it's taken me about six weeks. and i still have a long way to go, but i did want to take some time and talk about the "diet" i'm doing, as some of my friends have been concerned.
i am eating significantly less than i was used to. at the same time, i feel full and totally satisfied with what i do eat. i don't feel deprived, i don't feel weak, i don't feel like i'm doing something that is putting my health at risk. i don't know about you guys, but i feel completely in tune with myself and my body and if i felt like what i was doing was bad for me, i'd know and i'd stop doing it.
now, usually i do not end up eating more than 1,000 calories a day. and most days it ends up being just below that. i'm also eating about 100 grams of protein a day to 50 grams of carbohydrates (give or take a few). based on the results of my ketone testing strips, this is the amount i need to be eating to stay in ketosis. some people can eat up to 100 grams of carbs to stay in ketosis. i can't.
and as far as ketosis, from what i understand it is the state in which your body burns your stored fat for energy, rather than carbs (sugar). there is a question on whether or not being in ketosis is safe.
everyone seems to have something different to say. so here are a few things about the topic.
this is an excerpt of an excerpt. my friend sent me an email with this quoted from her nutrition text book:
"A diet that supplies enough digestible carbohydrates to prevent breakdown of proteins for energy needs is considered protein sparing. Under normal circumstances, digestible carbohydrates in the diet mostly end up as blood glucose, and protein is reserved for functions such as building and maintaining muscles and vital organs. However, if you don't eat enough carbohydrates, your body is forced to make glucose from body proteins, draining the pool of amino acids available in cells for other critical functions. During long-term starvation, the continuous withdrawal of proteins from the muscles, heart, liver, kidneys, and other vital organs can result in weakness, poor function, and even failure of body systems.
In addition to the loss of protein, when you don't eat enough carbohydrates, the metabolism of fats is inefficient. In the absence of adequate carbohydrate, fats don't break down completely in metabolism and instead form ketone bodies. This condition, known as ketosis, should be avoided because it disturbs the body's normal acid-base balance and leads to other health problems. This is a good reason to question the long-term safety of the low-carbohydrate diets that have been popular. The wasting of protein that occurs during long-term fasting can be life-threatening. This has prompted companies that make formulas for rapid weight loss to include sufficient carbohydrate in the products to decrease protein breakdown and thereby protect vital tissues and organs, including the heart."
in contradiction, here's a link:
what is ketosis?
what's your opinion?
