The ketogenic diet is popular among many people who want to lose weight. The amount of glycogen (your body’s stored form of glucose) decreases when you consume 20 to 50 grams of total carbohydrates per day and increase your dietary fat intake. This starts the body’s natural fat-burning mechanism and the metabolic condition known as ketosis.
But it’s possible to oversimplify the concept of weight loss. You need to be aware of other things if you want to lose weight and keep it off successfully.
The Approximate Figures
Numerous studies demonstrate that the ketogenic diet causes weight loss and lowers your Body Mass Index. Dropping 50 pounds may take longer than losing 10 pounds, which typically takes two weeks to complete. This is because your metabolism changes throughout time and other factors may also be at play. These include how many calories you consume, how much you exercise, and the caliber of your diet.
For example, if you follow a low-carb diet, it could take you up to 25 weeks to lose 50 pounds if you lose weight gradually and steadily at a pace of 1 to 2 pounds per week. So that is roughly six months.
How long does it take to lose weight on the Keto Diet?
Within six months, you’ll be able to reduce 50 pounds of body weight. This pace of weight reduction is average. Here are some details about what to anticipate about weight loss at the beginning of following the diet.
The First Week of Keto
You could lose almost 10 pounds over the first week of the keto diet, according to expectations. As you are adjusting to the diet, you might also experience the keto flu.
One indication that a low-carb, high-fat diet is effective is urinating more frequently than usual since your body uses up glycogen reserves. Your muscles store 1 gram of glycogen along with 3 grams of water. Because of this, when glycogen is broken down, it is eliminated through urine and water.
Water weight loss is the term used to describe this considerable water loss. Later, when your body is using ketones as an alternate fuel source, fat loss occurs.
As a result of water loss, many people first experience rapid weight reduction. People lose around two to ten pounds on average, but this is highly variable. You will lose a lot of water weight when you dramatically reduce carbs in your diet. This is partly because eating fewer carbohydrates will result in lower insulin levels, enabling the kidneys to excrete extra salt.
The First Month on the Keto Diet
You’ll now begin to see how the keto diet is affecting your body. Fat loss occurs when the loss of water weight ends. So your waist may be shrinking, but the scale’s weight isn’t decreasing. It’s critical to remember that a standard weighing scale does not accurately depict fat loss. It’s advantageous if you’re lifting weights so that you can gain muscle simultaneously. Instead, it is advised to calculate your body fat percentage.
When using the ketogenic diet for fitness, you need also be mindful of the keto plateau. When you stop seeing improvement in your fat reduction, you reach a weight loss plateau. Your body’s response to the diet or other elements like stress and hidden carbs may be to blame for this. One way to get over this is by following a speed keto plan, as indicated here.
Most individuals may lose 10 pounds or more during the first month on keto, assuming that they stay at a calorie deficit along with being consistent with the diet. Although numerous factors affect weight reduction, the body becomes more fat-adapted and more effective at burning fat for energy after roughly a month.
The typical weight loss over the first month is 10 to 12 pounds. Additionally, teaching your body to burn fat instead of sugar (glucose) might take weeks, so it’s crucial to stick with it for a while. Most people will require extra nutrients like sodium, potassium, and magnesium at this time to combat any symptoms of “keto flu.” Therefore, electrolyte management is very important during this time.
You are essentially training your body to do something properly, hence consider it a workout exercise for your cells; new messengers and transporters are being established in your body. Hence, it is important to exercise patience. It takes a while to gain weight, so losing it will also take some time.
However, if you don’t lose weight for a month, it is best to make a few minor dietary changes and consult with a qualified dietitian to have your diet thoroughly examined.
Three Months into the Keto Diet
If you continue to make an effort, you should be able to lose up to 25 pounds in three months and achieve long-term weight loss. Of course, this will differ for each person. Examine your routines, stress levels, and other factors.
It is predicted that you will lose one to two pounds each week if you can maintain a stable calorie deficit, making it around 20 to 25 pounds after 12 weeks. However, this depends on your beginning body fat percentage and is very person-specific. The body will begin to adjust as you approach an acceptable body fat percentage, and weight loss will become less rapid.
How to consistently keep on losing weight during a Ketogenic Diet?
Before taking a break and adding some carbs back into their diet, most people stick to the keto diet for several months. Keto cycling (or carb-cycling) is a choice that can aid in maintenance. This entails eating more carbs on some days while maintaining ketosis on others.
Another choice that is popular these days is to follow a more reduced ketogenic diet. During this time, you should generally strive for a low-carb, high-fat diet while also consuming a wider variety of plant foods that are high in fiber and other vital nutrients.
How can you break through the weight loss plateau and lose weight more rapidly?
You shouldn’t be concerned about speeding up your weight loss if you are losing 1 to 2 pounds each week or more, which is a gradual and consistent rate.
But if you reach a plateau, you might need to take care of your unique situation.
Check your low-carb diet for any hidden carbohydrates. Remove them. Adapt your macros as necessary. You may consume more net or total carbs than is essential to remain in ketosis. However, you might need to review your protein servings if you’re already staying inside the lower end of your daily carbohydrate allowance.
