Keto Weight Loss: Does It Work?

The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a low-carb, high-fat eating regimen that has gained popularity for its weight-loss benefits. The diet involves drastically reducing carbohydrate consumption and replacing it with fat, forcing the body to use fat as its primary energy source instead of glucose. While the keto diet has been shown to induce rapid weight loss, there are several factors that can impact an individual's results, such as achieving ketosis, calorie intake, stress levels, and underlying health conditions.

Achieving ketosis

To achieve ketosis, the body must enter a metabolic state where it uses fat, instead of glucose, as its primary energy source. This is achieved by restricting carbohydrate intake, moderating protein consumption, and increasing calories obtained from fat.

Reducing Carbohydrate Intake

The most important factor in entering ketosis is reducing your carbohydrate intake. Typically, the body uses glucose (from carbohydrates) as its main source of fuel. However, when you restrict your carb intake, your body's glycogen stores are reduced, and your insulin levels decrease, allowing fatty acids to be released from your body's fat stores.

The recommended amount of carbohydrates varies, but generally, it is advised to consume 50 grams or less per day. Some sources suggest a range of 20-50 grams, while others recommend staying under 20 grams. This will depend on individual factors such as body size, total calorie intake, and activity levels.

Increasing Healthy Fat Intake

As you reduce your carb intake, you need to increase your consumption of healthy fats. Aim to get at least 55-60% of your calories from healthy fats, such as avocados, avocado oil, fatty fish like salmon, nuts, olive oil, and nut butter.

Increasing Physical Activity

Exercising more can help deplete your body's glycogen stores, encouraging your liver to increase its production of ketones. Working out in a fasted state can further increase ketone levels. However, it may take 1-4 weeks for your body to adapt to using ketones and fatty acids as primary fuel sources, so your physical performance may be temporarily reduced.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting can also help induce ketosis. This involves regular short-term fasts, such as going without eating for several hours or following specific protocols like the Atkins diet, which restricts carb intake to 20 grams or fewer per day for the first 2 weeks.

Testing Ketone Levels

You can test your ketone levels to determine if you have reached ketosis. There are three types of ketones: acetone, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate, which can be measured in your breath, urine, and blood, respectively. Using a ketone breath meter, urine strips, or a blood ketone meter can help you accurately determine if you are in ketosis.

Other Considerations

• It typically takes 2-4 days to enter ketosis, but it can take a week or longer for some individuals.
• It is important to consult a qualified health professional before making significant dietary changes, especially if you have underlying health conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are managing a medical condition.
• A ketogenic diet may lead to nutritional deficiencies, kidney stones, changes in electrolyte levels, and bone loss.
• Ensure you are consuming enough protein to supply your liver with amino acids for gluconeogenesis and to maintain muscle mass during weight loss.
• Be mindful of portion sizes and total calorie intake, even when consuming healthy fats, as it is still possible to consume too many calories on a ketogenic diet.

Eating too many carbs

Eating too many carbohydrates is one of the main reasons people don't lose weight on the ketogenic diet. To reach a state of ketosis, where your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose, you need to drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake. This typically means limiting carbs to 20-50 grams per day, which is a significant reduction from the standard dietary recommendation of 45-65% of calories coming from carbs.

It can be challenging to cut out carbs, especially when first adjusting to the ketogenic diet. However, it is important to understand that even a small number of extra carbs can hinder your progress. For example, a medium-sized banana contains about 27 grams of carbs, which is close to or above the daily limit for some people on the keto diet.

To achieve and maintain ketosis, it is crucial to monitor your carbohydrate intake closely. This may involve tracking your macronutrients through an app, planning your meals in advance, and being mindful of hidden carbs in certain foods. It's important to remember that not all carbs are equal, and some foods that are typically considered keto-friendly, such as nuts and dairy, still contain carbohydrates.

Sugar alcohols, often used as sweeteners on the keto diet, should also be consumed in moderation. While they provide sweetness without increasing net carbs, some sugar alcohols, like maltitol, can still affect blood sugar levels and potentially prevent ketosis.

