Keto is Krazy, man! Everywhere you look there’s a new book, video or Internet article about the amazing ketogenic diet and the magical results you get if you just ditch carbs! Can keto live up to the hype? Well, yes it can, but you have to do it the right way, otherwise, you’ll just be in for a stress hormone binge followed by a crash and burn.
Regardless of your level of awareness about keto, this show is a great resource. I start from the beginning and describe why keto is so beneficial to health and longevity, including disease protection, improved cognitive function, , reduced inflammation and oxidative stress (these represent the essence of disease and accelerated aging), and the rapid and efficient removal of excess body fat. Next, I walk you through the comprehensive, multi-stage process as detailed in our New York Times bestseller, The Keto Reset Diet and Keto Reset Mastery Course. First, a 21-Day Metabolism Reset where you escape carbohydrate dependency and progress toward fat- and keto-adaptation. The Keto Reset approach is lauded because it encompasses other lifestyle factors such as movement and physical fitness, sleep, and stress management. If you are exercising in chronic patterns, deficient in sleep, or living a hectic, hyperconnected lifestyle, these behaviors will push you back into sugar burning mode.
After the 21-Day Reset, I describe the fine-tuning period where you track your ability to fast and feel comfortable. If you can eat your last meal at 8 pm and last until 12 noon without calories, maintaining peak cognitive function, mood, and energy levels, you are ready to try keto. The next step is a focused, six-week period of nutritional ketosis. When you complete the Keto Reset journey as described, you avail a lifetime of benefits from becoming metabolically flexible – being able to burn a variety of energy sources, especially ketones made in the liver and stored body fat. It sounds great, but we need to sort through the hype and misinformation about certain keto strategies and macronutrient ratios, and how to avoid common pitfalls and backslides. For example, the trend toward heavy and deliberate fat consumption in the name of keto misses the essential point that keto is a genetically programmed survival mechanism designed to fuel the ravenous brain when you are starving or extremely restricted in dietary carbohydrates.
Keto is a way to avail the long scientifically validated benefits of fasting without having to starve yourself, and the best benefits of keto come from fasting and caloric efficiency – not fat bombs. I detail how to optimize your sodium and electrolyte intake, which can leave you feeling generally crappy and blaming it on macros instead of micros (micronutrients.) I also talk about the importance of toning down your overall exercise energy output when you start keto to prevent muscles and brain from getting into a tug-of-war for the same precious energy source of ketones when they are suddenly without their lifelong primary fuel source of glucose (from dietary carbs.) This show is deeply informative and illuminating, but always in plain talk so you can grasp the concepts with needing heavy prior knowledge. If you are thinking about keto, this show will give you the essential tools to succeed without the nonsense of the keto flu that some people describe as inevitable. It’s totally not true, and if you are struggling and suffering in your path to keto, you need to change things up, perhaps take a few steps backward and get healthy and metabolically efficient before worrying about aggressive macro guidelines. When you finish listening to this show, you will breathe a sigh of relief, realizing that keto is not complicated, not brutal, and incredible health and metabolic benefits are within your reach.
TIMESTAMPS:
Ditching carb dependency is the starting point. [03:58]
Ketones are a much cleaner burning fuel source than glucose. [07:23]
Brad uses the analogy of a campfire to show what happens at the cellular level when you’re eating junk food. [10:38]
It is our default human factory setting that we are fat-burning beasts. [13:06]
There is a step-by-step approach to follow to do this right. [14:01]
One of the worst things in our modern American diet is high polyunsaturated vegetable oil. [16:14]
What about rice and lentils? [18:23]
You have to get the insulin production down. [20:36]
You have to make this transition gradually and understand what you are doing. [23:46]
We advocate for a comprehensive lifestyle approach because other elements of life are relevant to your ability to transition. [25:47]
When thinking about exercise, realize that the miles on the road or trips to the gym, though important, first think about just moving every day. [27:20]
Don’t overdo it when you workout. Workouts do not need to be more than 30 minutes. [29:20]
Strength training needs to be brief, intense, and explosive. [35:59]
Integrate sprinting into your game. [36:59]
If you have a deficiency in optimal sleep, it throws off your appetite hormones. [38:57]
The number one emergency thing to do is minimize artificial light and digital stimulation after dark. [41:17]
Stress management includes many healthy practices that you can train yourself to do. [43:32]
Before you get started on this Keto thing, you want to see how well you’re doing without the input of a regular meal. [45:09]
You want to limit your gross carb intake to 50 grams per day. [47:43]
Just eat the fat you need to feel satisfied and don’t go over-consuming fat in the name of Keto. [52:57]
Make it simple and functional at the onset. [54:58]
If you are experiencing the Keto flu, just take a step backward and spend more time in 21-day reset mode. [56:59]
You’ll feel like crap if you don’t get your sodium balance right. [01:00:44]
What you are doing is you’re reclaiming your genetic ability and your genetic preference to burn fat as your primary energy source. [01:03:31]
LINKS:
- Dr. Cate Shanahan
- Dr. Andrew Weil
- Dr. Peter Attia
- Dr. Phil Maffetone (Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate)
- Lights Out, Sleep, Sugar and Survival
- Luis Villasenor
- Chris Kresser
- Keto for Life
- MyFitnessPal
- Senza
- Dr. Dom D’Agostino
- The Art and Science of Low Carb Living
- Dr. Tommy Wood
- Brad Kearns Keto Reset
QUOTES:
- “Fat is a lever to achieve dietary satiety.” (Luis Villasenor)
LISTEN:
Get Over Yourself Podcast
