The Ketosis Process: What to Expect

While most diets like the Mediterranean diet or Paleo diet do not have much of a transition phase, the keto diet has one. The main principle of the keto diet is the ketosis process. When you follow a keto diet properly, it will take about 5 to 7 days for your body to go into a ketosis state.

During this stage and process, there will be a few ‘repercussions’ and changes your body will be going through and what you can expect to see and feel. Here is a look at what they are.

Perhaps the most dreaded consequence of the keto diet is the keto flu. While it doesn’t affect everyone, it does affect enough people to make it something to anticipate and understand how to deal with it should it affect you.

The good news is the keto diet is harmless and any symptoms you may experience are temporary. The common symptoms you may notice are irritability, brain fog, mood swings, lethargy, constipation, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and nausea.

The ironic thing is our body feeling off is our body actually healing. These flu-like feelings, keto flu, are our bodies starting to detox and cleanse themselves. All the toxins being released and cleared are having a negative effect on the body.

This is par for the course. You will feel worse before you feel better and the feelings will subside relatively quickly.

By the end of the first week, if you’ve been following the diet correctly, you’d be in a state of ketosis. If you are not sure your body is benefiting from the ketosis process, you can check to see if you are in a state of ketosis with a ketone meter.

As your body would have started to benefit from the ketosis process, it should be fully detoxed. With the detox process finished, you should no longer be experiencing any symptoms of the keto-flu.

There is also a very good chance you’ve lost some weight. While this may be encouraging it’s mostly water weight. However, we’re not bursting anyone’s bubble, it is still weight loss.

The first weight we lose is water weight since every gram of carbohydrates retains 3 grams of water. Being a low-carb diet, after a week on the keto diet, you’ll have very little carbs left in your body. So, there’s much lower water retention. This explains the weight loss.

By the end of the first week, if you’ve been following the diet correctly, you’d be in a state of ketosis. If you are not sure your body is benefiting from the ketosis process, you can check to see if you are in a state of ketosis with a ketone meter.

As your body would have started to benefit from the ketosis process, it should be fully detoxed. With the detox process finished, you should no longer be experiencing any symptoms of the keto-flu.

There is also a very good chance you’ve lost some weight. While this may be encouraging it’s mostly water weight. However, we’re not bursting anyone’s bubble, it is still weight loss.

The first weight we lose is water weight since every gram of carbohydrates retains 3 grams of water. Being a low-carb diet, after a week on the keto diet, you’ll have very little carbs left in your body. So, there’s much lower water retention. This explains the weight loss.

Week 3 is where the magic happens to benefit from the ketosis process. You’ll feel better than you’ve ever felt before. You’ll experience more energy, increased mental clarity, and a sense of ‘lightness”.

Ketosis is working for you round the clock and burning your fat stores. You’ll notice more weight loss, but this time, quite a bit of the weight lost will be fat and not just water.

You may also not believe the results and wonder if it’s even possible. After all, you’ve tried out the other diets and none worked as well. Have faith, it only gets better.

Congratulations you’ve made it to Week 4. After you’ve experienced the magic of the keto diet through Week 3, you are most likely a huge fan of the keto diet.

There is a very good chance this is the most weight you’ve lost with any type of diet you’ve tried. Every day when you step on the scale, it brings a smile to your face as the numbers continue to get lower. To top it all off, not only do you notice the weight difference, so do your friends and family.

On top of all that, you now have a huge increase in your energy levels. You rarely feel tired. In fact, you’re so energetic that you find it hard to sleep. This is one of the downsides of the keto diet. It can affect your sleep patterns, but after a while, things will return to normal.

After Week 4 you may start to wonder if why you didn’t start this diet sooner and if you will notice any further improvement in how you feel.

To those that make it to Week 5 and consequently Week 6, you will notice that your performance during physical activities gets remarkably better. You have more energy to expend and feel less tired. Your stamina improves too.

If you’re not on a regular exercise regimen, it’s time to get on one and start to workout. With your increased energy and ability to do more physically, most people find they enjoy physical exertion.

After Week 6, it’s just a matter of maintaining the diet and staying in ketosis. By the end of month two, you’d have lost so much weight you’d be shouting from the rooftops about the benefits of the keto diet.

The keto diet delivers and it will work for you if you will work it. Unlike other diets where you start, lose some weight then get off the diet, the keto diet is a lifestyle. Remember that it’s a lifestyle change more than simply a diet. If you’ve made it to Week 6 and beyond, you’ll understand this. Making choices about what will keep you in the ketosis process becomes second nature.

Give it a try and you’ll thank yourself 2 months from now.