Keto Weight Gain: What's The Deal?

The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very-low-carb diet. It is a popular weight-loss diet because it puts the body in a metabolic state called ketosis, where the body uses fat for fuel instead of glucose. However, the keto diet is very restrictive, and it can be challenging to maintain weight loss after stopping the diet. This is because restrictive diets like keto are often unsustainable in the long term, leading to a return to old eating habits and weight regain. Additionally, the body will try to replenish its energy stores, resulting in increased calorie consumption. Furthermore, rapid weight loss and restrictive diets can slow metabolism, making it harder to lose weight in the future. To avoid weight gain after stopping the keto diet, a slow transition is recommended, gradually reintroducing carbohydrates while continuing to eat unprocessed, clean foods and maintaining physical activity.

Lack of discipline and awareness about post-keto diets

The ketogenic diet is a popular, restrictive diet that can lead to rapid weight loss. However, it is challenging to maintain weight loss after keto due to a lack of discipline and awareness about post-keto diets. Here are some insights and strategies to address this issue:

Understanding the Challenge

The keto diet's ultra-restrictive nature makes it difficult to sustain long-term. The body will try to replenish its energy stores, leading to a potential restrict-binge cycle. This cycle can slow metabolism, making it harder to lose weight later. Additionally, keto's restrictive nature can lead to a lack of essential nutrients, taking the pleasure out of eating, and making it challenging to maintain.

Reverse Dieting

The concept of 'reverse dieting' is crucial for maintaining weight loss after keto. It involves gradually reintroducing carbohydrates to your diet after reaching your desired goals while in ketosis. This process is essential for preventing a rapid weight gain and should be done slowly and steadily. A sudden shift to a high-carb diet can lead to digestive distress and rapid weight gain, including water weight.

Discipline and Mindful Eating

Lack of discipline and mindful eating are significant reasons for weight gain after keto. It is essential to understand that transitioning from keto requires a disciplined approach with a fresh mindset. Constant reality checks and retrospection are necessary to avoid falling back into old eating habits. Accepting your new normal is crucial, as consuming even a small amount of processed sugar or extra calories can lead to significant weight gain over time.

Awareness of Healthy Alternatives

A lack of awareness about healthy alternatives contributes to weight gain after keto. Instead of processed foods, focus on whole, unprocessed, and clean food choices. Opt for vegetable sources of carbohydrates, wild-caught fish, grass-fed pasture-raised meats, and healthy fats. If reintroducing grains, choose organic ancient varieties in small amounts.

Physical Activity

Incorporating movement into your routine is vital for maintaining weight loss. Research shows that regular movement throughout the day has a more significant impact on overall health than intense exercise sessions. Simple activities such as walking, stretching, or yoga poses can help keep the weight off and improve your overall well-being.

Seek Professional Guidance

When making dramatic changes to your diet, it is advisable to consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist. They can provide personalized guidance based on your unique needs and goals, ensuring a sustainable and healthy transition from keto.

The body tries to replenish its stores

The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very-low-carbohydrate diet. It is an ultra-restrictive diet that can lead to rapid weight loss. However, it is challenging to stick to in the long term due to its restrictive nature. When people stop following the keto diet, they often experience weight gain, which can be explained by the body's natural response to restrictive diets.

After a period of energy deprivation, the body will work hard to replenish its stores. This is a normal response that occurs after any restrictive diet, and it can lead to weight gain. The body has been deprived of energy, and as a result, it will attempt to make up for the deficit by storing more energy in the form of fat. This is a survival mechanism that the body has evolved to protect itself from future periods of starvation. Essentially, the body becomes more efficient at storing energy, which can lead to weight gain if the person returns to their previous eating habits.

To prevent this weight gain, it is important to make permanent changes to your diet and lifestyle. Ayat Sleymann M.S., R.D.N., a weight-loss dietitian, recommends maintaining the habits that led to weight loss in the first place. This can be challenging, as restrictive diets like keto are often unsustainable and difficult to follow long-term. As a result, people often revert to their old eating habits, which can lead to weight regain.

To avoid this, it is crucial to adopt a new, sustainable lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and regular physical activity. It is also important to note that slow transitions off the keto diet are generally recommended to prevent digestive issues and rapid weight gain. Additionally, it is advised to continue eating whole, unprocessed foods and to incorporate movement into your daily routine during this transition period.

