Can You Lose Weight By Keto

If you’re just starting out on your health journey, simply the idea of hitting the gym may evoke feelings of intimidation, dread, and fear. And that alone can convince you to throw in the towel before you’ve even begun. The good news? You can drop the pounds eating a diet without having to break a sweat because good health is based on what happens in the kitchen.

The key to the diet is achieving the metabolic state of ketosis at which point your body burns stored fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. As a result, you lose body fat and, as an added bonus, research shows your mood improves.

To reach ketosis, getting the right balance of macronutrients (aka macros)—carbs, protein, fats—is essential. Because that looks different for every person, a good place to kickstart going keto is calculating the optimal breakdown specific to you. Roughly speaking, the protocol calls for 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. The overarching idea is to scale down on the carbs and replace them with protein and healthy fats.

How Long It Took Me To Lose Weight Eating Keto

Having less carbohydrates to burn translates to having less sugar to combat (and sugar turns to fat) so that, alone will help you lose weight without exercise while on keto. 

Once you’ve established your macros, set yourself up for success with keto-approved meal planning. Stock your kitchen with whole, unprocessed foods (think: avocado, grass-fed beef, seafood, berries, and leafy greens), while leaving the likes of bread, starchy vegetables, legumes, and sugary drinks at the door. 

Not sure what to make for dinner? Keep it simple with salmon served with asparagus and bell peppers cooked in ghee or whip up grilled chicken fajita kabobs.

Our 23 Favorite Keto Recipes To Help You Lose Weight

When following a keto nutrition plan, you’ll be consuming significantly less sugar and carbohydrates than if you were eating the standard American diet. Therefore, it’s typical to experience health benefits from weight loss and reduced inflammation to balanced blood sugar levels and less cravings.

Intermittent fasting—a way of eating that switches between periods of fasting and eating—when paired with keto can produce even greater improvements to your health. One of the most popular methods of intermittent fasting is the 16:8 method. It calls to have a “feeding window” of eight hours and then a fasting period of 16 hours which usually takes place overnight. For example, if you wake up at 6am, delay your first meal until 10am (you can still have your morning pick-me-up!) and end your window of meals by 6pm.

Because of the typical reduced caloric intake that comes with intermittent fasting, it can lead to not only greater weight loss, but also enhanced metabolic health. Furthermore, according to a recent study, intermittent fasting has a positive effect on cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Is A Keto Diet The Best Way To Lose Weight?

Unique journey—do what feels right for you. And you don’t have to let the fear of sweating it out at the gym keep you from reaping the benefits of embarking on the keto lifestyle.

Katherine Chang is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer, covering everything from fashion and lifestyle to health and wellness. While she was first drawn to writing about fashion, Katherine became passionate about health and wellness and learning about homeopathic ways to help herself and others feel their best after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease. In her spare time, you'll find Katherine breaking a sweat (and making friends) trying out the latest fitness class, grabbing a matcha with her dachshund, Rex, or switching between reruns of Friends and Gilmore Girls.

McClernon, F.J., Yancy, W.S., Jr., Eberstein, J.A., Atkins, R.C. and Westman, E.C. (2007). The Effects of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet and a Low-Fat Diet on Mood, Hunger, and Other Self-Reported Symptoms. Obesity, 15: 182-182. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2007.516

If I Cut Carbs And Calories But I'm Not On Keto, Will I Still Lose Weight?

Ting, R., Dugré, N., Allan, G. M., & Lindblad, A. J. (2018). diet for weight loss. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 64(12), 906.

Dong, T. A., Sandesara, P. B., Dhindsa, D. S., Mehta, A., Arneson, L. C., Dollar, A. L., Taub, P. R., & Sperling, L. S. (2020). Intermittent Fasting: A Heart Healthy Dietary Pattern?The American journal of medicine, 133(8), 901–907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.03.030

As a Member, you get instant access to personalized meal plans, exclusive videos & articles, discounts, a 1 on 1 Coaching Session, and so much more. As a member, you join our mission of empowering 1, 000, 000 people to positively change their lives throughout the world. Get started today.There are plenty of case studies, impressive before and after photos, and even controversy surrounding the ketogenic diet's application for weight management and fat loss. 

