How Long Does it Take to Get Into Ketosis
How Long Does it Take to Get Into Ketosis
For those of you interested in the Keto Diet, you may be wondering how long it takes to get into ketosis. Since burning fat and losing pounds is on your mind, while doing the Ketogenic Diet, this is essential information. So, how long does it take to get into ketosis?
If you are new to the Ketogenic Diet, I highly suggest you start with this article: Simple Way to Start the Ketogenic Diet to understand how this diet works and the best way to start it when you are brand new.
Know What Ketosis Is
To know when you’re in Ketosis, you need to know what it is. To keep it simple, it’s a metabolic state in which your body gets in. Your body starts getting its energy from ketones in the blood. This is the opposite of the body’s normal glycoses state. Knowing what ketosis is can help you recognize when your body hits that stage.
Ketosis Takes Some Time
Most people that are trying to get into the ketosis state are switching their diet over completely. It can take anywhere from a month to six weeks for your body to get into this metabolic state. If you are already switching over from a healthy diet, it can take up to a week.
Signs You Know It Is Working
Now that you know what ketosis is and how long it can take, you need to know when it is working. In your mind, you may be a little impatient looking for these signs of ketosis. I wanted to break down how you will know it is working. One major sign is that your sugar cravings are going down. Keep in mind that you can’t do the Keto diet on and off. You will only see these successful aspects if you stick with it.
Fat burning from Ketosis comes from a severe commitment. When you are in ketosis, you will have less urination at night, feel less hungry, feel more satisfied after you’ve eaten, and you may even feel more focused.
Methods of Testing for Ketosis
Ketones can be tested in your breath, urine, and blood. All of these testing methods can be done at home.
Testing Breath: Some people have used a Ketone Breathe Tester to do this test. It’s a one time fee for you to purchase the unit but I personally have not used this method.
Testing Urine: I find that using Ketone urine testing strips is the easiest and most cost efficient way to test for this. Be sure that you are hydrated because I have made the mistake before of not getting enough water and it shows has the darkest mark on your strips.
Testing Blood: You will need to purchase a Ketone Blood Meter in order to get results from this type of test. A simple prick to your finger to gather a small amount of blood is all you need to read the results from a little stick on this meter. The results of this measurement are more accurate and won’t change based on your hydration level. The downside is that this test can get expensive and you do have to poke yourself to draw the blood.
I have personal experience with testing urine using the urine strips. I find it to be the easiest to use and get quick results. I vividly remember using them every day with in the first 30 days of learning what I can and cannot have while doing the Ketogenic Diet. It was helping me in my learning phase. One day I ate dinner at my favorite restaurant. I ordered fajitas with green peppers, red peppers and onions. I ordered a side of queso cheese sauce thinking I was sticking to my diet. I when home and tested my ketone levels only to find out I was kicked out of ketosis. After reviewing everything I ate that day and a little bit of research, I found that the cheese sauce was not in fact real cheese, but yet cheese sauce made at restaurants are mainly a flour based cheese flavored sauce or gravy rather that cheese like I originally thought. Lots of people may have known this but I did not. I thought I was on track. I’ve since learned to order real cheese and not the cheese sauce from now on. I’ve also noticed it was pretty easy to get back into ketosis once you have been doing this diet for a while if you accidentally get kicked out. It was a learning experience for sure and I’m glad I had the Ketone urine testing strips to help me navigate through the learning process.
Symptoms of Ketosis
If you find yourself being really fatigued constantly, there are some things you can do. A few things you can do is up your Vitamin B5. If you’re feeling sluggish, you may need more potassium. Keep these two supplements in mind as you keep focusing on being in a state of ketosis. More salt in your diet is super important was well. Without the right amount of salt, you can experience weakness.
So, to answer the original question – it doesn’t take long to get into ketosis. In a little over a month, you can start to experience the fat burning benefits of this diet. However, it does take commitment to make sure you can stay in a state of ketosis.
Staying away from sugar and limiting your carbs is a vital part of the Keto Diet. Dr. Eric Berg is an awesome resource when it comes to the Keto Diet. If you’re new to this way of eating, he has an excellent article called “The 7 Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet.”
Resources
https://www.drberg.com/blog/blood-sugars/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-into-ketosis
https://www.drberg.com/blog/fat-burning/the-7-benefits-of-the-ketogenic-diet
