose weight”. Lots of unethical salesman out there made and still make a fortune over this claim.

If you eat too much of anything you won’t be able to lose weight, whether it is zero carbs or hundreds of grams
of carbs. Energy Balance/Calories is the main predictor of fat loss/fat gain and millions upon millions of dollar
have been spent on medical ward studies proving this.

Energy intake that exceeds energy expenditure is the main driver of weight
gain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5325830/

Total energy intake remains the dietary predictor of body

weight: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26413954

Low Carb vs Low Fat weight loss

One of many examples/studies proving that energy balance or calories matter is a 12 week study, directed by
Penelope Greene of the Harvard School of Public Health where they compared weight loss on a low carb diet vs
those on a standard low fat diet.

In the study, 21 overweight volunteers were divided into three categories: Two groups were randomly assigned
to either low fat or low-carb diets with 1,500 calories for women and 1,800 for men; a third group was also low-
carb but got an extra 300 calories a day. The low-carb meals were 5 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein
and 65 percent fat. The rest got 55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein and 30 percent fat. So this was a
true ketogenic diet at 5% carbs. In the past studies have failed to have a true ketogenic diet as one of the study
groups, this one did not make that mistake.

In the end, everyone lost weight.

Summary:

Low carb group 1500 and 1800 calories (women vs men) – avg “weight loss” was 23lbs.
Low fat group  1500 and 1800 calories (women vs men) – avg “weight loss” was 17lbs.
Low carb group 1800 and 2100 calories (women vs men) – avg “weight loss” was 20lbs.

As we all know a ketogenic diet leads to a lot of water loss in the early stages of the diet, so that is what we are
seeing with these results, the extra 6lbs “weight loss” is often attributed to the water loss in the rst few
weeks of the diet. The other factor is the satiating e ects of protein (you end up eating less) and higher
Thermic E ect of Food plus the fact it is near impossible to store excess protein as fat results in higher weight
loss for those who eat more protein, NOT those who eat less carbs. It is always the protein.

The thermic e ect of food is the caloric cost of digesting and processing di erent macronutrients. Protein has
a thermic e ect up to of ve times greater than carbohydrates or fat. The average person will burn up to 30
percent of the calories in protein foods just to process them. Carbohydrates thermic e ect averages between 15
and 20 percent of the calories in those foods. Fats only have a thermic e ect of only 2 to 3 percent. This means
that your net caloric gain from fats averages 97 to 98 percent of their total calories, compared with a net
caloric gain of about 70 percent of the calories in protein.

So any low carb diet that looks like it is superior to the weight (fat) loss of a low fat diet in fact has zero to do
with the low carb intake, but everything to do with protein intake. Most diet comparison studies do not match
protein and calories, if they did then the “fat” loss (not water weight) results would all be the same; low-fat,
low-carb, high-carb, high-fat as long as protein is matched as well as calorie intake.

Calories matter

So back to the study results above. It indeed proved that calories matter, the lower calorie low-carb group
LOST MORE weight than the higher calorie low-carb group. Dismissing the myth that calories do not matter
on a low-carb/ketogenic diet.

Do you have to count calories and track your macros

So the question still needs to be answers – do you have to count calories on a ketogenic diet. Yes and No.

Whether or not you’re actually counting calories, your body is counting calories.

Basically what that means is you can’t eat over what your body’s maintenance caloric level is and think you’re
not going to gain weight. For those who do not track calories yet are able to lose weight, it is like saying you
never look at the gas gauge on your car and you never run out of gas…that doesn’t mean that you have special
magic abilities that just means you got lucky and you got gas in time before you ran out.
So by you not actually counting calories is ne but that means you’re staying under maintenance and that’s
why you’re able to lose weight. Until you stall….

Not counting calories and stalling on a ketogenic diet

It is inevitable for a ketogenic dieter to hit a stall and after working with thousands of low carb ketogenic
dieters who have stalled, we see that once they start tracking every calorie they eat and start making
adjustments to reduce calories they break the stall and start losing weight again. So it turned out they were
eating too much. This again shows why calories matter on a ketogenic diet or any diet for that matter.

