What is the Average Ketosis Weight Loss?

What is the Average Weight Loss in Ketosis?

Similar to target calories per day being an individual matter, the same is true when it comes to someone's weight loss average while in a ketotic state.

Rather than focusing on a universal average of weight loss on a ketogenic diet, base your marker for success on a comparison of you against, well, you!

Your rate of weight loss will be personal and tied to many genetic and lifestyle factors that make your journey unique, do your best to enjoy and maximize the experience.

Identify your natural weight-loss rate and average once you start seeing the pounds melt away, which often noticeably occurs within the first week for many, and base your progress on your results instead of some general standard.

Some with a faster metabolism may see even quicker results once they ditch the carbs and refined sugars for healthy fats. Still, despite a speedy metabolism, some other factors can contribute to lessened weight loss on keto.

However, despite expected variance, the following results have been found in those studied to track the experience and efficacy of the ketogenic diet for the last century:

First Week: Rapid Water Weight Loss (2-10 pounds)

Although everyone's experience will vary, many who venture into the ketogenic lifestyle note experiencing quick water-weight loss during week one of the plan, generally between 2-10 pounds.

You may have heard to make sure to hydrate on a ketogenic diet, especially when just getting started, to avoid unpleasant growing pains like the keto flu—and that’s great guidance. Still, the importance of consuming water when you eliminate carbs runs deeper.

Carbs require water to remain in the body. When your body doesn’t use glucose right away, it houses it as glycogen in your muscles and glycogen binds to water—with each gram of glycogen stored with two to three grams of water.

Our bodies are tuned to expect glucose, or carbs and sugar, to use as fuel, if eating a Standard American Diet.

However, when we convert to a high-fat diet, our bodies begin to exhaust their glycogen stores before switching to primary reliance on fat and ketones in the body for energy.

With the body void of carbs, we no longer need to hold onto the water required to support its function in the body—resulting in a rapid and usually significant water-weight loss in the first week or two on keto!

Short-and Medium-Term: Steadier Weight Loss (1-2 pounds per week | usually about two weeks on the plan)

The first couple of weeks on keto can feel like an introduction to a brand new world of food options, and the bonus is that the number on the scale will likely drop significantly despite the recipes’ decadent nature.

Around week one or two weight loss for most people tends to level off and slow down a bit, but fat loss generally continues to decrease each week if you stick to the dietary protocol; be patient and remain committed to the protocol. 

Also, don't worry about the slowing down of weight loss during the second phase of your transition to fat-adaptation; this process will suppress your appetite naturally as a bonus for anyone looking to lose weight. 

Besides, the body's shift from running on glucose to running on fat and ketones for fuel is advantageous because the body prefers fat and ketones to glucose, hands down. 

Plus, just for your information, keep in mind that a generally safe rate of weight loss is approximately two pounds per week, but, again, these results will vary based on each person's metabolism, gender, age, and lifestyle.

Long-Term: Slower Weight Loss

There's a reason why it feels like it takes so long to lose that last 10 pounds: weight loss slows as you near your goal.

Don't worry; although weight loss slows on keto long term, the losses will remain consistent as long as you continue to maintain the necessary caloric deficit from week-to-week and stay away from high-glycemic carbs and refined sugars. 

Granted, as your body becomes fully fat-adapted and you've already released an impressive amount of weight: some weeks, the scale may stand still while others show continued progress.

The key is to focus on the keto plan that works best for you, long enough to track tangible results—one you'll be able to follow long-term without wavering. 

Look to the non-scale victories, like increased energy so you can play longer with the kids or complete a particular project you've been putting off, and rest assured that you will reach your ultimate goal if you stay the course at times when old habits come knocking.

What Factors Affect Ketosis Weight Loss? 

Aside from eating more calories than your body needs to function, which leads to a caloric surplus and a weight-loss stall or weight gain, there are a few other mistakes to avoid when seeking to achieve significant weight loss while in ketosis.

