It can be so frustrating when you see everyone else’s results on Keto – you see their progress pictures and may be thinking to yourself “what am I doing wrong”? Let me first remind you that you are NOT alone! It’s so easy for us to see the worst in ourselves and the best in others and wonder why we don’t measure up. But the struggles you may be facing are not unique and others have faced these same challenges. One of those is the question of why you may not be losing on Keto.
Reason #1 – Too Much Protein
It’s actually possible to get too much of a good thing! Especially if you are choosing to transition down from 3 meals a day to 2 meals a day or even 1 meal a day. Your body can only process a finite amount of protein. So remember that your goal is to keep to between 3-6 ounces of protein on average per meal if you’re eating 3 meals a day – that’s 9-18 ounces of protein per day. If you’re doing 2 meals a day that would look like 6-9 ounces of protein per meal per day. And that’s still going to be okay. But if you’re doing 1 meal a day your body simply can’t process 12-18 ounces of protein for that one meal. So if you’re not losing as you think you should, start by checking your protein.
Reason #2 – Your Carb Count is Off
Carbs are sneaky!!! And sometimes you can “nickel and dime” yourself over your carb limit for the day. This can sometimes happen if you’re not paying attention to your beverage choices. You may think that because a beverage has a low carb count that you don’t need to pay as much attention. But those carbs add up. Especially when you’re just starting it’s really a good idea to track every bit of food AND drink that you’re consuming. That way you can identify areas where carbs may be sneaking into your daily calories.
Reason #3 – You Are No Longer In Ketosis
A sure fire way to stop losing weight is to drop out of ketosis. One main aspect of Keto is getting your body into ketosis and KEEPING your body in ketosis because when you’re not in ketosis you won’t burn fat at the same rate. If you hit a stall it’s a good idea to go back to basics and track your protein, fat and carbohydrate to insure that you are giving your body the tools it needs to be in ketosis.
Reason #4 – Stress
So many times we underestimate the power that stress can have – not just on our emotions but on our body. Stress can really cause havoc and can totally lead to a stall in your Keto journey. When we’re stressed our body releases Cortisol which can really make losing weight much more difficult. We tend to retain water and hold on to fat which is opposite of what we’re looking to do. So managing your stress can make a big difference in moving forward with your weight loss goals.
So if you’re not losing as you think you should, check out any or all of these reasons and kick your body back into gear!