Thread: does being in ketosis necessarily mean you are in a catabolic state?

Yes you are correct - Ketosis does not mean you are losing fat. It simply means you are producing ketones. You can indeed be in ketosis and be gaining weight (eg: some people use CKD for adding lean mass when trying to minimise fat gains).


And yes - it does mostly come down to calories - and as long as you are getting your protein, essential fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, then the rest is just 'fluff'. But people try ketosis because of a few reasons -
1/ they may have insulin resistance issues
2/ they can eat more protein on low carb and this helps with satiety and lean mass retention
3/ they like the idea of being able to eat all that 'non-diet' food (bacon, eggs, cheese etc)
4/ they believe it will work better

That AMMONIA smell that you get when you do extended periods of cardio/exercise means you are in ketosis, correct. Doesnt this mean that you have used up your glycogen/carb storage and you are working off of protein and fat?

Some of the ketones break down to acetone, causing the bad breath. Ketosis doesn't only happen when you have completely exhausted all your glycogen. It happens in diabetics and pregnant women relatively quick.