What are “macros”?
Macros are macronutrients: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Instead of counting calories to lose weight we count our macros!
How do I calculate your macros?
After your purchase you will be sent a link to the online questionnaire, from which I will get your stats like age, height, weight, gender etc. and I will use that information to calculate the perfect weight loss macros for you.
What is "The Mitchell Method"?
The Mitchell Method is healthy approach to the ketogenic diet, it is meant to help you shed fat while maintaining your muscle; remember you heart is a muscle too! The Mitchell Method keeps carbs low to keep your body in ketosis. The Mitchell Method calculates protein based on your lean body mass so that you will have enough protein to protect, maintain, and grow the muscle on your body. Lastly, the Mitchell Method uses fat to control your calories, you will eat less fat when we want to lose weight and eat more fat when you want to stop losing weight. Remember, when you are in ketosis your body runs off of fat – that fat can come from one of two places… your plate or your body.
What is the difference between a low carb high fat (LCHF) ketogenic diet and The Mitchell Method?
LCHF does keto a different way; they keep their carbs low to put their bodies into ketosis but they eat minimal protein and a high fat diet. LCHF dieters also use percentages to track their food. For example, they might eat 5% carbs, 75% fat and 20% protein and if that is not used in conjunction with a calorie limit it can be very easy to overeat and therefore not see any weight loss. LCHF dieters will claim that they eat low protein because the body can turn protein into glucose and that will kick you out of ketosis. This is simply a misunderstanding of a process called gluconeogenesis.
The Mitchell Method keeps carbs low to keep you in ketosis but we eat enough protein to protect our muscles and we use fat to control our calories. We do this by following our macros in grams, not percentages. By eating macros in specific amount like 100 grams protein/ 86 grams fat/ 20 grams of carbohydrates we know that we are getting the correct amounts of the macronutrients and we aren’t overeating.
What is gluconeogenesis?
Gluconeogenesis (GNG) is the process in which your body uses protein and fat to make glucose for your body. GNG happens when your body is in ketosis and also in times of fasting or starvation. If you are eating food your body will use the protein and fat that you eat to make glucose. If you aren’t eating then your body will get protein and fat from your body. GNG is a helpful process that the body can use to make glucose for the parts of the body that can’t run on ketones. GNG is not how the body gets rid of excess protein. Eating protein does not start GNG, it does not ramp up the process and it will not kick you out of ketosis. If you eat more protein than you can use your body will turn it into urea and you will sweat or urinate it out.
I’m diabetic - is this diet safe for me?
If you are a Type 1 diabetic you will need to be under a doctor’s supervisor if you want to try a ketogenic diet.
Type 2 Diabetics can actually see improvement in their symptoms and can eventually restore their blood sugar and A1C to normal and put the T2D in remission. Keto doesn’t cure it, if you go back to eating carbs in large amounts you will go back to being a diabetic. I also suggest that T2D let their doctors know that they are starting a ketogenic diet because it is possible that you will need to have your meds adjusted as your blood sugar starts to return to normal.
What is ketosis?
Ketosis is the state your body goes into when carbohydrates are restricted down to 20 – 30 grams. Ketosis is when your body switches from running on carbs (glucose) to running off of fat (including the fat on your body). The body breaks down fat, the byproduct of that process is ketones and ketones are used by your body for energy.
What is the "keto flu" and how do I avoid it?
The keto flu is not a carobhydrate withdrawal like the internet would have you believe, the keto flu is just an electrolyte imbalance and it is easy to prevent and treat. Electrolytes are sodium, magnesium and potassium and when these deficient you can experience such symptoms as headache, fatigue, nausea, fast heartbeat, and muscle cramping just to name a few. When you are in ketosis your body no longer recycles sodium like it does in a high carbohydrate diet. When you are in ketosis your body excretes sodium and it’s your job to replenish it, if you don’t you will feel the effects that are commonly referred to as the keto flu.
Will drinking exogenous ketones help me get into ketosis faster?
No, drinking ketones will not put you into ketosis.
Ketosis is a state that your body is in from restricting carbs. When you eat a very low carb diet your body switches from running off of carbs to running off of fat. Your liver use fatty acids to produce ketones and then ketones are used for energy. So by drinking ketones you are neither putting yourself into ketosis nor are you burning fat. The only way to get your body into a state of ketosis is to restrict carbs.
If all I need to do to get into ketosis is restrict carbs why do I need to mind my other macros like fat and protein?
Being in ketosis is a metabolic state but it does not guarantee weight loss; you still need to eat fewer calories than your body uses in a day in order to lose weight.
The best way to do this? Take out all of the guess work, homework, and any other type of unnecessary “work” by having your macros calculated for you!
If we aren’t counting calories to lose weight how do I know how much to eat?
We Mind Our Macros because each macronutrient has a caloric value:
- 1 gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories
- 1 gram of protein is 4 calories
- 1 gram of fat is 9 calories
By eating within our macros we are, in fact, counting calories – just in a more specific and efficient way.
I’m a vegetarian - can I still do keto?
If you are ovo-lacto or pescatarian I can make a keto meal plan for you, if you don’t eat any animal products I won’t be able to make a keto meal plan for you. However, I can do a non-keto meal plan for you so that I can incorporate more incomplete proteins from whole grains and vegetables in your meal plan
How long does it take to go into ketosis?
It can take 2 – 7 days to go into ketosis