Do only calories matter?

So are calories the only piece of the puzzle, the only part of the equation of fat loss? No but it is the #1, main
predictor of weight loss; energy balance. Hormones, genetics, body type, food allergies, in ammation etc all
play important yet small role in the overall equation but hormones and genetics will never come before energy
balance nor with the hormonal response to a meal or type of calorie eaten supersede the weight loss e ects of
a calorie de cit.

If you nd that your weight loss has stalled and you have not been tracking your calorie intake, this is a good
sign that it is time to count and track your food intake and make adjustments to start losing again.
March 18, 2018 / Uncategorized / calories in vs calories out, CICO, do calories matter on a ketogenic diet, do you have to count calories
on a ketogenic diet, energy balance / Leave a comment

Recommend supplements on a ketogenic diet

O cial KetoGenics® recommended supplements to take on a ketogenic

diet

Supplements are just that, to supplement above and beyond an already balanced diet. The problem is and
especially on a ketogenic diet, not all needed nutrients are consumed with the available foods choices that
make up a ketogenic diet.

In addition to the potential lack of certain nutrients on a low carb diet, even if you are able to eat the foods you
need to get all the nutrients your body requires for optimal health, your e orts often fall short because of the
low quality food on the market as well as nutrient depleted soils the crops are raised in contain. In addition,
the overuse of pesticides and chemicals that are used in the treatment of crops greatly reduces their level of
nutrients. Animals who are fed these crops are growing with less than optimal nutrient levels and thus is
re ected in the meat that comes from them.

To get deeper into this nutrient depletion topic check out the blog post here: Is a multivitamin needed on a
ketogenic diet?

This list below serves to describe some needed supplements as well as supplements that go above and beyond
“need” but more so help achieve optimal health and performance which may or may not be optimal for some.
It all depends on your goals.

Electrolytes

Without a doubt, the most important class of nutrients needed on a low carb and ketogenic diet are
electrolytes, especially sodium, potassium and magnesium; chloride and calcium also play an important role.

On a ketogenic your body excretes more water than it stores and with this water loss the minerals found in
that water are excreted as well. It becomes hard for your body to function properly when it is depleted of these
key electrolytes. Here is some further reading and in depth blog post looks at the Importance of Electrolytes on
a Ketogenic Diet

Sodium

The easiest way to up your sodium intake is to liberally salt all your foods.  Choose salty foods such as bacon
and sh and bacon…did we say bacon? An even tastier way is to have some warm bouillon broth in water a
few times a day.

Bouillon can be found here.  Herb-Ox Bouillon

Potassium
The preferred form of potassium for a ketogenic dieter is potassium chloride. Some foods choices to up your
potassium intake are avocados, nuts, dark leafy green vegetables. A popular seasoning many use to up their
potassium intake is No Salt.

No Salt (potassium chloride) can be found here: No Salt

A good all-in-one Electrolyte Supplement that is super popular among ketogenic dieters is Keto-Lytes, found
at this link: Keto-Lytes Electrolyte Support

Magnesium

Some good food sources of magnesium would be leafy green vegetates, cacao/ dark chocolate, certain nuts,
pumpkin seeds, fatty sh like halibut, salmon and mackerel.

A good supplement form of magnesium would be Magnesium Glycinate. A typical dosage is 400mg taken at
night before bed.

Kal Brand magnesium glycinate is very popular among ketogenic dieters, found here:  Magnesium Glycinate

Protein Powder

Since a ketogenic diet is naturally appetite suppressing, many people nd it a struggle to hit the required
protein amounts for the day. Supplementing with protein powder, especially whey and/or micellar casein
protein is ideal to get in all your protein. Whey protein is top chouce and the 3 types of whey recommended are
Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, Whey Protein Isolate Cold-Filtration and Whey Protein Isolate Micro ltration

Our recommend whey protein brands:

Dymatize Iso-100

NutraBio Whey

TrueNutrition.com – make/ avor your own protein blends.

The above brands also make their own micellar casein which is another good quality protein source.

