When it comes to losing weight, plateaus are common on the ketogenic diet and can be caused by many factors. A weight loss stagnation on the keto diet can be frustrating, but it's no reason to get discouraged or give up. In fact, there are some quick ways to troubleshoot a plateau and get back on track without pain. To break through a weight loss plateau on the keto diet, you'll want to track your macros and calories, get enough sleep, and consider other factors such as hormones or medications. When you start a ketogenic diet, you may initially experience weight loss due to emptying your carbohydrate stores or because you have already lost a significant amount of weight.
However, bad sleep habits can make you feel hungry when you are not and make excess weight more difficult to lose. If you've tried all of the above and you still look like you're holding weight, talk to your family doctor. The closer you get to your target keto weight, the more often you'll experience weight loss blockages. These include non-scale victories (NSV), which are signs that you may be improving your health and managing to lose weight even when the scale doesn't move. Although many dieters experience rapid weight loss soon after starting this diet, plateaus where their weight stubbornly remains the same are also common. Stagnation is partly due to your metabolism slowing down as you lose weight, meaning you start to burn fewer calories throughout the day.
To break through a plateau, intermittent energy restriction has been shown to be effective in some studies. The results of more than 300 patients enrolled in Virta Health's type 2 diabetes program show that the average patient in the first year of following a low-carb diet had fairly consistent weight loss for nine months. Consequently, it is often the unconscious subtleties in nutrition that cause a plateau of weight loss on Keto. In fact, it is often the subtle nuances of nutrition that can put an end to the stagnation of weight loss and break the ketogenic plateau. With a ketogenic diet, your body will lose a lot of water weight in the first few days due to carbohydrate restriction, but fat loss depends mostly on calorie intake. You may feel the opposite when you step on the scale daily, with no sense of progress, but anything less than three months without weight loss is not considered true stagnation.
To break through a plateau and get back on track with your keto diet journey, track your macros and calories, get enough sleep, and consider other factors such as hormones or medications.
