Keto Weight Loss Stall

You’ve done everything right. You’ve restricted your daily carbs to 20-50g and powered through the keto flu. Your weight loss has been dramatic. Suddenly, the scale has frozen. Ugh!! What happened? A weight-loss plateau can be frustrating and demoralizing. But take heart! You’re not alone. Follow these strategies to get fat-burning back on track.

Why Has My Weight Loss Stopped on Keto?

Your initial weight loss on Keto is rapid and mainly due to losing water weight in the first week. But thereafter, weight loss can slow down to 1-2 pounds of fat per week. That’s perfectly normal and a steady, slow progression is the recommended method to lose weight.

If you find that the progression is at a stall and you don’t see results after a 2-4 week period, then it’s time to intervene and reassess your strategies.

Metabolism

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest to sustain life. It’s determined by genetics, age, weight, and muscle mass.

Macronutrients consist of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Your body needs all of these macronutrients to function optimally. They are the fuel for your metabolism. On the keto diet, you restrict carb intake, substantially increase fats, and moderate your protein.

Reducing carbs means your body relies on its fat stores for energy.

Sounds perfect, right?

There’s only one problem. Sometimes our bodies have evolved to fight fat loss. Over time, humans developed mechanisms to adjust to times of famine and food scarcity by slowing metabolism to preserve fat for energy. This adaptive thermogenesis is an ingenious reaction but it can frustrate you from reaching your weight-loss goal.

Watch Your Calories

It’s a myth that keto dieters don’t need to track calories. Let me explain.

Calories in and calories out is NOT the whole picture on weight loss. However, the fundamental equation for weight loss is still determined by calorie intake.

Weight loss is a product of a calorie deficit. This calculator provides you with a method to establish a calorie deficit to achieve your goal.

However, when you insert adaptive thermogenesis, total daily energy expenditure decreases as the result of the many bodyweight-regulating systems we inherit to prevent excess weight loss. From an evolutionary standpoint, if you shed pounds in constant proportion to your calorie consumption, then when food is limited, you would burn through too many calories to survive.

In the Beginning…

In the early stages of keto, you lose weight quickly as you lose water weight and start burning fat through nutritional ketosis. But eventually, you reach a new equilibrium and weight loss slows down or even stops!

When it comes to fat loss, the calorie intake that might produce an optimal rate of progress for someone at 220 pounds isn’t the same as the calorie intake that would produce an optimal rate of progress for them at 180 pounds.

This is why, at 180 pounds, they’d need to eat fewer calories than they originally estimated and progressed well with when they were 220 pounds. With 40 fewer pounds of mass, a smaller physique burns less energy.

The major cause of weight reduction on low-carb diets is that it is considerably harder to overeat fat and protein compared to high-carb diets. When you restrict carbohydrates, you end up feeling fuller and less hungry because people feel more full than when they’re eating high-carbohydrate meals.

However, if you have hit a weight loss plateau and want to lose more weight, you should begin being more rigorous with your calorie consumption.

You’ve been under the impression that the beauty of keto is that it doesn’t require constant calorie counting as long as you stick to the right proportions of macros.

But calories are everywhere and it’s easy to get off track if you don’t focus on your food intake.

Recalculate Your Macronutrients

When you lose weight, your calorie deficit decreases. When the calorie deficit is reduced, you will begin to lose weight at a slower rate until it reaches a plateau.

Ultimately, your initial calorie deficit will eventually turn into the number of calories you require to maintain your weight. To break through this barrier, count your macros once a month or every 10 pounds and use your new body weight.

Stop Snacking and Watch your Dairy

Nuts, seeds, and keto baked goods are tasty temptations that are easily overeaten. Dip into almonds too often and it’s very easy to push your calorie intake over the top and create a calorie surplus. They’re easy to nibble and they’re easy to add weight.

When you’re on keto, your first impulse is to find substitutions for the carb-rich foods you once ate. You probably miss your morning muffin or toast. Cutting back or removing, at least temporarily, these temptations might help you break out of your rut.

Over-eating dairy products, like fatty cheeses or extra cream in your coffee can throw you off track.

Get the Right Protein Balance

Pay attention to protein. It should represent 25% percent of your keto diet. When protein intake is too low, people feel hungry, snack more frequently, and consume too many calories. Excess protein may add needless calories to your diet. The correct amount of daily protein preserves your metabolic rate so you don’t lose lean muscle mass.

Exercise for Health, Not Weight Loss

Let’s dispel a lot of misinformation out there that makes false claims about exercise, weight loss, and metabolism. Usually, it comes from people with hidden agendas promoting their products or services. Many people suggest that “studies” prove the efficacy of exercise and losing fat.

However, the actual studies are never quoted and if they are, their details if you take the time to read them, show that there is no conclusive clinical evidence correlating exercise with increased metabolism and fat loss.

There’s no question that an exercise routine has fantastic health benefits.

Resistance or strength training particularly can build muscle, improve cardiovascular health, increase bone density and yes, burn more calories.

Is Cardio the answer?

Cardio workouts are fabulous to get your heart pumping efficiently, reduce blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and improving brain function.

Whether it’s strength training or cardio, regular exercise will improve your sleep patterns and proper sleep is essential for weight loss.

Know that exercise doesn’t elevate your metabolic rate when it ends. Soon afterward, your body returns to its original state.

Don’t overindulge. When you’re on the keto diet, be careful not to reward yourself with too many extra calories. It’s easy to say, “I just did a spin class for 60 minutes, I deserve some extra keto cheesecake.”

No, you don’t! It’s an easy trap to fall into and it’s a major reason for a weight loss plateau.

Try Intermittent Fasting and Diet Breaks

Weight loss plateaus are often a product of adaptive thermogenesis. Intermittent fasting often helps people start losing weight again by jumpstarting keto.

Since your body has adapted to low-carbs, your weight loss stall may have slowed to a crawl. Mixing up your eating pattern may ignite your metabolism. Intermittent fasting changes your eating windows, not your macronutrient percentages.

Studies on obese people prove the efficacy of a diet break approach. Periodic diet breaks may prevent the body from decreasing its resting metabolic rate, resulting in more efficient and constant weight loss.

From Plateaus to Peaks

Don’t ever let a dreaded weight loss plateau become an obstacle on your keto journey to a healthier body and mind. Everyone experiences these irritating stumbling blocks. With careful planning and discipline, you can break through a plateau and return to the path toward achieving success.

Try the strategies I’ve outlined for a keto weight loss stall and see what works for you. If you find yourself stuck, reach out to eat@thekelliekitchen.com and I’ll help you get back on track. I’m always here to help!!

MEDICAL AND NUTRITION DISCLAIMER…Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nutritional break downs are done using a commercial nutrition calculator. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctorbefore starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers, this should never be construed as medical advice.