For those with dairy issues or vegans, Pea Protein Isolate is a good option and can be found at True Nutrition
Pea Protein

A lot of keto and low carb dieters like to use Isopure no carb protein powder but this is a very poor choice and
we do NOT recommend it. Isopure 1990’s Ion-exchange technology. Ion exchange heats the protein during
the manufacturing process, when you heat protein, the peptides and amino’s break apart, which makes it
tougher to absorb.

Stick with cold ltered whey or hydro-whey as outlined in the above choices.

Omega Fatty Acids

We can’t say enough about the great bene ts of Omega 3’s and sh oils in general. Our recommendations are:

Mega Epa/Dha

Krill Oil

Plant sources of Omega 3’s:

Flax Meal

Chia Meal

Hemp Protein Fiber – comes with the added bene t of additional protein from the hemp seeds.

Constipation and Fiber supplements

Even though there is plenty of meat and adequate vegetables, some ketogenic dieters nd themselves
constipated on the diet, here are a few things that can help:

Pysllium Fiber

Inulin – Prebiotic Fiber

Magnesium Citrate (more of a laxative e ect)

Flax meal, Chia Meal, Hemp Protein ber – all previously mentioned above are great sources of ber and are
VERY helpful in keeping things “moving”

Cascara sagrada (more of a laxative e ect)

Sleep aids

There are various reasons why some people have sleep issues on a ketogenic diet, we get into more detail here
at this blog post: Insomnia on a ketogenic diet

Some helpful remedies include:

SnoozeControl™ – all in one Ketogenic sleep aid.

Some individual ingredients that are common sleep aids:

Magnesium Glycinate – 400mg at night before bed, not really a sleep aid but does help relax you.

Melatonin –  a hormone found naturally in the body that helps regulate other hormones and maintains the
body’s circadian rhythm.

5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan)

Glycine – functions as a calming neurotransmitter in the brain.

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) – helps promote relaxation and ease nervous tension.

Pre Workouts powders

These are more luxury non-essential items but are useful and have a huge following in the tness community.

It seems the #1 ingredient in an e ective pre-workout is ca eine or a similar stimulant. It is cheap and it is
e ective. Other ingredients that are rather popular are the various “pump” type ingredients such as creatine,
citrulline, glycerol, arginine, taurine, agmatine, betaine and a few others.

Some good all-in-one pre workouts we recommend are below:

Nutra Brio PRE – Would be our #1 choice for this category.

Kaged Muscle Pre Kaged

Pre JYM

Non Stim:

Allmax H:vol

Primeval Labs MEGA PRE

Fat Burners

This category is more of the specialty category and not considered must have supplements. While fat burners
do “work” it only accounts for a small % of the weight loss in those who are dieting and following a calorie
reduced diet.

ECA stack – the most e ect and researched “far burning stack”; Ca eine Ephedrine and Aspirin. Typically
taken 15-20 minutes on an empty stomach prior to meals. Since Ephedrine is a gray area of legality, we won’t
go into much detail. There are plenty of resources on Google for the “ECA Stack”

Other notable mentions are any sort of “fat burner” or supplement that raises your heart rate and increases
Free Fatty Acids (FFA’s) in the bloodstream, others focus on BAT – (Brown Adipose Tissue thermogenesis),
PPAR and AMPK activation and increase metabolic rate.

Green Tea Extract –  has good antioxidant properties and can have some bene cial e ects on increasing
resting metabolism and increase rates of fat oxidation (or fat burning)

Green Co ee Bean Extract – has good antioxidant properties, glucose disposal properties and involved in
fatty-acid transport and oxidation.

L-Carnitine L-Tartrate –  helps shuttle fatty acids across cell membranes to be oxidized by mitochondria. This
can be useful on a ketogenic diet to help shuttle dietary fats can’t get into the mitochondria and be burned for
fuel

Capsicum Extract
A recent study with 40 healthy adults examining the e ects of either 2 mg capsaicinoids from 100 mg of
Capsimax or placebo on resting energy expenditure, heart rate and blood pressure showed that supplementing
with this low dose of Capsimax increased metabolic rate which calculated to an equivalent to burning an extra
116 calories per day. Moreover, though resting energy expenditure varies with each individual, this increase
would yield almost 1 lb. of fat lost over 30 days.

