How Long Does It Take to Lose Weight in Ketosis? Keto Diet (2024)

FAQs

How Long Does It Take to Lose Weight in Ketosis? Keto Diet? ›

Weight loss from keto varies from person to person. Generally, if you maintain a daily caloric deficit of around 500-700 calories, you can expect noticeable weight loss after anywhere from 10 to 21 days. However, remember that weight loss is not linear and some may see results sooner.

It can take 2-4 days or longer to start losing weight in ketosis, although the rate of weight loss depends on various factors such as your metabolism, carb-protein-fat intake, fitness level, and how strictly you follow the diet.

“If the patient can maintain a steady calorie deficit, I expect them to lose one to two pounds per week,” says Dr. Seeman. So after 12 weeks, her clients are usually down around 20-25 pounds.

If a person follows the 75% fat /20% carb/5% fat keto diet, average results may look like this: Weeks 1–2: rapid weight reduction phase due to water loss – up to ten pounds. Weeks 2–4: standard weight reduction – between one and two pounds per week. After the first month – slow weight loss – around one pound per week.

To maximize weight loss on a ketogenic diet, get adequate sleep, reduce stress, be more active and consume whole, nutritious, low-carb foods whenever possible.

The bottom line

Nutritional ketosis is defined as blood ketone levels of 0.5 – 3 mmol/L, which also represents the optimal ketone range for weight loss. To achieve these levels, you need to significantly restrict your carb intake.

Weight loss from keto varies from person to person. Generally, if you maintain a daily caloric deficit of around 500-700 calories, you can expect noticeable weight loss after anywhere from 10 to 21 days. However, remember that weight loss is not linear and some may see results sooner.

Gulotta recommends staying on keto for six months max before reintroducing more carbs to your diet. And Scott Keatley, RDN, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy in New York City, agrees: “The science hasn't gotten to the point where I would be comfortable recommending it as a forever diet,” he says.

The main reason why many people find that they are not losing weight with keto is that they are eating too many carbs. In order to achieve ketosis, you need to drastically cut back on your carb consumption. However, carbs are tricky and can be hidden in vegetables, sauces, and dressings.

Severe carb limits can cause your body to break down fat into ketones for energy. This is called ketosis. Ketosis can cause side effects such as bad breath, headache, fatigue and weakness.

How much water should I drink on keto? ›

Rule of thumb states a person should divide their body weight in half and drink that many ounces of water daily. For example, if someone weighs 160 pounds, they'll need to take in 80 ounces of water a day. That amount could be more for someone on keto, since the diet alters your body's water and electrolyte levels.

Cyclical ketogenic dieting involves adhering to a standard ketogenic diet protocol 5–6 days per week, followed by 1–2 days of higher carb consumption. These higher-carb days are often referred to as “refeeding days,” as they're meant to replenish your body's depleted glucose reserves.

Instead, try incorporating a variety of low intensity, steady state activities into your workout routine to get the most bang for your buck on the ketogenic diet. Jogging, biking, rowing, and doing yoga are just a few examples of physical activities that may be especially beneficial on keto.

Intense exercise may help quicken ketosis by burning off carbs. Researchers theorized that exercise helped kickstart the fast by using up some of the body's glucose, or stored carbohydrate energy.

These keto dieters say the fat on their body starts to feel softer to the touch. The concept of the whoosh effect is if you stay on the diet long enough, your cells start to release all the water and fat that's thought to have built up. When this process begins, this is called the “whoosh” effect.

If you're keen to lose weight and improve your health, the Keto diet can be effective from the first week. You'll lose considerable water weight within the first week of going Keto. Beyond a week you can anticipate losing between 1-2lbs on average per week; this is fat loss as your body moves into ketosis.

The 30-30-30 rule involves eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up, followed by 30 minutes of low-intensity, steady state cardiovascular exercise. Beyond these steps, the 30-30-30 method doesn't require any changes to other meals or behaviors, restrictions or counting calories.