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If you are on a keto diet or intending to start a ketogenic diet, one question that might have crossed your mind is, how long does it take to get out of ketosis?
It is a bit hard to give an accurate answer as it depends on factors such as the individual, duration on the keto diet, and many more, some factors can either help in preventing you from getting out of ketosis or speed up the process.
That said, let us now discuss all the factors that influence how long it takes to get out of ketosis.
What is Ketosis?
Ketosis refers to a natural metabolic state in which the body gets to a point where it lacks sufficient carbs to burn for energy. When the body lacks adequate glucose for energy, it then
begins to burn already stored fats. As a result, it results in the accumulation of acids known as ketones in the body.
Signs Your in Ketosis
The ketones accumulate in the blood and then given off through urine. Hence, it shows that the body is undergoing a breakdown of fat. Nonetheless, high ketone levels can be poisonous to the body, thus leading to a medical condition known as ketoacidosis.
A study showed that those who have diabetes often experience ketosis since it also occurs due to inadequate insulin in the body.
Foods to Eat on the Keto Diet
Getting into ketosis requires you to start a diet called the keto diet. Some food that you eat when on a keto diet include the following:
- Eggs
- Seeds and nuts
- Meats such as beef, pork, lamb, seafood, fish, and poultry.
- Healthy oils such as avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil. However, coconut oil is also allowed in keto.
- Cheese
- Avocados
- Non-starchy vegetables such as asparagus, celery, leafy greens, zucchini, and cucumber.
Foods to Eat on the Keto Diet
Foods to Avoid on the Keto Diet
While there are foods that you need to consume when on a keto diet, there are also foods you must avoid. Such foods include:
- Processed foods
- Grains like white potatoes, bread, pasta, pizza, quinoa, and rice.
- Milk
- Refined oils
- Artificial sweeteners
- High-carb fruit such as pineapples, banana, grapes, and tangerines
Signs of Ketosis
Once you begin a ketogenic diet, you are likely to start experiencing specific changes to your body.
In the first week of dutifully following a ketogenic diet, your body begins to experience a high withdrawal of carbohydrates and sugar.
Such removal makes your body and immune system start to react in several ways.
Some of the common signs you may experience when getting into ketosis include headache, brain fog, fatigue, irritability, muscle cramps, constipation, and trouble sleeping.
Others include nausea, stomach ache, sugar cravings, dizziness, bad breath, rapid weight loss, increased energy, appetite suppression, and a health condition called keto flu.
Research, however, shows that plenty of water intake can reduce or help prevent the effect of these symptoms.
Points to Consider Before You Cheat on Your Keto Diet
One of the easiest ways to get out of ketosis is by cheating on your diet. Unfortunately, getting back into ketosis is not as easy as getting out of ketosis.
So, before you consider cheating on your ketogenic diet, ensure you consider the following points below.
It Makes All your Previous Hard Work Useless
As mentioned earlier, once you begin consuming a keto diet, you are likely to experience a few side effects before getting into ketosis.
Cheating on your diet even with as little as one meal, can impede on your weight loss goal. Also, it can make you begin to feel those symptoms you felt when you initially started the ketogenic meal.
Even more, you will have to start working your way back to ketosis once again. Additionally, it is likely to increase the tendency of more cheating in some people and possibly lead to a total fall off from the diet.
Although it is possible to cheat on your keto diet now and then, you must always try to avoid cheating. It will not only make you achieve ketosis early; it will also save you the stress of starting all over again.
You Will Gain More Weight
One of the goals of a keto diet is weight loss. Once you start a keto diet, you begin to lose weight due to both losses in water and the burning of fat for energy. If you cheat on your diet, you are likely to start adding weight again.
Cheating on your diet once or twice might not significantly add to your weight. However, it can cause bloating, and an increase in your body’s water content as carb intake will make your body to start storing fat again.
There are Keto Recipes Alternatives for Your Favorite Foods
While you are on a keto diet, it is understandable if you occasionally get tired of consuming the same thing all the time.
You might also miss certain foods you love but are not keto related. Well, the good news is that you can resolve such cravings without cheating on your ketogenic diet.
There are several delightful keto-friendly recipes available that can provide you the taste, flavor, and satisfaction you need.
You will only need those recipes and ingredients. Although eating keto chocolate might not taste like the normal one, it will go a long way to satisfy your cravings without you cheating.
Additionally, you can decide to order for your favorite keto meals or try out new once from restaurants.
There, you can select keto-friendly meals and tell the restaurant to tweak them a bit if necessary. That way, you get to enjoy a different taste and recipe from the one you always consume.
Keto Treats Can Fill the Void.
With the rise in popularity of keto, there's been an increase in the availability of keto snacks. As a result, you can always enjoy a delicious and satisfying treat all the time.
