Most people get into ketosis within the first few days of following the keto diet but for some people, it can take up to a week or even a month to get into ketosis. Depending on your age, metabolism, fat, carb, or protein intake, you may never get into ketosis, to begin with
But there are still, few things you can do to get into ketosis as fast as your body allows. All it takes is proper planning. The simplest way is by reducing your overall carbs intake
If you typically consume a high-carb diet, it can take much longer to enter ketosis, because before your body starts utilizing fat as fuel, it needs to deplete it’s glycogen stores
Our cells utilize glucogen as the main source of fuel but the majority of our cells can also use other fuel sources like ketones. Glucose is stored in the liver in the form of glycogen
As you lower your carb intake, your glycogen stores will be reduced, this will allow fatty acids to be released from fat stores. Some of these fatty acids will be converted into beta-hydroxybutyrate, ketone bodies acetone, and acetoacetate by your liver. The ketones can be used as fuel
To get into ketosis, carb restriction is the most important step but it varies from person to person. For example, For me to get into ketosis, I need to consume 30 grams of carb per day ( Net Carbs ) which may be a lot in your case. Some of my friends even claim that they can get into ketosis while consuming 60 grams of carb per day
Nonetheless, these 5 steps are universal and they will get you in ketosis as fast as your body will allow. In the best-case scenario, you will enter ketosis within 3 days, in the worst case it will take up to a week but you will enter ketosis
Step 1. Lower Your Carb intake
Since carbs intake can vary from person to person, It’s quite hard to figure out the right amount you should consume daily to get into ketosis. But still limiting your carbs intake from 20-50 grams ( net carbs ) can help
For instance, In the Atkins diet, Carbs are restricted to 20 grams per day ( Net carbs ) for two weeks, to ensure that ketosis is achieved
In one study, Overweight people with type 2 diabetes limited their overall carbs intake to 21 grams or less per day for a week, Their daily urinary ketone excretion levels were 27 times higher than their baseline levels
Keep in mind that the transition to ketosis is the first step toward losing weight, reaching ketosis will mean nothing if you are not able to maintain it for at least a few weeks
Lowering your carbs intake is a great way to raise your ketones level but it can also result in side effects. Consulting your nutritionist, about lowering your carbs intake is advisable if you have a pre-defined diet routine
Suppose you reduce your carb intake to 20 grams per day, as a result, you manage to reach ketosis. Then you suddenly shift to 50 grams per day. Chances are you won’t be able to maintain ketosis for long
I reached ketosis within the first 3 days by lowering my carbs intake to 30 grams per day ( net carbs ). Then I slowly added more carbs to my diet as I started reaching my goal weight
Pro Tip: Whether you are reducing your carbs intake or increasing your carbs intake, Do it extremely slowly
Step 2. Light Physical Activity
I know you hate exercise, I hate it too. You know what I even own a website that focuses on fitness. Through this website, I try to keep myself fit and share what I do for better results. I hate exercise but I still do it every day
Because the benefits of exercising are numerous and those benefits can only be gained by training every day. I know you just want to lose weight using the keto diet coz it’s easy. I have utilized this way too
But I started training when I stopped following the diet. I was in a good weight range due to keto, exercise was fun So, why not train every day
To get into ketosis, You need to deplete your glycogen stores. Doing light exercise can help you in depleting your glycogen stores at a much faster pace. Since you are consuming fewer carbs, Your glycogen stores will remain low
As a result, Your liver will increase the production of ketones which will be utilized as an alternative source of fuel by your muscles. This way you will reach ketosis in no time
Ultimate Light Workout Routine
- Option 1: Morning or Evening walk ( 30 minutes )
- Option 2: 10 Minutes of Skipping
Pro Tip: Light Exercise can help you in maintaining ketosis for a longer period of time
Step 3. Boost your Healthy Fat Intake
While following the ketogenic diet, you will be consuming 60% to 80% calories from fat. Since fat is a primary source of fuel, most of the micronutrients you will gain should come from fat sources too
Consuming high-quality sources of fat will help you in avoiding nutrient deficiencies most people develop while following the keto diet on the flip side consuming keto-friendly snacks & desserts to fuel yourself will make your journey difficult
First of all keto snacks & desserts are not healthy. Moreover, they lack the nutrients which your body needs, fueling yourself every day with keto snacks is a sure fast way to put on weight only
A study even suggests that deficiency in certain micronutrients actually makes us more prone to weight gain. So, to avoid nutrient deficiencies you must consume healthy sources of fat
Here are some sources of healthy fat:
- Oils: flax oil, olive oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, walnut oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, etc
- Nuts & Seeds: almonds nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hazelnuts, etc
- Fatty meat, fatty fish, whole eggs, etc
The best way to lose weight with the keto diet is by consuming healthy sources of fat. Make sure that you keep your overall fat intake in check also, to allow your cells to burn fat stores too
I managed to lose 19.5 lbs in 2 months (Goal = 25 lbs in a month). I could do better than this but I made a lot of stupid decisions at the start of my journey. I kept on making decisions based on my preferences rather than on expert advice
Pro Tip: Consuming Healthy Fat sources will not get you into ketosis faster but what it will do is help you in losing weight & maintaining ketosis for a longer period of time
Step 4. Proper Protein Intake
Cutting back on protein is not healthy, it has negative impacts on your health. In classical keto diet reducing your carbs and protein intake was done to maximize ketones level but for most people, such type of practices are not healthy
You need a proper amount of protein every day to get into & stay in ketosis
Moreover, Here are two more reasons to consume protein:
- You need protein to supply the liver with amino acids. It is then used for gluconeogenesis ( Making new glucose ). So that your liver can provide glucose for the few cells & organs in your body that can’t use ketones as fuel ( red blood cells, portions of kidneys, portions of the brain )
- Protein intake is important to maintain muscle mass
Keto diet is not just about fat intake, it’s a proper combination of macro & micronutrients. Reducing your carbs intake is alone enough to get you into ketosis but what about maintaining ketosis
Remember, Getting into ketosis will not help you in losing weight, You will lose weight only if you stay in ketosis. Yes, you can minimize carb & protein intake to maximize ketone levels
But what about maintaining ketosis, Due to nutrient deficiencies chances are you will find it difficult to stay on diet without adverse side effects
The best & the fastest way to get into ketosis is by following a diet that is perfectly tailored for you to get into ketosis, to begin with
Keto diet can produce some amazing results but it’s still a medical diet. Utilizing it for losing weight without the proper guidance of a health expert can put you in the risk of many diseases
For Better results with the keto diet, I would recommend you to consult a doctor or a nutritionist to help you with keto diet or If you are like me and you consider visiting a nutritionist an unnecessary hassle then you can get a custom keto diet plan form here
Having a tailored diet plan will help you in avoiding nutrient deficiencies, in maintaining ketosis, & in preparing healthy meals. This way you will get into ketosis within the first 3 days in a much more healthy manner
Step 5. Last resort Short Fast
By following all the four steps, chances are you will get into ketosis within the first 3 days but for those of you who need a little extra a short fast can help. What you need to do is go without eating for several hours to get into ketosis.
A study even suggests that some people even go into mild ketosis between dinner and breakfast. Fast for 10-20 hours before starting the keto diet to get into ketosis faster. But ones you get into ketosis, make sure to maintain it for as long as you can
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Rudra
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