Getting your body into the state of ketosis and maintaining it can be a struggle for a lot of folks. The truth is, we all trip up from time-to-time, and there’s not one of us who doesn’t need a little help or a reminder every now and again.
10 Tips to Optimize Ketosis #1
My goal in this series of tips is to identify many of the roadblocks on the path to nutritional ketosis in an effort to help you improve your ability to maintain and maximize the level of ketosis necessary for you to accomplish your goals and to see the weight loss that you desire. Many of you tend to be too hard on yourselves and are quick to assume, "Keto just doesn’t work for me, I’m different." If that’s you, listen up! You just might find the answer to your problem in the information below.
Tip 1: Stop Fearing Fat
A big problem that we routinely see is that people simply do not eat enough fat. Not eating enough fat will set you up for failure, or at the very least, HUNGER. The...
10 Tips to Optimize Ketosis #2
My second tip for getting into and maintaining ketosis is simple:
DON’T CONSISTENTLY EAT LOW CALORIE.
Being consistent on a ketogenic diet is extremely important, but consistently eating low calorie is not a good idea. Old diet mentalities, like that of cutting calories, try to creep in from time-to-time and then, suddenly, you find that your fat loss has plateaued. Restricting calories may work temporarily, but after a few weeks you tend to find your weight stabilizing, and despite eating at a calorie deficit, you simply cannot shed excess body fat.
Why?
Consistently eating at a large deficit slows the metabolism. Your body is designed to keep you alive. If you're consistently taking in a lot less energy than you're expending, the body is going to slow down the energy going out so that it has enough fuel to keep your heart and organs running, but maybe not much else.
Also remember weight loss on keto is not linear. Many...
10 Tips to Optimize Ketosis #3
My third tip for getting into and maintaining ketosis is easy:
EAT HIGH QUALITY FATS.
Although it’s the lowered level of carbohydrate that actually gets you into ketosis, it’s the fat that sustains you enough to keep you there. So, it bears mentioning that eating a very low-carb diet does not mean that you should skimp on the quantity and quality of the fats that you are eating. You do yourself a terrible disservice if you are keeping good fats low. High quality fats are the backbone for making new cells and brain tissue, establishing neurotransmitters, balancing hormones and aiding most bodily functions.
Focus on getting as high of quality fats as possible. Think whole, non-processed food choices with lots of omega-3, like grass-fed meats and their drippings, wild fish, cold-pressed olive oil, grass-fed butter, avocado and its oil, etc. Consuming low quality things like most vegetable and seed oils, processed "cheese" (like those little...
Could a Sluggish Thyroid Be Causing Your Weight Issue?
Most likely you've probably heard that an underactive thyroid gland can wreak havoc on a person’s ability to maintain a healthy weight.
It's true—this hormone directly impacts the body’s metabolism, and can cause you to put on weight almost uncontrollably.
But, more than likely it's not really your thyroid!
Many people don’t realize is that the majority of hypothyroid issues are not primary conditions. That means the condition has an underlying source causing the problem.
The key to improving the thyroid is to find the real root of the problem.
I want to talk about the most common root issues and then I want to go to the 'root of the root'.
1. Damaged Liver or Gallbladder Problem
The thyroid gland produces an inactive hormone that has four iodine molecules attached to it called T4. The hormone then travels through the liver, where enzymes within the liver strip away one of the iodine molecule, activating the hormone to T3.
Eighty...
Part 1: What is Insulin Resistance~and do you have it?
2-Part Series: Coach Lisa Carroll here to give you the Lowdown on Insulin Resistance. We'll be discussing what it is, it's effects, and how you can heal.
I am absolutely passionate about educating others on Insulin Resistance and its effects on the human body. So I'm here today to shed some light on the subject! Insulin Resistance is one of the most under-diagnosed conditions existing today and it is the largest underlying cause of most the health problems we experience on a day-to-day basis.
Can’t lose weight no matter how hard you try? See other people having great success, and all the while, you are stuck?
Ever wonder why?
Do you have any of the following:
- An inability to lose weight
- An inability to lose belly fat
- Acne or Cystic acne
- Unwanted facial hair
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- High Blood Pressure
- High cholesterol
- Fatty Liver Disease
- Fatty tumors (lipomas)
- Inflammation
- Fluid Retention
- Gout
- Sleep...
