95% of you are doing keto wrong. Here's how to do it right

TLDR;

This video presents a 12-step framework for implementing the ketogenic diet effectively. It starts with common mistakes and progresses to advanced fasting techniques. The framework emphasizes gradual adaptation, listening to your body's signals, and using specific tools and measurements to track progress.

• Gradual adaptation to keto diet
• Importance of listening to body signals
• Use of tools and measurements for progress tracking

Step 1: Eat Every 2-4 Hours [0:25]

This initial step reflects the typical American diet, heavily reliant on glucose for fuel, requiring frequent meals to avoid blood sugar crashes. In this state, the body doesn't utilize ketones for fuel, fostering medical issues. This step is included to provide a starting point and a reference for when individuals deviate from the diet, ensuring they remain on track.

Step 2: Eat Less Than 20 Total Carbs Per Day [1:09]

The first rule of keto involves restricting total carbohydrate intake to under 20 grams daily, prioritizing this number over net carbs, calories, or fiber. This forces the body to deplete stored blood sugar and transition to burning fat for fuel, promoting stable satiety for extended periods. Starting the day with high-fat meals like bacon and eggs is crucial, even without morning hunger, to ensure satiety and prevent dietary lapses. Urine ketone strips are introduced as a tool to monitor ketone production, with a pink color indicating successful ketosis typically within four days.

Troubleshooting Lack of Ketone Production [2:56]

If ketone strips don't turn pink within four days, several factors could be responsible. Expired or poorly stored ketone strips may be ineffective, necessitating a new canister. Alcohol consumption can impede ketosis, as alcohol is preferentially burned as fuel. Underlying health conditions like insulin resistance or diabetes can also delay ketone production, but persistence with the diet will eventually lead to success.

Step 3: Accidentally Miss a Meal [4:10]

After several weeks on the diet, individuals may find themselves unintentionally skipping meals due to a lack of hunger. This indicates keto adaptation, where fat-based hormones suppress appetite and the body efficiently burns its own fat for fuel. It's crucial not to force this step but to listen for the signal of absent hunger, which may be a novel experience for some.

Step 4: Eat Two Meals Per Day [5:12]

Consciously choosing to eat only two meals per day marks a transition from being controlled by hunger to taking control of eating habits. The focus shifts to consuming two boluses of food per day, without snacking, to minimize insulin spikes, which hinder progress. Consistency is key, and this step should be maintained for seven consecutive days before advancing.

Step 5: 16/8 Intermittent Fasting [6:26]

This step formalizes the two-meal pattern into a 16/8 intermittent fasting schedule, where all food is consumed within an 8-hour window, followed by a 16-hour fast with only water and salt. Fatty coffee (with butter, heavy cream, or MCT oil) is allowed during the fasting period as a tool to maintain satiety and energy levels. The timing of the 8-hour eating window should align with individual lifestyles, emphasizing consistency over perfect timing.

Step 6: Advanced 16/8 Intermittent Fasting [7:34]

The "training wheels" of fatty coffee are removed, and the 16-hour fasting period becomes completely clean, allowing only water, salt, black coffee, and plain tea. Individuals can then practice "land and squeeze," progressively shrinking the eating window, potentially to 7 or even 6 hours. This phase can be a long-term destination, promoting steady healing.

Step 7: 23/1 (OMAD - One Meal A Day) [8:55]

The eating window is further reduced to just one hour per day, with a 23-hour clean fast. This amplifies the benefits of fasting and strengthens the ability to resist food. Upgrading from urine ketone strips to blood ketone meters is recommended to measure the level of ketosis accurately.

Step 8: Advanced 23/1 (Advanced OMAD) [9:37]

The single eating hour is aligned with the body's circadian rhythm, ideally within 11 hours of sunrise, to maximize metabolic benefits. The Dr. Boz ratio (blood glucose divided by blood ketones) is used as a key measurement, taken in the morning and before eating, to assess insulin activity.

Step 9: The 36-Hour Fast [10:17]

This step introduces strategic metabolic stress for enhanced healing. A 36-hour fast involves eating dinner on Monday night and then not eating again until Wednesday morning, utilizing two sleep cycles to ease the process. Individuals on blood pressure or blood sugar medications should undertake this step only under medical supervision due to potential dangerous drops in blood pressure or blood sugar.

Step 10: 36-Hour Fast Without the Celebration Meal [11:03]

This step focuses on breaking the psychological association between fasting and rewarding oneself with a celebratory meal. After the 36-hour fast, individuals should return to their normal eating patterns without splurging, demonstrating mastery over food psychology.

Step 11: The 48-Hour Fast [11:36]

Logistically different from the 36-hour fast, the 48-hour fast maintains a consistent mealtime. Dinner is eaten on Monday night, followed by fasting all day Tuesday, and then eating dinner again on Wednesday night. This repeatable pattern can be safely attempted up to twice a week.

Step 12: The 72-Hour Fast [12:04]

The pinnacle of the framework, a 72-hour fast, is a powerful tool for a major metabolic reset. It involves fasting for 72 hours once a week for eight consecutive weeks, returning to a comfortable baseline (16/8, 18/6, 24, or OMAD) for the rest of the week. This sustained intermittent stress pushes the body to its peak state of healing and repair, leading to profound transformations.