Exogenous ketones are becoming more and more popular every day, with Instagram influencers, diet bloggers, and celebrities going keto and every other person you talk to thinking about cutting out processed foods. I'm going to break down the key benefits to exogenous ketones and assess Prüvit's exogenous ketone supplements and tell you how much weigh I've lost taking Prüvit.
Keto Diet AND Exogenous Ketones? or Keto Diet OR Exogenous Ketones?
If you're researching exogenous ketone supplements, you've already got a good idea of the basics of ketosis: a metabolic state characterized by raised levels of ketone bodies in the body tissues that is reached when the body loses its supply of glucose, a state in which your body stops burning the carbs that you're eating and starts burning the fat stored in your body and producing ketones. There are 3 types of ketones: acetone, acetoacetate, and 2-hydroxybutyric acid (or beta-hydroxybutyric acid, BHB). Ketones are simply an alternative fuel for your brain. Not only that, ketones are more efficient source of energy than sugar. So, rather than your body and your brain both running on glucose from sugar and carbs, your body is running on the fat its burning and your brain is running on ketones.
So, just by restricting carbs and totally cutting out sugar, you have the power to shift your metabolism from glucose-burning to fat-burning and ketone-producing, to start eating for fuel and empower your body to use up the excess fat you have been carrying around. I have more to blog about the specifics of my keto diet, so follow to learn more, but a basic ketogenic diet is 75% fat, 20% protein, and less than 5% carbs.
So, if following a simple diet is the way to get into and stay in ketosis and lose weight, what are exogenous ketones for? Are they for people who can't follow the diet? Let me break down a few of the key reasons more and more people are taking exogenous ketones every day: skipping the keto flu, keeping you from falling out of ketosis when you slip up on your diet, appetite suppression, increased energy, and mental benefits like clarity and increased focus.
Skipping the Keto Flu
The transition into ketosis is pretty much the worst keto can do to you. The negative side effects are both mental and physical:
Vomiting
Constipation
Diarrhea
Headache
Irritability
Weakness
Muscle cramps
Dizziness
Poor concentration
Mood swings
Stomach pain
Muscle soreness
Difficulty sleeping
Sugar cravings
Some people experience it for a few days or a few weeks; people can really see it as proof that keto is BAD, asking if something is good for me, why is it making me feel so crappy?
That seems like it would make sense, but that's the trouble with surface logic—just because something sounds simple or obvious, doesn't necessarily mean that it is. The keto flu is essentially a detox period, and the uncomfortable side effects emerge when your body is teetering between being fueled by glucose and being fueled by ketones. So, it's not what you're eating or the elevated ketone levels that's making you feel so crappy, it's the switch over.
Plus, the woes of the keto flu can be seen as withdrawals: the body physically withdrawing from glucose, and your taste buds, emotions, and routines withdrawing from this drastic change in your diet, the removal of many of your favorite comfort foods
Exogenous ketones will power you through the keto flu and push your body into ketosis more quickly. If you're just starting out on a keto diet, an exogenous ketone supplement is like a shortcut. This is because exogenous ketones like Prüvit are giving your body what it can't product on its own until you've sufficiently deprived yourself of glucose. The reason that a keto diet is so strict is because if the body has any glucose to break down, the body thinks it is in burning glucose mode, so it will stop producing ketones. With a supplement, your body and brain can continue to run and thrive on ketones, even if there is still glucose in your system.
Helping you Stick to the Keto Diet
My personal experience backs up the studies that have been done—taking ketones suppresses your appetite, period. The ketones in your system regulate the hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin, and not only do I find myself less hungry when I'm taking ketones, but I find myself way less likely to crave those junky, sugary carbs that would throw me all the way off the keto wagon. Exogenous ketones are a lifesaver when you are just starting to adapt to a ketogenic diet, to help you power through and overcome those cravings, setting new patterns and forming new eating and lifestyle habits.
