Alasdair Adam - March 2021
How much can I lose in a month on Keto?
How much weight can I lose in one month on Keto? With lockdown restrictions easing and summer peeking around the corner, it will soon be time to try last year’s beach wear on for size. After a year of lockdown living, it's probably time to shed a few pounds and get back into shape. Keto is one of the most popular low-carb diets around and it's here to stay, but how much weight can you realistically expect lose?
I want to lose weight quickly?
Studies show that you can lose weight quickly on a Ketogenic diet. In fact, it has been shown that you can lose weight quicker on a low-carb diet than on any other type of diet. But that’s just water weight the ‘experts' cry. So it may be, but who wants water retention in their midsection or other unwanted areas?
Can I lose a stone in a month on Keto?
Short answer, yes, you can. Absolutely. Long answer, it depends where you started from. If you only have half a stone to shed then probably not, but you WILL see some gains pretty quickly.
What if I have a lot of weight to lose?
If you have five stones or more to lose, then a stone in a month is entirely feasible. In fact, we’ve seen people with 3 stones to lose in total shed one in the first month. But it depends – Keto is one of the most sustainable ways to lose a lot of weight, much quicker than you put it on, but it still takes a little patience.
Keto isn’t a mystery, there are many great dishes you can freely enjoy on Keto.
Sacrifice is not a thing you have to worry about on Keto, there are desserts, smoothie bowls that are all great to have on Keto, high in fibre, big on taste and easy to make.
Yes this really is a sweet tasting Keto dessert
What is keto or a low-carb diet exactly though?
Taking carbs, fat and protein out of the equation, effectively Keto is a low-glycemic way of eating. This means you are trying to keep your insulin from spiking after you eat. Ever feel that heady slightly dizzy or even euphoric feeling after you’ve eaten? That’s your glycemic index shooting through the roof.
What we want to do is keep it low. This is perfectly natural: our ancestors ate like this for centuries. Just imagine what people ate over the winter months when there was no fresh fruit to pick? Low-carb. And when eating low-carb your body knows to use its fat reserve as fuel – it doesn't just keep there to stretch your clothes for fun.
The first three weeks on keto is important
Well nothing comes without a price, and that price is getting into ketosis, and whilst that in itself isn’t hard, what maybe a bit bumpy is getting there, especially if you’ve been eating a high-carb diet for a while. So check out our blog on the first three weeks on Keto to learn some of the upfalls and downfalls to watch out for.
Gradual weight loss is always the best way to lose weight
Everybody wants to lose weight quickly, we understand. But no matter what diet or way of eating you follow, losing too much weight too quickly isn’t healthy, and psychologically your brain can't keep up either. In fact people who lose weight too quickly often end up wanting to put some back on.
Water weight loss on Keto
Studies show when your body holds carbs it holds water – about 3-4 grams of water for every gram of carb – that can be up to half a stone or more in water weight, which you just don't need. Water weight causes all sorts of issues, from making you feel bloated to aching joints. So when people say it's just water weight, yes it is, and it’s good to see it go.
Weight returns quickly if I stop eating Keto
Yes and no, Keto is one of the best if not the best way to shrink fat cells. That doesn't mean they can’t expand again but it takes longer – that's still no excuse to fall off the wagon though. But you will see water weight come on quite quickly when you start on the carbs again.
Indeed many people may eat Keto for six months and off for a while, it just depends on who you are, Our ancestors ate Keto for six months of the year until fruit and harvest came into season. Keto is absolutely natural and we’ve been doing it for years!
Permanent weight loss on keto
Here’s the thing we love about Keto more than anything else: studies have shown that on Keto or low carb diets our fat cells shrink more than when we follow any other way of eating. This means once you’ve taken weight off it's slower to go back on (that's not a green light to get the baguettes out) .
After one month on Keto
You’ve lost weight, what now? Carry on, the weight won’t come off quite as fast but hopefully you will have an idea of how Keto suits you.
Even if you aren’t strictly Keto but more a low-carb diet, as long as it's sustainable that's the main thing.
Weight can plateau on Keto or low-carb diets
Why this happens exactly is a bit of a mystery – the workings of the human body are far from conclusive in the eyes of science. But you should expect and prepare for your weight to plateau at times. Sometimes for a month, longer even. But don't worry, it’s normal.
The Keto whoosh
Here comes the Keto whoosh to save the day. This is when your body really gives up the carb ghost and lets go of a lot of water in the fat cells all at once. That weight you couldn’t shake? Whilst your body has been using fat for fuel it has been replacing that fat with water, so in the background your body is burning fat, you simply haven’t noticed.
You can lose up to five pounds in one day
What was that? Five pounds in one day? Yes it can happen, Incredible isn’t it? Your body will simply give up holding water in your fat cells and release it. Now this can come out in various ways: mostly water is breathed out (yes you can breathe yourself thin on Keto) but when releasing so much on one go, well, let's just say its an 'interesting' day.
References:
1. Beyond weight loss: a review of the therapeutic uses of very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets; Nature
2. Interest in the Ketogenic Diet Grows for Weight Loss and Type 2 Diabetes
3. The Ketogenic Diet: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide to Keto; Healthline
Article credit: Alasdair Adam
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