Staying Hydrated: Critical For Weight Loss On Keto

The ketogenic diet is a popular, low-carb, high-fat weight loss plan. While many dieters experience rapid weight loss when they start, plateaus are common. One of the reasons for this could be not drinking enough water. The keto diet removes sodium from a person's diet, and salt helps the body retain water, maintain electrolyte levels, and avoid dehydration. Dehydration can cause muscle weakness, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, nausea, irritability, and even loss of consciousness. Drinking enough water is also important because the process of turning fat into ketones requires plenty of water.

Dehydration

Another factor contributing to dehydration on keto is the diet's impact on electrolyte levels. Electrolytes are essential for the body to utilise water effectively. However, not all natural sources of electrolytes are keto-friendly, so deficiencies can occur. This means that even if someone on keto is consuming adequate water, they may still experience dehydration if they are not getting enough electrolytes.

The symptoms of dehydration can include muscle weakness, muscle cramps, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, nausea, irritability, and lethargy. In more severe cases, dehydration can lead to dizziness, fainting, and a sudden drop in blood pressure. Therefore, it is crucial for those on the keto diet to prioritise proper hydration and ensure they are consuming enough water and electrolytes.

To maintain adequate hydration on keto, it is recommended to drink when thirsty and to keep water readily available throughout the day. Adding natural citrus juice to water can also help make it more appealing to those who don't enjoy plain water. Additionally, consuming foods rich in water, such as bone broth, avocado, and most vegetables, can contribute to hydration levels.

Supplementing with electrolytes is also important for keto dieters. Products like DripDrop ORS can help ensure the body is absorbing and utilising water effectively. By addressing both water intake and electrolyte levels, keto dieters can reduce their risk of dehydration and the associated health risks.

Water retention

Drinking enough water is crucial for weight loss on the keto diet, and not just for weight loss, but also for your general health. Dehydration can impair memory, reasoning, cognitive function, and cause fatigue. It can also lead to kidney stones and other health issues.

When you're on the keto diet, your body excretes more salt, and the more salt you lose, the less water you retain. This is one reason why dehydration is a common side effect of keto. In addition, when you're in ketosis, your body breaks down fat cells for energy, and this process also releases water.

If you're not drinking enough water, your body will hold on to water weight. This can be demoralizing if you're weighing yourself regularly, as the scale may stall or even show a slight increase. However, this water weight doesn't affect how much fat you've burned. Eventually, this retained water will be released, creating the "'whooshing' effect", where you suddenly lose several pounds in a short period.

To ensure proper hydration, it's recommended to drink until your urine is light yellow. However, if you're taking B vitamin supplements, this may not be a reliable indicator as they can turn urine bright yellow. As a guideline, aim for around eight glasses of water per day, but ultimately, you should observe your body's reaction and adjust accordingly.

In addition to water, electrolytes are crucial for hydration as they maintain fluid balance. Keto dieters need to be aware of their electrolyte levels, especially salt, as keto is a low-insulin diet, which causes the body to flush out more sodium. Deliberately increasing your electrolyte intake through supplements or dietary sources can be beneficial.

While it's important to drink enough water, over-hydration can also be an issue, leading to electrolyte imbalances. The goal is to drink enough water to meet your body's needs without going overboard.

Drinking other fluids such as tea, coffee, and sparkling water also counts towards your hydration goals, and these can be good alternatives if you don't like plain water. Just be mindful of adding sugar or syrup to these drinks, as that can counteract your keto efforts.

Ketones in urine

Ketones are a byproduct of the body burning fat for energy. When the body is in ketosis, it turns fat and fatty acids into ketones, which are then used as an energy source. Ketones are released from fat cells and, as a result, decrease the size of those fat cells.

Ketones are excreted from the body through urine, which takes water and sodium out with it. This is why it's important to drink enough water on keto; if you're not drinking enough, your body will hold on to water weight.

Drinking more water means you'll be urinating more, which makes more room for your body to process and expel more ketones.

A general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should aim for 80 ounces of water per day. However, this amount could be more for someone on keto, as the diet alters your body's water and electrolyte levels.

The National Library of Medicine states that adults should drink 2.7 to 3.7 liters of water per day. However, they also stress that there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation for water intake, as it depends on various factors such as age, weight, activity level, and diet.

Signs of Dehydration

It's important to recognize the signs of dehydration, as it can be dangerous and impact your weight loss efforts. Signs of dehydration include muscle weakness, muscle cramps, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, nausea, irritability, and lethargy. Dehydration can also lead to dizziness and fainting due to a sudden drop in blood pressure.

