Keto Diet: Why It Works For Weight Loss

The keto diet is a popular choice for people looking to lose weight. However, some people may find they are not losing weight on the keto diet due to various reasons. One reason could be not achieving ketosis, which is a metabolic state where your body uses fat, instead of carbs, for energy. This can happen if you're not cutting back enough on carbs or eating too much protein. Eating too many acceptable carbs, such as nuts and dairy, or not counting calories at all can also be a factor. Constant snacking, little to no exercise, underlying medical conditions, and stress can also contribute to weight loss plateaus. To get back on track, it's important to calculate your macros correctly, ensure you're in ketosis, and make sustainable lifestyle changes.

You're not in ketosis

If you're not losing weight on the keto diet, it may be because you're not in ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose. To reach and maintain ketosis, you must drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake to 5-10% of your total calories, or 20-50 grams of carbs per day. Here are some reasons why you might not be in ketosis:

• Not cutting back enough on carbs: Even if you feel like you've reduced your carb intake, you may still be consuming enough carbs for your body to produce energy from glucose, which can slow down the rate of fat burned.
• Eating too much protein: A low-carb, high-protein diet is not the same as a keto diet. The body can break down excess proteins into amino acids and convert them into types of sugar. On a keto diet, fat should represent about 55-60% of your calorie intake, leaving little room for protein. If protein makes up more than 35% of your diet, you may not go into ketosis.
• Eating too many acceptable carbs: On the keto diet, some types of carbohydrates are acceptable, such as nuts and dairy. However, these foods also contain carbohydrates, and eating too many of them will prevent you from achieving and maintaining ketosis.
• Not counting calories: To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Even if you are in ketosis, consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain. It's important to track your calorie intake and stick to a balanced meal plan.
• Constant snacking: Snacking can increase your calorie intake and lead to weight gain. This is especially true if you're snacking on high-calorie, ketogenic snacks like nuts, nut butter, or cheese.
• Little to no exercise: Exercise is important for burning calories and stimulating fat loss. It's crucial to incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle, especially if you're eating high-fat foods on the keto diet.
• Underlying medical conditions: In some cases, an underlying medical condition or medication can cause weight gain or prevent weight loss. Some conditions that can contribute to weight gain include polycystic ovary syndrome, Cushing's syndrome, and mental health conditions such as depression.

If you're not losing weight on the keto diet, it's important to evaluate your diet and lifestyle habits to ensure you're following the keto guidelines correctly and addressing any underlying issues that may be impacting your weight loss.

You're eating too much protein

If you're following a keto diet and finding that your weight loss has stalled, one potential reason could be that you're consuming too much protein. While protein is essential for maintaining and building muscle mass, especially on a keto diet, it's important to remember that excess protein can be converted into glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis.

This process can kick you out of ketosis, the metabolic state where your body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. To avoid this, it's crucial to monitor your protein intake and ensure it aligns with your keto macros. Aim for a moderate protein intake that supports your muscle health without providing excess glucose.

Additionally, be mindful of your food choices. Opt for high-quality, whole-food protein sources such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. These provide essential amino acids that contribute to satiety and stable blood sugar levels. Steer clear of processed and high-protein snacks, which can lead to excessive protein consumption and hinder your weight loss efforts.

Consider using a keto-friendly protein powder to help manage your protein intake effectively. These supplements often contain ingredients that support ketosis and provide a convenient way to meet your protein needs without consuming excessive amounts. Remember, while protein is crucial, moderation is key to staying on track with your keto weight loss journey.

You're eating too many carbs

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein diet. It's designed to force your body to burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. This is called ketosis. To achieve ketosis, you need to cut down on your carb intake and increase your fat consumption.

If you're eating too many carbs, your body won't enter ketosis, and you won't lose weight. Here are some tips to help you reduce your carb intake and get back on track:

• Track your carb intake: Use a food tracking app or manually write down everything you eat to ensure you're staying within your carb limit. This will help you identify hidden carbs in sauces, dressings, and even foods marketed as 'low-carb'.
• Read labels: Always check food labels for hidden sugars and carbs.
• Fill up on low-carb vegetables: Eat plenty of leafy greens, cucumbers, asparagus, zucchini, and other low-carb veggies. These should be the bulk of your meals.
• Be mindful of higher-carb veggies: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower are healthier alternatives to potatoes, yams, corn, and carrots, which are high in carbs.
• Choose high-fat proteins: Pair your veggies with an egg, grass-fed burger, or wild-caught salmon to increase your fat intake and keep you feeling full.
• Check carb counts on processed foods: Even processed foods marketed as keto-friendly can contain hidden carbs. Always check the labels before consuming.
• Stick to keto-friendly snacks: Opt for low-calorie keto snacks like cucumbers, celery sticks, and eggs instead of nuts, seeds, and keto sweets, which can be high in carbs.
• Be cautious with sugar alcohols: Sugar alcohols like maltitol are often used in keto-friendly foods, but they can still affect your blood sugar levels and prevent ketosis.
• Plan your meals: Plan your meals ahead of time to ensure you're staying within your carb limit. This will help you make better food choices and avoid high-carb options.
• Consider a hybrid approach: If you find it challenging to stick to keto, you can try the hybrid diet, which involves switching between keto and a less restrictive low-carb diet. This approach may be more sustainable and provide similar weight loss benefits.

