The ketogenic diet is without a doubt the most popular way to lose weight and when followed correctly, your ketone levels will rise, and your insulin levels will drop.

However, it is still hard to tell when you are in ketosis.

Here are common positive and negative signs that can help you identify if you are in ketosis.

• Weight loss

You will almost immediately drop a lot of weight due to water being flushed out your system and then gradually your weight will decrease.

• Bad breath

This is a good sign as once you have bad breath you would have nearly reached full ketosis.

If this is affecting your social life, then you may want to chew on some sugar free gum – just be sure to check the labels for carbohydrates as they do digest into sugar.

• Increased ketone levels

As you continue the keto diet, you’ll have an increase in ketone levels and the best way to measure this is via a test kit. You want to be in a range of 0.5–3.0 mmol/L.

• Low Appetite

Not feeling as hungry and sometimes skipping meals is a good sign as ketones are sending signals to your brain to reduce your appetite.

• Focus and Energy

When you start the keto diet, you will feel weak but as you start to get more energy and focus, you know you are on the right track.

• Digestive issues

For the first few days at the start of your diet you may experience constipation and diarrhea. Eating low carb vegetables that are high in fiber will help ease your stomach.

• Insomnia

When you change your diet, you may find it difficult to sleep as your body is adapting to the changes and craving for carbohydrates or it is hungry. This problem will gradually disappear in a week or two.

These are signs and symptoms you can keep an eye on but if you are losing weight gradually then there is no need to monitor your ketone levels every single day.