One way to tell if you're dehydrated is by looking at the color of your urine. Dark urine or long periods between urination can indicate dehydration.

Benefits of Staying Hydrated on Keto

Staying properly hydrated on keto has several benefits for weight loss and overall health:

• Helps the body turn fat into ketones, providing an extra energy boost between meals
• Keeps cravings in check by reducing symptoms of dehydration that can be mistaken for hunger
• Prepares the body for physical activity, as dehydration is even more dangerous when exercising
• May help with constipation, a common side effect of keto

Not enough electrolytes

The keto diet can be tough to get right. It's a high-fat, very low-carb diet that can cause shifts in your fluid and electrolyte balance. When you restrict carbohydrates, your body begins to process electrolytes differently. This is because when insulin levels are low, the kidneys excrete more sodium. Since there is a delicate balance between sodium and other electrolytes in the body, the loss of sodium may disrupt levels of other electrolytes as well.

Symptoms of Electrolyte Deficiency

• Difficulty concentrating
• Heart palpitations / increased awareness of heartbeat
• Muscle cramping or twitching at night or after exercise
• Struggles during physical exertion

How to Restore Electrolytes on Keto

• Eat whole foods that are high in electrolytes, such as coconut water, avocados, beef, chicken meat, eggs, spinach, clams, salmon, lettuce, tomatoes, yogurt, and almonds.
• Obtain electrolytes with keto-friendly electrolyte supplements.
• Pay attention to your thirst and drink water or an electrolyte drink when you feel thirsty.
• Slowly transition into the keto diet. You can start by doing low-carb, which entails eating up to 150 grams of carbs per day, for a week before going full keto.
• If you're taking medications, talk to your doctor before starting keto, as some medications may affect your electrolyte status.

Cravings

There are several reasons why you may experience cravings on a keto diet:

• Psychological causes: Your environment—what you see, smell, hear, taste, and touch—can stimulate cravings, even if your nutritional needs are 100% satisfied. For example, the smell of baked bread or the sight of an ice cream sandwich can trigger a craving. Hunger is also habitual. If you eat a bowl of ice cream every night at 9 pm, your body will start anticipating that ritual, and you'll get hungry around 8:45 pm.
• Menstrual cycle: Sweet cravings—driven by hormonal shifts in estrogen and progesterone—are normal and common for many women, especially during the luteal stage of menstruation.
• Not eating enough fats or protein: On a keto diet, it is important to eat more fat than protein and carbs. Eating high-fat signals to your body to start burning fat for fuel instead of glucose. However, a common mistake is to focus on eating fat but forget about protein.
• Artificial sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners like aspartame can trigger cravings.
• Stress: Stress can be a huge trigger for cravings or other overeating behaviors.
• Not drinking enough water: Dehydration can sometimes fool you into thinking you're hungry and lead to cravings.
• Take it slow: Instead of going from high-carb to keto overnight, start by cutting out refined sugary foods and refined carbs, and then cut out natural high-carb foods. This will give your body time to adapt to eating low-carb.
• Eat more healthy fats: Eating fatty and healthy foods like macadamia nuts, avocados, eggs, and cheese will satiate your appetite for sugary treats and help your body switch from a glucose burner to a fat burner.
• Eat enough protein: If you are not eating enough protein in all of your meals, this can trigger issues such as loss of muscle mass, hair loss, and carb cravings. Animal-based sources of protein include eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish. For vegetarian or vegan keto diets, trust tofu and tempeh, and consider adding extra protein like hemp protein or pea protein powders.
• Get enough sleep: Sleep deprivation increases your hunger hormone, ghrelin, so getting plenty of sleep is essential for managing cravings.
• Stay hydrated: On a keto diet, your fluid and electrolyte needs increase. Thirst is a good indicator of fluid needs, but you may need to plan for more electrolytes like sodium and potassium. What you think is a carb craving might actually be a sodium craving.
• Control your environment: Minimize the sights and smells that trigger cravings by keeping carbs out of the house if possible. If that's not possible, do your best to keep them out of sight.
• Eat low-carb vegetables: Include non-starchy vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus in your meals. These are some of the most nutrient-dense foods around and are full of fiber, which helps fill you up without adding calories.
• Balance blood sugar: A well-managed keto diet can help support blood sugar levels. Regularly consuming balanced meals of high-quality protein, healthy fats, and low-carb veggies will help maintain healthy blood sugar and keep cravings at bay.
• Focus on protein: Just like healthy fats, high-quality protein is satiating and leaves you feeling fuller for longer. When protein is balanced with keto-friendly fats and low-carb veggies, you have a winning combination for reducing carb cravings and managing blood sugar levels.

Frequently asked questions