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How to Get Into Ketosis: Overview, Tips, and FAQs

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Ask someone about how to get into ketosis and you’ll most likely hear the advice to cut carbs. While bringing down carbohydrates daily is a definitive way to enter ketosis — there are other ways to reach this metabolic state.

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Here’s more about getting into ketosis using different strategies that are backed by research. But before that — a brief background on ketosis.

Ketosis Overview

Ketosis, also called nutritional ketosis, is a normal metabolic state in which your body uses an alternate source of energy, called ketones, instead of glucose. It happens in response to low blood glucose, which is caused by carbohydrate deprivation.

Minimizing carbs leads to increased body fat breakdown. The resulting fatty acids are then metabolized to produce ketones, namely: acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone. These ketones can be easily used to fuel your muscles, heart, kidneys, and brain (*).

Interestingly, ketosis produces more ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the energy-containing molecule) than when you’re running on glucose. Because of this, you’re able to carry out your activities even during a calorie deficit (*).

Some people choose to enter ketosis for different reasons, such as weight loss, mental clarity, more stable blood sugar, better endurance, and a lower risk of disease. If you plan on achieving ketosis for medical purposes, we recommend seeking guidance from a qualified health professional.

8 Tips to Get Into Ketosis

As you’ll learn, cutting carbs is just one of the many ways to speed up ketosis. Eating more fat and exercising are also part of making ketosis happen, among other things. Read the tips below:

1. Calculate your macros

The term “macros” is short for macronutrients, which are categories of nutrients that supply you with energy. These are carbs, protein, and fat. When it comes to reaching ketosis, the typical macro ratio to follow is 5-10% carbs, 55% to 60% fat, and 30% to 35% protein (*).

Tracking macros may sound complicated, but it can be as simple as entering your personal details — e.g. age, height, current weight, calorie intake — into a free keto macro calculator.

If you want to learn how to calculate macros manually to figure out how many grams you’ll need per macronutrient, follow these steps:

  • Determine your daily calorie needs and macro percentages: For example, 1,500 calories for weight loss and 10% carbs, 60% fat, and 30% protein.
  • Multiply your total calories by each macro percentage: Using the data above, you get 150 (for carbs), 900 (for fat), and 450 (for protein).
  • Divide the calorie answers by the number of calories per gram for each macro: Since carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram, and protein has 4 calories per gram, here are the actual number of grams you need — 38 grams of carbs, 100 grams of fat, and 113 grams of protein.

2. Cut down your carbohydrate intake

Keep in mind that ketosis happens when you don’t have enough carbs to produce glucose. When glucose is low, your body begins burning stored fat to create ketones, which now serve as your primary fuel source.

Note that while the degree of carb restriction depends on an individual — for instance, a person who’s very physically active can consume more carbs and still be in ketosis while someone who sits for hours daily with little physical activity will benefit from fewer carbs — the general carb limit for ketosis is 30-50 grams per day.

The easiest way for someone to stay under 50 grams of carbs is by filling up on animal-based foods, such as eggs, beef, pork, chicken, lamb, fish, seafood, and organ meats.

For vegetables, focus on non-starchy options like salad greens, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, asparagus, and green beans. Fruits options are limited since most fruits are fairly high in carbs. In that case, fruits that are low-carb include avocados, berries, coconut meat, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

3. Increase your healthy fat intake

Dietary fat is an important component of the keto diet, which puts you in ketosis. Besides breaking down stored fat to produce ketones, your body also uses fats from your diet to help create them.

In the absence or lack of carbohydrates, more fat is needed for energy. Fat is calorie-dense, providing 9 calories per gram. It’s also slow to digest and won’t impact your blood glucose and insulin levels, unlike carbohydrates. Here are other important reasons to not fear fat:

  • The presence of fat in a meal enhances vitamin absorption (*)
  • Fat makes steroid hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
  • The right fats, such as omega-3s, improve brain function

When it comes to fat sources, it’s best to choose only healthy fats, such as those found in whole unprocessed foods. Examples are eggs, fatty cuts of meat (e.g. chicken thighs and pork belly), salmon, avocados, nuts, and seeds.

4. Increase your physical activity

Exercise can accelerate your transition into ketosis, especially with exercises that deplete your glycogen stores quickly. Examples of these activities include high-intensity interval training or HIIT for short (burpees, jump rope, mountain climbers), long runs lasting for 90 minutes, and other prolonged endurance exercises (*).

What would be even better is if you keep your carbohydrate intake low before a HIIT workout or a long run. Limiting your energy from carbs will improve your body’s fat-burning ability. Think of carbs as a crutch that hinders ketosis.

For people who are already practicing regular fasting and want to get physically active, exercising at the start of a fast also shortens the time it takes to enter ketosis. To make it easier for beginners, we recommend sticking to low-intensity exercises — those performed at a comfortable pace — such as walking, swimming, biking, and yoga. This will help with the adjustment process.

