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Johan Sopiee’s approach to the Ketogenic Diet

February 5, 2019 johansopiee

This is Johan Sopiee’s approach to getting into Ketosis Fast. There are many other ways to
get into Ketosis. Feel free to do as you wish.

If you are taking medication for:

– THYROID DYSFUNCTION
– HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
– or taking WARFARIN,
– if you are under 18, if you are PREGNANT, BREAST FEEDING, or suffer from
DIABETES, ANAEMIA, EPILEPSY, GOUT, KIDNEY, LIVER, or HEART DISEASE…..

PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING.

Johan’s simple grocery list. LEARN TO READ INGREDIENT LABELS of items you buy.
if it says sugar, pls AVOID at all costs (hint – most items ending with -ose are sugar)

1. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV that has no fillers and no honey)

2. Good Fats
– butter (unsalted pls. margarine and spread are NOT butter)
– coconut oil (ensure its not blended with fillers)
– olive oil (extra virgin, pure or pomace are all ok)
– ghee (pure and not blend)
– avocado oil / almond old (a bit expensive)
– lard and similar non-halal items (if you are ok with it)
3. eggs
4. chicken or meats (that you are ok with)
5. vegetables (most green veg)
6. vegetables (some non-green vegy but in small quantities)
7. herbs and spices (unmixed and unprocessed types)
– beware some powders/mix and white pepper has fillers eg flour
8. Rock Salt / Sea Salt (no iodized table salt pls)
9. MCT oil (Multi Chain Triglycerides)
10. Green Tea, Tea or Coffee (only if you need it, make sure its unsweetened and the lower
the Caffeine the better)
ps – all these items above are highly recommended. if you are Keto Adapted, then these don’t
apply to you
—-
if you are unsure of any item, try www.Google.com > and type > XXX carb content

a lot of item’s carb and sugar content can be found on Google

—
My typical breakfast
1. Half or One tablespoon of Butter (or other good fats)

2. 2 Eggs (any style). If you are 100+kg = max 4 eggs.

(As you start, if possible, No onions. No garlic. The more you abstain from onions and garlic,
the faster you will get into ketosis.)

3. (use a food weighting scale) 30 grams of Tomatoes (or veg with equivalent carb count) –
this is the only veg i weight to figure out how much veg to eat

if you’re not losing weight or fat fast enuff, check:-

a) there might be hidden sugars in your food
b) you might be still eating processed food
c) your understanding of what carbs are might need to be revisited and you might be
consuming too much carbs per day
d) the supplements you are eating might contain hidden fillers that are one of the above ie
sugar or carbs
e) you might need to read this post again and again. eg cheat meals will kick you out of
Ketosis for sure, a certain food that says no added sugar might contain natural sugar so we all
got to get good at reading bottled/canned/packed food labels, list of ingredients and
nutritional content in the food items.

What is my typical heavy lunch/dinner like?

– Good Fats eg Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Pure Ghee, etc
– Veg eg most dark green veg are good
– Proteins eg chicken, beef (for those who can eat), pork (for those who can eat), etc (i
initially stay away from fish coz all farmed fish are not good. In Malaysia, its hard to figure
out which fish is truly caught from the sea and not farmed)

– i start by weighting my proteins (uncooked weight) on my small food scale

MEN GET 240 GRAMS OF PROTEIN PER DAY
WOMEN GET 180 GRAMS PROTEIN PER DAY

as i pan fry my meal, and my chicken is in my pan, i spread out my chicken to cover 1/3 of
my pan. i spread it out evenly and take a mental note of the height of the chicken from the
base of the pan.
VISUALLY, I THEN FILL UP 2/3 OF THE PAN WITH DARK GREEN VEG (same height
as the chicken)

by doing things this way:-

– 1) i don’t need to weight the veg i eat for every meal
– 2) i learn to guesstimate what amount of veg gets me into ketosis, so in a few months time, i
can visually guesstimate how much outside food is enuff for me (eg we can visit Delicious
restaurant and order the Salad + Grilled Chicken. by asking for dressing on the side and
removing the bread croutons its a pretty ok Keto-Friendly meal. i eat 1 meal portion and then
ask to pack the balance. i can only do this when train myself so much at home that i can guess
what amount of outside food is enuff)
– 3) we gotta keep things simple and easy

My typical lunch
1. 120grams chicken (pan fried)
2. 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter
3. Himalayan Pink Rock Salt, white pepper and/or pepper (to your taste)
4. Dark green vegy and minimal dark non-green vegy (as they have more carbs)

Ps – a Keto meal need not be as bland and boring as mine. I’m just lazy to spend more than
10-15 minutes a meal. Explore the substitution list and the images in this Pinned Post to
create your own combinations of food items to your taste. If you keep it simple to begin with
then slowly expand the food items in week 2 onwards, then its easy for you to monitor what
keeps you in Ketosis, what gets you into deeper Ketosis and what forbidden items or treats
that KICK YOU OUT OF KETOSIS (i hope this does not happen to you!)

