I get a ton of questions every week from people who are trying to understand the ketogenic diet.

There is a lot of misinformation out there on what the ketogenic diet is, how to get into ketosis, and best practices for measuring ketones.

So I want to clarify it for you today.

For starters, why should you train your body to get into ketosis?

Ketosis is a normal metabolic process. When the body does not have enough glucose for energy, it burns stored fats instead. This results in a build-up of a certain type of acid, called “ketones,” within the body.

The presence of ketones in your blood is an indication that your body is burning fat for energy. Among other things, ketones are magic for your brain. They give you mental clarity and energy. What’s more, research is now proving that ketones help fight cancer.

But unlike other diets where you are restricting certain foods, the ketogenic diet is about eating a certain way to get your body into a ketogenic state.

It’s chemistry, not a food plan.

Here are my Top 4 Do’s and Don’ts that will help you get into a ketogenic state. For a more detailed explanation, watch the FB Live below.


1.  50/50/IF

Keep your net carbohydrates below 50 grams.
Be sure more than 50% of your daily caloric intake is good fat.
Intermittent fast (IF) 15 hours every day.

2. Measure

Because you are trying to alter the chemistry of your body, measuring your blood ketones is very helpful. I use the Precision blood glucose/ketone reader. I take a blood glucose and ketone reading first thing in the morning when I wake up and right before my first meal.

3. Practice Diet Variation

The point of the ketogenic diet is not to eat low carbs all the time or to try to be in the ketogenic state all the time. The goal is to be able click in and out of ketosis quickly.

I am a huge fan of diet variation to avoid plateaus. The video below will tell you more about how you can apply variation to your diet.

4. Check Your Gut

I have coached thousands of people through the ketogenic diet. The people who have the most difficulty getting into ketosis usually have some type of severe gut dysbiosis.

Fungus like Candida can produce an enzyme that blocks glucose and insulin receptor sites. This leaves lots of glucose floating around in your bloodstream. If glucose is high, your body will not secrete ketones.

If you are struggling to get into to ketosis, check your gut.


1. Eat Too Much Protein

This is not a high protein diet. It’s a moderate to minimal protein diet. Too much protein will turn into sugar in your body and block you from being in a ketogenic state.

2. Compare

Everyone gets into ketosis a little differently. If you are doing the ketogenic diet with a friend, your results may be different than theirs.

3. Use Exogenous Ketones

As the ketogenic diet has become popular, so have ketogenic supplements. Since ketones are a sign that your body is burning fat, adding ketones into your body isn’t necessarily going to make you lose weight. See my explanation for this in the video.

4. Give up

Don’t give up on this way of eating. It can be a challenge to understand all the pieces in the beginning, but once you get it figured out, you will feel supercharged on this diet.

Hope that helps! Reach out if you have any questions.