How critical is to reach KETOSIS for fat loss?

[melendfi]

I previously asked this question on the wrong forum.

Is it imperative to reach a state of Ketosis? Or can you still use fat as fuel without Ketosis? I ask because I have reduced my % of body fat but my Ketostix dont show any indication of reaching a state of Ketosis.

Thanks!

[Woodyy]

I honestly don't think it's imperative whatsoever, I've only been on keto for a week and a bit and I've encountered none of the supposed keto "side-effects"..

I'm not even sure why I'm not in ketosis, my diet literally consists of: chicken, cabbage, cheddar cheese, tuna, egg, bacon and whey protein isolate.

But yeah, as long as the results keep coming I couldn't care less whether I was in ketosis or not.

[Grifts]

Its the caloric deficit that burns fat. Its not imperative at all to reach ketosis.

However, if you are following the diet, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't reach ketosis. Even if it's undetectable on ketostix, you might still be in ketosis.

[Atavis]

How critical is to reach KETOSIS for fat loss?

Not at all. Ketosis is a side effect and showing on the ketostix means you are over-producing ketones that you are expelling into your urine as waste. Don't worry about what they show.

[ArchangelEST]

How critical is to reach KETOSIS for fat loss?

About as important as wearing a green shirt is to improving fat loss.

[Minabud]

About as important as wearing a green shirt is to improving fat loss.

Not trying to start an argument here, rather I am trying to understand better.

But being in Ketosis means your body is using the fat stores for energy, so in a way being in Ketosis is important?

I understand that getting a positive reading on ketostix isn't always possible, but there are other ways to indicate that your are in Ketosis (like breath, keto flu symptoms... etc)

But please correct me if I am wrong.

[ArchangelEST]

Not trying to start an argument here, rather I am trying to understand better.

But being in Ketosis means your body is using the fat stores for energy, so in a way being in Ketosis is important?

I understand that getting a positive reading on ketostix isn't always possible, but there are other ways to indicate that your are in Ketosis (like breath, keto flu symptoms... etc)

But please correct me if I am wrong.

Being in ketosis has symptoms yes.

But there is no magical power of fat burning present. Yes, you will burn more fat per say - but if you remove the majority of carbs from your menu, that means your fat intake will also increase. So you burn more fat, yes, but you'll also be eating more fat in. If you massively up your protein instead, your body will burn protein for energy too and thus, less fat.

In the end, the net result is just about the same.

You can "trick" your body into using different sources for energy, but if at the end of the day you still ingest and expend just as much energy, your fat stores will not really change one way or the other.

Considering keto diets have their fair share of negative side-effects, one shouldn't really force themselves to stay in Ketosis, unless it comes naturally and they feel great on it - and know what steps need to be taken to ensure good health long term.

[melendfi]

I previously asked this question on the wrong forum.

Is it imperative to reach a state of Ketosis? Or can you still use fat as fuel without Ketosis? I ask because I have reduced my % of body fat but my Ketostix dont show any indication of reaching a state of Ketosis.

Thanks!

Thank you every for the support! I was a bit concern that I'd be spinning my wheels and wasting my time.

Regards!!

[spanishricer]

I thought the major proponent of being in ketosis is that you can burn fat more efficiently, while having largely muscle sparing effects?

[ArchangelEST]

I thought the major proponent of being in ketosis is that you can burn fat more efficiently, while having largely muscle sparing effects?

Yeah. That's mostly just a marketing bubble. Or whatever reasons there exist for keeping this myth perpetuated.

Keto diets can be effective for some due to the unique circumstances they provide. Diabetics often do well on reduced carb intakes. And some people just naturally feel energized on Keto diets.
If you are one of those people who feels good on Keto, sure why not use it.

But too many people think it somehow magically burns more fat. Which is false.(Well, technically fat burn is improved, but so is fat gain - so it just evens out, lol)
It just helps you to shed a ton of water and glycogen from your system, making you lean out considerably and lose a lot of weight initially.

All common forms of measurement will tell you that you have lost "fat". While in reality it's just some water mostly. But the illusion has been created and people get motivated beyond reason to continue, even though after that initial spike, progress is like usual and dictated by caloric intake.

When they finally go off Keto, they usually put all that water and glycogen weight back on, get all puffy and watery, think they are getting fat again - and go running back to Keto, convinced it's the best solution.

It messes with the mind.

[Ransom17]

There's some literature out there that suggests that spending some time in ketosis every so often can have some theraputic effects on the body. It's well understood that some parts of the body run even more efficiently on ketones than glucose, but if I remember correctly in "The Ketogenic Diet" by Lyle MacDonald he states that after prolonged ketosis your ketone count goes down - your brain still needs ketones for fuel but other parts of your body will start to simply use free fatty acids for fuel.

Ketosis is probably more beneficial for your body in certain doses than it is effective explicitly for fat loss. Your body is fat adapted and I find the hunger blunting effects of ketosis to be the only added benefit of ketogenic diets over glucose based ones. Calories are simply calories in regard to fatloss.

[jiheonsohng]

But too many people think it somehow magically burns more fat. Which is false.(Well, technically fat burn is improved, but so is fat gain - so it just evens out, lol)

Hey, I know this is an old thread, but could you explain why this is so? So I've seen lots of proponents of Keto diet claiming that fat burn is improved since your body's main source of energy becomes your body fat. But I never seen anyone say that "fat gain" is increased on a keto diet. As far as I know, as long as you're in total caloric deficit, you won't gain additional body fat regardless of how much dietary fat you consume. Thanks in advance