How Long Does it Take to Lose Weight in Ketosis?

Turn your body into a fat-burning machine within the first week!

keto diet

If you’re considering the keto diet, it’s probably safe to assume that losing weight is one of your primary goals. Over the last few years, this way of eating has proven itself to be an effective weight-loss method, but how long does it take to lose weight in ketosis?

Since every person is different, it can be extremely difficult to get an exact answer to that question. We can, however, address the average weight-loss rate associated with the diet. Furthermore, we’ll go over our best tips for success when following the keto diet to see how long does it take to lose weight in ketosis.

What is the Keto Diet?

avocado cut in half

Keto is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and extremely low-carbohydrate diet. The goal of eating this way is to force your body to get its energy from fat instead of dietary carbohydrates. As your body digests dietary fat, it turns into something called ketones. These ketones become your new source of energy, and they allow you to burn a significant amount of fat.

Benefits of the Keto Diet

how long does it take to lose weight in ketosis

There are quite a few benefits of going on the keto diet. Aside from the incredible weight loss potential, the keto diet may also:

  • Provide you with healthier hair, skin, and nails.
  • Leaves you with greater mental clarity and focus.
  • Reduces cravings.
  • Provides you with more daily energy.
  • Decreases inflammation.
  • Prevents chronic diseases.

How Long Does it Take to Lose Weight In Ketosis?

A woman measuring her waist

Now that you know what keto is and the benefits it has to offer, we can get to the real question. How long does it take to lose weight in ketosis? As stated above, every person is unique. For this reason, each person experiences weight loss differently on the keto diet. There are four main factors that will affect the rate at which you can burn fat. Let’s take a look.

Factors that Affect The Rate of Fat Loss

1. Your Current Fitness Level – This includes things like how overweight you are, how fast or slow your metabolism is, and whether or not you have any health issues that affect your hormone levels or the rate of your metabolism.

2. Your Body Composition – What is your body fat to muscle ratio? Generally speaking, the greater percentage of body fat you have, the quicker you will lose weight on this diet.

3. Daily Habits – This primarily includes your diet and exercise habits. Do you eat mostly healthy, keto-friendly foods, or do you gravitate towards unhealthy high-fat options? Do you exercise multiple times per week? Each of these things affects how efficiently your body burns fat.

4. Your Specific Fat-Adaptation Period – Your body will take time to adjust to a high-fat diet. You’ll only begin experiencing the weight loss benefits of keto when your body begins running on ketones instead of carbohydrates.

Average Rate of Weight Loss on the Keto Diet

The average keto dieter can expect the following results:

First Week: Within the first week, you should lose anywhere from 2 to 10 pounds. It’s important to note that this weight will mostly be water weight due to the lack of carbohydrates in your diet.

Next Few Weeks: In the following weeks, weight loss will slow to about 1 to 2 pounds per week. While this may seem like a significant decrease, you will actually be losing fat (not water) during this time. This is also a safe, consistent rate of weight loss for long-term results.

Long-Term: As you get closer to your goal, you may notice that your weight loss has stalled. There may be weeks where you don’t lose any weight at all! Then, then all of a sudden, you could drop 3 to 5 pounds in one week. This is completely normal. Just focus on making sure you’re eating the appropriate amount of fat, protein, and calories, while not exceeding your carbohydrate intake.

Tips for Success

Find your correct Keto Macronutrient Balance. It’s extremely important that you’re getting the appropriate number of fat, protein, and carbs each day. At SkinnyMs, we recommend using the Tasteaholics Keto Calculator. Also, be sure that you’re consuming no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates each day.

Continue to Eat Clean Food. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not providing your body with the proper nutrition it needs. Quality of food matters, so make sure you eat plenty of Ketogenic-Friendly Foods.

Give Your Body Time to Get into Ketosis. Don’t quit because it’s “not working.” It can take 2 to 7 days for your body to go into ketosis and begin melting fat.

Test Ketones Regularly with a Ketone Testing Kit. This is the best way to know that you are in ketosis for optimal fat-burn.

Make Sure You’re Not Consuming Hidden Carbohydrates. To avoid this from happening, steer clear of processed foods. Instead, focus on keto-friendly, whole food options. Consuming more than 20 grams of carbs a day will kick you out of ketosis and halt the weight-loss process. It would then take you 2 to 7 more days to get back into ketosis.

Exercise Often. Diet is mainly responsible for whether you lose weight or not, but exercising will increase your weight loss even faster! Not sure what to do? Try these great routines:

Weight loss is not going to happen overnight, but if you stick with a plan and give it time, you will notice results. Eventually, your clothes will feel looser and your body will feel healthier than ever before! Ultimately, there is no magic method for losing weight, but keto can provide you with safe and steady weight loss results, especially when you can estimate how long does it take to lose weight in ketosis.

Are you currently on keto? If not, are you going to give it a try? Let us know in the comment section!

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Erin Miller

Erin is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist. She is also a Performance Nutrition Coach, certified through the Clean Health Fitness Institute. Some of Erin’s favorite hobbies include hiking, kayaking, and hanging out at the beach, although weight lifting is her greatest passion. She says, “Weight training is one of the most empowering things a person can do. Not just seeing, but feeling yourself transform… There’s just nothing else like it.”

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