How Do You Adapt to the Keto Diet?
If you’re interested in starting a ketogenic diet, it’s important to remember that becoming adapted to keto is not an instant process. It can take about a month to get keto-adapted. However, once past the adjustment period, most people find that the benefits are well worth the effort.
Getting Started on Keto
When you’re first starting a keto diet, you need to reduce your carbohydrate intake to roughly 20 net grams per day. The state of your current diet will play a large role in determining how easy this is for you. If you currently eat a lot of high-carbohydrate foods such as bread and pasta, this initial period may be difficult. You may want to gradually reduce these foods from your diet in order to minimize the side effects of carbohydrate withdrawal.
When you first shift to eating a low-carb diet, you may experience adverse reactions. Your body will first use up its glycogen stores -- energy that has been stored in the muscles and liver. The release of this glycogen is responsible for the initial weight loss that is common at this stage. Don’t be surprised if you lose as much as 8 or 10 pounds during the first week.
At this point, your body will be searching for more glucose to use for energy. This is when many people start feeling shaky, tired, and nauseated. Don’t give up! These effects, often referred to as keto flu, should subside after a few days. When it can’t find glucose to use for energy, your body will start using fat instead. At this point, you’ll be in ketosis.
It’s important to remember that being in ketosis and being keto-adapted are two different things. Getting into ketosis can happen fairly quickly, but it may take a few weeks before your body adjusts to using fat as its primary source of fuel.
Becoming Fat-Adapted
After a couple of weeks, you should start to experience some of the effects of being “fat-fueled” or “fat-adapted.” Your appetite will likely stabilize, and you won’t need to eat as much between meals. You may have more energy or you may notice greater mental clarity. You may notice you aren’t completely exhausted at the end of the day, or you don’t need an afternoon cup of coffee to keep you going. You won’t feel cranky or “hangry” if you haven’t eaten. Your moods may become more stable since you won’t be subject to the ups and downs of blood sugar. These effects will likely continue to increase over the next several weeks.
Although there is no definitive test to determine if you’re fat-adapted, most people can tell after they reach a point of consistently increased energy and mental clarity.
After becoming adapted, you can adjust your diet slightly. Some people increase their net carb intake to as much as 50 grams per day. You can add some fruit back into your diet, such as small quantities of berries or tomatoes.