Weight Loss: Keto Diet Plan

Maybe you've read Tabitha's story, who lost 10 pounds in just 30 days on the Keto 30 Challenge and 60 pounds overall. Or maybe you've followed along with Josie's keto weight loss journey, who lost over 80 pounds on keto without even exercising:

We're going to clear up the confusion and answer the big questions: how much weight you can lose, how fast you can lose it, and who can lose weight with keto. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, it’s helpful to know the following:

Benefits of Weight Loss Before looking at what kind of weight loss to expect on the ketogenic diet, it’s helpful to touch briefly on the major benefits of weight loss in general. Losing weight will help you look and feel better, but there is much more at stake. Understanding what is at stake will help you persevere when the diet becomes tough and cravings kick in.

How Much Weight Can You Lose In 10 Days On Keto?

According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, more than two-thirds of American adults are overweight , which means they are more likely to suffer from a number of weight-related health issues:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , even modest weight loss — anywhere from 5 to 10 percent of your body weight — can provide huge health benefits including improvements in blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Furthermore, a study in the National Weight Control Registry cited that participants who maintained significant weight loss reported increased “energy levels, physical mobility, general mood, and self-confidence.” In other words, losing weight on the keto diet won’t just help you look better, it will be better for your overall health, energy, mood, and confidence. Keeping all of this in mind will help you stay motivated on your ketogenic journey. What Factors Impact Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Results? Let's say you were to start a diet, and you had about 30 pounds to lose. You stuck to the diet plan closely for the entire month, and only indulged in your favorite sweet treat once, on your anniversary. Even then, you chose a low-carb, keto dessert (no-bake keto cheesecake , anyone?).

You ate at a caloric deficit and made a point to move your body daily, whether for a quick walk or hitting the gym or yoga studio.

Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight On Keto

Let's say your friend Jennifer started the ketogenic diet with you. She had about 15 pounds to lose. She had weekly cheat days on keto and didn't track her caloric intake or macros very closely.

In this scenario, you'd lose weight more rapidly than Jennifer. Not only because you stuck to your keto meal plan (though that's an important factor). But also because of the following factors, and then some.

#1: Your Current Weight  To lose weight, you need to be in a caloric deficit which means you need to burn more calories than you consume.

Not Losing Weight On Keto

Your current weight is the number one determining factor for how fast you’ll be able to lose weight on keto. This is because the heavier you are, the higher your metabolic rate is (your ability to burn calories in a given day). Keto-ers with more weight to lose typically lose weight faster and more easily in the initial stages than those who don’t weigh as much.

These are all key factors when it comes to weight loss. The more drastic the changes in these areas, the more likely you are to witness dramatic changes in your weight.  #3: The Quality and Quantity of Sleep Sleep is crucial for weight loss. According to Dr. Craig Primack , a member of the national board of directors for the Obesity Medicine Association , “People who sleep less than seven hours per night tend to have slower metabolisms, ” which means they aren’t burning as many calories as they could be.

This has a lot to do with your body's hormonal balance and response, and how micro and macronutrients are used in the body.

The Pros And Cons Of A Keto Diet

#4: How Closely You Stick to Keto Some research has shown that those who stick closely to a ketogenic diet to the extent that their bodies enter a state of ketosis , which is when your body begins to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs (glucose) lose body fat more rapidly than those who do not, but still stick to the same caloric deficit. How Much Weight Will You Lose on Keto? The good news for those interested in the ketogenic diet is that it is an extremely effective method for weight loss for a number of reasons:

With the importance of weight loss in the back of your mind, and an understanding