How to Get Back into Ketosis

If you’re reading this right now, there’s a chance your most recent carb intake was a little more lit than you were expecting. Maybe you ate some carbs, all of the carbs, or too much low carb stuff that ended up being a ton of carbs. Regardless of the reason, you’re here, and you’re wanting to get back into ketosis…like ASAP.

While we are not nutritionists or physicians, we have been eating a ketogenic diet for years now so our lifestyle has it’s super ultra low carb days and some high days that warrant us to need to reset how we’re eating to feel good again. Most of the time when we carb up, the next day isn’t so bad. It’s after we have a little too many benders on the carb train that our bodies start to reject the extra junk and we feel it in our faces, bodies, and just overall. Chances are you are feeling and looking fluffier due to water weight. You did not just undo weeks-months-years of progress in just a few days.

We’ve done a lot of resets – water fasts, OMAD, 16:8, 18:6, eggfasts, carnivore, zero carb week, ketones, and we will truthfully say they have all helped us drop the excess water weight – some easier others. However, out of all of the resets that we’ve done, none have been easier or more enjoyable than a clean 20g TOTAL reboot. The reason why a 20g TOTAL carb reboot works for us is because it goes back to the fundamentals of a ketogenic diet. Low carb, high fat, and focusing on trying to nourish our bodies with the good stuff. The other resets we have done have more restrictions and by day two or three we are coming off a carb high and act HANGRY and all sorts of cray cray. The 20g TOTAL reboot revolves around the idea that you should try to keep your carb count at 20g total or under. That means you do not rely on processed or packaged foods to subtract fiber from your carb count. You simple just eat to fit the 20g total carbs. If you’re feeling the least bit confused, consider this analogy. You have $20 to spend a day on food. Choose wisely. Do you. spend it on vending machine or gas station snacks throughout the day? Or do you strategize and buy foods that will keep you fuller longer? We do a strict 20g total carb reboot for 5 days and then loosen the reigns as we get back into ketosis and start incorporating more fruits, veggies, and the “dirty” (packaged, processed, etc) stuff to continue our lifestyle.

Here are 7 tips and tricks to get back into ketosis. As a reminder, please do not consider the following medical advice – rather, opinions on what has worked for us.

Eat 20g total carbs or fewer each day.

Total carbs means you do not subtract fiber – so you should be leaning on ultra low carbs such as meats, poultry, eggs, cheese, and greens. Remember, sweeteners like monkfruit sweetener still have high carb carbs (before you subtract the sugar alcohol) so if you must sweeten anything – like coffee, use stevia – as its truly zero carb. We’ve started a #20gtotalreboot hashtag on Instagram with a ton of recipes & inspo for you.

Keep it Simple

Y’all should know by now that we are extra – like super extra. We once packed a keto burger with edible gold foil because we had it on hand. You do not have to do that in this case. When you’re trying to get back into ketosis, keep it simple and stick to whole, unprocessed foods as much as you’re able. This will give your body what it needs to continue to heal. Do not over think it. An easy way to think about it is go for the foods that don’t have an ingredient list. You can still season your food – we never said it had to bland.

Drink water and then more water.

We cannot stress how important drinking water is on a ketogenic diet. You would think that drinking a lot of water would over-bloat you, but it helps push the toxins out. Something important to remember is to increase your electrolyte intake as you increase your water and decrease your carbs. Your body will be pushing out the bad stuff but it will also flush out essential minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Pink salt is also a really easy ingredient to sprinkle into your water or add to your meals and it can do wonders.

Move your body. Especially before you eat for the day.

If you’re not already doing so – try starting with 30 mins of physical activity prior to eating in order to facilitate the depletion of glycogen stores. Go for a walk, bike ride, or follow along your favorite YouTube workout video.

Dabble into Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting can be a great tool on your journey back into ketosis. When you fast, your maintains its energy balance by shifting its fuel source from carbs to fats. Think of it as an additional jumpstart to get you back into ketosis.

Increase your healthy fat intake, but watch your calories if you’re trying to lose weight.

Replace the loss of carbohydrates with an increase in healthful fats. Some fats that a person can eat include:

• coconut oil
• olive oil
• avocados and avocado oil
• flaxseed oil

This will help you feel satiated longer but can also boost your ketone level to get you back into ketosis faster.

Be kind to yourself and remind yourself that keto is a lifestyle.

If you’re committed to a ketogenic way of eating for life, just remember there may be some days you go off plan and that it’s okay. Don’t be hard on yourself if you get kicked out ketosis. Sometimes we get kicked out even when our carbs are low – (ingredients matter). Give yourself some grace and know this is a marathon to better health, not a sprint!