Getting Into Ketosis: Focus on Food, Not the Scale
Getting into ketosis quickly isn’t the same as losing weight quickly. A keto diet can help with weight loss, but that isn’t the goal right now. For now, the aim is to get into ketosis without a lot of effort.
The short list of foods above will help you get there. For the first 3 days, don’t count calories. Eat until you’re satisfied, and don’t skimp on how much you eat. Stay off the bathroom scale, too. Calories have nothing to do with getting into ketosis.
For a day-by-day plan, see our 3-day ketogenic menu for getting into ketosis.
How Much Protein Do You Need on a Low-Carb Diet?
There’s a lot of debate in low-carb circles right now about how much protein you need to lose weight each week. But one thing is clear. In the first couple of days, your body uses up its stored glycogen. If you don’t eat enough protein at that point, your body may break down muscle to meet its protein needs.
According to Lyle McDonald’s “The Ketogenic Diet,” the bare minimum of protein you need during the first 3 weeks to avoid muscle loss is 150 grams of protein per day. So forget what other people are telling you, and eat until you’re satisfied.
Once you get into ketosis, you can make other choices about your diet and adjust your calories, fat level, protein grams, and carbohydrate grams to help you achieve your desired weight-loss goals. For now, forget about those dietary macronutrients.
There’s plenty of time for that later. And while we’re on the topic, don’t forget that this 3-day diet is simply an introduction to a ketogenic diet.
It’s not a keto diet itself. A true keto diet is much more varied and includes lots of vegetables to help you from getting bored.
Atkins 72 can be a simple way to get into ketosis, but it works best as a starting point, not the whole plan. I’ve been following a metabolic diet myself for about 40 years, and I’ve spent nearly 30 years helping patients use real food to lose fat while keeping their muscle.
If you’d like guidance that fits your health and goals, learn more about me and my clinical team.
Ready to start with a plan that protects your muscle?
Dr. Fortino and his clinical team can help you build a metabolic eating plan and decide whether medication is medically appropriate for you. Contact us for a free consultation and we’ll get you scheduled.
