7 reasons why you're not losing weight on keto
Have you been on the keto diet for a while, but do you notice that you are not losing weight or not losing enough weight? A reassurance: you are certainly not the only one who suffers from this. Many people who want to lose weight on a keto diet experience this problem. This can be quite frustrating and that is why we will delve deeper into this question. In this blog you can read 7 reasons why you are not losing weight with keto.
1. Hidden Carbs
The first reason why you cannot lose weight is because you unconsciously consume too many carbohydrates. Even small amounts of hidden carbs in processed foods or snacks can throw you out of ketosis. During a ketogenic diet you are supposed to consume 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Do you do this faithfully? Then you enter ketosis and you get your energy from fats instead of carbohydrates. Do you consume more than 50 grams of carbohydrates during the keto diet? Then you can already get out of ketosis and no longer lose weight with keto.
So it's important to read labels carefully and be aware of the carbohydrates in the foods you consume. You can do this by keeping track of what you eat in an app, such as myfitnesspal.
2. Too many eating moments
The number of eating moments in a day can be a reason why you do not lose weight with keto. Every time you eat, your blood sugar level rises and your body secretes insulin to process this sugar from the blood. But every time your body does this, fat burning is also inhibited. Not useful if you want to burn more fat with keto.
What can you do about this? Consider, for example, intermittent fasting: an eating pattern in which you eat for a fixed period and within a set time frame. Intermittent fasting can help keep your insulin levels stable and boost your fat burning. You can also plan your meals ahead and make sure you don't snack in between. What can also help is eating healthier meals. In particular, meals that are high in protein and fiber and contain only healthy fats. This will keep you full for longer and reduce the craving for snacks.
3. Insufficient exercise
It is possible to lose weight just by eating a ketogenic diet. But sometimes a keto diet alone is not enough and it works to fall off not as desired. In that case, it is wise to also look at your exercise.
Exercise increases your metabolism and helps you burn more calories, allowing you to lose more weight. In any case, make sure that you exercise an average of 30 minutes a day, for example in the gym, by taking a nice walk or bike ride or by completing a workout at home. There are so many these days sports equipment for the home that you don't even have to go to the gym anymore!
4. Positive energy balance
You can do a lot with a keto diet burn fat and lose weight. But it is still very important that you do not consume more calories than you burn. In other words: you should not have a positive energy balance. If you consume too many calories, you can eat a ketogenic diet, but you will not lose weight with keto. It's all about a calorie deficit, no matter what diet you follow.
To make sure you don't consume too many calories, you can calculate calorie needs. This means you know exactly how many calories you need in a day. Then enter everything you consume into an app and do not exceed your needs. Please note that you only start this if you know that you can deal with counting calories in a relaxed way.
5. Too much protein
To get into and stay in ketosis, you are supposed to consume almost no carbohydrates, a moderate amount of proteins and a lot of fats. And while protein is an important part of the keto diet, consuming too much protein can cause your body to convert some of these proteins into glucose. This makes it more difficult to stay in ketosis.
Keeping track of what you eat can help you understand how much protein you are actually consuming. The general guideline for a ketogenic diet is to get about 20-25% of your calories from protein. Focus on consuming protein sources that are also high in fats. Examples include fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel, as well as grass-fed meat, full-fat dairy products, and eggs. Avoid overeating lean protein sources such as chicken breast or low-fat cottage cheese, as these can quickly increase your protein intake without adding much fat.
6. Processed foods
There are many keto-friendly snacks and meals available. Very tempting to eat, of course, especially if you find it difficult to eat a varied diet during a keto diet and you don't like cooking. Unfortunately, these foods are often too processed and therefore contain too many calories and (artificial) ingredients that you should not consume during the diet. These products can unknowingly hinder weight loss.
Instead of these quick and easy snacks and meals, focus on eating whole foods. Think of fresh vegetables, meat, healthy fats and protein sources. They are more nutritious and keep you full longer, but there are also no or fewer hidden additives, making it easier to stay in ketosis.
Also read: how do you get into ketosis faster?
7. Expecting results too quickly
When you start the keto diet, the body needs some time to adapt to the ketogenic metabolism. Of course it is not nothing; suddenly get energy from fats instead of carbohydrates. A big change is taking place and your body needs time to get used to it.
Of course it's nice to see results quickly, but don't be disappointed if you don't lose weight quickly. For many people it takes a while before the results are visible. Do you eat few carbohydrates, do you take the above points into account and do you remain consistent? Then you can certainly lose weight with a keto diet.
Support ketosis with supplements
Are you unable to lose weight with keto because you cannot quickly get into or stay in ketosis? Then supplements can support you in different ways. Keto supplements may help you get into ketosis faster and help you lose weight.
At Slimminglabs you will find many supplements that support a keto diet. For example, take a look Keto Diet, Keto Plus in Keto Extreme. Do you have questions about losing weight with keto or about not losing weight with keto? Or we can help you find the right one supplements? Please feel free to contact us, our specialists will be happy to help you.