Restarting Weight Loss On Keto: Strategies For Success

The ketogenic diet is a popular choice for those looking to lose weight quickly. It involves drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake, forcing your body to burn fat for fuel instead of glucose. While this can lead to rapid weight loss, it is not sustainable for everyone and can be challenging to maintain. If you've fallen off the keto wagon and are looking to restart your weight loss journey, there are several strategies you can try. These include tracking your macronutrients, intermittent fasting, increasing your water intake, staying active, and managing stress and sleep. It's also important to remember that weight loss is not always linear and there may be stalls or plateaus along the way. Focus on the non-scale victories, such as improved energy levels and reduced cravings, and make gradual adjustments to your diet and lifestyle as needed.

Gradually increase your carb intake

Gradually increasing your carb intake is a key part of transitioning off the keto diet. Here are some tips to help you increase your carb intake in a controlled and healthy way:

Start with a small increase

Begin by adding an extra 10g of carbohydrates per day for the first week. This is not the time to stop counting your carbs entirely. Focus on adding carbs from healthy sources such as whole grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables. Keep track of your weight and how you feel by jotting it down on a notepad. Depending on your goals, you can choose to increase your carb intake weekly or every other week.

Find your desired carb range

The number of carbohydrates recommended varies from person to person and depends on factors such as your goals and activity levels. Since there is no one-size-fits-all amount, aim for a number that allows you to eat a wider variety of foods so that you don't feel restricted but can still maintain your weight and feel good. If you're unsure what range is right for you, consider consulting a registered dietitian who can help you meet your personal goals.

Opt for nutrient-dense carbs

When increasing your carb intake, prioritise nutrient-dense options such as whole fruits and vegetables, legumes, starchy vegetables, and whole grains. These foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre that your body may have been missing while on the keto diet. Examples include berries, baby carrots, black beans, edamame, kiwi, butternut squash, watermelon, lentils, and oatmeal.

Be mindful of portion sizes

Even as you reintroduce carbs, remember to keep an eye on your portion sizes, especially with carb-rich foods like whole-grain bread, brown rice, and potatoes, including sweet potatoes. It's easy to pack in a lot of carbs with these foods, so make sure you're mindful of how much you're eating. For example, half a medium sweet potato has 12g of carbs.

Avoid highly processed carbs

While increasing your carb intake, it's important to choose healthy, whole-food sources of carbs. Stay away from highly processed carbs like sugary desserts, breakfast cereals with added sugars, sugary drinks, microwaveable dinners, and processed meats. These foods are high in carbohydrates but lack the fibre, vitamins, and minerals found in whole-food sources. They also tend to be high in calories, sodium, sugar, and saturated fat, which can hinder your health and weight loss goals.

Find your desired carb range

Finding your desired carb range is an important step in restarting weight loss on keto. The number of carbs recommended is different for everyone and depends on factors such as your goals and activity levels. The goal is to find a number of carbohydrates that allows you to eat a greater variety of foods so that you don't feel restricted but can still maintain your weight and feel good.

If you're unsure what range is right for you, consider consulting a registered dietitian who can help you meet your personal goals. As a general guideline, aim for a carb range that enables you to include more nutritious foods in your diet while still feeling satisfied and energised.

When increasing your carb intake, opt for healthy sources such as whole grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables. It's important to track your weight and how you feel as you make these adjustments. Increase your carb intake gradually, whether that's weekly or every other week, depending on your specific goals and how your body responds.

Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to carb intake. Finding your desired carb range is a personalised process that may involve some trial and error. Listen to your body, monitor your progress, and make adjustments as needed to achieve your weight loss goals while maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.

Add more protein to your diet

Protein is an essential macronutrient with a wide range of functions in the body. It is crucial for muscle growth and repair, supporting healthy bones and joints, promoting healthy skin, hair, and nails, maintaining the pH of blood and bodily fluids, and supporting immune function.

When following a keto diet, it is recommended that individuals aim for a protein intake that falls between 20-30% of their total calorie intake. However, some experts suggest that calculating protein needs based on grams per kilogram of body weight is more ideal, with a target range of 1.2-2.0 g/kg body weight. This can be calculated by dividing your target weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kilograms, and then multiplying this number by 1.2 and 2.0 to get the range.

• Meat portions: A good rule of thumb is to aim for a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards, which contains roughly 20 grams of protein. Most people need at least 60 grams of protein per day, so aim to include at least this amount of meat in your meals. If your protein needs are higher, you can adjust your portions accordingly.
• Spread out your protein intake: Try to spread your protein intake evenly throughout the day. Protein is very filling, and it can be challenging to meet your goals if you try to consume it all in one meal.
• Nuts, seeds, and cheese: These foods can help boost your protein intake if you're falling a bit short. However, if weight loss is your goal, be mindful that these foods are calorie-dense and may slow down your progress.
• Meat and protein powder: If you need to significantly increase your protein intake, adding an extra serving of meat or having a protein shake as a snack are simple ways to do so without drastically changing your meal plan.
• Use a food scale: While not necessary, a food scale can be a helpful tool if you want to track your protein intake more accurately.
• Space out your protein and eat it with fat: It is recommended to space out your protein intake throughout the day. Additionally, eating protein with fat can help you feel more satisfied and prevent overeating.
• Choose your protein sources wisely: Be mindful of protein sources that also contain carbohydrates, such as nuts, processed meats, tofu, and vegetarian/vegan meat substitutes. Always check nutrition labels to make sure you're staying within your desired range.

Track your macros

Tracking your macros, or macronutrients, is an important step in getting back on track with your keto diet. This means paying attention to the amount of fat, protein, and carbs you're consuming. There are a few ways to go about this:

Firstly, you can calculate your macros and track them using an app or food journal. This will help you stay within your desired ranges for each macronutrient. There are many apps available that can help you with this, and it's a good way to ensure you're getting the right balance of nutrients.

Secondly, you can try intermittent fasting. This involves having a set period each day when you don't eat anything, and another period when you do. For example, you might try an 18:6 protocol, where you fast for 18 hours and then have a 6-hour window during which you eat. This can help your body burn through stored glucose and get into fat-burning mode.

It's also important to stay well-hydrated when you're on the keto diet. Water helps your body break down and use fatty acids more efficiently. So, drink up! And while we're on the topic of fluids, it's worth noting that you should avoid alcohol, as it can contribute to a stall in your weight loss.

In addition to tracking your macros, you should also be mindful of your electrolyte intake. When you successfully lower your insulin levels, your kidneys excrete more sodium, so it's important to replenish sodium, magnesium, and potassium. This will help lessen the effects of the keto flu, which some people experience when starting or restarting the keto diet.

Finally, be careful with dairy and nuts. While full-fat dairy and most nuts are allowed on the keto diet, it's easy to over-consume them, and this can stall your progress.

Intermittent fasting

There are several ways to do intermittent fasting, including the popular 16/8 method, where you eat during an eight-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours of the day. Other methods include the 5:2 diet, where you restrict calories to around 500 on two non-consecutive days of the week, and the 24-hour fast, where you don't eat for a full day.

Combining keto with intermittent fasting can help you reach ketosis faster and lead to greater fat loss. This is because intermittent fasting boosts metabolism and promotes thermogenesis, or heat production, which can help utilise stubborn fat stores. Additionally, it can reduce hunger and promote feelings of fullness, aiding in weight loss.

However, this combination may not be suitable for everyone. It is extremely restrictive, and some may find it too fatiguing. It is also not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, those with a history of disordered eating, or those with certain health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.

Before starting any new diet, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional to ensure it is safe and appropriate for you.

Frequently asked questions