Many people today have been following some low-carb diets, and one of the most commonly followed is the ketogenic diet.
This low-carb, moderate-protein, and fat-rich diet helps your body switch its main source of fuel from glucose to ketones, which are a byproduct of fat metabolism that serve as an alternative source of fuel.
Aside from the fact that this diet promotes weight loss, it has also been linked to various health benefits, including reduced blood sugar, triglyceride, and insulin levels and increased levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
However, some people struggle to get into full ketosis. It might take longer for them to enter ketosis than others.
Here we answer some of the frequently asked questions: How long does it take to enter ketosis? And how do I know when I am?
How long does it take to get into ketosis?
Keto dieters cannot reap the benefits of the diet unless they get into full ketosis.
During the state of ketosis, the body converts fat into ketones—molecules used as a fuel source when there is no sufficient amount of glucose in the body.
Ever wonder how to get into ketosis? Well, drastically reducing your carb intake is the best way to do that.
Normally, carbs are broken down into sugar molecules which travel across the bloodstream and be utilized for energy. The excess glucose is then stored in the liver and muscles in its storage form—glycogen.
Limiting your carb intake into no more than 50 grams per day forces your body to utilize its glycogen and eventually switch to utilizing ketones as fuel.
If you limit your carb intake to 20–50 grams per day, it might take 2–4 days for you to reach ketosis, but usually the time it takes to get into full ketosis varies from person to person.
Some factors that may affect the time it takes to get into full ketosis include your metabolism; your daily fat, carb, and protein intake; your age; and your exercise.
For instance, those who consume higher carbs may take longer to enter ketosis than those who religiously limit their carb intake to 20–50 grams per day. Or those who had been on a high-carb diet before starting a keto diet may also take longer to get into full ketosis since the body still needs to deplete its glycogen stores.
Signs of ketosis
Limiting your carb intake thus allows your body to transition into ketosis, which causes you to experience several adverse side effects known as the “keto flu.”
The signs of ketosis include headache, increased thirst, bad breath, nausea, and even fatigue. Although these symptoms are a positive indication that your body is indeed transitioning, nothing is better than measuring your ketone levels to determine whether or not you’ve reached ketosis.
How long does keto flu last?
You might also wonder how long do these keto flu symptoms last. Basically, the keto flu can last less than a week for an average person, but it can also last up to a month for extreme cases.
However, some people may never experience the keto flu, depending on their genetics.
How to measure ketone levels?
The best way to determine whether or not you’re in ketosis is testing your body’s ketone levels.
Acetone, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate are the three types of ketones that you can measure through your breath, urine, and blood, respectively.
You can measure your acetone levels with a ketone breath meter like Ketonix, which flashes a color that allows you to determine whether or not you’re in ketosis and how high your ketone levels are.
Ketone breath meters are found to yield fairly accurate results.
For your acetoacetate levels, you can measure it through your urine using a ketone urine strip, which changes into various shades of pink or purple depending on the level of ketones in your urine: The darker the color, the higher the level of your ketones.
Considering the fact that it is cheap, you can’t expect urine testing strips to be as accurate as the other tools.
As regards the beta-hydroxybutyrate levels, you can measure it using a blood ketone meter at home. This instrument works similarly to a glucometer.
To perform the test, simply prick your finger using a small accompanying pin to draw blood.
The ideal ketone range for maintaining ketosis is 1.5–3.0 mmol per liter. But your body might be entering ketosis if your blood ketone level reaches over 0.5 mmol.
Unlike the urine testing strips, the strips for this test are quite expensive. Nevertheless, blood ketone meters are known to work efficiently in measuring ketone levels in the body.
The ketone breath meter, urine testing strips, and blood ketone meter should provide you an accurate idea of whether or not your body has reached ketosis, so you know if there are some adjustments that need to be made to enter or stay in ketosis.
Why do some people take longer to get into full ketosis?
Some people take longer to get into full ketosis than others due to a number of reasons:
Some people may unintentionally be consuming carbs beyond the recommended range for a keto diet. This can stop the body from producing ketones.
It is also worth noting that some people can get into full ketosis by consuming a fewer number of carbs, as low as 20 grams per day, while others need a higher carb intake, probably ~ 90 grams per day.
So if you are struggling to get into full ketosis, you may need to reduce your carb intake even more.
Another reason why some people take longer to reach ketosis is not consuming fat on a keto diet. Remember, this is a low-carb, moderate-protein, fat-rich diet. Thus, a keto dieter should aim to consume less than 5% of their daily calories from carbs, 10–30% from protein, and 65–90% from fat.
Also, eating too much protein may encourage your body to use gluconeogenesis—converting amino acids from protein into glucose. It may therefore make it difficult for you to enter ketosis.
Other than diet, lifestyle factors, such as sleep, stress, and exercise, can affect the time it takes to get into full ketosis.
For example, keto dieters who exercise more may get into full ketosis faster since exercise helps the body deplete its carb stores faster.
If you find yourself struggling to reach ketosis, check whether or not you’re making any of the abovementioned mistakes.
How to get into ketosis fast?
Have you ever wondered how to get into ketosis? If you’re struggling to get into full ketosis, then these tips will absolutely help you reach ketosis faster.
Consume 20–50 grams of carbs every day. Consuming carbs that are within the recommended range for a keto diet, which is 20–50 grams per day, encourages your body to produce ketones. So if you’re struggling to get into ketosis, then you might need to adhere to the lower end of the scale.
Monitor your carb intake. Monitoring your carb intake will definitely help you to ensure that you only consume 20–50 grams of carbs every day and don’t underestimate or overestimate your intake of carbs.
Increase your intake of healthy fats. Keto dieters should aim to get at least 70% of their calories from healthy fat sources, including meats, eggs, fatty fish like salmon, avocados, avocado oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and nut butter.
Avoid eating out. Although many fast-food restaurants also provide various keto-friendly menus, eating out only makes it difficult for you to track your carb intake.
Be aware of hidden carb sources. You may have overlooked condiments, but many of them, such as sauces and dressings, contain high carbohydrates.
Try a short-term high-fat fast. Trying a short-term, high-fat fast like an egg fast can help you reach ketosis faster, as it’s high in fat and very low in carbs.
Try intermittent fasting. Aside from several other intermittent fasting benefits, intermittent fasting may also help the body shift its source of fuel from carbohydrates to fat while still maintaining its energy balance.
Use a MCT supplement. Using a MCTs supplement can help you stay in ketosis, as MCTs can be converted into ketones.
Exercise more often. Depleting your body’s glycogen stores, physical activity encourages your liver to increase its ketone production. In fact, research has shown that exercising in a fasted state promotes increased ketone production.
Regularly test your ketone levels. Regularly testing your ketone levels using the abovementioned instruments helps you determine whether you’re in ketosis, which allows you to accordingly adjust your diet.
Conclusion
Generally, you get into full ketosis after 2–4 days.
However, the time it takes to reach ketosis is dependent on several factors, such as your metabolism; your current carb, fat, and protein intake; your exercise level; and your age.
So basically, the time it takes to reach ketosis varies from person to person: some people may find they need a week or even more to get into full ketosis.
Although there are signs of ketosis that you may experience, the best way to determine whether or not you’re in ketosis is measuring your ketone levels using a urine, breath, or blood ketone measuring tool.
If you are struggling to get into full ketosis, try following some of the few tips provided, such as ramping up your exercise or tracking your carb intake.