With the low availability of Capsimax, most people buy Cayenne Pepper Extract instead.

We believe the real bene ts of these “fat burning” ingredients would be used pre-fasted cardio. Take them 15
– 20 minutes prior to cardiovascular activity. Many of these ingredients help release Free Fatty Acids (FFA’s)
into the blood stream to be used during the cardiovascular exercise.

If not taken prior to cardio, then take 15-20 minutes prior to a meal should su ce.

Other notable supplement mentions:

Probiotic

Science has really evolved regarding healthy gut bacteria and optimal healthy. Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac says it
beautifully here:

“Research over the past two decades has revealed that gut health is critical to overall health, and that an unhealthy gut
contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder,
depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.
In fact, many researchers (including myself) believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the
gut barrier will be one of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century.”

If you were to remove all supplements and only allowed to take one for the rest of your life it would be wise to
choose a probiotic as that one supplement.

Learn more about our favorite probiotic here:  KetoBIOTIC

Ketogenic Multi Vitamins

Essential Amino Acids

Most commonly used are Branched Chained Amino Acids (BCAA’s) which are really not worth it especially if
you are consuming adequate protein on a daily basis but with the availability of Essential Amino Acids (EAA’s)
which have a complete amino acid pro le that also includes BCAA’s, it makes a standalone BCCA product
worthless. If you feel you must have some extra amino’s then get the right ones, EAA’s.

PEScience Amino IV is good product.

Vitamin D – may or may not be lowered on a ketogenic diet but a rather good supplement to look into.

Alpha Lipoic Acid – a very potent antioxidant which can also increase insulin sensitivity resulting in lower
insulin levels, higher glucagon and a faster entry into deeper ketosis from speeding up liver glycogen
depletion. Can also opt for the more expensive R-Ala or Na-R-ala forms of Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Curcumin – tons of bene ts and most commonly used to ease in ammation.

In Summary

While there are plenty of other vitamins and supplements one could take on their question for optimal health.,
tried to keep this list simple and of course cost e ective for the average keto dieter. Remember you can’t out
supplement a bad diet. Make sure you are eating a healthy diet that involves exercise and use supplements as
needed.

March 13, 2018 / Uncategorized / ketogenic diet supplements, Ketogenic diet vitamins, low carb supplements, low carb vitamins,
recommended supplements for a ketogenic diet / Leave a comment

Is a multivitamin needed on a ketogenic diet

Should you be supplementing with a multivitamin on a ketogenic diet

Supplements are just that, to supplement above and beyond an already balanced diet. The problem is and
especially on a ketogenic diet, not all needed nutrients are consumed with the available foods choices that
make up a ketogenic diet.

In addition to the potential lack of certain nutrients on a low carb diet, even if you are able to eat the foods you
need to get all the nutrients your body requires for optimal health, your e orts often fall short because of the
low quality food on the market as well as nutrient depleted soils the crops are raised in contain. Furthermore,
the overuse of pesticides and chemicals that are used in the treatment of crops greatly reduces their levels.

A famous study done at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
was published in December 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. They studied nutritional
data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 di erent vegetables and fruits, nding declines in the amount of protein,
calcium, phosphorus, iron, ribo avin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century.

There were several other studies with similar ndings: A Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to
1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent; iron levels 37 percent;
vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent. A study of British nutrient data from 1930 to 1980,
published in the British Food Journal, found that in 20 vegetables the average calcium content had declined 19
percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent. Another study concluded that a person would have to eat
eight oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as decades ago.

A report comparing the nutritional content of food in 1940 and 2002 shows that the mineral content of
vegetables, fruits, meat and milk has fallen signi cantly over the past 60 years, in some cases by as much as
70%. And the loss of essential minerals – such as calcium, magnesium and iron – from our food can have
serious implications for health.

