what little i know about ketosis

Had a question about ketosis. I'll be honest...maintaining ketosis is *hard* unless you live alone. It's especially hard at this time of year. I only managed ketosis maybe 2 days since thanksgiving. I can tell when I'm in it cuz 1. I rarely feel hungry 2. What hunger I do feel is mixed with slight nausea 3. Just a few bites of jerky or sips of my protein shake quell the hunger completely and 4. When I do eat carbs again I'm suddenly ravenous and wanna eat everything in sight.
There are ketosis testing sticks out there, usually sold near the diabetic supplies. They work like pregnancy tests in that you pee on them and check the strip's color. They cost about as much as pregnancy tests too.

The first time I went into ketosis the process had me absolutely miserable. I was nauseated, dizzy, lightheaded, I had gray-outs, and even what felt like hot flashes. I hated it and gave up too soon. But the science i'd read seemed sound, so I kept tryin...and each transition got easier. So if this is gonna be your first trip into ketosis, do it when you can stay home for a few days!
I'm now where the switch is barely felt. There's some carb cravings (which can be hard) nausea and mild headache and I'm in.
How I do it now: 14-20 hour liquid fast (includes time spent sleeping..your body is still burning calories even asleep) then break the fast with something as low-carb as possible. I prefer tuna (0 to less than 1 gram carbs) but have sometimes used an egg.
On day 2 the carbs have to stay below 30grams total. I can eat whatever I want so long as the carb count stays down. I do not count calories or fat, only carbs. I reach ketosis sometime on day 3, usually by lunch but if I lift weights during these 3 day period I can wake up in ketosis on day 3. I should also mention that the liquid used during that liquid fast is my protein powder dissolved in just water (sometimes with a pinch of cinnamon for taste)

Maintaining ketosis is a bitch. Even milk, my fave drink, has carbs. Cheese has carbs. Bread is nothing but carbs. Veggies have carbs. Fortunatly fiber does not count. Total ccarbs - fiber = carbs that your body wil absorb. Starches are carbs. Buh-bye potatoes! And lots of other veggies. Sugar is carb..and a very simple quickly-absorbed carb at that. No candy on this diet. Unless you wanna experiment with fake sugars...I prefer not to. I rarely like them. I was shocked I like that one flavor of atkins bar. I *hate* the sugar-free reeses/hersheys/russel stovers/ etc etc everyone else. I *hate* them! Blech!
You also have to watch the fruits. They have carbs too, usually in the form of natural sugars. Sigh. Did I mention maintaining ketosis was a bitch?

And it sucks when I need to stay in ketosis and mom's making her super yummy stew with meat, yeah, but also potatoes and carrots and egg noodles and it's soooooo yum. Good thing I don't get very hungry in ketosis...ciz I think a ketogenic diet is really fucking boring. I got the protein bars and shakes so I could have some variety. (And to have something quick I could grab and go)

What's more...you gotta maintain ketosis for damn near 2 weeks befoe you see *real* weight loss. Up til then it's mostly water weight. Why? Cuz fat is a fuckton of calories. Carbs are cheap gas, and fats are the super expensive slow-burning high octane stuff. It takes time to burn off a noticable amount. But burn it does.... I can work out while in ketosis. I can't go as fast... but I can still go for a long time. Running makes me dizzy and faint but I can still walk a good 5 miles without a problem. You just have to be willing to work out slowly.

Wow I wrote another damn essay and still didn't get to my intake today. Anyway quick last word..while in ketosis *you*must*eat* here's why.... most of the body is thrilled to run on ketones (what ketosis gets its name from) but some tissues absolutely require glucose. Here's a secret... your body actually makes glucose! Your liver uses fat to power the creation of sugar, and the fat byproducts are the ketones that are used by most of the body as fuel. Fat is your main fuel, and fat is used to turn protein into sugar! Your body can make all the sugar it needss! The body makes sugar by breaking down protein. But your body will only do this if your carb intake is very low (I aim for an absolute max of 40g a day, but lower is always better. The lower, the better!). But if you are not eating protein, then your body has no choice but to break down the protein in your muscles. This is bad! Hearts are muscles. Diaphrams (that thing that runs your lungs) are muscles! Muscle is vital to life! Eat protein! You don't need a lot but you must eat something daily, even if it's just a protein shake! Short fasts are good for you, but when you get to a week or longer... that's starting into danger Will Robinson!

Ok intake...woke up at noon and has a Twisted bar... almost got those damn things gone. Took a 20cal acai energy drink to work (another product I'm trying to finish up..I like the taste but not the texture).
And that was it until I got home from work. Then I fucking feasted on turkey and green beans and chocolate and ofc milk. Yes, Christmas is finally casting its spell on me. I was even happy at work, and I hate retail! I've got my fave Christmas Mannheim Steamroller songs playing right now and I feel high on life. There's even been a dusting of snow outside every morning for almost a week. There were even some moments tonight where I wasn't thinking about the cal counts or my weight. I don't want the new year to come. I love Christmas. It doesn't last long enough.
I think it was Mich who said she also got high on life during Christmas. I remember the cute and funny cartoon, complete with The Snowman. So anyway my intake's gonna be crap... I am just high on Christmas. But I'll still be here, be around.

Maybe I'll just tell silly stories.. or perhaps answer questions? You can see *points upward* that I talk (write) way too damn much to ever really shut up :)