REMEMBER : Week 1 is the Golden Week. Don’t waste it!!!! i lost 10+ kg in my first week
alone!

AND pls DRINK A LOT OF PLAIN WATER DAILY ie a bit more than usual. for me, i
started with 3 litres, then 4 litres and now i’m at 5 litres per day roughly

signs of Ketosis (some people get them):-

1) i got Keto Flu before getting into full blown Ketosis (search this wall for info)
2) start feeling hotter than normal as fat burning has started. i got chapped lips when i didn’t
drink enuff
3) Keto Flu might mean less energy or lethargy, then when Ketosis truly kicks in, i have tons
of energy. i even slept less each day. we might not be able to sleep at night. drink more water
to comfort ourselves to sleep. then i started waking up earlier coz my body told me i have had
enuff sleep
4) learn to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY VERY CLOSELY. Keto Flu can show up in many
different ways. if you really can’t figure it out, ask on the wall or contact us Admin ya.
5) some get a buzzing feeling (like after running a marathon or cycling a century ride)
6) keep looking at the mirror. sometimes we don’t lose weight coz our muscle increases
(Keto can do that sometimes. even tho we don’t exercise). Muscle is heavier than fat. Fat is
bulkier than muscle. so, if your body’s muscle is up, you might not lose weight BUT by
looking in the mirror and wearing pants that are normally tight, you might be able to see
smaller cheeks or feel that your pants are suddenly loose! then a weight loss goal is less
important than a fat loss goal.
Keto-Friendly Substitution List
Vegetables substitution list (see image in the Pinned Post below)
Do not increase vegetables by too much as you can get kicked out of Ketosis.

beware of treats (too much can kick you out of Ketosis)

– cheese (pls only buy hard cheese eg Parmesan and Mozarella. the rest have higher carbs). If
possible avoid all until after 5 weeks
– similarly some cream/heavy cream/whipping cream are ok and some cream are not ok
(check label for amounts of carbs and sugar). If possible avoid
– sugar substitutes eg stevia, erythritol, etc. (if possible abstain for the first 5 weeks)
– don’t drink too much coffee/caffeine in the first week (it can affect insulin sensitivity and
hinder you from getting into Ketosis)
– most western herbs and spices are ok eg paprika, thyme, oregano, etc
– beware : certain asian herbs and spices are mixed with fillers eg flour. chilli flakes are ok
– some berries are a treat (very little amounts) and best avoided for now. Rest of/most fruits
are a definite NO.

FULL KETOGENIC DIET FOOD LIST

https://perfectketo.com/full-ketogenic-diet-food-list/
– some palm oil might come blended with other oils. when you are in deep ketosis, try eating
your palm oil and the ones that don’t kick you out of ketosis are ok for you

Food to AVOID
https://perfectketo.com/ketogenic-diet-foods-to-avoid/

STEP 1
Prepare yourself. You need 5 weeks of being strict with your eating and drinking habits.
Otherwise you are wasting your time.

STEP 2
Stock up on food and items you need to start.

STEP 3
Start. Eat 3 meals a day. Drink only plain water.
Note : don’t overconsume protein and vegy. Use only items from the Keto Approved food
list.

STEP 4
Drink more water than you normally do on a daily basis.

STEP 5
Don’t consume any of the Keto Forbidden Food, and most likely you will not feel hunger
pangs or cravings.

— additional optional info —

10 SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS THAT YOU’RE IN KETOSIS

source : https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-signs-and-symptoms-of-ketosis
When followed correctly, this low-carb, high-fat diet will raise blood ketone levels. These
provide a new fuel source for your cells, and cause most of the unique health benefits of this
diet.

On a ketogenic diet, your body undergoes many biological adaptions, including a reduction in
insulin and increased fat breakdown. When this happens, your liver starts producing large
amounts of ketones to supply energy for your brain.

However, it can often be hard to know whether you’re “in ketosis” or not.

Here are 10 common signs and symptoms of ketosis, both positive and negative.

1. Bad Breath
This is caused by elevated ketone levels. The specific culprit is acetone, a ketone that exits
the body in your urine and breath

2. Weight Loss
Ketogenic diets are highly effective for losing weight. Fast weight loss can occur during the
first week. While some people believe this to be fat loss, it is primarily stored carbs and water
being used up.

After the initial rapid drop in water weight, you should continue to lose body fat consistently
as long as you stick to the diet and remain in a CALORIE DEFICIT.

