If you know anyone on a ketogenic diet, I'm quite sure you've heard them exclaim with glee, "I'm in ketosis!" What could be more exciting to someone on a ketogenic diet? Those words appear to be a badge of honor, especially for people starting out with their ketogenic lifestyles. It seems like everywhere you turn, people trying a ketogenic way of life are doing whatever they can to quickly jump into ketosis. It can be easy to get into ketosis, but understanding the difference between ketosis, being fat-adapted, or being keto-adapted is an important part of the process.
All Kinds of Confusion
It doesn't come as a surprise when people seem confused over the terms associated with being in ketosis, being fat-adapted, or being keto-adapted. Are they all the same? Not exactly. I've found that many people, including myself, naturally use the term "ketosis" as meaning fat-adapted or keto-adapted and have a tendency to use the terms interchangeably. Unfortunately, that may not be exactly accurate and can be somewhat confusing. It's easy to say someone is in ketosis when they mean a state of ketosis. Being in a state of ketosis is not the same as being fat-adapted or keto-adapted. Ketosis can be easy to enter, for example, if someone consumes exogenous ketones or follows a fasting regimen. Would the person be in ketosis? Yes. Would they be fat-adapted or keto-adapted? Not necessarily.
Understanding The Differences
What are the differences? As I explained in the previous paragraph, the terms may mean different things. Generally, being fat-adapted or keto-adapted are primarily the same. What does it mean when you've reached fat-adaption or keto-adaption? Being fat-adapted or keto-adapted is crucial for a ketogenic diet as the body begins to function primarily on ketones and less on glucose for energy. Ketosis may potentially mean the same, but it could also refer to being in a state of ketosis.
How Do I Know If I'm in Ketosis?
Fortunately, there are ways to determine whether someone is in ketosis. Is it important to know those details? It depends primarily on the person, but generally, yes. I'm not aware of anyone that would put in consistency, dedication, and hard work into living a ketogenic lifestyle that wouldn't want to know the answer.
Last year, I created a YouTube video dedicated to this topic and explained two of the methods I've personally used. Initially, I started my ketogenic diet journey using Ketostix to determine whether I was in ketosis. The Ketostix are used to measure the amount of ketones in the urine and will change color depending on the amount of ketones being released. I quickly discovered that this method wasn't the most accurate as the amount of ketones in the urine can vary according to multiple factors such as dehydration. Some days would appear as though I wasn't in ketosis although I was consistent with my diet and exercise regimen. Over time, it became very inconsistent.
In my quest to find a more reliable source, I discovered a Precision Xtra Blood Glucose Meter Kit to measure my ketones and also check my blood glucose levels. The optimal levels for ketones are 1.8 to 3.0 millimoles, or millimoles per liter, but nutritional ketosis can be as low as .4 millimoles and range up to 1.8 millimoles. Some devices also read milligram per deciliter which is important to know to prevent any potential errors in the reading.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, hopefully you've realized that it's important to understand what the differences are between ketosis, being fat-adapted, or being keto-adapted. The next time someone says they're in ketosis, you can ask them what they mean and understand what they're talking about. You may be surprised to find out that they don't know if they're truly fat-adapted or keto-adapted. One final important side note to remember; be cautious of products promising you the glory of ketosis because they may not be exactly what you bargained for and you may feel misled when you find out the truth.