Top 5 Reasons Why You're Not Losing Weight on a Low-carb or Ketogenic Diet

Why You're Not Losing Weight on a Low-carb or Ketogenic Diet

Low carb and ketogenic diets are my favourite diets to recommend for fast, safe and effective weight loss results.
In a time where we are eating too much sugar and relying on simple carbohydrates as our primary source of fuel, our bodies are responding really well to mixing things up by cutting the carbs out.
Although low carb ketogenic diets are extremely effective when it comes to weight loss, I do see several people stalling or hitting a plateau.

The next 5 reasons are the most common reasons why you may not be losing weight on the ketogenic diet and what to do about it.

1. You’re not in ketosis

Everyone has different levels of carbohydrate sensitivity – some people are able to eat between 80-100g of carbs per day and still remain in a healthy fat burning zone – others need to restrict their carbs to below 40g per day in order to enter ketosis.
Using Ketostix daily to measure your levels of ketosis is an effective way to see if you are on the right track – Ketostix will tell you if you are in a safe and effective level of ketosis. Professional advice is required when cutting carbs below 50g per day – cutting carbs too much and for too long can cause health problems for susceptible individuals and it is always safest to seek professional advice from a practitioner who specialises in this way of eating.

2. You’re eating too much fake food

It’s easy to get carried away eating low carb treats on the keto diet. There are an abundance of low-carb, sugar free bars and drinks available but sugar free does not always mean healthy and too many of these products will not help you to reach your weight loss goals.
There are several studies that prove people who drink sugar free or diet soft drinks actually gain more weight than those who don’t! Too many artificial sweeteners can have a negative effect on weight loss and weight maintenance so it is best to avoid them as much as possible. My blog is full of keto treats that are naturally low in sugar. Check them out!

3. You’re too stressed

High levels of the stress hormone cortisol will cause your body to hold on to stored fat! Practicing relaxation techniques daily is an effective way of reducing your stress hormone levels. Naturopaths also use a variety of herbs and nutrients to lower your stress hormones. Ask me about them during your next consultation.
Other hormonal imbalances such as hypothyroidism or estrogen excess can also cause the body to hold onto fat – there are many solutions to these problems too and they should always be discussed with your naturopath.

4. You’re eating too many nuts!

Although nuts are a fantastic snack option when you’re on the ketogenic diet, they can also be the reason why you stop losing weight. It is not necessary to count calories when you are on a low carb diet but when you start eating too many nuts your carb, fat, protein and calorie ratio gets out of balance and can put a stop to your weight loss progress.
For this reason I recommend that you limit nuts to no more than 30g-50g per day.

5. You’re always eating

Grazing on low carb snacks, veggie sticks and nuts is an easy trap to fall into when you’re on the keto diet. This is fine for some people but for others, small periods of fasting can help to accelerate the fat burning process. Fasting between dinner and breakfast for a minimum of 10-12 hours is highly recommended (providing you do not have any complex health conditions such as Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes) but sometimes it is also necessary to fast for a couple of hours between meals too. Seek professional advice if you feel this may be the solution to your plateau problem.

These are just 5 of the many reasons why you may stop losing weight while following the low carb or ketogenic diet.

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