The ketogenic diet, commonly referred to as the high-fat, low-carb diet, has been gaining popularity for quite some time now. This diet enables you to enter ketosis, a metabolic state in which your blood ketones level rises and induces rapid weight loss.
However, the keto diet can be difficult get started in the beginning and to maintain over an extended period of time. Experts often recommend using exogenous ketones alongside the diet to promote fat loss.
But do exogenous ketones burn fat? Yes. While there are a lot of rumors circulating on social media regarding how these supplements reduce fat burning, it all remains a myth and requires further validation.
A major share of experts still believes that exogenous ketone supplements enable your body to use stored fat more effectively leading to rapid fat loss.
How do exogenous ketones burn fat? What are the best ways to use them for fat burning?
This article will provide answers to both of these questions in detail.
Do Exogenous Ketones Burn Fat?
Ketone supplements are particularly known for appetite suppression. By reducing the appetite along with increasing the fat burning, these supplements are the best way to get rid of all extra body fat.
However, some scientific studies have recently emerged indicating that these exogenous ketone supplements may actually hinder the process of fat burning.
These studies argue that the basic purpose of a keto diet is to produce ketones by breaking down the stored fat in the body and use it as fuel.
Yet, having too many fat-derived ketones in the blood is also not good for the body. In fact, high levels of ketones can make your blood excessively acidic which can be dangerous.
In healthy people, this state is normally avoided by certain feedback mechanisms that automatically slow down the release of ketones when blood levels become dangerously high.
In simpler words, as soon as your blood ketones level becomes too high, the body automatically reduces the production of the new ones. As a consequence, many people believe that consuming exogenous ketones may actually stop your body from burning fat and producing ketones from it.
While the entire concept does seem to hold a certain degree of authenticity, this is not how your body system actually works.
Many dieticians and fitness experts argue that if the same rationale is to be followed, it would mean that your body would not burn any fat as long as you are eating any type of dietary fat.
This would also mean that the only way to burn fat in your body is by keeping a water fast which seems quite invalid. Therefore, it must be clear enough by now that exogenous ketones do burn fat.
As you follow the keto diet, your body automatically starts burning fat for fuel. It increases the number of monocarboxylic acid transporters in order to shuttle a higher level of ketones into your body cells.
This means that eating more fat is only going to enable your body to use its own stored fat for energy.
Many people raise an argument here that if you start supplementing a keto diet with scoops of exogenous keto supplements, your body will use these external ketones instead of producing its own from fat burning.
This is not true because the number of exogenous ketones you are taking in can never fulfill the energy demands of your body singlehandedly.
Despite using the finest quality keto supplements, your body will still turn to fat burning in order to produce more ketones. It may even derive a small amount of energy from carbs too.
How Do Exogenous Ketones Support Fat Burning?
As mentioned before, exogenous ketones work by increasing the total number of monocarboxylic acid transporters located in your cells. This means that your body is able to transport ketones into the cells more easily.
As more and more ketones enter the cells, the body works to maintain their levels in the blood by producing more ketones via fat burning.
In addition to this, exogenous ketone supplements can also help curb food cravings and control appetite. This means that you will automatically consume less food and allow your body to liberate the maximum amount of stored fat.
Exogenous ketones are considered an efficient source of energy which is easily accessible.
This means that consuming these supplements will empower your body and boost your physical performance. You will experience a better blood flow and an enhanced metabolism which can eventually lead to more fat burning.
It is important to remember that while exogenous ketones are a great way to burn fat, they must not be considered magic pills for rapid fat loss.
You cannot expect to follow an unhealthy lifestyle and then take ketogenic supplements to lose fat.
To make exogenous ketones burn fat, you must be following the keto diet strictly. In addition to this, you must be watchful of what you eat, get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, and control your stress levels.
How to Use Exogenous Ketones For Fat Loss
If you are still worried that exogenous ketones are going to hinder fat loss in your body, focus more on how to take them in order to get maximal benefits.
It is also important to understand that these supplements are not going to magically trigger fat loss in your body as soon as you start taking them. In fact, they must be paired with a keto diet in order to experience benefits.
What you can do is take these supplements at the most appropriate times so they can work to the best of their ability and induce rapid fat burning.
Follow the schedule mentioned below in order to get maximum benefits out of exogenous ketone supplements:
1. Consume them immediately after having a high-carb meal in order to neutralize the effects of high glucose and to prevent insulin spikes.
2. Consume them between meals to suppress your hunger and prevent unnecessary snacking.
It is also advised to keep testing your blood ketones levels on a regular basis while using exogenous ketones. This is to monitor their effects on your body.
While some people prefer using urine test strips for this purpose, a blood ketone meter is better because of higher accuracy and efficiency.
Lose Fat With Exogenous Ketones in Five Steps
Looking forward to losing fat with exogenous ketones? Follow these five steps:
1. Start by limiting your carbohydrate intake and switching to a ketogenic diet.
2. As soon as you feel like transitioning into ketosis, supplement your body with exogenous ketones to suppress hunger and improve energy levels.
3. As soon as you transition into ketosis, you will immediately lose a lot of weight most of which is water weight. Later on, your body will start burning a steady amount of body fat over time.
4. If you are still not losing weight, try increasing the dose of exogenous ketones. Make sure you are consuming these ketones regularly and at appropriate times.
5. Continue using exogenous ketones even after achieving ketosis. Use them between meals or make a pre-workout drink for added benefits.
Related Questions
What are other benefits of taking exogenous ketones?
In addition to increasing fat loss, the use of exogenous ketones has been associated with many other benefits such as:
- Improvement in mental clarity, cognition, and focus
- Prevention of brain fog
- Enhanced decision making
- Better control of appetite and hunger
- A reduction in cravings for carbs and sugar
- A long-lasting, highly-efficient form of energy
- Prevention of carb flu or the keto flu
Who should not take exogenous keto supplements?
Ketones are a part of your body and are naturally produced as a byproduct of fat metabolism.
Therefore, using exogenous ketones during lactation or breastfeeding is generally considered safe. However, it is still advised to consult with a doctor before using these supplements.
People who suffer from any medical problem or are using any type of medications must never start taking exogenous ketones on their own as there is a high risk of cross-interaction. These supplements may exacerbate certain medical issues as well.
Hence, always get an appointment with your doctor and discuss whether it is safe for you to use exogenous ketones.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet is a perfect solution to the obesity epidemic currently faced by many countries across the world, and exogenous ketone supplements are the best way to support this diet.
Despite all the false allegations and rumors, these supplements do not hinder fat loss and, in fact, may help you lose more fat by shuttling ketones inside the body, decreasing appetite, and boosting physical performance.
However, it is always important to pair these supplements with a strict keto diet in order to receive maximum benefits.
Keep in mind that you did not gain all of your body fat overnight, and you certainly cannot lose it in a day either. If you wish to maximize fat burning, adopt a keto lifestyle, make healthier food choices, and top it off with high-quality exogenous ketones.