You're not eating enough fat

The ketogenic diet is built on being low in carbs and high in fats, with the principle of replacing carbs with fats. However, if you don't eat enough fat, you won't get enough calories and energy to function.

Fats Are Needed for Energy

If you're on a low-carb diet, you need to replace the calories you were previously getting from carbs with fat-rich foods. With the keto diet, these calories should come from fat. If you're not eating enough fat and you're not eating many carbs, then you're not getting enough calories. Even if you're trying to lose weight, your body needs enough calories and energy to function. If you're not eating enough, your metabolism could slow down because your body doesn't have the necessary energy to maintain it.

Eating Healthy Fats Delivers Multiple Benefits

Not getting enough fats when you're on the keto diet means that you miss out on the benefits of eating healthy fats. Some of the best types of fats to include in your keto diet are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These healthy fats are available in many different foods, so you can enjoy a varied diet and get the fat that you need.

Some of the best sources of healthy fats include:

• Avocado and avocado oil
• Nuts and seeds (and nut and seed butters)
• Olives and olive oil
• Coconuts and unrefined coconut oil
• Oily fish - e.g. tuna and anchovies

Getting these fats into your diet will help to lower your low-density lipoprotein level, which is the bad cholesterol in your body. It also helps your body to develop and maintain your cells.

Consequences of Not Eating Enough Fats on Keto

When you don't eat enough fat on keto, you will feel hungrier. When you're hungry, you're more likely to eat any available food. The more you snack, the more calories you will eat, and you could end up eating more than you really need. Also, if you're eating the wrong foods, you'll miss out on the benefits of healthy fats from the right foods.

How to Get Enough Fats on Keto

To balance your keto diet, you need to make sure you're getting enough fat. Depending on your source, you might be recommended to get around 60% of your daily calories from fats but it could be up to 80%. In contrast, about 5-10% should come from carbs and about 10-20% from protein. This means the bulk of your calories should be coming from foods with healthy fats in them. If you're having 2000 calories per day, that translates to around 165 grams of fat at the higher end.

• Use high-fat toppings and garnishes: Top your meals with high-fat garnishes such as nuts and seeds, cheese, avocado, and cured meats to add more fat to your food.
• Add fat to your drinks: Put creamer, whipped cream, whole milk, and other ingredients into your coffee or tea. You can even put butter into your coffee, which is a popular option for people following the keto diet.
• Pick whole-fat foods: When you're on the keto diet, you should consider going for full-fat options instead of low-fat or light options.
• Eat the right snacks: If you have to snack, there are some options that will likely serve you better. You can have "real food" snacks that are high in fat and low in carbs, instead of picking processed, junk food snacks. Try things like nuts, meats and cheeses, and hard-boiled eggs.
• Choose fat bombs for dessert: If you're going to go for a dessert, choose an option that helps you to get more fat into your diet. Fat bombs are good for this too, giving you plenty of fat but avoiding too many carbs.
• Have fun with avocados: Avocados are high in fat, tasty and healthy too. Introducing them into your diet is a good way to get the fat that you need. They're great in salads, to make guacamole, top with different flavourings, or even just eat on their own.

You're eating too many calories

If you're eating too many calories, you won't lose weight. This is true even if you're in ketosis. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This is called a calorie deficit. If you're eating more calories than you burn, you won't lose weight.

If you're eating too many calories, you might be overeating high-fat foods. Foods like mayonnaise are keto-friendly, but they're also high in calories. Calorie tracking can help you stay within your calorie needs. You can also calculate your calorie needs and how much you need to cut back to meet your weight loss goals.

If you're eating too many calories, you might not be eating the right kinds of fat. You need to make sure you're eating healthy fats. Grass-fed beef and lamb, wild-caught fatty fish, olive oil, grass-fed butter, avocados, and pasture-raised eggs are all good sources of healthy fats.

If you're eating too many calories, you might be eating too much protein. The keto diet is a moderate protein diet. If you eat too much protein, your body will convert the excess into glucose for energy. This can delay or stop ketosis because your body will burn this newly formed glucose instead of fat for energy.

If you're eating too many calories, you might be snacking too much. Snacking can be part of a healthy keto diet, but it can also lead to overeating. Even keto-friendly sweets can hinder weight loss by delaying ketosis or increasing calorie intake. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, so if you're snacking on them, you might be taking in more calories than you realise.

If you're eating too many calories, you might be drinking too much alcohol. Alcoholic drinks are high in calories. Even hard liquor, dry wines, and light beer can add up if you drink them regularly.

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