Do I have your attention? You don’t hear too many people publicize an inability to get fat. Well I want you to read carefully what I’m about to say. It’s going to sound strange at first. Perhaps even taboo if you’re an 80’s kid like me. But, I assure you, I can’t get fat…and neither can you if you begin to understand the science behind ketosis. 

I lost 60 lbs by eating whole food, mostly paleo, and doing lots of high intense exercises. I got down to a six pack and felt really good about myself. Then I got busy. Life came at me and I put back on about 12 lbs. I know, not horrible, but still I wanted to get back to my showy abs and vascularity. However, I became frustrated when what got me there in the first place was no longer working. I was lifting heavy, doing crossfit, running, and eating clean. Still nothing, except soreness and fatigue. 

Eventually I decided to try this ketosis thing again. I’d done it a few times before for short periods and saw some results. Why not? What did I have to lose other than fat? So, I cleaned out my carbs, stocked up on some Keto OS, purchased some ketone test strips, and away I went. Every day I checked the scales, I measured, I posed in front of the mirror. No change. How could this be? A week passed. Then 2 weeks. Then 3. Are you kidding me? And then it happened. In week four I experienced the end of “cell swell”, a period of time that my cells became full of fluid that did not want to release..and then…gush! The fat began to go. I dropped the 12 lbs I’d gained plus another 2 or 3. My energy sored, my focus cleared, and birds were singing again. I’ve been ketogenic for 6 months now and I can’t seem to put on any fat. Literally! 

I eat tons of delicous food. I exercise about half of what is use to. My calories have doubled. Yet, I maintain a six pack and thrive on tons of energy. This is ketosis!

Let’s get down to some science..what is going on?

1. Fact, you CANNOT use fat for fuel with glucose streaming through your blood. 

Glucose is sugar that has been produced by the livet from carbs in food that you eat. As long as your blood glucose is elevated, your body will never tap into fat stores. Being in ketosis, my blood glucose stays low and never spikes. My body stays in fat burning mode. IF or WHEN carbs go into my body, my body will burn that first. However, after being fat adapted in ketosis, my body immediately switches back to burning fat. Food doesn’t get converted into stored fat. It gets used as fuel! 

2. I’m eating clean, whole, real food. That kind of food is very ineffecient for fat storage. Instead, it gets used as nutrients and processed very differently than carbs. Let’s not kid ourselves, all calories are not the same. One can of soda that has 120 calories vs a plate of chicken breast and broccoli worth 120 calories are NOT going to be used the same way. 

3. High fat equals less eating. That’s right, you read correctly

Carbs leave you unsatisfied and soon afterwards,  just wanting more. Protein and fat have a very different affect. They’re satiating..Very filling. Protein, of course, is way more dense that carbs. So it takes longer to digest. Makes sense. Fat however is really cool though. .when you elevate healthy fats you actually signal your hormones to behave correctly. Example: on a keto diet you will find that the hormone Leptin, which is responsible for signaling to the brain that you’re hungry, gets reduced; and Grelin, the hormone responsible for letting your brain know you’re full, gets increased. Fat literally teaches your body to say, “I’ve eaten enough”. Many days I won’t be ready to eat until 2 in the afternoon because my breakfast consisted of coffee with butter and MTC oil. High fat! So, I don’t really eat that much quantity. 

4. Ketosis drives my energy levels to new hieghts. People will always inevitably ask about the consumption of calories. I’m not saying calories don’t count. I’m just saying I don’t count them. I don’t need to. Although I’m not exercising as much as before, I’m actually more active that ever before. Just moving around. From the time I get up to the time I go to bed, my energy is off the charts. At night I run 3-5 miles just to burn off extra energy. I’m burning through any calorie accumulation that would otherwise hinder my goals. 

5. My sleep had improved. Ketosis is a sleep miracle for me. Although I don’t need as many hours of sleep as I use to, the sleep that I enjoy is much deeper. Science has shown us that restless, shallow sleeping just leaves us more tired and fatigued the next day. But, a good deep (even just 2 hours) of REM sleep is enough to restore hormones, heal oxidative stress, and reboot our servers in the brain to start our day feeling refreshed and energetic. Keto makes sleep deep. 
So, I’m not saying it’s totally impossible for me to get fat. Certainly any amount of over eating anything is bad and eventually provides extra stores of adipose tissue. However as I am right now, living in a high fat, low carb, moderate protein lifestyle, it ain’t happen’. I feel amazing, and pain free. I enjoy everything I eat and I eat lots of it. I have no need to weigh myself and am not afraid of what the scales might say. I can’t get fat.