If you’re looking for ways to lose weight, lean body mass, and body fat percentage, the keto diet (low carb, high fat diet) may be a lifestyle you’ve come across in your research to lose weight!
This high healthy fat, low-carb high-fat way of living is a lifestyle change that often leads to drastic positive results in the way people look and feel.
But there’s no one road map for weight loss and burning fat, you may have heard conflicting feedback about the effectiveness of the keto diet for weight loss and burning fat.
So many factors go into losing weight, and diet is just one; exercise, sleep schedule, and the amount of stress you have in your day-to-day life also come into play.
If you’re considering the keto diet as an avenue for weight loss, we’re breaking down how much weight one typically loses on keto, as well as a weight loss timeline.
How Much Weight Can You Lose on Keto?
While the keto diet isn’t always meant to be followed long-term, it can have many health, weight loss, and muscle mass benefits, for those willing to follow it.
Research has found that the keto diet may be as effective for weight loss as a low-fat diet, AND the keto diet allows you to lose weight without counting calories.
In addition to weight loss, the keto diet can also result in lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, improved insulin sensitivity, and much more!
Another study in 34 older adults found that those who followed a ketogenic diet, a high-fat diet for 8 weeks lost nearly five times as much total body fat as those who followed a low-fat diet.
But why does keto help promote weight loss and fat loss?
A brief breakdown:
Keto converts the body into a fat-burning, rapid weight loss machine!
You consume foods rich in healthy fats, which provide high levels of satisfaction and fullness while eating a calorie deficit
Throughout keto, mental focus and the body’s physical energy are elevated, which helps provide a boost of energy to exercise and be active!
Keto weight loss timeline
A key factor to your weight loss journey in the keto diet is the allocation of nutrients–your diet should consist of 75 percent fat intake (High-fat diet), 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrate intake (low carb diet) in order for ketosis to take place.
Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs.
Some of the best foods to eat to lose weight and body fat on keto are:
Lean poultry (like turkey and chicken)
Fish (like cod, salmon, and tuna)
Spinach
Celery
Cauliflower
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
Nuts
Avocado
Be sure to avoid non- keto-compliant foods, like bread and grains to avoid weight gain!
So now that we’ve explored the benefits of keto and how it can affect weight loss … what can you expect in terms of timing?
Phase 1 of weight loss - first week
During the first week of keto, many people tend to see a quick drop in body weight. Depending on the starting weight and body composition, that can be anywhere from a few pounds up to 10!
However, this weight loss isn’t necessarily fat loss –your body is just working its way into ketosis.
When your body doesn’t consume carbs, it burns glycogen reserves first before using fat. And once your body runs out of glycogen, the water weight needed to store glycogen is eliminated.
This is why it’s super important to stay hydrated while on keto.
During this initial phase of keto, you may also find that it’s tricky to find ready-made ketogenic diet-friendly meals! After all, pre-made meals in the grocery store or takeout tend to have more carb intake.
Proper Good offers a build-your-own pack of keto-ready meals delivered straight to your door ready in 90 seconds!
Phase 2 of weight loss - 2 weeks in
After your body has adjusted to the keto diet, weight loss tends to happen at a slower rate. Since your body has burned off its glucose, it enters a state of fat loss at this stage.
The average weight loss journey while on keto is around one to two pounds per week.
However, that depends greatly on starting weight, body fat, and the factors mentioned above, like exercise and sleep habits, plus how long you plan to stay on the keto diet and health conditions!
Perfect Keto shares this great snapshot about losing weight on keto. We found this stat interesting: One study of volunteers with obesity and type 2 diabetes who weighed 108 kg dropped 11.1 kg (24.5 pounds) in 24 weeks, which is 1 pound per week.
Phase 3 of weight loss - long term (4-12 weeks)
It’s been found that most weight loss occurs in the early stages of a ketogenic diet and that those who are on the ketogenic diet for a more extended period of time (12 weeks to 12 months), don’t experience major weight loss changes.
On average, people:
Lost 15 lbs in body weight after 4 weeks, and
Lost another 11 lbs between weeks 4 and 12
Keto is most effective for fast and sustained weight loss.
Continuing the keto diet for a few months results in the biggest changes, but after 12 weeks, weight loss tends to plateau.
Well, there you have it! :) We hope this snapshot of weight loss on the ketogenic diet was helpful, and if you’re looking for more resources, we’ve written about these ketogenic diet topics, too:
- Can you have a cheat day on keto?
- Keto cleanse detox diet
- Ketoegg diet
