How do I go into ketogenesis? (how to lose visceral fat) (Part 4)

If you are trying to reduce your visceral fat, you want to spend part of your day in ketogenesis. This is the part of the day when you are ‘burning fat’; you are using your fat as an energy source. The body goes into ketogenesis when it needs energy and there is no glucose in the blood steam. You want to get to the point where your body has run out of glucose and thus the insulin levels are zero (or very low).

An easy way of doing this is while you sleep. If you finish eating dinner at 6pm and don’t eat until breakfast at 6am, your body uses most of the glucose it has stored and almost runs out of the glucose. Then at 6am you eat breakfast, carbohydrates (glucose) get absorbed into the bloodstream. The glucose levels go higher. But if you delay breakfast, until 7 or 8 or 9am the body runs out of glucose and is forced to take energy from the visceral fat. This is ketogenesis, making ketones from visceral fat, for the purpose of energy. 

Now I know what your thinking, ‘I’m going to be so hungry, I could never do that”.   

There is a gradual way of training your body to do it. First you want to NOT eat for 12 hrs and then eat for 12 hrs. Have dinner at 6pm and then don’t eat after dinner until breakfast at 6am. Do this for 1 month. While you are doing this, your body is slowly getting ready for later breakfast times. You will notice during this time that you start to lose weight. Then pick a Saturday or a not important day where you can switch to 18:6. Instead of eating breakfast you will eat at noon where lunch is your first meal of the day. This is 18 hrs of not eating. Then eat lunch. During this first morning of doing this, you will feel like you have the flu (the “ketoflu”). This will be the only day this happens. From that point forward, you will do 18 hrs of not eating and then you will eat for 6hrs, each day. So, you can think that your body is in ketogenesis each morning. So essentially, you are ‘burning fat’ from 6am to noon each day. During this time, you are allowed to have water, black coffee, black tea or green tea (with no cream or sugar) during your morning fast. If you have strong cravings to eat, you can put in your drink some MCT oil (refined coconut oil). You might also start to have cramps in your legs at night, this is due to low electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium). During 18:6 you will drop weight fast. Make sure you drink a lot of water and replace lost electrolytes. 

Notice this does not require exercise. Notice I’m not telling you what to eat. It’s about the time of day that you are NOT eating. In simple terms, it is important to NOT have anything from 6am to noon. 

Now, depending on where your starting point of health, you can do 12 and 12 on your own. However, before you switch to 18:6 you need to talk with your doctor and state what you are doing and that you want to do this. You might have to decrease blood pressure meds, diabetes meds, and other medicines you might no longer need. So, your doctor will have to watch you closely until you are 18:6 for several months.