4. Increased Ketones in the Breath or Urine

One of the hallmarks of a ketogenic diet is a reduction in blood sugar levels and an increase
in ketones.

A way to measure blood ketone levels is a breath analyzer. The use of acetone breath
analyzers has been shown to be fairly accurate, but less accurate than the blood monitor
method.

Another good technique is to measure the presence of ketones in your urine on a daily basis
with special indicator strips. These also measure ketone excretion through the urine and can
be a quick and cheap method to assess your ketone levels daily. However, they are not
considered very reliable.

3. Increased Ketones in the Blood

As you progress further into a ketogenic diet, you will start to burn fat and ketones as the
main fuel sources.

The most reliable and accurate method of measuring ketosis is to measure your blood ketone
levels using a specialized meter. It measures your ketone levels by calculating the amount of
beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in your blood. This is one of the primary ketones present in the
bloodstream. According to some experts on the ketogenic diet, nutritional ketosis is defined
as blood ketones ranging from 0.5–3.0 mmol/L.

Measuring ketones in the blood is the most accurate way of testing, and is used in most
research studies. However, the main downside is that it requires a small pinprick to draw
blood from the finger and can be costly.
5. Appetite Suppression
Many people report decreased hunger while following a ketogenic diet. The reasons why this
happens are still being investigated.

However, it’s been suggested the hunger reduction may be due to an increased protein and
vegetable intake, along with alterations to your body’s hunger hormones.The ketones
themselves may also affect the brain to reduce appetite.

6. Increased Focus and Energy

People often report brain fog, tiredness and feeling sick when first starting a very low-carb
diet. This is termed the “low carb flu” or “keto flu.” However, long-term ketogenic dieters
often report increased focus and energy.

When you start a low-carb diet, your body must adapt to burning more fat for fuel, instead of
carbs. When you get into ketosis, a large part of the brain starts burning ketones instead of
glucose. It can take a few days or weeks for this to start working properly.

Ketones are an extremely potent fuel source for the brain. They have even been tested in a
medical setting to treat brain diseases and conditions such as concussion and memory loss.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that long-term ketogenic dieters often report increased
clarity and improved brain function.

Eliminating carbs can also help control and stabilize blood sugar levels. This may further
increase focus and improve brain function.

7. Short-Term Fatigue
The initial switch to a ketogenic diet can be one of the biggest issues for new dieters. Its well-
known side effects can include weakness and fatigue.

These often cause people to quit the diet before they get into full ketosis and reap many of the
long-term benefits.

These side effects are natural. After several decades of running on a carb-heavy fuel system,
your body is forced to adapt to a different system.

As you might expect, this switch does not occur overnight. It normally requires 7–30 days
before you are in full ketosis.

To reduce fatigue during this switch, you may want to take electrolyte supplements.

Electrolytes are often lost because of the rapid reduction in your body’s water content and the
elimination of processed foods that may contain added salt.

When adding these supplements, try to obtain 2,000–4,000 mg of sodium, 1,000 mg of

potassium and 300 mg of magnesium per day.

8. Short-Term Decreases in Performance

As discussed above, removing carbs can lead to general tiredness at first. This includes an
initial decrease in exercise performance. It is primarily caused by the reduction in your
muscles’ glycogen stores, which provide the main and most efficient fuel source for all forms
of high-intensity exercise.

After several weeks, many ketogenic dieters state that their performance returns to normal. In
certain types of ultra-endurance sports and events, a ketogenic diet could actually be
beneficial.

There are also some further benefits, primarily an increased ability to burn more fat during
exercise. One famous study found that athletes who had switched to a ketogenic diet burned
as much as 230% more fat when they exercised, compared to athletes who were not on a
ketogenic diet.

While it is unlikely that a ketogenic diet can maximize performance for elite athletes, once
you become fat-adapted it should be sufficient for general exercise and recreational sports

9. Digestive Issues
A ketogenic diet generally involves a major change in the types of foods you eat. Digestive
issues such as constipation and diarrhea are pretty common side effects in the beginning.

Most of these issues should subside after the transition period, but it may be important to be
mindful of different foods that may be causing digestive issues. Also, make sure to eat plenty
of healthy low-carb veggies. They are low in carbs but still contain plenty of fiber.

10. Insomnia
One big issue for many ketogenic dieters is sleep, especially when they first change their diet.
A lot of people report insomnia or waking up at night when they first reduce their carbs
drastically.

However, this usually improves in a matter of weeks. Many long-term ketogenic dieters
claim that they sleep better than before after adapting to the diet.

Take Home Message

Several key signs and symptoms can help you identify whether you are in ketosis.

Ultimately, if you are following the guidelines of a ketogenic diet and you stay consistent,
then you should be in some form of ketosis.

KETO FLU? Read the 10 points above

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