If you’re on the keto diet and not seeing the results you want, don’t worry. It could be due to a number of different factors, and we’re here to help you get back on track. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the most common reasons why people aren’t losing weight on keto and offer tips for getting back on track. The aim is always to achieve healthy weight loss rather than dramatic sudden body weight loss.
Understand What the Keto Diet Is
If you’re not losing weight on the ketogenic diet or reached a weight loss plateau, it’s important to understand what this diet is and how it works. The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that focuses on eating foods that are high in healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, and olive oil; while limiting carbohydrates such as grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables. When done right, this type of eating can help you reach your weight loss goals by putting your body into a state of ketosis – where it burns fat for energy instead of carbs.
Calorie Intake
Along with eating the wrong things, excessive calorie intake can also be a reason for an inability to lose weight on the ketogenic diet. Eating too many calories (even if they’re healthy) can prevent you from reaching your desired results. The calorie count is still important as extra calories will lead to your total calories being above the desired level and hindering much weight loss. It’s important to note that even though fat has twice the number of calories per gram than carbs or protein does; when you’re following a keto plan you still need to watch your portion sizes and use moderation when snacking on higher calorie items such as nuts and cheese.
Low Carb Treats
Another possible reason for a weight stall is that you eat too many low-carb treats that may cause cravings. While there are some great sugar-free options out there such as sugar-free ice cream and chocolate chips; these treats can still add up in calories if eaten excessively leading to unwanted weight gain.
Monitor Your Macronutrient Intake
If you’re on the keto diet and not losing weight, it could be because you are not monitoring your macronutrient intake. The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein eating plan. While the focus is on reducing carb intake, it’s also important to make sure you are getting enough protein and fat to support your goals. Too much protein can kick you out of ketosis, while too little can lead to cravings for unhealthy carbs that may stall your progress. Additionally, watch out for treats like low-carb desserts that could add extra carbs and calories without providing the nutrients needed to support weight loss. To get the most out of your keto diet journey, make sure that you are tracking macros accurately so you can stay in a calorie deficit without sacrificing essential nutrition or going over your recommended macros.
Make Sure You’re Eating Enough Calories
If you’re not losing weight on the keto diet, one factor could be that you’re not eating enough calories. When you enter a ketogenic state, your appetite may naturally decrease and make it difficult for you to eat enough. This can lead to fewer calories in your diet than what’s needed to fuel your body or lose weight.
It’s important that you track the number of calories you consume each day so that you can ensure they are adequate for your body’s needs. You might need to adjust the portion size of meals or add snacks throughout the day in order to maintain a healthy calorie intake.
Another factor could be hidden carbs sneaking into your diet, which can prevent weight loss even if calorie intake is sufficient. Make sure all food labels are checked before consumption and take steps like avoiding processed foods or foods with added sugars as much as possible.
Remember, when following a keto diet it is essential to ensure proper nutrition and an adequate amount of calories in order to reach successful weight loss goals!
Track Your Progress and Adjust as Needed
Tracking your progress on the keto diet is essential to understanding why you may not be losing weight. By keeping a close eye on your calorie and carb intake, you can make sure that you are in a calorie deficit and sticking to the low-carb guidelines of the keto diet. If you notice that your weight loss has stalled, it could be due to eating too many low-carb treats or not cutting back enough on carbs. To get back into ketosis and kickstart your weight loss, try adjusting your carb, fat, protein, and calorie intake accordingly. When done right, cutting carbs on the keto diet can lead to rapid weight loss. But if you’re not seeing results, make sure to check if you’re in ketosis and watch out for overeating. With careful tracking and regular adjustments as needed, you should be able to reach your desired weight loss goal with the keto diet.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Exercise
Weight loss plateaus are common when trying to lose weight by following any diet, including the keto diet. To ensure you’re still seeing progress and not stuck in a rut, don’t underestimate the power of exercise. Regular physical activity is key in aiding weight loss and can help break through plateaus. Make sure to include a mix of strength training, cardio, and stretching into your routine. If you’re already exercising regularly, try adding an extra 15 minutes or ramping up the intensity of your workouts to give yourself that extra push! Don’t forget that mental breaks can be beneficial too – taking a few days off from your regular routine can help recharge your mind and body.
Avoid Hidden Sugars and Carbs in Foods
If you’re on the keto diet but not losing weight, it could be because of hidden sugars and carbs in your food. Even though your meals may seem low-carb, there are often hidden sources of carbohydrates that can sabotage your efforts. Common culprits include products labeled “low-carb,” “sugar-free,” and sugar alcohols such as maltitol and sorbitol.
