Ketosis or Bust
By Lindsay // The Ketoneer
How long does it take to get into ketosis? How long does it take to become fat adapted? What is keto breath and how long will it last? These things can vary person to person.
Getting Into Ketosis
In order to get into ketosis, your body has to first use up the glucose in the blood and its stored glycogen (stored carbs). The muscles and liver mainly store glycogen. When you cut your carb intake down, your body will deplete its stored glycogen and use it for energy. Once it is depleted, your body will be forced to switch to fat (ketone) metabolism for energy. The time it takes for this process to occur varies for each person. Average time is usually 2-4 days for a relatively healthy person. For some people, it could take up to a week or even more. It just depends on how strictly you are limiting your carb intake and how much glycogen you have stored. Factors like age, activity level, health status, and previous diet can all play a role. If you had a major carb binge in the days leading up to starting the diet as a last Hoo-Rah, it may take you a little longer to get into ketosis. Hey, no judgement here! I used to joke pre keto that I was “Carb loading for that marathon I am never gonna run,” while downing a plate of pasta bigger than my head. I am just saying, don’t get discouraged if you do not feel the signs of ketosis after only a day or two. Keep at it. You may be doing everything right and other factors could be at play.
Signs of Ketosis
How do you know when you are in ketosis? There are some signs that can tell you when you have reached a state of ketosis. Some people choose to use urine or blood ketone monitoring strips. I think that is fine if you choose to do that, but its not necessary. Urine strips are less accurate than blood and will only be useful until you become fat adapted. Some signs that indicate you have reached ketosis include: increased urination, increased energy, decreasing hunger and cravings, and “keto breath” or a metallic taste in your mouth. The increasing urination occurs for several reasons and is temporary, usually lasting a couple of weeks. When your insulin levels come down and your blood sugar levels stabilize, your body will release excess fluid it has been holding onto. Many people lose pounds of water weight in the first few weeks. Being in a state of ketosis also has anti-inflammatory benefits so inflammation will be leaving your body in the form of urination as well. You may notice your joints hurt less and inflammatory skin conditions such as acne improve. I was personally suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome pre keto (pain, numbness, and weakness in my wrists and hands). I was on the verge of calling an orthopedic surgeon I know for a consult when I found myself struggling to even squeeze toothpaste and shampoo bottles. I was astonished to see my carpal tunnel issues vanish after about two weeks of this way of eating. I think was due to the anti-inflammatory effects. The keto breath is also temporary and is a result of your body spilling excess ketones through the breath. Excess ketones are also expelled via urine and that is why urine strips can be used to measure ketones. Once you become fat adapted, your body will stop spilling out as many excess ketones as you will be effectively using them for fuel. It takes a while for your body to become fully adapted to this new fuel. This is why it is referred to as “fat adaptation”.
Fat Adaptation
The amount of time it takes to become fully fat adapted is widely disputed in the keto community. I think the truth is that no one truly knows exactly how long it takes. And again, everyone will be different. I think there are different levels of fat adaptation and different body systems adapt at different times. I tell people that in general, it takes weeks to months to get into a state where your body is getting used to running on ketones. Think about how many years of your life your body was used to running on glucose. It may not be an overnight switch. I think a good indicator is when the keto breath goes away, you know you are spilling less excess ketones. Keto breath can also come and go. That is a normal fluctuation. Sugar free gum sweetened with xylitol can be used in the meantime. I think keto breath is often something that we notice ourselves more than people around you will notice. Just remember it is a part of the process, it will come and go, some days it will be more noticeable to you than others, and it will not last forever.
Thank you Ketoneer Fam for always inspiring me to write these blogs. Your awesome keto chats and questions let me know what I need to write about next. Y’all are my people.
Thank you for the inspirational blogs and messages. Keep ’em coming! I would love more information about the concept of “dirty Keto.” What is it? Can this be more effective than observing strict Keto eating? It sounds to me like a shortcut to all the cooking and food prepping (good); but I am also worried that too many shortcuts will reinforce former bad habits and sabotage my weight loss. And worse yet, have I already been doing “dirty Keto” and didn’t realize it?
—-Thanks for all your work on this website!
Hey there! I have this exact topic on my list of blogs to do. I basically recommend to do the best you can with your budget, schedule, and health goals. This is different for everyone. I will type up a blog on this soon and dive deeper into all the classifications such as clean, dirty, strict, and lazy keto. Any form of keto is going to be better than the standard American diet. Thank you so much for the question and topic suggestion. And thanks for checking out the blog! Stay tuned!