Use BHB salts for sustained energy on keto, not expensive and foul-tasting ketone esters.
The Palatable Power
I was determined to get all the benefits of ketosis, so I splurged on some high-end ketone esters. The moment that foul, jet-fuel-like taste hit my tongue, I knew I couldn’t maintain it. It was torture. I dreaded taking it. Then, I switched to a simple, flavored BHB salt powder mixed in water. It was pleasant, like drinking a slightly salty sports drink, but the effect was just as profound. I got that clean, sustained mental energy and appetite suppression without the gag reflex. I learned the most effective supplement is the one you can actually stick with.
Stop chugging exogenous ketones and then eating carbs. Do use them to deepen ketosis or combat the “keto flu.”
The Fuel Source Conflict
When I first heard about exogenous ketones, I thought they were a free pass. I’d drink my ketone shake and then have a bagel, thinking the ketones would magically burn the carbs. It was a disaster. I felt bloated, my energy was all over the place, and I saw zero results. My body was getting conflicting fuel signals. It was only when I committed to a strict keto diet that the ketones found their purpose. They became my secret weapon to crush the initial “keto flu” and provided a clean energy source on days when I needed an extra mental boost.
Stop using exogenous ketones as a daily crutch. Do use them for enhanced mental clarity on a strict ketogenic diet.
The Strategic Tool
I fell into the trap of taking exogenous ketones every single morning, thinking I needed them to be keto. It was an expensive habit, and I felt like I was dependent on a powder instead of my own body. I decided to change my approach. I stopped taking them daily and focused on a well-formulated keto diet. Then, I started using them strategically—before a big presentation at work or a long, mentally demanding task. The ketones became a powerful tool for on-demand mental clarity, not a daily crutch I couldn’t function without.
The #1 secret for getting into ketosis faster that gurus don’t say is combining exogenous ketones with MCT oil and fasting.
The Ketosis Trifecta
I struggled for a week to get into ketosis. The headaches and brain fog of the “keto flu” were brutal, and I was close to quitting. I was already taking exogenous ketones, but it wasn’t enough. A keto veteran gave me the secret recipe: combine three things. Start a 16-hour fast, and in the morning, have a coffee with MCT oil and a scoop of exogenous ketones. It was like flipping a switch. The combination gave my body the exact push it needed. My energy soared, my brain cleared, and I was deep in ketosis by the afternoon.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about exogenous ketones is that they cause fat loss.
The Fake Ketosis
I was so excited. I drank my expensive ketone supplement, and an hour later, I tested my blood. The reading was high! I thought I was in the fat-burning zone, a true keto machine. But I was still eating my regular, carb-heavy diet. A week later, the scale hadn’t budged. I was confused and angry. The hard truth is, drinking ketones puts ketones in your blood, but it doesn’t mean your body is burning its own fat to produce them. It’s like pouring water into a bucket with a hole; it doesn’t fix the hole.
I wish I knew that most exogenous ketones are packed with caffeine when I first started my keto journey.
The Sleepless Secret Ingredient
I was loving the energy from my new exogenous ketone supplement. I felt focused and driven all day. But at night, I was wide-eyed, unable to shut my brain off. I tossed and turned, feeling exhausted but wired. For weeks, I blamed the keto diet itself. It wasn’t until I happened to glance at the “other ingredients” on my ketone tub that I saw it: “caffeine anhydrous, 150mg.” I was basically drinking a strong cup of coffee at 4 PM every day without even knowing it. I switched to a stimulant-free version and finally got my sleep back.
I’m just going to say it: Exogenous ketones are completely unnecessary if you follow a well-formulated ketogenic diet.
The Body’s Own Factory
I spent the first two months of my keto journey dropping hundreds of dollars on tubs of exogenous ketones. I was convinced they were essential for success. I lived in fear of running out. Then, on a trip, I forgot to pack them for a week. I was terrified. But a funny thing happened: nothing. I felt exactly the same. My energy was high, my mind was clear, my appetite was low. My body, now fully adapted, was making all the ketones I needed, for free. I realized the supplements were just training wheels I didn’t need anymore.
99% of keto beginners make this one mistake: believing taking ketones puts them in nutritional ketosis (it doesn’t).
The Rented Ketones
I was so proud. I’d drink my ketone shake, test my urine strips, and they would turn deep purple. “I’m in ketosis!” I’d tell my friends. But I was still cheating with bread and sugar on the weekends, thinking the shake would fix it. I wasn’t losing weight and felt awful. I finally learned the difference: I was in a state of exogenous ketosis from the supplement, not nutritional ketosis from burning my own fat. I was just renting ketones for a few hours. True, fat-burning ketosis has to be earned through diet, not just swallowed from a shaker cup.
This one small habit of adding electrolytes to your water will change the way you feel on a keto diet forever.
The Keto Flu Killer
The first week of keto was hell. I had a pounding headache, felt dizzy, and had zero energy. I was ready to quit, convinced the diet wasn’t for me. They call it the “keto flu.” Someone in a forum told me to stop complaining and drink some “keto-ade”: water with salt and a potassium supplement. It sounded too simple. I mixed some up, drank it down, and within an hour, it was like the sun came out. My headache vanished and my energy returned. It wasn’t the lack of carbs making me feel bad; it was the lack of electrolytes.
If you’re still buying “keto” powders loaded with fillers and gums, you’re losing your health.
The Hidden Junk
I thought I was being healthy. I bought a “Keto Creamer” to put in my coffee every morning. The front of the label had all the right buzzwords. It wasn’t until I was having some digestive issues that I bothered to read the full ingredient list on the back. It was packed with corn fiber, gums, fillers, and artificial sweeteners that were known to cause bloating and inflammation. The “keto” part was just a marketing hook to sell me a bunch of cheap, gut-irritating junk. I learned to stop reading the front and start studying the back.