Covering you When you Slip up from the Keto Diet
Oops. Your kid's birthday cake. Your mom's homemade meatloaf. Okay, for me, it's beer. Whatever your weakness, even the strongest keto warrior slips up from time to time. By bringing exogenous ketones into your body, those little gushes of glucose won't completely wipe you out, set back three weeks and sentence you to another slog through the keto flu. This is NOT to say you can eat all the carbs and buy your way into ketosis—no, Prüvit, or any exogenous ketone, is not a total cheat.
Energy
Okay, some of Prüvit's exogenous ketone supplements are caffeinated, so there's that. But ketones on their own are a source of serious energy. I'm not new to caffeine: two to five cups of coffee during a workday was my normal. The energy you get from ketones is next level. It's a calm, elevated, focused state, an I-can-do-this-no-sweat feeling that is unlike any other. Physical energy and a wide-awake mental energy is what keeps me reaching to ketones day after day, because I'm hooked on this high performance state. Research has shown that taking exogenous ketones causes the brain to absorb less glucose, proving ketone supplements serve as a buffer for the brain against any glucose in your system.
Mood and Mental Health
Happiness! It's hard to measure and can seem like a silly thing to tie into a health claim. But the keto lifestyle is about holistic change, about realizing that what you eat affects how you feel. It seems simple, but I've learned so much in the past year about the connection between physical and mental health, and how what I eat can put me in a terrible mood or make me feel amazing. Being in ketosis makes me feel happy, and not happy because I'm losing weight, which I definitely am. Ketosis makes me feel calm, good, elevated.
Look for an upcoming blog digging deeper into the connection between ketosis and mental health. I'm doing a lot of research, because the keto diet was originally developed to treat seizures in epileptics. Therefore, ketones first therapeutic benefit was not weight loss, but the way that they affect brain chemistry. There are emerging questions about ketones and other neurological conditions, like bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and chronic headaches.
Prüvit
Prüvit is a big player in ketone technology. They developed KETO//OS, which stands for “Ketone Operating System,” is an exogenous ketone drink offered in a variety of flavors, some with caffeine, some without, with all natural ingredients (sweetened with stevia) and "BHB salt." According to Prüvit, "the 'BHB salt' is simply a compound that consists of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate. In the Keto OS product package, these individual components are being held together by ionic bonds; however, when you eat the product, it is absorbed into the blood where it dissociates into free Na+, K+, and BHB since it is a water-based solution. Thus, consuming the product directly and immediately puts ketones into your blood."
It comes as a powder in both bulk containers and “on-the-go” (OTG) packets and is meant to be dissolved in cold water. They state that KETO//OS "delivers advanced macro nutritionals and promotes optimized cellular regeneration, energy and longevity," and when you look at the ingredients, there are the amino acids taurine, leucine, and a whole lotta vitamin B12. You'll also notice there is a TON of salt, but then you'll remember that that's what the BHB is bound to.
When I first started researching exogenous ketones, I was interested in Prüvit because of their foundation in scientific research and transparency about what's in their supplements. After taking the leap and sticking with their supplements, I can definitely say that their BHB compound works! Prüvit's ketones have helped me to stay in ketosis and get right back into the saddle after a night of a few beers. My wife and I have been taking Prüvit ketones every day for two months, and together we lost an average of a pound a day, both of us dropping 15 pounds each month!
Takeaway
Since going keto and taking exogenous ketones every day, I've lost weight faster than I ever have in my life. But my wife and I have worked really hard to adjust our diet and our lifestyle. Let's face it, losing weight is hard. Making a huge life change is hard. Living outside of the Standard American Diet is hard. That's why the helping hands of ketones and supportive people who believe in you are so crucial. I'm really thankful for my coach who helped us learn about ketones, and excited to help others learn more, be better, and feel better.
Exogenous ketones can help you make the change, giving you a burst of energy and the confidence to power through. They can help you reach ketosis faster, skip the keto flu, and stay in fat-burning beast mode. Shop our five-day and ten-day experience packs (with totally free shipping to anywhere in the US) if you're interested in giving change a real shot, and contact us if you're interested in learning more about physical, mental, and financial self-empowerment with Prüvit!