Couple Questions about Atkins/Ketosis

[Gumby]

Hello all, I've posted on the forum a long ways back and Im back again looking for some more advice (or facts, if you will).

I've been reading up on Atikins looking for some information (my coach has always advocated a high protein/high fat/ low carb diet.

Roughly how long does it take to achieve Ketosis? I've read it takes about 2 days (that is, your body has enough stores for 2 days before it starts burning fat) and that this may vary with exercise. (I exercise intensely for about 4-5 hours 5 days a week).

How quickly can you body come out of ketosis and revert back to a carb burning system? If you for example were to indulge yourself in some tasty carb foods, how much would you need to eat and for how long before you'd have to start your induction all over again?

Whats the deal with cheese? Why are only 3-4 ounces allowed daily on induction? Is this due to a carb restriction, or something else in cheese?

Aspartame/caffeine- i read conflicting things about these two, although everything I read says to avoid them. One is that they may influence weight loss in some people (I've been consuming them for the past week I've been on induction and have lost 7lbs so far). Namely, does it for some unknown reason hold some people, or is it avoided (in the case of caffeine for example) because it causes low drops in blood sugar which leads to cravings?

How much fat from your own body will your body burn before it starts to hold on? Im looking to achieve maximum muscle mass for my size, and Im just curious if my body is more likely to burn what fat I have until Im down to minimal body fat (say under 10%).

Thanks in advance for any help on these topics. Best of luck on the diet (and feel free to ask for any exercise tips)

[Georgiana]

Re: Couple Questions about Atkins/Ketosis

Roughly how long does it take to achieve Ketosis? I've read it takes about 2 days (that is, your body has enough stores for 2 days before it starts burning fat) and that this may vary with exercise. (I exercise intensely for about 4-5 hours 5 days a week).

For most people it takes 2-4 days. Exercise is ketogenic and it will speed up the process.

How quickly can you body come out of ketosis and revert back to a carb burning system? If you for example were to indulge yourself in some tasty carb foods, how much would you need to eat and for how long before you'd have to start your induction all over again?

It depends how many carbs you can tolerate. Some are in ketosis while eating 100+ carbs. I'm not sure what you mean by "tasty carb foods". Berries with some cream or cheese, or some 100% cocoa dark chocolate are tasty for me.

Cheating, restarting, cheating, restarting, cheating.... that's not the way to do Atkins. If you need to keep restarting Induction over and over again, you will likely never reach Maintenance.

Whats the deal with cheese? Why are only 3-4 ounces allowed daily on induction? Is this due to a carb restriction, or something else in cheese?

Cheese is difficult to control for some people and many could easily eat more than 3-4 oz. We are also supposed to get most of our carbs from veggies, not from cheese. Too much cheese can cause constipation. Plus, cheese is very dense in calories and, while we do not need to count calories on Atkins, eating more calories than we burn will still cause weight gain.

Aspartame/caffeine- i read conflicting things about these two, although everything I read says to avoid them. One is that they may influence weight loss in some people (I've been consuming them for the past week I've been on induction and have lost 7lbs so far). Namely, does it for some unknown reason hold some people, or is it avoided (in the case of caffeine for example) because it causes low drops in blood sugar which leads to cravings?

Cravings are not the only symptom of blood sugar instability. There's a long list of symptoms in Chapter 12 of DANDR.

Dr. Atkins noticed that aspartame can stall or slow down weight loss for some people, which is why he advised us to avoid it. Some people are also stalled by Splenda or other sweeteners. You need to find the sweetener(s) that work(s) for you.

[Gumby]

Re: Couple Questions about Atkins/Ketosis

Thanks Georgiana! "Tasty Carb foods" was just a way of reminding myself just how glorious carbs taste, especially after you havent eaten them in awhile (I told my wife if you want to have the greatest pasta dinner in your life, go on induction for a week before you eat it!)

I simply use the diet to make weight- Im 6'0- 6'1 and routinely weigh around 160-165lbs, but occasionally have to drop weight to as low as 150lbs, which is when I start to stop eating the carbs. Thanks for the advice!