For the ketogenic dieter with regards to animal products, meat, poultry etc – there is declining nutritional
content in industrial meats and animal products. The report also examined data from 15 di erent meats and
found that iron levels fell by an average of 47%, with the highest drop being 80%. Compared to 1940, chicken
now contains more than twice as much fat, a third more calories and a third less protein. This is likely
explained by the quality of animal feed.
Ref: http://www.mineralresourcesint.co.uk/pdf/Mineral_Depletion_of_Foods_1940_2002.pdf

So it seems even if we try to eat as many high quality nutrient-dense foods and vegetables, sometimes our
e orts fall short. Supplementing with a ketogenic multi-vitamin may be just what we need.

March 13, 2018 / Uncategorized / Ketogenic multivitamin, multivitamins on a ketogenic diet / 1 Comment

How to break a stall on a Ketogenic Diet

Breaking a Stall on a Ketogenic Diet

On a ketogenic diet, your body will lose a lot of water weight in the rst couple of days due to carbohydrate
restriction, but fat loss depends primarily on calorie intake. Since weight loss is not linear and doesn’t happen
at a constant rate, there are bound to be plateaus or stalls or periods of times when the scale just won’t budge;
but this doesn’t mean you have stalled.

Your body loses a lot of water weight (scale weight) the 1st few days or weeks of a ketogenic diet, the scale loss
numbers are rather big. After your body adjusts to the ketogenic diet and starts to burn/lose mainly fat (as
long as you are in a caloric de cit) the scale numbers seem much lower. But this is not bad.

For example, if you lost 7lbs the 1st week, 5 lbs the 2nd week and only 2 lbs
the 3rd week…chances are the 1st and 2nd week was mostly water and maybe you only lost 2lbs of fat. So in
this case you are still doing good and you are on track, you are not stalled nor did your “fat” loss slow down.
Your “weight loss” did but we only care about “fat loss”.

That is why using a scale to gauge your fat loss progress is near useless and stressful since the numbers do not tell you
what is truly going on.

Now let’s say you have been on the diet a while 6-8+ weeks and you no longer see “scale weight” loss, again it
doesn’t matter but work with me for a bit here. If you are exercising you probably put on some muscle. For
example lets say you lost 1lb of fat and gained 1lb of muscle in a week…the scale shows ZERO change, BUT you
still lost fat This is a good thing! (can you see the trend here?- ditch the scale). Use the mirror and how
clothes t to track your progress.

So far the “stall” is not yet a stall since you are still losing fat.
But what happens when you really hit a true stall or a plateau? Clothes are not tting better in fact maybe they
are tighter? You do not look any better in the mirror for the past few weeks. What is going on here is closer to a
true stall than anything else. Sometimes stalls are just part of the process and you need to wait it out.

Whoosh E ect

Another thing that may be going on is that your body is about to experience the “whoosh e ect” which will
sneak up on you one day and you all of a sudden lose a few pounds or more on the scale. This happens after
your fat cells that have held onto water for a period of time nally release it and a decent amount of scale
weight drops o .  But it is water, not fat but it still makes you feel good to see the numbers dropping again.

Tracking Macros

After all these things are accounted for and you are still not losing weight then it is time to look at your
macros; Fat, Protein and carbs. How much of each are you eating in grams and ultimately how many calories
per day.

Since a ketogenic diet is naturally appetite suppressing, most people do not count calories and are still able to
lose fat because they are just not eating a lot. They naturally eat under their daily caloric maintenance. But
some people are actually eating more than they should and here is where the math needs to be done.

When you do not track your food and you are stalled that means a few things are happening:
1) you are eating too much fat, even though you think you aren’t.
2) you are eating too many carbs, even though you think you aren’t. (hidden carbs, “keto ed” foods etc)
3) you are eating too many calories
4) not getting adequate electrolytes
5) eating too many “trigger foods” – nuts, dairy, nut butters; foods that      cause you to eat too much or cause
in ammation which makes you retain water. (A good probiotic is the rst line of defense for in ammation)
6) you are not moving (exercising) enough. There are 2 parts of the energy balance equation; calories
in/calories out. You may have a grasp on the “in” but your “output” is too low; start moving/exercising more.
7) you have been dieting (in a caloric de cit) too long

So the obvious questions are; Why should you adjust your macros? How were you able to lose fat in the rst
place without worrying about your macros?

