5 Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight
Keto diet results are everywhere these days. The before and after pics for individuals who can commit to the work and see it through is commendable. Losing weight is not easy even for those following a lifestyle that generates rapid results like the Keto diet.
The keto diet requires us to follow a core set of rules to achieve and sustain ongoing weight loss results.
–But, you may be wondering why you are not losing any weight, despite your best efforts. It may surprise you to learn that your struggle is not unique. Many people face the same challenges as you with either “hitting a plateau” or not seeing the scale move –even on the Keto Diet.
Let’s examine a few of the reasons that might explain why you are not losing weight on the Keto Diet.
Too Much Protein
Is it possible to get too much of a good thing? Yes! Protein may be at the heart of the keto diet, but you can overeat protein. Your goal should be to restrict your protein intake to 20-25 percent of your total caloric intake.
Your Carb Count is Off
It is possible to make the mistake of thinking that because your food or beverage choices include items that have a low carb count that you are well below the benchmark of where you should be for your carb intake.
However, it is possible that you four carbs here, two carbs there, six carbs here are adding up to you consuming way too many carbs to achieve success on the keto diet. An excellent tip to help protect you from consuming too many carbs is to track your carbohydrate intake using an app like Lose It. Tracking your food is a fantastic way to help you remain accountable to yourself and the diet.
Intermittent Fasting vs. Starvation
Many people like to incorporate the practice of intermittent fasting into the keto diet. Intermittent fasting can have powerful results on your weight loss efforts, boosting your results exponentially. However, if you do not adhere to the guidelines for practicing intermittent fasting, you can inadvertently push your body into starvation mode. Starvation has the opposite effect on your metabolism than intermittent fasting.
When you are experiencing starvation, your body has a nasty habit of slowing down and trying to conserve body fat and energy instead of burning it as is intended with the Keto diet.
Intermittent Fasting Methods
Two popular approaches to intermittent fasting are the 16:8 method and 5:2 regimen.
16:8 Method
The 16:8 method or eat-stop-eat program in which they purposefully elect to have one meal a day in which they only eat one meal in eight hours twice a week.
The 5:2 Regimen
5:2 regimen in which they eat regularly throughout the week (i.e., three to four times a day) during the week for five days then reduce their caloric intake by as much as 25 percent or 500-600 calories during the week.
Which method works best? The answer can vary depending on who you ask, but many agree that the 16:8 most manageable to navigate.
You Are No Longer in Ketosis
There’s nothing like falling out of ketosis to halt your weight loss progress on the keto diet. For you to achieve success, you have to remain in ketosis, and that means carefully tracking your protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake. Once you exit ketosis, your body will no burn fat at the same rate, and this will undoubtedly slow or halt your weight loss success.
Stress
Finally, stress can wreak havoc on a weight loss program. Cortisol, a stress hormone commonly released by the adrenal glands can make losing weight extremely difficult. Simply stated, when we have stress, our body tends to retain water and hold on to fat.
These are just five reasons you may not be losing weight on the keto diet. Make sure to assess your actions in attempting to lead this lifestyle and how it may be contributing to the scale not tipping in your favor.
Interested in reading more posts on Keto Diet? Check these out!
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