Weight Loss Plateau On Keto: What's The Reason?

Weight loss plateaus are a common occurrence on the keto diet. This phenomenon is known as the keto plateau. There are several factors that can cause a weight stall, including hidden carbs, excess calories, chronic stress, lack of physical activity, and certain medical conditions. To overcome a weight stall, it is important to track calories and macros, manage stress, stay physically active, and be mindful of hidden carbs and food sensitivities. While breaking through a plateau can be frustrating, it is important to be patient and consistent with your keto diet and lifestyle changes.

Not tracking calories and macros

Not tracking your calories and macros can cause a weight stall on keto. Here are some reasons why tracking your calories and macros is important:

• Understanding your calorie deficit: On a ketogenic diet, weight loss occurs when you eat fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. By tracking your calories, you can ensure that you are in a calorie deficit, which is crucial for losing weight.
• Adjusting your calorie needs: As you lose weight on keto, your calorie needs change. Tracking your calories and adjusting your intake as your weight changes can help you stay in a calorie deficit and continue losing weight.
• Awareness of carb intake: It is easy to underestimate your carb intake, especially with hidden carbs in snacks, sauces, condiments, and processed foods. Tracking your macros can help you stay within the recommended range of 30-50 grams of total carbs or net carbs per day on keto.
• Portion control: Measuring and tracking your food portions accurately is essential for managing your calorie and macro intake. Using a kitchen scale and measuring tools can help you avoid underestimating your intake and ensure portion sizes are appropriate for your goals.
• Identifying problem foods: By tracking your food intake, you can identify specific foods or ingredients that may be hindering your progress. For example, some people find that dairy products, gluten, or certain types of nuts affect their weight loss. Eliminating or reducing these foods can help get you back on track.
• Consistency and accountability: Consistency is key when it comes to keto. Tracking your calories and macros can help you stay accountable and committed to your diet plan, making it easier to maintain consistency over time.

Consuming too many calories

To combat this, it is important to determine your daily caloric needs and track your total calorie consumption. This can be done by using a calorie-tracking app or website, such as MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or Cronometer.com. These tools allow you to input your food intake and track your calories and macronutrients. By being diligent about tracking your calories, you can ensure that you are in a calorie deficit, which is necessary for weight loss.

In addition to tracking your calories, it is crucial to be mindful of your portion sizes. Using a kitchen scale to measure your food can help ensure that you are not consuming more calories than you think. It is easy to underestimate the amount of food you are eating, especially when eyeballing portions or measuring by volume. By weighing your food, you can get an accurate understanding of your calorie intake and make adjustments as needed.

As you lose weight, your calorie needs will change. Therefore, it is important to recalculate your calorie and macronutrient goals as your weight and body composition change. You can use a keto calculator to determine how many calories and grams of protein, fat, and carbohydrates you should be consuming based on your current weight and goals. As you lose weight, you will need to eat fewer calories to maintain a calorie deficit.

While it is important to be mindful of your calorie intake, it is also crucial to ensure that you are not consuming too few calories. Paradoxically, eating too few calories can also lead to a weight loss stall. This is because the body slows down its metabolism in response to a lack of food. Therefore, if you significantly reduce your calorie intake, your metabolic rate may decrease, making it more difficult to lose weight.

In summary, consuming too many calories can lead to a weight loss stall on a keto diet. To overcome this, it is essential to track your calorie intake, be mindful of portion sizes, and adjust your calorie goals as you lose weight. However, it is also important to ensure that you are not severely restricting your calorie intake, as this can also hinder weight loss. By finding the right balance and making small adjustments to your diet, you can get back on track and continue progressing towards your weight loss goals.

Consuming too many carbs

To avoid consuming too many carbs, it is crucial to be diligent about tracking your carb intake. Don't rely solely on food labels, as they may not always provide accurate or precise information. Instead, utilise resources like the USDA website, which offers more detailed carb counts for various foods. Additionally, be cautious of "free" foods that are considered carb-free in other diets but can actually contain significant amounts of carbohydrates. For example, a tablespoon of cinnamon has 2.1 net carbs, so if you're sprinkling it generously on your coffee, it could be contributing to your stall.

Another factor to consider is portion size. While nuts are a great keto-friendly snack, they are calorie-dense and can cause your carb count to rise if you're not careful. Stick to one serving of nuts per day to avoid exceeding your carb limit.

In summary, to overcome a weight loss stall caused by consuming too many carbs, be meticulous about tracking your carb intake, be mindful of hidden carbs in unexpected foods, and watch your portion sizes, especially with nuts and other calorie-dense foods.

Lack of exercise

Being physically active is crucial for losing weight on a ketogenic diet. A sedentary lifestyle can limit the number of calories you burn each day. Sedentary behaviours include sitting down for long periods, watching television, commuting, and desk-based jobs.

A study found that obese individuals are more likely to sit for an average of two hours longer daily than lean individuals. Moreover, it suggested the importance of NEAT behaviours, which stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT refers to activities outside of your workouts, such as mowing the lawn, washing dishes, standing, and walking.

Exercise is a proven way to increase weight loss, but other forms of physical activity can also be beneficial. The most important thing is to stay active even when you're not exercising.

To break a weight loss plateau, it is recommended to incorporate various types of exercises, such as cardio, resistance training, and high-intensity interval training. Additionally, increasing NEAT activities in your daily routine can also help overcome a plateau.

It is important to note that exercising too much can also slow down your metabolism. Studies show that if you do aerobic exercise for more than an hour a day, your metabolic rate can drop by as much as 15%. On the other hand, exercising too little can lead to muscle atrophy and a decrease in metabolic rate, increasing the likelihood of a weight loss plateau.

Finding the right balance of exercise is crucial. For most people, four days a week of hard training is sufficient, combined with low to moderate-intensity 30-minute aerobic exercises throughout the week. Weight training 2-4 times a week can also be beneficial.

In conclusion, a lack of exercise and physical activity can be a significant contributor to a weight loss stall on a ketogenic diet. By incorporating different types of exercises and increasing NEAT activities, you can help break through a weight loss plateau and get back on track with your weight loss goals.

Lack of sleep

Sleep is an important factor in maintaining a healthy weight. Research shows that a lack of sleep affects how your body regulates the hormones that relate to your appetite. These are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone that suppresses appetite and ghrelin is a hormone that increases appetite. In one study, subjects who slept for only 4 hours had an increase in their ghrelin levels. Poor sleep also increases cravings for foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates, as your body looks for additional sources of energy.

Many studies have also shown that sleep deprivation causes metabolic dysregulation. It can decrease your energy expenditure (due to sleepiness and fatigue) and increase inflammation.

If you are not getting enough sleep, you may be at risk of weight gain. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support your weight loss journey and overall health.

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