A few things happen when you are in the process of keto adaptation, as we have seen there is a lot of water
loss.

There is often a decrease in in ammation on a keto diet so even more scale weight/water loss.

You eat less. Probably the biggest bene t of a ketogenic diet with adequate protein is the natural appetite
suppressant e ect of the diet. You do not track calories but you end up eating less than you would have on a
non keto diet, you eat under your maintenance calories and you lose weight.

You are increasing your insulin sensitivity so you are better able to handle the food/carbs you eat. This is seen
often in women with PCOS who lose a LOT of weight once they increase their insulin sensitivity.
Increased Insulin sensitivity

Insulin sensitivity is very important to fat loss because if you are insulin resistant your body is more likely to
store energy (the food you at) as fat. Increasing insulin sensitivity also reduces in ammation which helps drop
a lot of water weight. Increased insulin sensitivity will help you better utilize the carbs, albeit a small amount
on keto, and not readily store them as fat.

One of the greatest bene ts seen from a ketogenic diet is the increased insulin sensitivity many experience
especially in type 2 diabetics. In Fact a study showed that the combination of Fish oils and a ketogenic diet
reduced patients average insulin concentration by 43%. The study also showed that sh oil is also bene cial
for lowering triglycerides and reducing in ammation! Which as mentioned above can mask your weight loss if
not halt it for a while.

Ref: Paoli, Antonio, et al. “E ects of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (ω-3) Supplementation on Some
Cardiovascular Risk Factors with a Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet.” Marine drugs 13.2 (2015): 996-1009

This small study resulted in a 75% increase in insulin sensitivity in test subjects following a ketogenic diet.
Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15767618

So we know keto has some bene ts and increasing insulin sensitivity is one of them BUT when all the magical
bene ts of keto come to a halt;  that means your lack of tracking macros has caught up to you and it is time for
an adjustment.

Improper Calorie Tracking

Studies have shown that dieters who claim they track their food intake with precision are often o by as much
as 30-40%! So yes most of these people are just eating too much. Most of the fault is in the consumption of
fat. Since fat has 9 calories per gram and protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, it is very easy for the
calories to add up when you over consume fat. Often keto dieters consume a large amount of fat and still lose
weight but after the initial weight loss from adapting to the ketogenic diet stops they must realize, it’s time to
eat less.

In fact the most e ective “keto” type diet known to science is the Protein Sparing Modi ed Fast which is VERY
low carbs AND  very low fat and very HIGH protein. PSMF dieters lose fat at an ACCELERATED RATE. The high
protein as well as lower fat intake (compared to a standard ketogenic diet) not only has no negative impact on
ketosis or fat loss but a positive impact on their fat loss.

But take baby steps at rst. If you follow typical keto ratios of 70% fat, 25% protein, 5% carbs then change it
up to 60% fat, 35% protein, 5% carbs. This has worked wonders in many people we know and  we help with
keto. Once you nd your sweet spot and the fat loss begins again, stick with it until the next stall and then
rework the numbers again.

Adaptive Thermogenesis

What other reasons would stall weight loss? Something that is very serious and requires very important steps
to x and it is called Adaptive Thermogenesis and happens after you reduce carbs as well as calories for too
long. This is real and this is VERY common in low carb and ketogenic dieters and it is how the body responds to
being in a caloric de cit for too long. This sounds like a bad thing but it is not, this is your body functioning
the way it should, it is trying to maintain homeostasis.
Maintaining Homeostasis

Your body reacts to changes in energy balance where it speeds up your metabolism when you are eating well
above your caloric maintenance or it slows your metabolism down when it seems you are not consuming
enough energy it needs to deal with the daily functions it requires. And when you lose muscle it makes it even
worse.

Less muscle = lower resting metabolic rate = harder to lose fat.

This is one of the MAJOR reasons to eat adequate protein on a ketogenic diet. Adequate means no less than 0.8
grams to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass.

In my opinion adaptive thermogenesis is the main reason why a true stall and weight loss plateaus are so
common in ketogenic or any dieter. Adaptive thermogenesis has its strongest impact on your hormones and
this is what is messing up your fat loss e orts. It strongly negatively impacts Leptin, insulin and thyroid.
Stress and cortisol also come into play when dieting too long and that is a major cause of holding onto a lot of
water weight.

