The great thing about keto is that you don’t need any products or gimmicks to help get started, but there are always those who will try to exploit newcomers by selling unnecessary, often expensive, things.
Keto base
lfod14
#4
They’re exogenous ketones, that name is specific to Perfect Keto. Good for intense energy without the jitters, and if you’re having a hard time battling keto flu they’ll temporarily stop it dead in its’ tracks. But definitely not required. If you work out / exercise a lot they’re great for keeping the intensity up while you’re adapting though. Other than that they’re just a novelty
You’ll find a lot of people here hate them, I assume many of those who hate them have never used them though. They’re a hard thing to hate!
islandlight
(Laurie)
#5
Welcome, Mindy!
I had never heard of “keto base” and had to look it up. Please, just start with the regular, real-food keto diet. If you run into problems or have specific requirements, then you can start looking at tweaks and supplements later. Best wishes.
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#6
Short answer: no.
Longer answer: as noted by others, reducing carbs is the way to get into and stay in ketosis. You do not need to consume any special products like exogenouse ketones. Your own liver will produce as much of it as you need. In fact for the first several months, or more, it will produce more ketones than you actually use and you will excrete the excess. So spend your money on lo/no carb food. If you have trouble figuring out what to eat or how to prepare it visit the recipes and Boring Keto sections of this forum. You’ll get lots of ideas. Best wishes!
SomeGuy
(Joey)
#7
Never used exogenous ketones, nor do I hate them. As such I’m unclear as to the science underlying their use.
I’m assuming the process of fat adaptation (viz., “keto flu” and perceived energy levels) is all about one’s mitochondria switching over from burning one dietary fuel to another. Moreover, I thought keto flu was primarily about hydration/electrolyte availability.
If I’m mistaken, please set me straight.
But I was under the impression that one’s body will produce serum ketones within a matter of hours (which is why we don’t die within hours of not eating carbohydrates). In short, when switching over to a keto diet, we don’t have a supply problem - we have a metabolic problem on the demand side.
We can’t use the ketones we’re already producing very effectively - which is why they are excreted and spotted on urine strips until our bodies’ demands adapt to the readily available supplies. All the more so if one has significant excess body fat to burn.
How does consuming exogenous ketones alter this situation - especially during the transitional process?
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#8
@SomeGuy There’s a legitimate use of exogenous ketones therapeutically. See the link in the following post:
lfod14
#9
You don’t need science to appreciate them, you take them and have amazing energy that doesn’t run out anytime soon.
Correct, but that doesn’t change the fact then when your in the process of switching fuel sources your energy isn’t right and for those that are very active even if you’re managing electrolytes you simply can’t perform the way you would on carbs, and won’t be able to for a while. Exogenous ketones bypass that and flood your bloodstream with ready to go energy that you can use in real time.
Your body will make what your body decides it needs, and it will do that only as it needs to, it’ll never just flood you with ketones. Just like when you’re on carbs and you carb up for some serious work… you can use exogenous ketones to do the same thing.
For those that sit around all day and aren’t physically active they serve little purpose. Those who need performance and more energy right out of the gate they’re great! When we first switch fuel sources and for weeks to come we’re not “good” at burning fat for fuel, they work around that one.
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#11
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#13
lfod14
#14
I think that is one of those things where we’re just comparing two very different groups of people. That study said they used “recreational runners” which to me just means runners. People who always run, probably eat right, have super efficient metabolisms etc. I seems at least to me by the wording that they were almost trying to prove more of the ketosis in a powder mindset than they were the performance benefit, it seemed weird to me that they didn’t show much of a performance bump at all, but given that they were doing steady state cardio on treadmills it does make some sense. All I know is when it comes to pulling a couple hundred pounds off the floor, you can’t placebo effect that one, you’re either physically capable of it at the time or you’re not. When I was doing my heavier lower rep stuff I ran off fat just fine (although the muscle gains were terrible). With the ketones (keep in mind I was very fat adapted at that point) it was a night and day difference. It was basically like that weird alert energy you get when you do longer fasts. If they weren’t so overpriced they’d still be a regular supplement for me since I can drink caffeine all day and not get energy from it. Maybe if my coffee cup looked like yours that’d do the trick 
SomeGuy
(Joey)
#15
With all due respect, I’ll remain slightly skeptical (sceptical, for our UK friends) and quibble in the details…
Emotional states readily drive adrenaline and pain resistance, and the placebo effect is all about one’s state of mind. FWIW, I happen to be a big fan of the placebo effect.
We’ve all heard true tales of parents lifting cars to save toddlers, etc. Admittedly, such herculean cases are driven by love, not powder supplements. Still, the muscles do what’s demanded of them and greatly exceed their “normal capacity.”
Having said that, I accept your larger point - i.e., if I can’t lift a couple of hundred pounds (and I cannot), I doubt I can somehow convince my muscles to do so. And no powder supplement could possibly change my stubborn mindset.
Then again, perhaps I’m just a natural skeptic (sceptic?) 
GME
(GINA )
#16
I have used exogenous ketones in the past for running and they did give me an extra boost. I didn’t use them all the time, but for races and occasionally in training. The increased energy happened often enough and regularly enough that I have no doubt that for me it is true.
The study posted above was not just any group of recreational runners, it was a group of 10 men in their 20s with low BMIs on no special diet. They were not testing whether or not someone that normally follows a low carb diet would have a boost from having extra ketones, they were testing whether young, fit carb-burners could get the benefits of ketones by taking them orally.
The findings from the study have little to do with what is being discussed here.
Elliot-W
(Carnivore for the win)
#18
I would stay away from anything that says Keto on the package. Every time I look at the ingredients, of a Keto product, there are some sort of nasty sweetener or seed oil or both that mess with hormones and cravings.
Eat plenty of high fat meat, and low carb vegetables, up to 20g of carbs per day. I always start with whole fresh products. Takes some effort, but it’s cheaper and much more healthy.
SomeGuy
(Joey)
#19
Good advice re: “Keto”-labeled products. I couldn’t agree more.
But your comment above then made me curious …
When you say “I always start with…”, does this suggest you routinely go on and off keto-style eating? If so, I’d be curious as to why?
Elliot-W
(Carnivore for the win)
#20
No. That’s how I start all meals. Whole single ingredient pieces of food. No processed food.
I have been in ketosis since June 2018, without a break. Sorry for my confusing wording.
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#22
Well that explains everything. Nuff said. 