The keto diet remains one of the most popular diet plans out there, especially because one of the biggest benefits of following this low carb, high-fat lifestyle is weight loss. People tend to see “decreased hunger due to highly satiable foods, increased energy levels, weight loss, improvement in lipid profiles, improvement in blood sugar, reduction in waist circumference measurements, and loss of fat mass. But how does weight loss on the keto diet actually work, and how much weight can you expect to lose? And how long will it take to see keto diet results?
Keto Weight Loss after 1 Week
During the initial stages of the keto diet, many people lose weight quickly at the beginning as water loss. People shed between 2 and 10 pounds, but this is very individualized. This occurs because when you drastically cut carbs out of the diet, you will lose a lot of water weight. This is largely because fewer carbs will cause a drop in insulin, which will allow the kidneys to eliminate excess sodium.
This beginning weight loss is not initially fat. It’s mostly just water weight. People can lose anywhere from one to five pounds on average that first week.
Weight-loss One Month into the Ketogenic Diet
For the first month on keto, if people stay at a calorie deficit and stay consistent with the diet, most people can probably lose 10 pounds or more that first month. Obviously there are many factors that impact weight loss, but after about a month, the body becomes more fat-adapted and becomes more efficient at burning fat as fuel.
Keto adaption/fat adaption can take weeks, so it’s important to really stick with it for a while to teach your body how to be a fat burner instead of sugar (glucose) burner. Electrolyte management is very important during this time period, and most people will need additional sodium, potassium and magnesium during this period to combat any symptoms of “keto flu”, which is electrolyte depletion.
It took a long time to put on the weight, so it will take some time to lose it. But if the individual following a ketogenic plan doesn’t lose any weight for a month, Make some small adjustments to their diet and work with a registered dietitian to evaluate their diet in detail. This can help you to make sure you are taking the proper steps to keto diet success.
Keto Diet Results after 90 Days on Keto
If people can maintain a steady calorie deficit, they are expected to lose one to two pounds per week. So after 12 weeks, people are usually down around 20-25 pounds. However, this is very individually specific and would depend on their initial body fat percentage.
Maintaining Ketogenic Weight Loss
Most follow the keto diet for one to several months before taking a break and returning some carbs to their diet. At this point, keto cycling (or carb cycling) is an option that can help with maintenance. This involves eating higher carb some days and eating to stay in ketosis on other days.