Ketosis is a state of metabolism in one’s body, where your body transitions from burning glucose or carbohydrates to burning fats or ketones in order to derive energy for bodily functions. It is a “holy grail” state that many who have adopted the currently fashionable Keto diet, hope to achieve in order to achieve weight and fat loss when their bodies start to rely on … and burn fats rather than glucose for energy.
How long to get into get into ketosis? – It really depends on the person’s physiology and condition, at the time of entering into the Keto diet. Some people may achieve Ketosis within 24hrs, some may take up to 2 weeks.
That being said 2-4 days is usually an average time length for most people to achieve ketosis. However, factors like whether the person has been exercising, their inherent fat metabolism rate etc, will influence the speed of achieving Ketosis as we shall detail in the following content.
Measuring Ketosis
It is important to have an accurate measure of Ketones in the body to find out if Ketosis has been achieved. Determining if one has achieved Ketosis is typically done, through several methods.
Blood Test – This is the most accurate measure, though possibly the most inconvenient and uncomfortable as it involves a pin prick to draw blood. A blood ketone meter with an accompanying measurement strip is then used to measure the blood ketone level. Given that the blood ketone meter strips are more expensive than say urine measurement strips, this is also the most expensive method for measuring ketone levels in your body, not to mention painful and inconvenient.
Breath Test – There are breath meters in the market that can test the level of Ketones in the body – which studies have shown are fairly accurate, that simply measures the Ketone levels in one’s breath. Depending on the equipment chosen, these can range from affordable to expensive
Urine Test – These come in strips that change color when in contact with urine – after which you can estimate the level of ketones in your urine from a standard color chart table. They are fast and convenient if you do not mind having to handle body fluids, though they do not offer the numerical accuracy of a metered option with the breath and blood test options.
Why do some people take longer to achieve Ketosis
The following are some of the reasons why some people take longer to achieve Ketosis compared to others:
- Unknown Carbs – they may be unwittingly taking in more carbs then they are aware of – ie through using many mass produced ingredients in their meal preparation.
- Not eating enough fats – There needs to be an adequate proportion of fats in the diet to achieve Ketosis. The target should be to achieve at least 70% fats, 20% proteins and maximum 10% carbs in the calories consumed daily.
- Lack of exercise – it has been shown that exercise tends to lead to achieving ketosis faster due to the depletion of carbohydrate stores in the body.
- Too much protein in diet – A surplus of proteins can lead to gluconeogenesis — where proteins or amino acids are converted into sugars and inhibit ketone production
How long to achieve Ketosis – Cheat sheet to achieve it faster
- Track your carbs – knowing how many carbs you are taking in, will assist in you in not underestimating the amount of carbs you take in. The target for someone who wants to acheiev Ketosis quickly is around 20-50g of carbs per day.
- Beware of hidden carbs – as mentioned before we may not know much about the food products we consume, be careful of things like store bough sauces, and dressings for example.
- Cook your own meals and avoid eating out – You are less in control of what you are eat when you patronize restaurants and it is harder to track your carbs
- Increase your intake of high quality fats – 70% of your calorie intake should be from fats as mentioned before
- Try short term fat fasts – Egg fasts are a good way to get into Ketosis faster – as eggs are high in fats and low in carbs
- Intermittent fasts – By doing this, your body has to find an alternate energy source and will shift from carbs to fats as a fuel source
- Supplement with MCTs (Medium Chain Tri-glycerides) – These supplements are absorbed rather easily into the body and can be converted quickly into ketones.
- Exercise more – exercise depletes the body’s glycogen stores, encouraging the liver to produce more ketones
- Track Track …. And Track – you should be tracking your Ketone levels carefully to know where you are in terms of your Keto diet and thus you will know how to adjust your diet accordingly.
Bottom line – How long to achieve Ketosis
In summary, most people who embark on a Keto diet should on average achieve Ketosis between 2-4 days. That being said, there are many factors affecting the speed at which one achieves this and as highlighted above many ways which you can help yourself to achieve Ketosis faster.