6 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight On Keto
Image: Shutterstock
Of late, everybody is on a weight loss spree, and why? Well, for obvious reasons — to become a healthier version of themselves. To get to a fitter version of oneself, if there’s one diet that’s getting universal momentum in the diet world, it has to be the Keto diet!
Many hop onto the Keto diet bandwagon hoping they’ll just cut down a few kilos in a matter of few days. But, that doesn’t happen with everyone, does it? If we are stubborn beings, our body is much more stubborn than us. And despite putting in our efforts in following our Keto diet, we find ourselves stuck at a point, and the weighing scale doesn’t seem to budge anymore. We haven’t dropped a single pound and it has been more than a week now already. It’s frustrating and we get it!
But you see, Keto is one such diet which follows the principle of low-carb intake along with high intakes of protein and fat. The carb intake is reduced to a meagre 50 grams per day. If you’re doing this correctly and still haven’t been successful in losing weight, maybe certain quick fixes are needed. Read on to know how to fix the small mistakes that you might have been making all this while.
1. You Might Be Eating Way Too Many Calories
Going on a calorie deficit is by far the simplest formula to lose weight. The trick is simple, either you limit your calorie intake, or you burn enough calories. The thing with Keto, however, is that you need to eat lots of fat, but good fat! Chances are that you’re eating a lot of fatty food which falls under the bad fat category. We’ll make it simpler for you by helping you with the good sources of fat. Here they are:
- Olive oil
- Avocados
- Seeds
- Dairy foods
- Nuts
Again, the above foods too need to be consumed in a controlled manner. Remember that portion control is the key to weight loss! Once you’ve gotten a hang of this, the Keto weight loss journey will become a smooth ride for you.
2. You Are Stressing Over Your Weight
No matter how disciplined you are with your diet and exercise regime, if you love wearing the stress-master hat, all your efforts might go in vain. Chronic stress negatively affects weight loss regimes. When we stress, our body produces excess amounts of cortisol (a stress hormone) and this encourages our body to store fat (1). Therefore, there is no change in your weight scale.
3. You’re Not Eating Enough
Yes, cutting down calories can lead to weight reduction. But, decreasing it way too much can make your body go on starvation mode wherein your body starts to conserve calories and slows down its metabolism rate — all this will halt your weight loss journey.
Therefore, make sure that you eat enough and give your body all the essential nutrients it requires.
4. You Haven’t Touched Ketosis Yet
The Keto diet begins its work on your body only when you’ve reached the ketosis stage. Ketosis is a stage (a metabolic process), wherein the body doesn’t find enough glucose within to convert into energy and therefore, it starts to burn the stored fats and produce energy out of it.
One legit way of finding if you’ve reached the ketosis stage is to test for ketones in your urine or blood by simple lab tests. And if the result shows that you haven’t reached the stage yet, then we recommend that you lower down your carb intake a little more. But, do consult your dietician before doing this.
5. You’re Not Sleeping Enough
In addition to the Keto diet plan, there are tons of other factors that play a vital role in your weight loss and one such important factor is sleep. Studies say that sleep deprivation can lead to a rise in the levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger in our body (2).
There are published studies that talk about how important it is to get a good slumber of at least seven hours, which increases the weight loss rate by approximately 33 percent, especially in women (3). Chalk out a sleep schedule for yourself and stick to it no matter what comes your way.
6. You Have An Underlying Medical Concern
If you’ve been following all the instructions of a Keto diet and you’ve also paired it with an efficient exercise regime and still haven’t seen the numbers drop down on the weighing scale, then maybe, you’re suffering from a health concern you aren’t fully aware of.
Issues like hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), depression and even insulin resistance problems can halt your weight loss process. Therefore, it’s mandatory to get your regular health checkups done and then consult your dietician who’ll help you pick a diet which will benefit your body.
These are some of the reasons that might be stopping the Keto spell from working the magic on you. Pay heed to these and try to make changes to the habits that are faulty. If you know of any other ways to make the Keto diet work, let us know in the comments below.
