In order to fully enjoy the advantages of the ketogenic or keto diet, it is essential to implement it correctly. It is a low carb way of eating that numerous individuals have embraced for weight loss and enhanced health.
The typical reduction of carbs to 20 to 50 grams per day when adhering to a keto diet has demonstrated effectiveness in promoting weight loss and potentially enhancing heart health and blood sugar regulation.
Reasons you’re not losing weight on keto
If you are new to keto or have been following the keto lifestyle for a long time, it can be disheartening when progress slows down. It is common to question why your weight loss has stagnated on the keto diet.
This guide on troubleshooting keto provides information on possible side effects of keto and suggestions for making the diet effective if weight loss is not occurring.
1. You’re eating too many carbs
One reason why individuals fail to lose weight on the ketogenic diet is because their carb consumption is excessive. In order to achieve ketosis, which is a metabolic state where fat is used as energy rather than glucose, it is essential to greatly reduce carbohydrate intake.
When following a ketogenic diet, it is important to limit carb intake to around 5% of total calories, which is significantly lower than the typical recommendation of 45–65% of calories coming from carbs. While it may be challenging at first, reducing carb intake to the suggested range is necessary to achieve and sustain ketosis.
You can consider using an app like MyFitnessPal to track your macronutrients, which will assist you in meeting your intake goals. By doing so, you can determine how many servings of carbs you are permitted to consume each day based on your calorie requirements.
2. You aren’t eating nutritious foods
Regardless of the dietary plan you choose to follow, the crucial aspect of achieving healthy weight loss lies in the consumption of nutritious, whole foods. Even if these processed foods align with a keto-friendly diet, relying on them can hinder your progress in losing weight.
Including foods such as snack bars, keto desserts, and other packaged foods in between meals can disrupt your progress in losing weight due to the excess calories they contain. Furthermore, consuming an excessive amount of convenient foods like hot dogs and fast food while on the go can impede weight loss efforts.
To ensure you consume enough nutrients while following the keto diet and trying to lose weight, it is advisable to prioritize unprocessed, whole foods. These foods lack essential nutrients and are characterized by their high calorie content and low levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
When making food choices, it is advisable to consider full-fat dairy products, eggs, fish, pastured meats, poultry, and healthy fats such as avocado and olive oil. To enhance the nutritional value and fiber content of meals, it is recommended to include non-starchy vegetables like greens, broccoli, peppers, and mushrooms.
3. You may be consuming too many calories
When attempting to lose weight, it is crucial to establish a calorie deficit. This can be accomplished by either decreasing the amount of calories you consume or by burning more calories through increased physical activity.
If you transition to a keto diet without monitoring your calorie consumption, it is improbable that you will lose weight. This is due to the fact that numerous foods suitable for a keto diet, such as avocados, olive oil, full-fat dairy, and nuts, have a high calorie content. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid excessive consumption.
Eating ketogenic meals and snacks often contributes to a sense of satisfaction in most individuals as fat and protein provide filling effects. Yet, one should be cautious about consuming excessive calories on a ketogenic diet, which can occur by consuming oversized portions or indulging in calorie-dense snacks throughout the day.
By carefully considering portion size, participating in more physical activity, and consuming snacks in moderation between meals, individuals can achieve the calorie deficit necessary for weight loss.
4. You have unrealistic weight loss expectations
When following a new diet plan, it is common to desire quick results; however, it is crucial to keep in mind that the amount of weight lost can differ from one individual to another. If the ketogenic diet is followed correctly, it can facilitate weight loss, but the pace of weight loss might not be rapid – and that is perfectly acceptable.
To lose and maintain weight in a healthy manner, it is important to make small, consistent changes. Though it may be tempting to set ambitious weight loss targets, the majority of experts advise aiming to lose 1-3 pounds or approximately 0.5-1 kg per week (varying by weight) as the ideal approach.
In addition, incorporating weightlifting into your new exercise regimen can result in muscle gain alongside fat loss, despite potentially causing slower weight reduction. However, this transformation offers various health advantages like reducing the chances of heart disease and enhancing bone health.
Instead of using only the scale, measure your arms, thighs, and midsection weekly to monitor and evaluate your progress.