Carbs (0g-20g Net Carbs)  

People opt to eat slightly higher carb macros, especially those who are athletes, very active, pregnant, or breastfeeding. But some of us need to keep the carbs very low to see the weight-loss results we desire.

When getting started on the ketogenic diet or if resetting your system after a setback, using the range of eating between 0-20 net carbs as your macro goal is ideal to ensure you maintain metabolic ketosis.

Fortunately, there are so many amazing and nutritious low-carb foods to enjoy that keep your body seeking fat for fuel while torching body fat with ease.

Here are some virtually zero-carb foods to consider adding into your meal plan to keep your macros on-point without sacrificing an ounce of flavor:

No-Carb Fats and Oils

Keto-friendly fats and oils, which are purely high-quality fat, enhance the flavor of food while being ideal for a variety of culinary uses.

Here are some excellent keto-friendly fat and oil options to consider:

• Avocado oil
• Olive oil (all varieties)
• Ghee
• Coconut oil
• Lard
• Macadamia oil
• Walnut oil
• Sesame seed oil
• MCT oil
• 100% grass-fed butter
• Grapeseed oil

Granted, healthy fats are the star of the show on a keto diet, but there are some oils and fats we suggest to give a hard pass due to their chemical processing and subsequent trans fat content. 

Here are some oils to avoid:

• Canola oil
• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Peanut oil

Although we want to enjoy healthy fats for fuel on keto, those noted on the list of those to avoid are high in omega-6 fatty acids and can produce excess oxidative stress in the body. 

Rather than opting for canola oil to fry foods, consider grapeseed or avocado oil that contains healthier fats and has a very high smoking point to boot. 

Fresh Meat

Quality meat, especially if grass-fed and grass-finished, when applicable, is an excellent zero-carb food option. If you are a meat-eater and on a ketogenic diet, here are some other fantastic fresh meat options:

• Lamb
• Beef
• Chicken
• Pork
• Veal
• Venison
• Duck
• Goose
• Bison
• Turkey
• Organ meats (e.g., tongue, heart, liver, kidney, et al.)

Processed Meat

• Pepperoni
• Sausage
• Salami
• Hot dogs
• Beef jerky
• Corned beef
• Brisket (sugar-free brine and coating)
• Prosciutto
• Deli Meat (e.g., turkey, ham, roast beef, chicken, et al.)

Seafood

Most seafood is excellent to consume on a ketogenic diet. Here are some zero-carb seafood options that are ideal for anyone on a low-carb, high-fat, diet:

• Salmon
• Mackerel
• Tuna 
• Flounder
• Sole
• Halibut
• Bass
• Swordfish
• Sardines
• Haddock
• Cod
• Catfish

As you can see, there are many zero-carb foods to feast on when keeping carbs to a minimum.

Also, click here to check out our full post on the best zero-carb foods to eat on keto, along with important points to consider in regards to eating them.

Plus, read here to learn how many carbs you need to get into ketosis. 

Don’t Overeat Fats  

We know the ketogenic diet allows and even encourages eating lots of healthy, high-quality fats. Still, it's always possible to overdo even a good thing.  

Although the lion's share of calories eaten on a ketogenic diet will consist of pure fat, minding your set fat macros, as well as your protein and carb macros, goes a long way.

As overeating the ratio of protein or carbs can prevent expected weight loss on keto, stick to your fat, and other target macros to experience consistent results. 

Use Protein to Your Advantage  

Moderate levels of protein are generally ideal for anyone on a ketogenic diet, but some leverage that consumption to boost their physical performance and muscle development and recovery by timing protein consumption around exercise.

Feel free to choose from any of the protein options mentioned above to keep carbs virtually non-existent in your diet; they're all delicious and amazingly filling.

We mentioned the benefit of eating plant-based, as well as animal-based, forms of protein to benefit from a broad spectrum of dense nutrition on a ketogenic diet.