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5. Incorporate intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF), which is an eating pattern where you cycle between having food and no food, has been known to induce ketosis. Studies show that IF regimens, such as alternate-day fasting (ADF), result in the depletion of stored glycogen and increased production of ketones (*).

You can start with a 12-hour fast — the shortest possible fasting duration — and combine it with exercise for the best results. Make sure to break your fast with low-carb foods, such as bone broth, leafy greens, eggs, and meat.

Alternatively, try a fat fast. Fat fasting can be a useful tool if you’re not yet ready to forgo food for many hours but still want to reap the ketone-boosting benefits of a regular fast. Basically, all you need to do is get the majority of your calories from high-fat foods. You can eat eggs (including egg yolks), salmon, and avocados.

6. Maintain adequate protein intake

Reducing carbs and increasing your fat aren’t the only methods for maintaining or entering ketosis. Protein needs to be adequate — around 30% to 35% of your total calories. Optimizing your protein intake helps stabilize your blood sugar, which curbs hunger, and other benefits like muscle preservation and recovery.

Keep in mind that everyone’s protein intake on keto varies. Those who need a higher protein intake while maintaining ketosis include older adults, bodybuilders or anyone looking to grow muscle, and people who are recovering from an injury.

7. Include MCT oil in your diet

Taking MCT oil, which stands for medium-chain triglycerides, can boost ketone production.

An article in Frontiers in Nutrition noted that MCTs provide a shortcut to ketosis. Furthermore, C8 (or caprylic acid) MCT oil has a higher ketogenic effect. It is three and six times more ketogenic than C10 and C12, respectively (*, *).

Besides supporting ketosis, MCT oil may improve exercise performance and gut and intestinal health (*).

If this is your first time taking MCT oil, we recommend starting slowly to reduce the likelihood of bloating and diarrhea. Perhaps begin with just one teaspoon for a few days. Gradually increase that to one tablespoon per day.

8. Test and monitor your ketone levels

Ketone testing is a helpful method to know whether you have reached ketosis or are still in ketosis. While paying attention to ketosis signs and symptoms can give you an idea of whether you’ve remained in this metabolic state, ketone testing offers objective data.

There are three ways to test your ketone levels, which check for the presence of the three types of ketones:

  • Urine testing: This measures the ketone acetoacetate, which is excreted through the urine. In this case, urine ketone strips are used. When dipped into the urine, they change color, which correlates with specific ketone levels. The darker the color, the deeper a person is in ketosis.
  • Blood testing: This measures the ketone beta-hydroxybutyrate, which is the most abundant ketone. Note that blood testing is by far the most accurate way to check for ketosis. It involves pricking your finger and taking a small blood sample, which will be analyzed by a small ketone meter. The optimal range for nutritional ketosis is 0.5–3.0 mmol/L (*).
  • Breath testing: This measures the ketone acetone, which is exhaled through the lungs. Like urine testing, breath testing is non-invasive and convenient. It uses a portable breath acetone meter. Ketosis can produce breath acetone concentrations of 2–40 ppm (*).

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are commonly asked questions about getting into ketosis:

How Long Does It Usually Take to Reach Ketosis?

Most healthy individuals experience ketosis in about 3-4 days of restricting carbohydrates or following a ketogenic diet. However, note that certain factors influence the time it takes to enter ketosis. This includes a person’s activity level, sleep, and stress.

You will know that you’ve entered ketosis because of keto flu symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, and headaches. Moreover, watch out for increased ketone levels — as revealed through blood, breath, or urine ketone testing.

How long can I stay in ketosis?

You can remain in ketosis for as long as 6-12 months (*,*).

However, it’s also important to note that many people on the keto diet intentionally go in and out of ketosis every week — an approach called a cyclical keto diet. Reasons to follow this include increasing your athletic performance and resetting your leptin levels (which ultimately lowers food intake).

For individuals who’ve been instructed to maintain ketosis by their healthcare provider to manage a medical condition, be sure to inform them of any changes.

Is it possible to get into ketosis within 24 hours?

Although it usually takes days for someone to reach ketosis, achieving it in 24 hours is also possible. To enter ketosis in the shortest possible time, you’ll need to do fasting, high-intensity exercises, and take exogenous ketones on top of reducing carbs to less than 50 grams.

Need extra help?

Get our top 3 supplement recommendations for getting (and staying) in ketosis

The Bottom Line

Help your body utilize its fat stores and experience weight loss and better health through these tips. Remember that ketosis is a natural state where ketones replace glucose to fuel different organs. Testing using a blood ketone meter or urine strips will let you know that you’re already in ketosis.

