How to Break a Weight Loss Stall on the Keto Diet
One of the most frustrating parts of dieting is hitting your weight loss plateau. It’s incredibly common, though! When you start a diet, the weight tends to fall off quickly. But once your body has adjusted to this new way of eating, that weight loss can slow dramatically, and even stop. Hitting a plateau is frustrating enough that many people will just give up, thinking their diet is no longer working. But fixing it could be fairly simple! When you start a new lifestyle program like the ketogenic diet, stalling can happen for a variety of reasons. Here’s how to break a weight loss stall on keto.
The keto diet is everywhere lately, and for good reason. Lots of people have had success on keto! If you’ve been keto for a while and have hit a plateau, here’s how to break a weight loss stall on keto. Culprit #1: you’re eating too many carbs.
The whole point of keto is low-carb living, so it makes sense that too many carbs would be the reason you’re not seeing those numbers drop as quickly anymore. Most people start off on the ketogenic diet eating 30 grams of carbs or less every day, and then adjust as their bodies go into ketosis. You may be cutting out all the big carb culprits, but not paying enough attention to the sneaky stuff.
PREVIOUSLY: What is the Keto Diet, and Is It Good for New Moms?
If your daily diet consists of a lot of fruit, yogurt, or nuts, you may be subjecting yourself to the “carb creep”. These foods can all be higher in carbohydrates than you realize, which would throw your macros out of whack. If you’re tracking and staying under your carb goal, but your weight loss has slowed, take a look at the “low-carb” foods you’re eating.
Another reason for weight loss stall on keto: you’re eating too many calories.
You’ll hear some people rave about being able to eat lots of fat on the keto diet. And that’s true! To an extent. You don’t want to consume more calories than your body can store (remember, you want your body to burn stored fat, not excess fat from what you’re eating). This can mean cutting back on some keto-friendly foods for a bit, like full-fat dairy or fatty meats. One of the benefits of keto is that you don’t have to count calories, but if you’ve hit a wall, you may need to start paying more attention to the caloric value of the foods you’re eating.
You’re not incorporating intermittent fasting into your diet and lifestyle.
Intermittent fasting can really help you break through a weight loss plateau on keto. Taking more control over your body and what goes into it can jump start your weight loss again, and get you over that hump!
PREVIOUSLY: What is Intermittent Fasting?
By including periods of fasting in your diet, you can control your caloric intake. This can nurture your metabolism and speed up weight loss. If you’re new to fasting, start with a simple 5:2 plan (5 days of eating, 2 days of fasting), and limit the hours you can eat on your fasting days. You can eventually work your way up to 24-hour fasts.
If you’re wondering how to break a weight loss stall on keto, take a good long look at what you’re eating, and when you’re eating it. A few simple adjustments can jump start your weight loss, and get you back on track!
(Image: iStock / ThitareeSarmkasat)