The following are some additional plant-based forms of protein you can use to your advantage, to boost overall nutrition while ditching the carbs: 

• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Pine Nuts
• Spirulina
• Chlorella
• Dulse & other seaweed
• Seeds (e.g., hemp, chia, and flaxseed, etc.)

As we mentioned, protein is responsible for the development and repair of muscle tissue. And adding either animal or plant-based forms of amino acids into your keto meal plan will help keep you healthy and ready for your next workout session.  

Bonus: Zero Calories Keto Diet Foods  

Eating zero carbs is an excellent way to maintain ketosis. Also, pairing zero-carb or low-carb foods with keto-friendly foods with zero calories is a winning approach to weight loss.

Once again, we find that there are a lot of tasty food options to help keep you satisfied with keto. Every food has some level of energy impact in the form of calories, even if only in trace amounts.

Still, here are some of our favorite virtually zero-carb foods:

• Cabbage
• Asparagus
• Arugula
• Bone broth
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Chard
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Cauliflower
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Kale
• Iceberg lettuce
• Jicama
• Onions
• Lemons and limes
• White mushrooms
• Peppers
• Romaine lettuce
• Strawberries
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Watercress
• Zucchini
• Herbs and spices

The variety of virtually zero-calorie foods that are also low on the glycemic scale is quite hopeful for those following a low-carb, high-fat diet. The meal options to make with the ingredients mentioned are plentiful and flavorful—a real foodie's dream.

Click here to learn what zero calorie foods you can eat on a keto diet. 

How to Speed Up Ketosis Weight Loss 

Holding onto some carbs in the form of low-glycemic veggies like zucchini and broccoli are a fantastic way to ease into eating a ketogenic diet. 

Several keto-friendly vegetables mimic higher-carb foods like potatoes in a converted hash or faux mash. These keto chameleons can prove useful, especially when put together ahead of time during weekly meal prep, to help to prevent you from reaching for a higher-carb alternative. 

While there is undoubtedly a place for low-glycemic veggies within the ketogenic lifestyle, eliminating all carbs for a period—essentially switching to more of a carnivore-keto hybrid—is an excellent method to release weight rapidly and without much effort.

Some opt to eat only fish, meat, and fat for a period to jumpstart or deepen levels of ketosis to facilitate natural appetite suppression and, usually, subsequent and significant weight loss.

Others may go for other keto fasts, like the egg or beef and butter varieties. Some choose to follow a zero-carb version of keto for up to a week to blast through a weight-loss plateau, and others find that the complete absence of carbs agrees with their body long-term. You'll have to determine what works best for you over time. 

Click here to read a recent article dedicated to detailing the egg, beef and butter, and other forms of keto fasting.

Plus, here's another article dedicated to how to get into ketosis fast, painlessly—our keto recipes are legendary, we promise.

If Possible, Increase Your Exercise Regimen 

The process of losing weight consists of many factors. For instance, hormones and activity levels can directly and significantly impact weight-loss outcomes.

However, eating a ketogenic diet is reported to aid in hormone health, helps to regulate and even optimize the metabolism, and makes it easier to release body fat.

Exercise provides health benefits on several levels. Physical activity can help with cardiovascular health, and a brisk walk with a friend can work to boost feelings of wellness and vitality, too.

The type of activity chosen is less important than being consistent at whichever you enjoy and prefer. Also, this is a long-game effort. Start with a low-impact exercise if you have been stationary for a while (e.g., swimming, brisk walking or light yoga, etc.). 

Plus, consult your physician if you are planning to start an exercise program with the following pre-existing conditions:

• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease 
• Arthritis
• High blood pressure
• Being treated for cancer or have recently completed cancer treatment

It's a new year and a new decade, and we know you want to get at your goals and realize all the points on your 2020 vision board, but be sure to reach out to your primary physician if any of the conditions mentioned above apply, just to be safe. 

