How to Stay in Ketosis During Quarantine

Struggling to stay in ketosis during self-quarantine? You are not the only one!

It turns out being stuck at home makes us more vulnerable to food temptations.

Our willpower is constantly battered by boredom, anxiety and stress. There are fewer distractions and treats. And it’s hard to stay motivated.

If you keep falling off the Keto wagon, do not despair.

Here’s how to regain control and get back into ketosis quickly:

• Devise a carb control system
• Support ketosis with targeted supplements
• Eliminate hidden carbs
• Go full “Clean Keto”
• Try a radical reset

You Need a Carb Control System

As you already know, your Keto macros must be just right. A few extra carbs on top of your daily limit – and Keto magic stops working.

If you are already an experienced Keto dieter, it may be tempting to assume you got it all under control.

But after 12 years on low-carb, I still sometimes catch myself making whopping mistakes with carb counts. Sometimes even conveniently forgetting entire meals!

That’s not because I lack knowledge or self-discipline. It’s just the way we are hard-wired by evolution.

The monotony of staying at home doesn’t help. Days sort of blend into each other. It’s harder to keep track of things and stay motivated.

If you find yourself falling out of ketosis all the time, it’s time to tighten control.

Don’t trust your senses! Develop a reliable external system instead.

Have a food diary

Don’t rely on your memory. Track your food with an app or a written food journal instead.

Check your carb counts

Don’t guess carb counts. Unless you already know precisely how many carbs there are in your food, then look them up.

Measure your food

Don’t estimate the amount of food you eat. Use weighing scales or volume cups and actually measure it.

Once you are safely back in ketosis, you can, of course, relax these rules.

But it is a good idea to get back to this point whenever you find yourself out of ketosis or on a weight-loss plateau.

Watch Out for Hidden Carbs

Carbs are sneaky. They are hiding everywhere!

Watch out for these common danger areas:

• All processed foods
• Condiments, sauces, meat rubs and marinades
• Some nuts (especially chestnuts, cashews and pistachios)
• Shellfish (especially mussels, oysters and scallops)
• Offal meats and pates
• Over-the-counter medicines and supplements
• “Sugar-free” products with polyols

Stimulate Ketosis with Targeted Supplements

Sometimes all you need is just a little push in the right direction.

Keto supplements can help to speed up ketosis and get you back on track.

Exogenous Ketones

Exogenous ketones instantly elevate your ketone levels.

Some companies claim this artificial ketosis will stimulate weight loss regardless of what you eat. That’s debatable – to say the least!

But if you are already on the brink of natural ketosis, exogenous ketones can give you that last nudge to get you over the barrier. The most common supplement format is BHB Salts – providing electrolytes and exogenous ketones in a single product.

Please note that “Raspberry Ketones” are NOT the same, despite the name! They are not actually ketones – and they will do precisely nothing for your ketosis.

Dr Atkins Recommended Supplements

Co-Enzyme Q10 and L-Carnitine were recommended by Dr Atkins to speed up ketosis and improve fat-burning metabolism.

Our Keto Catalyst product combines them both in a single capsule.

Go full-on “Clean Keto”

Some of us can get away with “dirty Keto” and stay in ketosis while eating sweeteners, processed foods and other junk.

Others are more sensitive and can get knocked out even by “legit” natural Keto foods like berries, nuts and dairy.

But for most of us, the lockdown made it harder to stick to our diet plans.

We are moving less and eating more. Cravings for snacks and treats may be stronger due to anxiety or boredom.

One way to fight back is Clean Keto. Just keep it very simple and eat only the following foods:

• animal proteins: meat, fish, poultry, eggs
• green leafy vegetables and salad vegetables
• healthy oils and animal fats

Cut out the following for now, at least until you get back into ketosis:

• all processed foods including “sugar-free” and “low-carb” products
• nuts and seeds
• berries
• dairy except butter
• all sweeteners

Once safely back in ketosis, experiment with adding these foods back one by one.

Try a Radical Reset

Tired of your old routines?

Feel like you need a really radical shift to get back on track?

Here are a few extreme – but effective – methods to consider.

Please note that the ways of eating listed below are considered safe for healthy individuals. If you have any health concerns or are under medical supervision for any reason at all, consult your doctor before attempting these methods.

Dr Atkins’ “Fat Fast” protocol 

A Fat Fast is basically a really extreme version of Keto at 1200 calories a day. 90% of these calories must come from fat.

A Fat Fast will usually induce ketosis within 2-3 days. Do not stay on it for longer than 5 days as the absolute maximum.

Zero-Carb Carnivore

Animal proteins only (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) and nothing else.

I know this sounds insane! But the diet works well for many people, especially those with auto-immune and digestive issues.

A healthy individual could try it out for a few days as a way to speed up ketosis. Choose fatty cuts of meat and oily fish so that you are getting plenty of fat.

Intermittent fasting

Fit all your eating into a specific time window – like 6 or 8 hours – and don’t eat anything else during the rest of the day. This will create a fasting window of 16-18 hours.

This should be enough to induce ketosis if your glycogen stores are already almost depleted.

OMAD

OMAD (One Meal a Day) is a variation of intermittent fasting, with basically just one very large meal per day and fasting the rest of the time.

Combining Keto with OMAD is getting increasingly popular to magnify the benefits of both.

Extended fasting for 24-48 hours

Nuclear option! Just eat nothing at all, drink plenty of water and replenish your electrolytes for 1-2 days.

It’s not easy – but also not as hard as it seems!

You will conquer your food fears, reset your metabolism, and most certainly break into ketosis by the end of it.

Any comments or questions?

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