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Why am I not going into ketosis?

If over 10% of your calories come from carbs, you'll likely have trouble entering nutritional ketosis. Eat more fat. Fat is the other side of the Keto macro coin. As carbs go down, fat goes up.

carbmanager.com - Why Am I Not In Ketosis? | Carb Manager

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If you’re on a Keto diet but can’t get into ketosis, it can be frustrating.

I’m doing everything right. Why is my body not going into ketosis?

The reason you aren’t entering ketosis—the reason you aren’t burning fat and producing ketones—may be hiding in plain sight. It just takes a little detective work to discover it. This doesn’t mean you need hours of sleuthing. Just take five minutes to read this article and let these tips and troubleshooting steps guide you.

How You Enter Ketosis

Ketosis is generally defined as the elevation of ketones in your blood. Ketones—molecules that serve as alternative energy for the brain and body—are produced in the liver through the oxidation (burning) of fat.[*]

There are several ways to enter ketosis:

By restricting carbs (the Ketogenic diet)[*]

By fasting

By exercising

By taking exogenous ketone supplements

We’ll focus on the first bullet today: the Keto diet. Entering ketosis through carb restriction is known as nutritional ketosis, and elevated ketones are generally (but not always) a sign that you’re doing Keto right. How does cutting carbs get you burning fat and producing ketones? By harnessing the ancient wisdom of the human body. Here’s the thing. When carbs are around, your body uses them. Glucose (from carbs) is a preferred fuel for your body, especially your brain. But when carbs are scarce—as they often were in 20,000 BC—your body activates its backup energy system: Ketosis. This means, more or less, that body fat gets released from storage and sent to your liver for ketone production.[*] When ketones are produced in sufficient quantity, you’re in ketosis. Now instead of running on carbs, your body runs on fat and ketones. But how do you know, beyond any doubt, that you’re in ketosis? Keep reading.

Measuring Ketones

Blood tests are the gold standard for measuring ketone levels, but you don’t need to visit a lab. Simply use an at-home device (we recommend the Keto-Mojo meter) to receive nearly instant results. Blood tests detect a ketone body called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in your blood. As a general rule, if the test comes back between 0.5 millimole/Liter (mmol/L) and 3.0 mmol/L BHB, you’re in the green zone of nutritional ketosis. Note: if you have diabetes—especially type 1 diabetes—keeping blood ketones under 3 mmol/L can help avoid a serious complication called diabetic ketoacidosis.[*] Working with a savvy healthcare professional is highly recommended. Along with blood testing, you can also measure ketones in the urine and breath. Urine strips aren’t as precise or valid as blood testing, but they’re easier to use. Just pee on the strip and it changes color to indicate your level of ketosis. Research published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism suggests the best times to measure urinary ketones are before breakfast and after dinner.[*] Lastly, breath. Breath testing, which measures a ketone called acetone, has been shown to correlate with blood and urinary levels of BHB, but it’s less established than the other methods.[*]

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