Use a Ketogenic Meal Replacement Shake  

Sometimes you just need to grab something on the go that you know fits your macros and tastes delicious; for us, that something is any of our three flavors of Keto Shake (chocolate, strawberry cheesecake, or banana creme brulee). 

Our fat and protein blend used for Keto Shake contains energy-boosting MCTs and is delicious, sure to satisfy your sweet tooth while helping to keep you satisfied to aid in weight loss as it keeps cravings in check.

Our Keto Shake is 100% keto-friendly and shown to help you feel fuller longer. Also, despite our shake's delicious flavors, we never use any artificial flavors, toxins, harmful hormones, or fillers.

Also, Keto Shake is gluten and soy-free, contains less than 1g of carbohydrates, and made in the USA.  

Use BHBs (Chocolate Ketones)   

Our bodies naturally produce higher levels of endogenous ketones when in a state of nutritional ketosis, but a quality BHB supplement can also prove helpful. 

Our Keto Activate is made with all-natural ingredients and formulated to support optimal brain and body function for anyone following a low-carb, high-fat, ketogenic diet.

Our chocolatey BHB blend contains energy-boosting exogenous ketones, and free of soy, gluten, or hormones, is made with non-GMO ingredients.

Click here to learn all about the incredible benefits of ketones. 

Use a Custom Keto Meal Plan  

We can all expect to lose weight at varying rates, but using a custom keto meal plan can tilt fortune in your favor. 

Besides, learning of the treasure trove of keto-friendly recipes available on our site and in our customized programs alone are enough to pique even the pickiest eaters' interest. 

We know that it can feel a bit daunting to begin a new dietary lifestyle; we get it.

It's for this reason that our team created a quick 30-second quiz to provide those in our Konscious Keto community with a targeted meal plan creation tool designed to produce weight loss.

All the recipes featured on our site are low-carb and keto-friendly, but our personalized keto meal plans are a potent tool to assist in rapid and sustainable weight loss tailored just for you.

If you're up for trying new delicious recipes you can be sure will help maintain ketosis and promote body fat loss, click here to take our brief quiz and access your personalized meal plan today!  

Add in Some Light Intermittent Fasting  

Save those who are pregnant or living with metabolic conditions like type 1 diabetes; most anyone can benefit from some degree of intermittent fasting.

You don't have to turn your plate down for consecutive or extended days to experience the health benefits of intermittent fasting, and it's often better for women to fast for shorter periods to maintain hormonal health.

There are several variations of fasting on keto to consider. Go with whichever approach works best for your needs. Here are some of the common fasting styles:

Fast for 12 hours a day:

With this approach, you would abstain from eating for a designated 12-hour window.

This form of fasting is ideal for beginners as you can do most of the fast while sleeping and just break the fast a little later in the morning.

For instance, you could stop eating by 8 p.m. and refrain from eating again until after 8 a.m. the next morning.

Fasting for 16 hours:

A prevalent method with slightly more seasoned fasters, the 16-hour fast, also known as the Leangains diet, or the 16:8 diet, allows for an 8-hour window of eating each day. 

However, meal skipping is a great option when getting acquainted with fasting, and metabolic ketosis naturally suppresses the appetite, effortlessly.

Listen to your body's hunger signals as your appetite recalibrates in the absence of refined sugars and carbs, and adjust your meal plan from there.

Intermittent fasting can be challenging for beginners, and it's best for this reason to experiment with light fasting as described above until you're well fat-adapted.

Always listen to your body, no matter which intermittent fasting protocol you try, and eat when your body is hungry.

To this point, also make sure to stay hydrated when fasting and on keto in general, as thirst can, again, present as hunger when it isn't.

Customize Your Macros to Suit Your Needs 

Each person's average rate of weight loss in ketosis is as varied as a fingerprint; everyone's body needs a unique plan to maximize performance and results.

However, more than the pace of each individual's journey, what's exciting is how the ketogenic diet is an approach ideal for many—and one that can benefit all.