It can be frustrating to go through a keto weight loss plateau. But this is normal and many keto dieters have gone through this.
Low carb diets like keto is not an easy feat. You have to sacrifice a lot of your favorite foods and carefully keep track of your daily macros. So when you notice that the number on the scale seems to have stopped going down, you might find yourself wondering what could have happened.
Reaching a plateau is a common problem for most keto dieters, especially those who have been on the diet for a long time. So let’s find out more about the keto weight loss plateau and identify some ways on how to break through it.
What is a Keto Weight Loss Plateau?
A keto weight loss plateau happens when you just stop losing weight while on the keto diet. It usually occurs after about six to nine months of being on the diet. In most cases, it will last for only a couple of weeks before you can break through it and start losing weight again.
Going through a keto weight loss plateau is truly frustrating, enough to make you give up on the diet. This is unfortunate especially after you’ve put so much effort into losing weight. But you need to understand that going through a plateau is part of the process. It does not mean that your diet is not working or that something is wrong.
Weight loss plateaus are common and it doesn’t only affect keto dieters. There are many reasons why this could happen. According to Fatima Cody Stanford, an instructor of medicine and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, there is a “set point” in which our body would not want to lose any more weight.
“No matter what you try, you are always within five to 10 pounds of baseline weight. When you attempt to lose weight, the body aims to defend its set point, via the brain, to keep you in a certain range.”
But there are several other reasons why keto dieters go through a keto weight loss plateau. Also, the reasons would vary from one person to another. But regardless of the reason, there are ways on how you can break through it.
How to Break Through a Keto Weight Loss Plateau
When you weigh yourself and notice that you’re not losing any weight, don’t panic just yet. Remember that several factors could influence your daily number on the scales. Among these are water retention, food content in your stomach, a full bladder, and more.
You could be doing things that could sabotage your diet without realizing it. The good news is that there are ways of breaking through a keto weight loss plateau and continue losing weight. Here are some ways.
Boost Your Intake of Protein
Protein is an essential part of your keto diet. Although most of your intake should come from fats, you also need to include a moderate amount of protein in your diet.
Related reading: Can You Have Too Much Protein On Keto?
Unfortunately, most followers of the keto diet will only keep track of their fat and carb consumption. This could be the reason why they ended up with a keto weight loss plateau.
To get the most out of your keto diet, you should also think about your protein consumption. 25 to 30% of your daily calorie intake should come from protein. Anything above that could put you out of ketosis and eating too little could cause a plateau.
Related reading: Do You Need To Count Calories on a Keto Diet?
Try Intermittent Fasting
Keto dieters who are struggling with keeping their calorie intake low can greatly benefit from occasional fasting. Intermittent fasting refers to an eating pattern where you will put your body in a fasting state for a certain period.
After the fasting period is over, you’ll start feeding yourself. This period is known as the feeding window. And since you’re on the keto diet, make sure that the foods you eat during this period are keto-friendly.
Intermittent fasting is truly effective especially if you incorporate it with a low-carb diet. In fact, studies show that intermittent fasting is more effective compared to other low-calorie diets when it comes to losing weight. Some studies also show intermittent fasting as being effective in improving overall health.
Give HIIT Workouts a Try
Although it’s possible to achieve weight loss on keto without exercise, adding exercises to your diet can give you more benefits. But if you’re already doing light aerobic activities and still ended up on a keto weight loss plateau, you may want to give High-Intensity Interval Training a try.
Studies show that performing HIIT workouts regularly can improve both your anaerobic and aerobic fitness. It boosts your body’s fat burning abilities and increases insulin sensitivity. Studies show that HIIT can help people to lose weight faster compared to other intensity training exercises.
So how does HIIT help with keto weight loss plateau? HIIT can boost your body’s metabolic rate. With regular HIIT exercises, your body can lose a significant amount of calories that could get you out of a plateau.
Related reading: Burn some Body Fat with Bodyweight Exercises
Be Consistent
Staying consistent with your keto diet is extremely important. Remember, it will take a while before you can get into ketosis. And if you cheat for only a few days, you may have to start all over again.
Related reading: How To Tell If You Are in Ketosis Without Testing
If you are already in ketosis and you consume more carbs than you’re supposed to, you could experience a plateau. Worse still you could gain back the weight you have already lost!
So be consistent with your keto diet and make it a habit to keep track of your daily macros. This should be easy since there are now plenty of tools and apps that can help keto dieters keep track of their daily macros.
Final Thoughts
Going through a keto weight loss plateau is completely normal so there’s no need to panic. Everyone goes through this phase. This is just your body attempting to preserve whatever is left of its fat stores.
Although a keto diet is truly effective in helping you to lose weight, it’s not entirely perfect and the keto plateau is one of its flaws. But as you see, there are ways on how you can break through a plateau and continue to lose weight again. If you do things right, you’ll see those numbers on the scale going down again.