Part 2: Overcoming Insulin Resistance: What It Takes To Heal.
2-Part Series: Coach Lisa Carroll here to give you the Lowdown on Insulin Resistance. In a previous post we discussed what it is, its effects, and as promised, today's topic deals with what it takes to heal.
I am absolutely passionate about educating others on Insulin Resistance and its effects on the human body. So I'm here today to shed some light on the subject!Insulin Resistance is one of the most under-diagnosed conditions existing today and it is the largest underlying cause of most the health problems we experience on a day-to-day basis.
Understanding the root cause of a problem is the first step in correcting that problem. In the case of Insulin Resistance, simply understanding that excess insulin is the root of the problem can go a long way in terms of correcting it.
If excess insulin is the problem, what do you need to do to correct it?
The simplest solution to a problem is usually the correct one. In the case of...
Intermittent Fasting
Understanding the power and effects of this ancient practice
Have we somehow we missed the power and overlooked the therapeutic potential of Fasting?
At its very core, Intermittent Fasting simply allows the body to use its stored body fat for energy. It is important to realize that fasting is normal. Fasting has been around for ages and was a considered a part of everyday life.
Today, people have mistakenly adopted the idea that this is somehow dangerous and have begun to fast for shorter and shorter periods of time.
This has lead to a real problem with fat storage!
This excess fat storage has, in turn, has created metabolic disorders like Obsesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Cancer.
The sheer number of health conditions that can be reversed by incorporating Intermittent and Extended Fasting is staggering!
In my opinion, the Ketogenic Diet is what makes Intermittent and Extended Fasting easy and sustainable.
...
Getting to the Root of the Issue
Are you struggling to maintain consistency?
Do you often feel that you are less than 100% committed to your own goals?
Have you ever thought about why that might be?
Often we simply do not dig deep enough. We just keep trying over and over to reach our goals. We set goals and when we don’t achieve them we feel bad about ourselves, fall off the wagon, or abandon our plans (goals) altogether.
But what is actually at the root of this?
Instead of pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps to begin again, why is it that we do not go inward and truly look at the “root” of the problem. Maybe no one has told us that there is a root. Maybe you’ve never even heard of or thought of such a thing.
Often we get in a pattern of just having to push ourselves to make things happen. What I think we are really looking for is a flow. A flow to life, and a pattern of eating and living that come naturally from a desire...
Should Food Be Addictive?
The question might instead be asked, “Is REAL food addictive?”
When was the last time you said, “I just can’t stop eating these avocados” or broccoli for that matter?
The answer? “Never.”
If you are having trouble staying away from something you are calling “food”. The first clue is that it’s probably not food. It’s a chemical designed to mimic food or at best it might be a food chocked full of chemicals!
Secondly, it’s also a clue that you should strongly consider staying away from “it” whatever it is, food or otherwise. Food companies are purposely adding these chemical substances to your food in order to “trick the taste buds” into rapid addictions causing you to not only eat more, but to buy more.
Your body does not recognize the additive and continues to look for nutrients which can set off all sorts of cravings. It’s the...
10 Tips to Optimize Ketosis #6
My sixth tip for getting into and maintaining ketosis is:
MANAGE STRESS
Stress is a significant player when it comes to ketone levels. When you are stressed, cortisol levels rise. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is released in response to our flight-or-fight mechanism.
During prolonged periods of stress, cortisol levels never have a chance to decrease, causing a series of adverse effects within the body. These adverse effects can include: increased gluconeogenesis; in severe cases, the break down of bone tissue resulting in osteoporosis; additional visceral fat that results in increased Insulin Resistance and inflammation; increased appetite and cravings; and a suppressed immune system function, which leads to a whole host of other issues.
The main way cortisol affects ketosis is that it elevates blood sugar levels through the process of gluconeogenesis. Increased cortisol can induce the body to break down proteins to make sugar, a...
Author
Lisa Carroll
Health Coach
Lisa is a wellness entrepreneur as well as a gifted writer and engaging speaker and was recently featured on the cover of Women's World Magazine in an article detailing her weight loss success, amazing recipes & life-changing coaching tips.
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