How Long Do Ketogenic Diet Side Effects Last?

Getting started on an LCHF or Ketogenic diet can be a little challenging for most people that have spent a lifetime on crappy high carb foods. 

It’s not uncommon to feel a little lethargic and start going through some serious carb withdrawals.  I remember sitting at my computer the first week of my new way of eating and desperately wanting to drive to the store and pick up a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. 

Carb addiction is a real thing!

The good news is that most of the issues felt when starting a ketogenic diet are short lived. 

The most common time frame most of us see is the carb cravings peak at about day 3 and then slowly taper off (as long as you don’t cheat) over the next week or so. 

You feel most of the benefits of fat adaption by the 6 week mark and see continued improvements for as long as six months.

The good news is that there are several things you can do to make the adaptation phase go a lot smoother. 

I have gone into a lot more detail explaining how to fix the Keto Flu here but the most important thing you can do is to drink more water, eat more salt and eat fat to satiation. 

Don’t worry about cutting calories, just be sure to not get hungry.  It will make dealing with cravings a lot easier if you aren’t also dealing with hunger.

Those of you that are reading this and more experience on this way of eating, how did you deal with the side effects?  Let me know in the comments below!

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