Unfortunately, not all products that claim to be keto-friendly, low-carb, or carb-free are great for your consumption. Some might contain other sugar substitutes that are capable of causing a spike in your blood sugar level, thus kick you out of ketosis.
Always read product tags to find out whether they contain keto ingredients and substitutes before consuming them. Also, test your blood sugar level before and after eating such snacks as it will help you to observe changes in your body.
What to Expect When Stopping Keto?
Generally, getting out of a keto diet comes with several effects. The effects are both negative and positive. Irrespective of how careful you are when stopping a keto diet, you still need to watch out for these effects.
Overall, it is relatively difficult to predict how an individual will react when leaving ketosis accurately. While some may experience mild effects, others might experience severe side effects.
You Might Have Fluctuations in Your Blood Sugar Level
Some people tend to experience significant spikes in their blood sugar levels, which then drops after their first medium carb meal.
Such fluctuations in sugar levels tend to cause changes in mood, fatigue, hyperactivity, and jitteriness.
You Might Gain Weight.
Yes, you read correctly. Gaining weight is one of the most common effects associated with stopping a keto diet.
Studies show that, the amount of weight you will achieve depends on several factors including your remaining diet, and the rate your body metabolizes carbohydrates.
Additionally, it may also depend on how long you have been on the keto diet.
Since most of the weight you lose when you start a keto diet is water weight, you will also gain the water weight immediately you start eating carbs.
Temporary Bloating May Occur
Temporary bloating is yet another sign you may experience when you stop a ketogenic diet.
You are likely to experience temporary intestinal issues and bloating due to the re-introduction of foods contain high fiber content.
Although foods such as bread and beans are right for you, your body will need to learn how to digest them once again. After a few days, this effect subsides.
Increased Energy
You will experience increased energy, and this is due to the fresh intake of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a significant source of glucose, and the body burns glucose as a source of energy.
Also, you may experience improvements in mental performance as the brain also uses glucose to function.
You Might Feel Hungrier
A keto diet is majorly a moderate protein and high-fat meal, which makes it highly satiating.
As a result, people tend to experience reduced appetite while on a keto diet. But with the re-introduction of the consumption of meals having more carbs and less fat, you are likely to feel hungrier due to faster digestion.
For a smooth transition, studies show that pairing carbs with fat and protein. It helps in the slowing down of digestion, limits spikes in blood sugar level, and boosts fullness.
Tips to Get Back into Ketosis
If you want to enter into ketosis quickly, there are certain things you can do. Apart from following a fresh whole food keto diet, there are other tips you can follow to quicken your transition to ketosis.
1. Monitor Your Carbs Intake
Restriction in your carb intake is one of the keys to ketosis. It helps to keep blood sugar levels low, hence keeping insulin levels low too.
If you develop a strategy for monitoring your carbohydrate intake, it will help you to fast track your journey to ketosis.
Also, you need to watch your consumption of sauces, yogurts, pastes, and several other products that contain sugars and carbs even though they are not sweet.
2. Increase in Fat Intake
Ketosis occurs when your body begins to burn fat for energy instead of glucose. Consequently, if you increase your intake of fats, it will make your journey into ketosis faster.
High-fat foods lead to the production of more ketones and reduced cravings.
Some of the fatty foods you can consume are olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, almonds, lard, butter, heavy cream, goat cheese, Greek yogurt, fatty fish, and nut butter.
3. Consume MCT Oil
MCT oil, also known as medium-chain triglyceride oil, is an exceptional keto food that is a guaranteed way to getting back to ketosis.
When you consume this oil, your liver converts it into ketones in your body.
The consumption of the MCT will not only speed up ketosis but will also lead to improved mental performance.
4. Intermittent Fasting
When you are fasting, your body begins to make use of stored glucose, which is also known as glycogen. There is an increased production of ketones when you are on a fast hence preventing the breakdown of protein breakdown.
During fasting, your body burns fatty acids as a source of energy to meet its energy requirements. If you can embark on extended fasts, you will enter ketosis quickly. But for a more effective formula, combine fasting with a ketogenic diet.
5. Consume Exogenous Ketones
The consumption of exogenous ketones is another way to get back into ketosis.
By consuming exogenous ketones, you can speed up your journey to ketosis. Exogenous ketosis is synthetic ketones that are externally originated but function the same way as those generated inside the body.
Although eating exogenous ketones improves your blood ketone levels, it cannot substitute the consumption of fat.
Things that Knock You Out of Ketosis
Irrespective of the effort you put in to get into ketosis, certain things can get you out of ketosis. To avoid getting knocked out of ketosis, you must avoid the following:
1. Eating Excess Protein
Protein is a vital macronutrient that helps in building muscle, burning fat, and making you feel satiable. Also, it helps in making keto and other meals healthy. However, as good as protein is to the body, eating it in excess quantity hurts ketosis. You may stand the risk of a condition called gluconeogenesis, which is a process where your body converts non-carbs foods into glucose.