To make sure you’re getting into ketosis and staying there, it’s important to track how many grams of carbs you eat each day. Your carb count should be low enough to allow for the keto dieters to maintain ketosis. Eating satiating meals with plenty of healthy fats can also help keep you in ketosis while still feeling full and satisfied. If you find that you’re still struggling to lose weight despite tracking carbs, it might be helpful to eliminate added sugars from your diet completely for a few weeks and see if that helps kickstart weight loss again.
Manage Stress and Get Enough Sleep
One of the most common reasons why you may not be losing weight on the keto diet is stress and lack of sleep. Stress can lead to an increase in cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which can lead to cravings for unhealthy foods that could sabotage your weight loss efforts. Additionally, poor sleep can also increase cortisol levels and make it more difficult for your body to burn fat. To get better results on your ketogenic journey, it’s important to manage stress and get enough quality sleep each night. This will help reduce cravings, improve insulin sensitivity and help you achieve your weight loss goals more quickly.
Consider Intermittent Fasting to Speed Things Up
If you’ve been following the keto diet and not seeing the results you want, it could be that your body needs an extra boost to help encourage weight loss. Intermittent fasting is a great way to do just that. The idea behind intermittent fasting is to cycle between periods of eating and fasting, typically 16–24 hours at a time. During a fast, you’re able to give your body a break from processing food and instead focus on burning fat for energy. This can help speed up your weight loss goals while still adhering to the ketogenic diet. Additionally, intermittent fasting helps regulate hormones like insulin which can further improve fat-burning potential. So if you feel like you’ve hit a plateau with the keto-friendly foods, consider adding an intermittent fasting routine into your weekly routine as well.
Should You Count Calories on Keto?
Long-term underlying metabolic issues, such as insulin resistance, have not been resolved with calorie-counting diets. This failed, traditional approach of calorie deprivation has been used for decades while obesity rates continue to soar. The vast majority of overweight people are unable to lose weight and keep it off.
Counting calories does have some benefits. It may be useful on keto for people who are still not getting results. These individuals may be unknowingly consuming too many fats, such as coconut oil, in order to increase ketones. Tracking calories may offer a reality check on what normal portion sizes look like.
In general, strict control of calorie balance is unnecessary on the ketogenic diet. If you need assistance with maintance calories then a keto snack is the ideal solution. The keto diet is consistent with the foods we were designed to eat. A diet low in starchy/sugary carbs and favoring proteins and fats, whole foods, along with fiber-rich vegetables, was the mainstay for humans for thousands of years.
Improve Your Gut Health with Probiotics and Prebiotics.
If you’ve been following a strict ketogenic diet but still not seeing the fat loss results you want, your gut health may be to blame. Poor gut health can lead to resistance to weight loss and other issues like bloating and indigestion. To tackle these issues, it’s important to focus on improving your gut microbiome with probiotics and prebiotics.
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive system and help promote a healthy balance of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract. Eating probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, tempeh and kimchi can help keep your gut healthy by providing essential nutrients for “good” bacteria.
Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed the good bacteria in the gut while also helping reduce inflammation. They can be found in foods such as bananas, onions, garlic, oats, apples and asparagus. Incorporating more of these prebiotic-rich foods into your diet is a great way to support a healthy balance of microbiome in the digestive system which is key for weight loss on a keto diet.
By eating fermented foods like probiotics and prebiotics regularly you can help both your gut health and hunger levels so that you can stay on track with your keto diet plan longer term with more sustained results.
Watch for Unintended Consequences of Keto Flu
The ketogenic diet is known for its ability to help people lose weight quickly. However, as with any eating plan, keto is not for everyone and can come with unintended consequences. One of the most common issues associated with the diet is known as “keto flu” which can include symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, and headaches.
Keto flu occurs when someone follows a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that causes their bodies to enter ketosis – a metabolic state where the body begins breaking down fat into an energy source called ketone bodies or “ketones” for short. In order to successfully transition into this state, it is important to ensure that you are consuming an adequate amount of fat and not overloading on meats and proteins. If these dietary requirements are not met then it can lead to the body entering a state of imbalance known as “keto flu” which may cause difficulty in losing weight on the diet.
It is also important to remember that even if you are cutting back enough on carbs and consuming enough fats, your appetite may still remain high while transitioning into ketosis and the fat-burning mode due to the body adjusting its hormone levels. To counteract this effect you should be sure to keep up your food intake by eating as much of the allowed foods like nuts, seeds, avocados and healthy oils as needed while still sticking within your caloric goals. Additionally, try adding in different kinds of physical activity such as walking or light exercise in