You end up eating more calories than you burn

It is common to gain back some weight after stopping a particular diet, and this can be for a number of reasons. One of these is that you end up eating more calories than you burn.

Vanika Jethwa, R.D., C.P.T., a dietitian and personal trainer, explains that "the reason why all of these diets can work is that fewer calories are being consumed than burned". However, once the diet ends, it is common to eat more of the restricted food, which can lead to weight gain.

To avoid this, it is important to be mindful of your calorie intake and expenditure. You can use a calorie-counting app to track your calorie intake, and a fitness watch or step counter to track your movement. Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the amount of energy you expend in a day, including during exercise. This is the amount of energy you should be consuming to maintain your weight.

It is also important to be aware of the type of food you are eating. Processed foods are often calorie-heavy, and it is easy to eat more than you realise. Opting for whole, unprocessed foods is a healthier option.

Your metabolism slows down

A slower metabolism can make it harder to lose weight. This is a common challenge for people who have been on restrictive diets like keto. When your body is deprived of energy, it responds by slowing down your metabolism, making it more difficult to lose weight in the future. This is known as the restrict-binge cycle, and it can be harmful to your health.

The restrict-binge cycle can be challenging to break, especially if you have already gained back some of the weight you lost. It is important to remember that this is a normal response from your body and that you are not alone in facing this challenge. The key to overcoming this hurdle is to make sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle that you can maintain in the long term.

One way to do this is by adopting a new lifestyle that focuses on healthy habits and behaviours. This may include increasing your physical activity, managing stress, and making healthier food choices. Incorporating more movement into your daily routine can be beneficial, such as taking walks, stretching, or practising yoga throughout the day.

It is also important to be mindful of your calorie intake and ensure it aligns with your energy expenditure. You can use online calculators to estimate your basal metabolic rate (BMR) or total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Additionally, consider consulting a registered dietitian or nutritionist to help you make informed choices that are tailored to your unique needs and goals.

Remember, the key to long-term weight management is sustainability. Making gradual changes and adopting a disciplined approach to your diet and lifestyle can help you avoid the restrict-binge cycle and maintain a healthy weight.

You may be consuming too many processed carbs

Transitioning off the keto diet can be challenging, and it's normal to worry about gaining back the weight you lost. The good news is that you won't necessarily regain the weight as long as you're thoughtful during and after the transition. However, one of the reasons people gain weight after stopping keto is that they start consuming too many processed carbs.

The Dangers of Processed Carbs

Processed carbs, such as highly processed grains and sugar, can contribute to weight gain and inflammation. Inflammation is the root of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmunity. Consuming high amounts of processed carbs can also put you back on the "blood sugar roller coaster." The human brain runs much more efficiently on ketones than on glucose, and when glucose runs low, you may experience symptoms like irritability and shakiness until you consume more. The more processed and sugary foods you eat, the more you may struggle with blood sugar regulation.

How to Avoid Processed Carbs

When transitioning out of ketosis, it's important to stick to real, whole, unprocessed foods. Opt for vegetable sources of carbs, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed pasture-raised meats. Continue to include healthy fats in your diet, and consume them with your carbs to help slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream. If you decide to reintroduce grains, choose organic ancient varieties such as amaranth, millet, and quinoa, which have not been selectively bred like modern wheat and corn products. Even then, consume these grains in small amounts, as the carbs will still trigger an insulin response in the body.

Calorie Counting and Macronutrients

To ensure you're not consuming too many carbs, it's a good idea to use a calorie-counting app. You can also pay attention to your macronutrients and make sure you're getting enough healthy fats, proteins, and carbs from whole food sources. Remember, even off keto, there's no need for copious amounts of processed carbs or any carbs at all. Most of them don't provide great health benefits.

Reverse Dieting

After reaching your desired goals while on keto, you need to prepare your body by gradually introducing carbohydrates back into your diet. This process is called "reverse dieting" or an "offset plan." It's important to monitor your weight and inches during this process to prevent major changes. There are no set timelines for an offset plan, as it can vary from person to person, but it typically lasts anywhere from 21 to 72 days.

Frequently asked questions