2. Not Drinking Plenty Water
Most persons lose weight once they start a ketogenic diet. However, the drop in weight is mainly due to the loss of water in the body.
The restriction in the intake of carbohydrates, there's a reduction in the glycogen stored in the muscles. Research shows that glycogen is what is responsible for retaining water, and a result, when it reduces water also reduces.
That said, the high rate of water loss may lead to dehydration and then constipation. To avoid such a situation, ensure you drink plenty of water frequently if you are on a ketogenic diet or planning to start one.
3. Consuming Too Many Carbohydrate
The importance of avoiding carbs when on a keto cannot be overemphasized. If you have an intense craving for snacks, you can pick from a wide range of keto-friendly snacks available today, like black beans or cashews.
If you consume foods like starchy vegetables, processed vegetable oils, and most legume, you can quickly get out of ketosis due to high carbohydrate. It is good to consume keto-friendly foods and drinks like eggs, fish, unsweetened tea, above-ground vegetables, unprocessed meats, and bone broth.
4. Eating Too Many Unhealthy Fats
A keto diet involves the consumption of a lot of fat since the body burns fat as a source of energy during ketosis. But at the same time, consuming diets high in fat can also be unhealthy without proper care.
Some foods, such as bacon and processed meat, contain a high concentration of sodium and saturated fat. Both ingredients are also capable of negatively affecting your cardiovascular system. Research conducted in 2017 showed that you only need about 6 percent of saturated fat, which comes from eggs, red meat, butter, and coconut oil.
5. Taking the Ketogenic Diet as a Quick Fix.
You tend to often lose weight when on a keto diet firstly from water and then from burning fat as a source of energy. Unfortunately, getting into and remaining in ketosis is not as easy as it seems.
A keto diet requires discipline and consistency to follow it through. So if you are looking for food that you can jump on and off, then the keto diet is a wrong choice.
You must see keeping your body in ketosis as a way of life, not just a regular diet. Rejecting your favorite meals and drinks will be quite a challenging activity. Also, you must prepare your mind for the side effects that come with eating a keto diet.
How long Does It Take to Get Out of Ketosis?
It is relatively difficult to provide a specific time it takes to get out of ketosis as it depends on several factors.
The factors include how long you have been on the diet, your carb intake, your fat intake, rate keto diet cheating, among others.
That said, eating carbs just for a day might not get you out of ketosis.
However, when you consume carbs of up to about 50g consistently daily, you may be out of ketosis within 3 to 4 days.
Nevertheless, it might vary from person to person.
Conclusion
In all, although there is no specific time frame that it takes to get out of ketosis.
You will need to continue following the routines that got you into ketosis to remain in ketosis.
More so, your body and duration in ketosis also play a vital role in determining how long it takes you to get out of ketosis.
We have provided you with several factors that influence how fast you get out of ketosis.
Furthermore,
we discussed the foods to eat to get you out of ketosis and things that knock you out of ketosis. Others include things to consider before you cheat on your keto diet, and what to expect when stopping keto.
Common Things you should Know About Ketosis.
1. How long does it require to enter ketosis?
Generally, getting into ketosis may depend on the individual and the quality of the keto diet. But it averagely takes between 1 to 3 days to get into ketosis.
In some cases, it might take up to a week to get into ketosis. Just ensure you are consistent and take things that can speed up your journey to ketosis.
2. Can you fall out of ketosis in one day?
The simple answer is yes. It requires as much effort you need to enter ketosis to remain in ketosis.
If you cheat on your diet or consume an excessive amount of carbs in one day, you will fall out of ketosis.
If you ever find yourself in such a situation, return to the keto diet the next day and remain committed to getting back to ketosis.
3. Can fasting put me in ketosis?
Yes, going without food or fasting for short periods can help you get into ketosis. Even more, it is possible to enter into ketosis between meals.
Nonetheless, combining a ketogenic diet with fasting will help to speed up the process.
4. Can you feel when you are in ketosis?
Ketosis comes with a variety of symptoms and side effects.
Some of the side effects include keto flu, insomnia, muscle cramps, increased energy, constipation, fatigue, appetite suppression, and many others.
Anytime you begin to feel such symptoms when on a keto diet, then you are in ketosis or on your way to ketosis.
More so, if you want to be more accurate on finding out whether you are in ketosis, you can check for the ketone levels in your urine, breath, or blood.
5. Is it possible to be in ketosis after two (2) days?
With the consumption of high-fat foods and a reduction in carbohydrate, your ketone levels can increase significantly to get you into keto after two (2) days
6. Can you do Keto 5 days a week?
With clinical keto dieting, you are to follow a standard and well-planned keto diet rule for between 5 to 6 days.
Afterward, you are to consume foods with high carb content for the remaining 1 to 2 days in the week.
The high crab consumption days, which refers to refeeding days, help the body to stock up the body’s exhausted glucose store.