Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the Keto Diet?

“Help! Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the Keto Diet?”. The Keto diet has been proven to be a diet that works for most people who give it a proper try.

In terms of how difficult it is to stick to the rules of the Keto diet, it falls somewhere in the middle making it easier to follow than the Paleo or Atkins diets but not as easy as the Mediterranean diet. It does have it rules but following them is not all that difficult.

Having said that, it’s possible to follow the Keto diet and not see any results. However almost always this is down to you making mistakes which you may not be aware of. Ignoring these mistakes will only lead to failure and frustration with the Keto diet.

So below we look at 4 of the most common reasons why people do not lose weight with the Keto diet.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the Keto Diet? – Are You In Ketosis?

The fundamental principle of the Keto diet if to get your body into a state of ketosis. If your body is not in ketosis then you are not on the Keto diet. This is the first thing which many people get wrong.

When your body is in ketosis it is using ketones for energy which means it is burning fat. This burning of fat is what leads to the weight loss. If on the other hand your body is not in ketosis then it is using glucose for energy. In this case your body will store fat instead of burning it. This obviously is not what you want when trying to lose weight.

For most people it takes anywhere from 4 – 7 days for their bodies to reach ketosis so you should be patient. You can use a breathalyzer or urine strips to check is you are in ketosis or not. However, the most accurate way to of measuring is to measure the ketone levels in your blood using a special meter for the purpose.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the Keto Diet? – You Must Maintain A Caloric Deficit

It doesn’t matter what diet you are following, you need to maintain a calorie deficit. If you take in more calories than you are burning, then you are not going to lose weight and may even gain weight. This will be the case regardless of whether your body is in ketosis or not. You can check your calorie numbers here: Keto Diet Calculator

Ideally you should maintain a deficit of 500 calories. This combined with being on the Keto diet should make it a lot easier to shed that weight as you will be burning fat faster. You may even be impressed by the results.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the Keto Diet? – Are You Following The Rules?

If you’re not following the rules of the Keto diet properly then you are not going to get the desired results. You need to keep an eye on your macronutrients. 70 – 75 of your calorie intake should be coming from fats and the other 20 – 25 percent should be coming from protein. Your total carb intake should not exceed 50 grams and ideally should be somewhere between 20 – 50 grams.

Initially this change will be challenging for most people as we tend to unwittingly be addicted to carbs. For most people their body is used to using glucose for energy and that glucose comes from carbs.

Therefore, it is very important to watch your carb intake and not get tempted to cheat because once you go over that 50 gram limit the chances are your body will not get into ketosis making your results disappointing as the very least.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the Keto Diet? – Leptin Resistance

When starting on the Keto diet your body will be making adjustments to itself. Therefore, it is important to take it easy on yourself for the first week. Do not exercise too hard. Perhaps just go for a leisurely walk when you feel like it and also importantly make sure you get proper sleep.

By taking thing easy over that first week you will be keeping your cortisol levels low and also be restoring your leptin sensitivity. With your hormones now balanced your body will know when to get hungry, how much food it needs and how much fat it should burn.

Why is this important? Leptin resistance will hinder the effectiveness of the Keto diet. The only option is to allow your body the time it needs to adjust. Once you stick to the rules your body will eventually reach ketosis and start burning fat to give you the results you desire.

If at any point you feel like you are not getting the results you expect from the Keto diet, then come back and review the above 4 reasons. The chances are one of them is causing you to go off track. Remember to make sure you are in ketosis and track your macros and food portions and you should be ok.