How to Stay in Ketosis: 8 Ways to Maintain Fat Loss

Staying in ketosis can be challenging if you don’t have the right routine. This metabolic state relies on consistent carb deprivation, so it’s important to track your meals and eat more nutritious foods. 

Although your diet plays a huge role in ketosis, it’s not the only factor that determines this fat-burning process. Many people forget about exercise, supplements, and fasting when trying the ketogenic diet. But don’t worry about not reaching your goals because, with a sustainable routine, you can maintain ketosis.

How to Stay in Ketosis? 8 Effective Tips

The keto diet is a popular eating plan that requires a low-carb, high-fat intake. Your body enters a metabolic state of ketosis to burn fat when carb stores are low. To maintain this state, you have to stay consistent with your diet while focusing on other weight loss aspects like exercise and supplementation. 

Some ways of maintaining ketosis include: 

#1 Eating more healthy fats

Since you have limited carb consumption, you have to eat more healthy fat. Those with an adequate fat intake are more likely to maintain ketosis because they experience fewer hunger cravings. Research suggests that good fats regulate your appetite, which reduces the urge to binge eat. 

Good fats for keto include avocados, olives, coconut oil, chia seeds, eggs, salmon, and Greek yogurt. You should always monitor how much of these foods you eat to avoid a high saturated fat or calorie intake. 

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#2 Focusing on low-glycemic foods

Low-glycemic foods don’t have a huge impact on your blood sugar levels. This means they score low on the glycemic index (GI). Eating these foods can reduce blood glucose in your body, which stops you from burning glucose instead of fat on the ketogenic diet. 

When choosing your meals, it’s important to include foods that have a GI rating between 1 and 55. Some great examples are spinach, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, blueberries, chicken, almonds, walnuts, and black soybeans. 

#3 Checking food labels

Checking food labels for every product is one of the best habits to form. You can consistently monitor your carbohydrate intake without breaking ketosis. Some people assume specific foods are keto-friendly without taking a look at their nutritional value. It’s also easy to use too much of one food in your meal, which racks up the net carbs. 

#4 Incorporating MCT oil into your diet

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are types of fat that can support weight loss. These fats are usually present in coconut oil, cheese, and plain yogurt. You can also buy MCT oil supplements if you struggle to add new products to your high-fat diet. 

A study found that MCT oil can decrease the time it takes to get into ketosis. It may also reduce keto flu symptoms because healthy fats fuel your body and minimize the risk of fatigue or stomach cramps. 

You can pour MCT oil into your low-carb coffee, mix it with some nut butter, or even add it to salad dressings. 

#5 Having an exercise routine

Exercise, whether that’s a morning walk or a 30-minute run, can fuel ketosis and help you lose belly fat. Getting more physical activity throughout the week ensures you eliminate glycogen stores that may slow down the fat-burning process. For those who want to get into ketosis quickly, exercising regularly is one of the best ways to strengthen this metabolic state. 

#6 Practicing intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves periods of eating normally and fasting. For example, you might have an 8-hour eating window, which means you have to avoid calories for the remaining 16 hours. 

Fasting can help you avoid eating carb-heavy meals while entering ketosis. This is because you’re not eating food in a set time frame, meaning your glucose levels stay low. Research suggests that people can reach the metabolic state within 12 hours of no calorie consumption. 

Before trying this method, speak to a dietitian about your health goals. They can suggest an intermittent fasting routine that suits beginners who are looking to lose weight. 

#7 Taking BHB supplements

Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) supplements contain exogenous ketones or ketone salts that fuel weight loss. Exogenous ketones are naturally found in many low-carb foods, which encourages your body to enter the ketosis state once it starts burning stored fat. 

You can also take BHB supplements to achieve:

• Reduced hunger pangs 
• Stronger mental performance 
• Increased physical performance 
• Higher energy levels 
• Fewer keto flu symptoms 
• Enhanced immune health 

It’s better to take these supplements in the morning with some breakfast. This routine prepares your body for the day and increases ketone levels in your blood.

#8 Calculating your macros daily

The recommended daily macronutrient ratio for the keto diet is 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% net carbs. You shouldn’t go above 5% of carbohydrates if you want to maintain ketosis and lose fat consistently. 

However, everyone has different needs when it comes to weight loss. For example, people who are building muscle may require a higher protein intake. Others with a less restrictive diet could consume 10% of carbs to achieve higher energy levels. You should gain more professional guidance from a diet expert. 

What Is Ketosis?

Ketosis is a metabolic state that burns fat for energy instead of glucose. As your body breaks down fat, the liver produces ketone bodies to fuel important organs. You can enter this metabolic state by lowering your carb intake and eating more healthy fats. 

On a regular diet, you burn glycogen stores that derive from carbs and sugar. This is what gives you energy and maintains normal bodily functions. After depriving your body of carbs for 2–3 days, it uses your fat for a consistent energy supply. The liver produces ketone bodies like beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), acetoacetate, and acetone to fuel your brain. 

Once these ketones reach 0.5mmol/L of BHB in your blood, you enter nutritional ketosis. Upon entering this state, you may experience keto flu symptoms that range from headaches to fatigue to intense cravings. 

What Are the Benefits of Ketosis?

The keto diet has many benefits for your overall health. One of the main advantages is that it encourages weight loss by targeting harmful fat. Visceral fat, which wraps around your organs, is a type of bad fat that increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. 

In turn, those with a reduced body fat percentage have better long-term heart health. Low-carb, high-fat diets like keto improve your blood ketone levels and prevent plaque build-up in your arteries. 

Some benefits of ketosis include:

• Lower blood sugar levels
• Consistent weight loss 
• Reduced gut inflammation 
• Better heart health 
• Stronger brain function 
• Fewer hunger pangs 

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Conclusion

You can stay in ketosis by increasing your fat intake, exercising regularly, taking keto supplements, and practicing intermittent fasting. These simple habits will encourage your body to burn stubborn fat rather than glycogen stores. 

For more guidance on losing weight during ketosis, speak to a registered dietitian about creating the perfect meal plan.