Fixing a stall on a ketogenic diet

The following applies to ONLY those who have done everything they can to start losing weight again;
reworking macros, lowering calories/fat maybe exercising more etc.  If you have done all these, and weight has
stalled again then the following is for you.
How to combat Adaptive Thermogenesis

Oh boy, most hardcore keto dieters are NOT going to like to hear thus BUT the #1 way to x this issue is by
consuming carbs and a lot of them.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates reset hunger hormones Leptin and Ghrelin levels which are crucial for continuous fat-loss,
carbohydrates stabilize normal T4-T3 conversion, (which slows on keto). Carbohydrates also ncrease
anabolism (muscle glycogen) to increase muscle mass.

Carbohydrates boost leptin levels far more than protein fat. In fact, fat has almost zero e ect on leptin levels.

Carb overfeeding increased plasma leptin concentrations by 28%, and 24 hour Energy Expenditure by 7%.
Basal metabolic rate and the energy expended during physical activity were not a ected. FAT overfeeding
did NOT signi cantly change plasma leptin concentrations or energy expenditure. Ref:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11126336CONCLUSIONS: CARB overfeeding, but NOT fat
overfeeding, increases energy expenditure and leptin concentration.
High-fat, low-carbohydrate (HF/LC) meals, which induce smaller insulin and glucose responses, would
produce lower leptin concentrations than low-fat, high-carbohydrate (LF/HC) meals.Ref:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10334310

During LF/HC feeding, there were larger increases of leptin 4-6 h after breakfast (38 +/- 7%, P < 0.001) and
lunch (78 +/- 14%, P < 0.001) than after HF/LC meals (both P < 0.02).
During LF/HC feeding, leptin increased from a morning baseline of 10.7 +/- 1.6 ng/ml to a nocturnal peak of
21.3 +/- 1.3 ng/ml (change, 10.6 +/- 1.3 ng/ml; percent change, 123 +/- 16%; P < 0.0001). The amplitudes of the
nocturnal rise of leptin and the 24-h leptin AUC were 21 +/- 8% (P < 0.005) and 38 +/- 12% (P < 0.0025) larger,
respectively, on the LF/HC day. In summary, consumption of HF/LC meals results in lowered 24-h circulating
leptin concentrations. This result may be a consequence of decreased adipocyte glucose metabolism.

One last interesting and bene cial thing carbs do to a stalled dieter; they elicit the “whoosh e ect” that was
discussed above! That is right, often after having a carbohydrate refeed you wake up the next day down 2-3
pounds on the scale! Its really cool how these things work.

Keeping it Keto

Ok, ok so lets be honest, most keto dieters are not going to start adding carbs back into their diet after coming
so far on this diet. So if that is the case you still need a short diet break and you need to eat more calories and
MORE protein. Working out with weights helps too.

Typically a 1-2 week diet break, eating over maintenance calories (no longer eat at a de cit). Don’t worry
about gaining scale weight (it is mostly water weight anyay), sometimes you need to take 1 step back to take 2
steps forward. It is a process, dieting is a process so let the process play out the way it is supposed too. My
advice during these 2 weeks; keep it strict! No nuts, dairy, “keto ed” foods, stick to meats, sh, poultry and
some low carb veggies or just plenty of lettuce. Keep the calories high as well as the sodium and electrolytes in
general. You may even notice some nice bene ts during this time; better sleep, better energy, increase thyroid
output, decreased cortisol and less stress overall.

Once you feel you are ready then it is time to reduce calories again and rework your macros.
Just remember, no matter how hard you try or how much e ort you put into fat loss; weight loss is not linear.
“Weight loss” is the number on the scale and changes on a daily basis for many reasons, this does NOT mean
your “fat loss” has slowed. So don’t overthink it, don’t weigh yourself often and use the mirror and your
clothes as your guide.