Here are some additional pointers to accelerate weight loss and end keto stalls:
1. Look at your snacking patterns
Do you find that you eat more frequently during the day? Of course, snacking is not required every day, but it is a smart strategy to prevent hunger in the interim between meals.
According to a study on Type 2 Diabetes patients, eating two larger meals per day is preferable to eating six smaller ones to decrease weight.
2. Maintain a calorie log
Calorie watching will still be necessary if you’re aiming to shed some pounds. Just because you’re eating a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet doesn’t mean you won’t be monitoring your calorie intake. You must either cut the number of calories in each keto diet meal
or increase your physical activity if you want to achieve a calorie deficit and lose weight. Be careful not to consume more calories than you expend.
3. Periodically check your macros
You might not be aware of this, but periodically checking your macros is essential. When you stop losing weight at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week, it’s a good idea to recalculate your macronutrient intake.
Remember that a person’s metabolism slows down when they lose weight on a high-fat, low-carb diet. Energy requirements are higher for larger bodies.
4. Increase your level of exercise
Even on a low-carbohydrate diet, exercise unquestionably helps to promote weight loss. Additionally, it aids in weight loss maintenance.
Exercise and diet help high-risk individuals live longer and minimize disease in addition to their ability to burn fat. Make an effort to move more throughout the day. At work or home, move about more. Make time for exercise at least three days per week. Set the alarm to remind you to get up and move around.
5. Obtain sufficient, wholesome sleep each night
Lack of sleep raises cortisol levels, which encourages fat storage and muscle loss. Our primary stress hormone is cortisol, and too much of it can cause various issues like anxiety, depression, heart disease, and memory and attention issues.
Mistakes to avoid during the keto diet weight loss journey
Keep an eye out for these frequent errors that could hinder your success with the keto diet. It’s never too late to make adjustments, which is terrific news. Check out the errors below.
1. You’re not in ketosis
Losing weight on a low-carb diet might stall for various reasons, one of which is being forced out of ketosis. Not maintaining your macro ratio can prevent glycogen re-synthesis and ketone formation. Your macro ratio needs to be as follows to enter and stay in ketosis:
| Fat | 55-60% |
| Protein | 30-35% |
| Carbohydrates | 5-10% |
Using a blood ketone meter to measure your ketone levels will allow you to determine whether or not you are in ketosis. Your blood should contain 0.5 to 3 mmol/l of ketones.
2. You’re eating too many carbohydrates and protein
You are well aware that eating too many carbohydrates will raise blood sugar, prevent ketosis, and result in weight gain. Therefore, track your total carbs rather than your net carbs to increase your body’s capacity to burn fat. Additionally, keep your daily carbohydrate consumption at the lower end.
The consumption of protein should be moderate. That translates to 30% to 35% of your daily caloric intake. This ought to be plenty to preserve lean body mass and functionality. Protein overconsumption triggers gluconeogenesis, which produces glucose from non-carb sources.
3. You’re not exercising enough
When you exercise, your liver releases glucose from its glycogen reserves to keep your muscles active. So definitely, exercise can hasten your transition into ketosis.
Long periods of inactivity increase the amount of fat that is stored around your internal organs, according to evidence. Additionally, it increases your chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
4. You’re drinking too much alcohol
In addition to forcing you out of ketosis, drinking too much alcohol encourages weight gain in the following ways:
- Drinking too much alcohol may cause you to exceed your daily calorie allowance. It switches your brain into a starving state.
- Drinking alcohol is linked to a larger waistline.
5. You’re feeling too much stress
On a ketogenic diet, persistent stress may negatively impact your ability to lose weight. For example, elevated cortisol levels can reduce your metabolism and increase deep into your abdomen. Stress also affects your eating habits, which might modify your weight.
6. Consistent snacking
Snacking is prevalent in our society. And while many people find benefits in nibbling, frequent snacking leads to weight increase. Even eating healthy snacks in excess adds extra calories to your diet that you might not be able to burn off.
Even keto snacks with low net carb counts may make you create an unhealthy relationship with food if you use them as a reward for yourself. Focus on consuming a nutrient-rich keto diet meal instead. Make sure to eat filling, whole foods that will keep you satisfied for a long time.
7. Having underlying medical problems
A small minority of people fail to lose weight on the ketogenic diet, even when they follow it to the letter. An underlying medical problem can bring this on.
The bottom line
The keto diet is a well-liked method for losing weight, and numerous studies have demonstrated its success. While the rate at which people lose weight varies from person to person, 1 to 2 pounds per week is a consistent and healthy rate to aim for.
We have highlighted several causes for weight reduction plateaus, including inactivity, stress, and persistent nibbling. However, by utilizing the tactics stated, you can get over them and possibly achieve long-term weight loss. Last but not least, if you think you might have a health problem, see a doctor.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/01/21/keto-diet-study/
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/keto_diet_weight_loss