5. You’re not getting enough sleep
If you’re not getting enough sleep, it could be a reason why you are gaining weight on keto. Seven to eight hours of sleep is considered the ideal, but many individuals are not meeting this target. Insufficient sleep can cause various problems in our bodies that can ultimately lead to weight gain.
- Decreased activity due to lack of energy: If you’re going on five hours of sleep, you’re less likely to want to hit the gym or even go for a walk. When you’re more sedentary, you’re burning fewer calories. Getting adequate sleep is a key way to keep energy levels high so you can keep moving.[13] [14]
- A longer eating window: When you stay awake longer, you’re also presenting yourself with more opportunities to eat. Midnight snacks, anyone? Sticking to a solid sleep routine cuts down on your opportunities to snack in the off-hours and helps you maintain a healthy caloric intake. (Plus, trying to fall asleep with a full stomach can be pretty uncomfortable.)
- Messing with your natural clock: An off-kilter sleep schedule can wreak havoc on your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock).[15] Your circadian rhythm is responsible for everything from healthy digestion to signaling that it’s time to unwind. Inadequate sleep can throw these rhythms off, interfering with your body’s normal function—including changes in your metabolism.
6. You’re stressed
To avoid causing more stress, it’s important to note that chronic stress can lead to various health problems, one of which is weight gain.
When faced with a stressful situation, your brain releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, flooding your body. Simultaneously, it instructs nonessential functions, including digestion, to decelerate. Prioritizing your survival, the brain’s primary concern in a perceived state of danger is not the digestion of your morning meal.
If you suffer from chronic stress, your brain is constantly in fight-or-flight mode, causing your body to be filled with stress hormones, even in the absence of any actual threat. As a result, digestion becomes sluggish and stress hormones persist for longer than necessary.
Your body deciding to burn the glucose in your bloodstream for energy instead of burning off the calories from your meals, which puts you in the perfect position to gain weight—even if your keto game is strong, is bad news because cortisol is linked to increased blood glucose.
If you’re not seeing results on the scale despite maintaining your macros, it might be time to check with your healthcare provider as undiagnosed medical conditions can lead to unexpected weight gain.
7. You’re not eating enough
When you severely reduce your calorie intake, your body believes it is going into starvation mode, which is why extremely low-calorie diets become ineffective. The metabolic rate decreases to safeguard organs and essential bodily functions. Similarly, your body slows down to conserve energy when it does not receive sufficient levels of energy.
By eating significantly less, you may think you’re making significant progress towards your weight loss goals, but you could be positioning yourself for failure.
To maintain a healthy weight, your body requires an appropriate quantity of nutritious food in specific proportions. Contrary to popular notion, the quality of calories is more crucial than quantity. Prioritize achieving your macronutrient targets, by consuming a high amount of healthy fats, a moderate amount of protein, and a low amount of carbohydrates. It is important to eat whole foods that are nutrient-rich, rather than solely relying on bacon and butter, as seen in the “dirty keto” approach.
To maintain the same meaning, the text can be rephrased as follows: Ensure you stay within your estimated calorie range by using a food calculator to determine how many calories your body needs to lose a pound per week. Meet your macro goals by consuming excellent sources of keto fats such as MCT oil, avocados, grass-fed butter and ghee, as well as grass-fed meats and eggs sourced from pasture-raised chickens.
8. You aren’t getting enough physical activity
When attempting to lose weight on a ketogenic diet, it is crucial to include more physical activity in your daily life. In addition to promoting fat reduction, embracing a regular exercise schedule has numerous advantages for overall health.
Engaging in exercise decreases the likelihood of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and obesity.
Engaging in physical activity not only burns calories, but it also aids in muscle building. This, in turn, can enhance metabolism by increasing the amount of energy burned while at rest. Although beginning an exercise routine can be challenging, especially for beginners, there are ways to simplify the process.
The most effective method to strengthen a healthy exercise routine is by establishing and adhering to a workout schedule. Determine a goal of committing to three to four days per week and select a time that suits your schedule the best. Maintain your motivation by keeping a gym bag in your car for post-work sessions or by preparing exercise attire before sleep to ensure timely completion of morning workouts.
