If you have made your mind to start with the Keto Diet, there\’s nothing that should stop you from the same. Wondering you may have gotten all the answers along the way, but confused about how exactly does losing weight on keto works? Keep reading this to know!
What is Keto Diet?
Keto diet is a low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and a high-fat diet, where the body burns fat as you eat fat. Our body converts carbohydrates to produce glucose and that is where we get our energy from.
When you reduce the number of carbohydrates to an extremely low level, the amount of glucose and hence the amount of energy that we get is also very low. In a state like this, the body switches its metabolism from carbohydrates to fats as a source of energy.
This state is called ketosis, and the diet that enables this state of ketosis is called a Keto Diet.
- The high-fat nature of the diet is more satiating, which means you’ll get fuller faster and stay fuller longer. One of the reasons people love keto is because they don’t feel hungry or deprived even though they’re eating fewer meals and consuming fewer calories.
- You’ll feel more energized, which will do wonders for your ability to exercise more efficiently. Many people also report having improved mental clarity and focus while eating keto.
- With the importance of weight loss in the back of your mind and an understanding of some of the factors that impact weight loss, we can now look at the amount of weight you can expect to lose on keto.
- This Keto diet consists of 75% of their calories come from fat, 20% comes from protein, and 5% comes from carbohydrates.
Different Phases of Keto
Phase 1: The Washout Diet
During this first phase, people can expect to lose anywhere from 3-4 kgs of water weight. Some people may even lose up to 6 kgs! Studies indicate that each gram of glycogen in human muscle is bound to about 3 grams of water.
So, as your body burns through the glycogen, it also rids your body of water.
It is important to note that while you’re in this first phase, you’ll want to make sure to drink extra water to prevent yourself from becoming dehydrated. Additionally, you may also notice flu-like symptoms — nausea, vomiting, tiredness, and maybe even some irritability.
This is what people call the keto flu and could last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. This is simply a sign that your body is getting adjusted to a new fuel source.
Phase 2: Weight Loss on Keto Begins
After the initial drop in weight due to water loss, your body will then begin to adapt to using fat as its main energy source. At this stage, you’re becoming “fat adapted\”.
This is the point in the process when you achieve a state of ketosis, meaning your body switches from using glycogen as its fuel source to using fat. When your body starts burning fat for energy, it produces ketones. You can test your body’s level of ketones to determine whether or not you’re in ketosis.
During this fat-burning stage, you can expect to lose a consistent 1-2 pounds per week. You’ll also begin to feel less hungry in this stage because the fat you’re consuming will make you feel more full.
This will give your weight loss process a huge boost because you’ll have an easier time eating fewer calories.
Phase 3: Losing Weight In Full Motion
Once you’ve gone into ketosis, you’re going to feel like you feel more energetic and cheerful.
In this phase, you may continue to lose 2-3 kgs per week, or it could slow down. If your weight loss slows down, that’s okay! Remember, as you lose weight, your metabolism will slow down a little as well.
Your Diet needs will also lower, which means you’ll have to eat less to maintain your deficit.
Factors That Determine Weight Loss
There are certain factors on which the weight loss depends. So here are all the factors on which the weight loss actually depends.
1) Your Current Weight
To lose weight, you need to be in a caloric deficit which means you need to burn more calories than you consume. Your current weight is the number one determining factor for how fast you’ll be able to lose weight on keto.
This is because the heavier you are, the higher your metabolic rate is (your ability to burn calories in a given day).
Keto-ers with more weight to lose typically lose weight faster and more easily in the initial stages than those who don’t weigh as much.
2) Your Lifestyle
Your lifestyle includes:
- How much sleep you get
- How much water you consume in a day
- The quantity and quality of the micronutrients and minerals you’re consuming
- Your activity level
These are all key factors when it comes to weight loss. The more drastic the changes in these areas, the more likely you are to witness dramatic changes in your weight.
3) The Quality and Quantity of Sleep
Sleep is crucial for weight loss. People who sleep less than seven hours per night tend to have slower metabolisms,” which means they aren’t burning as many calories as they could be.
This has a lot to do with your body’s hormonal balance and response, and how micro and macronutrients are used in the body.
4) How Closely Should You Stick To Keto
Some research has shown that those who stick closely to a keto diet to the extent that their bodies enter a state of ketosis, which is when your body begins to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs (glucose) lose body fat more rapidly than those who do not but still stick to the same caloric deficit.
What To Do When You Stop Losing Weight?
When we follow a diet for a certain period of time then after a certain point our body stops responding and that condition is called a plateau.
The reason for the plateau is that our body adapts the diet and workout and in order to respond we have to make certain changes in our diet and workout so that our body can respond accordingly.
So the only solution to avoid this condition is to make certain changes in between just to avoid this condition.
Takeaway
Ideally, you should only aim at losing weight around 2-3 kgs in a month because that is a healthy number in which you don’t have to cut down the carbs drastically so you can also eat in moderation and still enjoy the fat loss process.
If You are aiming for losing weight that is more than 8-10kgs in a month then you should think twice about your approach because there must be chances that you feel fatigued and can face other health issues as well so it’s better to adopt the slow approach.
For losing weight, transforming yourself into a healthier version, and maintaining the weight, subscribe to Keto India for a personalized keto consultation. Good luck on your weight loss journey! Stay tuned for more such health content! Also, don\’t forget to follow us on Instagram for the daily dose of Ketogenic Diet, Health, and Wellness!
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