March 10, 2018 / Uncategorized / adaptive thermogenesis on a ketogenic diet, fat loss whoosh effect, how to break a stall on a
ketogenic diet, ketogenic diet whoosh effect, plateau on a ketogenic diet, Stalling on a ketogenic diet, weight loss plateau / 2
Comments

How important are Electrolytes on a Ketogenic

Diet

The Importance of Electrolytes on a Ketogenic Diet

Great write up from Jeremy Partl over at Ketogenic.com.

Many people who start a ketogenic diet often experience the dreaded “keto- u”, which is the name for the
experience of one or a combination of the following symptoms:
Even if you are following a well-formulated ketogenic diet, with a low amount of carbohydrate, moderate
amount of protein, and high amount of fat as suggested, it is likely that you may still experience some of these
symptoms.

The reason being while your macronutrients may be in line, there is another important factor to consider,
ensuring you keep your body properly nourished and functioning well. That key factor is the balance of
electrolytes in the body.

In this article, we will cover the importance of electrolytes on a ketogenic diet.

What Are Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals found in the body that are the electrical signaling molecules used for maintaining
functions within the body such as regulating your heartbeat and allowing muscles to contract for functional
movement.

The most relevant electrolytes in this context are sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, and calcium.
Why Monitoring Your Electrolytes is Important

When you shift to a ketogenic diet, your body tends to release more water as opposed to storing it.

The reason being that there is less insulin produced as a result of the composition of the diet. This leads to
hormonal signals via the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, signaling your kidneys to excrete MORE
water and retain LESS.

Along with increased excretion of water, the minerals found in that water are lost at a higher rate . In the end,
you can quickly become depleted of the key electrolytes that your body needs to function properly.

As a result, you can experience some of the negative symptoms associated with the “keto u”.

Getting The Right Amount of Each Electrolyte

Sodium

More than likely, you have probably heard that you should avoid adding sodium to your diet.

For most of the population, especially those who are metabolically unhealthy, high sodium intake typically
comes along with a high calorie, high carbohydrate diet, which over the long term, has resulted in increasing
rates of obesity and hypertension .
However, for individuals on a low carbohydrate diet or athletes that are training hard, the truth is that your
body actually needs extra sodium.

Potassium is another electrolyte of concern on a ketogenic diet. Just as with sodium, potassium is excreted at a
greater rate with a low carbohydrate intake.

When you say the word potassium, most people would probably tend to think rst of bananas and potatoes.
Not exactly keto-friendly, right?

Luckily, there are ways to get more potassium in your diet while remaining ketogenic:

Potassium on a Ketogenic Diet

Magnesium

In general, magnesium de ciency is becoming a more common nutrition de ciency for the whole U.S.
population.
Some of the best keto friendly ways to bump up your magnesium intake are:

Don’t Forget The Water

While you need to make it a priority to keep your electrolyte intake escalated, it is also important to increase
your water intake as well.

With the switch to a ketogenic diet, you will probably experience increased urination during the rst couple of
days. Additionally, as mentioned before, your body does not retain water as well. Thus, it is important to keep
your water intake high to ensure proper hydration.

An easy and convenient way to determine hydration status is to check the color of your urine. If it is a pale
yellow or clear color, like lemonade, then the odds are that you are well hydrated.

The darker it is, more like the color of apple juice, the more you may need to drink up.
Summary of Electrolytes on a Ketogenic Diet

Whether you are preparing to embark on a ketogenic diet, or are su ering from any of the mentioned
symptoms, make sure you are conscious of your electrolytes and not just the macronutrients of the foods you
are consuming.

Keto Conclusions

Proper micronutrient intake is just as important as a well-formulated macronutrient intake.

Electrolytes become depleted on a ketogenic diet due to increased water excretion and decreased water
retention.
Important electrolytes to focus on during a ketogenic diet are: sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
Increasing your water intake is important on a ketogenic diet to maintain hydration.

To see Jeremy’s original blog post visit HERE.

Some recommended products to help manage your electrolyte levels on a ketogenic diet, click each image below:
March 9, 2018 / Uncategorized / Electrolytes and keto u, Electrolytes on a ketogenic diet, keto u support, ketogenic diet Electrolytes,
ketogenic electrolytes / 1 Comment

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