13 References

Wajeed M et al. Ketogenic Diet. 11 June 2022

Wajeed M et al. Ketogenic Diet. 11 June 2022

Wajeed M et al. Ketogenic Diet. 11 June 2022

Sarah H et al. Fat Soluble Vitamins. 2001

Bob M. et al. Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes. 10 February 2018

Mark P et al. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. 31 October 2016

Jakob N et al. Ketosis After Intake of Coconut Oil and Caprylic Acid—With and Without Glucose: A Cross-Over Study in Healthy Older Adults. 15 April 2020

Ting-Yu Lin et al. The Ketogenic Effect of Medium-Chain Triacylglycerides. 18 November 2021

Sabri A et al. Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health: The Potential Beneficial Effects of a Medium Chain Triglyceride Diet in Obese Individuals. 12 May 2016

Jakob N et al. Capillary blood tests may overestimate ketosis: triangulation between three different measures of β-hydroxybutyrate. 27 January 2020

Joseph C Measuring breath acetone for monitoring fat loss: Review.2 November 2015

Hussein M et al. Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients. 2004

Jennifer T et al. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Ketogenic Diet: A Review Article. August 2020

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21 thoughts on “How to Get Into Ketosis: Overview, Tips, and FAQs

  1. This article helped me a lot to make a better version of my lifestyle. I am doing the keto diet for a while and I am really happy with the results. I feel more healthy 😀

  2. This info is very healthful. I need to lose weight, lower high blood pressure and reduce risk of dietebeties

  3. Week 1: No testing needed as the results speak for themselves.
    I followed 30g carbs as my limit each day, moderate protein, increased fat intake (avocado at each main meal plus carefully chosen oils, eggs and nuts) and have upped green veg to the bucket load and incorporated a juiced lemon in water to my morning, as well as my usual water consumption. I also did intermittent fasting Mon to Thur, 18 hours fasting each day.
    I have lost 11cm from my waist and multiple cm from every other area this week.
    Will be keeping this up and am excited to see what the next week brings.

    1. That is promising. I need to give this a real try and keep on it or my health will fail. Thanks!

  4. Lots of good info but some things are just plain wrong. It takes 2 days max to get into ketosis if you stop eating carbs. Your body can only store roughly 2 days worth of glycogen. When those stores are exhausted your body will immediately turn to fat. It may take a week or several weeks to get “keto adapted” but it simply won’t ever take you more than 2 days to get into a state of ketosis.

  5. Hello! There is some conflicting information here with regards to starving your self and intermittent fasting. Please explain the difference.

  6. The challenge for me is what 80% fat looks like. If I eat 1500 calories a day – mostly veggies and protein – how do I best get the fat? I can eat an avocado with my meals, olive oil on my salads, cook my eggs in coconut oil, but I am not clear on how to eat so much fat the healthy way while keeping calories at a lower amount. I eat once – twice a day. I am not a fan of eating tons of saturated fat – bacon on everything is bad advice I have seen pushed out on other pages. Eating Keto does not mean eating high fat meats for your fat. Healthy is the focus. How to eat a heavy veggie, low protein, high fat diet the most healthy way? The calculations are challenging on a tight schedule for one trying to get started :)I would love some solid advice.

  7. How to know if i already be ketosis? Because first day i start i got bad breath – second day i got dizzy muscle cramps nausea frequent urination – third day im all fine everything is gone suddenly but still crave for carbs only not sugar am i ketosis yet? Please answer me

  8. I’ve been doing Keto diet for 11 days perfectly. I purchased the strips and they say negative, over & over. So frustrated for all my hard work. What gives?

    1. Hi, there are several factors that can affect strip readings. These include hydration, food consumption or becoming keto-adapted when you’ve been in ketosis for an extended period of time.

      It’s good to use the strips when you first start keto, as you can test at different times to gauge what kind of meals and activities affect ketone levels, however, as your body adapts to using fat as a fuel source, fewer ketones will “spill over” into urine because they are actually being used by the body.

  9. This article cleared up a lot of questions I had about the keto diet! Thank you so much for this information. I have been on keto with supplement drinks daily (added keytones) for two weeks. I haven’t weighed myself….every time I diet and weigh, I get so frustrated that the weight hasn’t gone down that I give up. Sure, I want and need to lose some weight, but my main issue is feeling better and not becoming diabetic!
    In two weeks, following strict food intakes, I am down two sizes in jeans and have seen my abdominal muscles for the first time in 20years (since having a baby). I feel like a million bucks, have tons of energy and my chronic pain from a back injury has reduced.
    It is extremely important to read any and all information about the keto diet and discuss this plan with your doctor….it is NOT a diet for all. It is also very important to add fiber to your food plan.
    There is a lot of Excellent information in this article and I thank you again for helping to clear up the questions I had! God Bless

  10. I’m hitting all the macros. Keto coffee in the morning at 11, I use olive oil in everything, cut down on the protein and my carbs stay around 20g. My calories is around 1200 per day. I just dont see sny change on the scale. I also have the symptoms of the Keto flu.
    What am I doing wrong.
    P.S. I have back and knee injuries and restricted mobility. Need to lose 20kg for the knee op

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