In addition to limiting carbs, it's important to ensure that your overall calorie intake is in a deficit. Even if you are in ketosis, consuming too many calories can hinder weight loss. Many keto-friendly foods, such as avocados, olive oil, nuts, and full-fat dairy, are high in calories. Therefore, it's important to pay attention to portion sizes and not overindulge in these foods.

In summary, to maximize weight loss on the ketogenic diet, it is crucial to strictly limit carbohydrate intake, monitor your overall calorie consumption, and ensure you are in a calorie deficit. This, combined with adequate sleep, stress reduction, physical activity, and a focus on nutritious whole foods, will help you achieve your weight loss goals on the keto diet.

Eating too many calories

Even if you are in a state of ketosis, you may still gain weight if you are consuming more calories than you burn. While it can be difficult to overdo it on calories on a keto diet, it is not impossible. Many keto-friendly foods are high in calories, so it's important to monitor your intake.

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. This can be achieved by reducing your calorie intake or increasing your physical activity. If you switch to a keto diet but don't watch your calorie intake, you may not lose weight.

Paying attention to portion size and increasing physical activity can help create the calorie deficit needed to lose weight. It's also important to remember that the best weight-loss diet is the one you can stick to for long enough to reduce excess body fat.

If you are consuming more calories than you burn, you may need to make some adjustments to your diet. This could involve reducing your portion sizes, increasing your physical activity, or both. Working with a registered dietitian can also help you evaluate your diet in detail and make any necessary changes.

It's important to note that long-term compliance with the keto diet is low, and it may not be a sustainable way to lose weight. Restricting a whole food group, dealing with "keto flu" symptoms, and the higher-than-average cost of the diet can make it challenging to stick to.

Lack of exercise

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein diet that has been linked to a range of potential health benefits, including weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and decreased hunger levels. However, one of the key aspects of losing weight on the keto diet is increasing physical activity.

Incorporating more physical activity into your lifestyle is vital when trying to lose weight on a ketogenic diet. Exercise stimulates fat loss and offers countless health benefits, such as lowering the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and obesity. It also helps build muscle, which boosts metabolism by increasing the amount of energy burned at rest.

If your goal is to lose weight, it is crucial to create a calorie deficit. This can be achieved by reducing calorie intake, increasing physical activity, or a combination of both. While the keto diet may naturally suppress your appetite, it is still important to ensure you are not undereating, especially when combined with working out. Make sure you are giving your body enough energy and not cutting calories too strictly.

To maximize weight loss on a ketogenic diet, it is recommended to get adequate sleep, reduce stress, be more active, and consume whole, nutritious, low-carb foods whenever possible. While the keto diet may be effective for weight loss, it is important to note that it may not be sustainable for everyone, and it is always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new diet or exercise regimen.

Unrealistic expectations

It is important to remember that weight loss can vary from person to person. While the ketogenic diet can promote weight loss if properly followed, the rate at which you lose weight may not be rapid. Small, consistent changes are the key to losing and maintaining weight in a healthy way. Most experts recommend losing 1-3 pounds or about 0.5-1 kg per week, depending on weight.

It is also important to keep in mind that if you adopt a new workout routine that involves weight lifting, you may gain muscle while losing fat. This can lead to slower weight loss, but putting on muscle mass and decreasing fat mass benefits health in many ways. It can reduce your risk of heart disease and improve bone health.

Instead of relying solely on the scale, take weekly measurements of your arms, thighs, and midsection to track your progress. Remember that the "weight loss effect becomes similar to other dietary approaches after one year", according to a 2019 review of low-carb diets.

Long-term compliance with the keto diet is low. Some people may find the diet too restrictive, or struggle with the symptoms of "keto flu", which can include headaches, nausea, constipation, tiredness, and difficulty sleeping. The keto diet can also be more expensive than other diets.

It is important to check with your healthcare practitioner before trying the keto diet, as it is not suitable for everyone. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have blood sugar issues, heart disease, or liver disease, among other conditions, the keto diet may not be safe for you.

Frequently asked questions