Not losing weight on keto? 4 common reasons why

From intermittent fasting to the ketogenic diet, otherwise known as the keto diet, there seems to be a new diet trend popping up on the scene every few months all promising to promote weight loss.

The keto diet is similar to the Paleo and Atkins diet, which are all low-carb diets. But the ketogenic diet aims to help people lose weight by following a low-carb and high-fat diet.

Keto dieters eat carbs in very small doses as the diet mainly consists of high-fat foods and a moderate amount of protein. That's pretty different from your typical diet plan which tells you to get enough protein throughout the day to keep your appetite in check.

If you've tried this eating plan but you're not losing weight on keto, you've hit a weight loss plateau or, maybe you're just keto curious, we've done a deep dive into all things to do with the ketogenic diet.

Keep reading to learn why you need to reach a state of ketosis to see any results and reasons why you're not losing weight on keto.

What is the keto diet?

The keto diet aims to help weight loss efforts through a low-carb diet and high-fat diet plan. When you're on the keto diet your carbohydrate intake is generally very low, and you're told to consume a high amount of fat because the body will burn fat and break it down into ketone bodies. This process is called ketosis [1].

Ketosis is a metabolic state that comes from following a keto diet which forces your body to rely on fuel that's produced by the liver from stored fat instead of using sugar (glucose) which comes from carbohydrate intakes like fruits, grains and legumes [2].

When you're following the ketogenic diet plan, you're limited to eating very few carbs — just 20-50 grams of carb intake each day. Eating too much protein also prevents your body from reaching a state of ketosis so 90% of your diet plan is made up of high-fat foods.

How does it help with weight loss

The keto diet is often used to help children reduce the number of seizures they experience, but, in recent years it's been used for weight loss and has even gotten more popular [2].

So far, there have only been small studies into the effectiveness of the keto diet for weight loss and studies have only shown the short-term effects.

The limited research available has shown that the keto diet has a positive impact on short-term metabolic changes, weight loss and improvements in insulin resistance, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels [3][4].

As for how the keto diet produces weight loss results, here's what the research points to:

• Lowered levels of hormones that trigger hunger like insulin and ghrelin because of a low-carb diet [3]
• Decreased food cravings because of the high-fat diet plan which creates a satiating effect (the process that causes a person to stop eating and feel fuller after eating) [5][6]
• Reduced hunger because of ketone bodies which is the main source of fuel from the keto diet [7]
• Increased rate of burning calories because of the fat-burning state where the body converts fat into glucose (instead of carbs)

One study showed that people following the keto diet had better effects on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors like blood glucose levels, cholesterol and blood pressure compared to a low-fat diet [8].

However, there were no clinically significant differences between the keto diet and a low-fat diet in the long term.

Why I'm not losing weight on the keto diet

When you're following the ketogenic diet, you've got to reach a state of ketosis that comes from sticking to a low-carb diet and a high-fat diet in order to lose weight.

So, the main reason you're not losing weight on keto is that you're probably not reaching a state of ketosis. Why? Well, this could be happening for a variety of reasons, including:

Eating too many carbs

Generally, it's recommended that your carbohydrate intake per day be anywhere between 45-65% but on a keto diet your carbohydrate intake reduces to 5-10% per day [9][10].

That's a huge drop in carb food intake and can be hard to achieve, especially at the start of the ketogenic diet.

Your goal is to enter the ketosis state while following a keto diet and eating too many carbs prevents this. So, keeping tabs on your carb intake can help you figure out why you're not losing weight on keto.

Too many processed foods

Since the keto diet has grown in popularity, there are a bunch of 'keto diet friendly' snacks available out there.

But, those snacks often are processed foods and contain more carbs than you're supposed to consume. Plus, they often don't have any vitamins, nutrients and minerals that your body needs, either.

Instead of consuming an abundance of processed foods, it's best to focus on eating healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables like avocado, olive oil, zucchini, mushrooms, eggs, and fatty fish like salmon, sardines and tuna.

Eating too many calories or too few calories

No matter which diet you're following or which way you're trying to lose weight, you should be in a calorie deficit, meaning you're burning more than you're eating.

And, while the keto diet generally makes you feel fuller because of the high-fat diet, these high-fat foods generally contain extra calories which can make it easier to go over your calorie intake for the day.

On the flip side, eating too few calories can also lead to weight gain because it slows down your metabolism and you may also lose muscle mass.

If you're struggling to eat fewer calories or more calories than you're supposed to, try counting calories through an app to help you keep track of your recommended calorie intake.

Your stress levels are too high and you're not getting enough sleep

Stress levels and sleep impact basically every area of your life and weight gain is one of them. Research has demonstrated time and time again that not getting enough sleep and having chronic stress levels impact weight loss [11].

If you've tried everything on the ketogenic diet like counting calories, watching your carbohydrate intake, and not eating too much protein and you're still not losing weight, it might be because you're not getting adequate sleep and your stress levels are too high.

What to try if keto doesn't work for you

Although the keto diet shows some promising weight loss results in the short term, the evidence hasn't shown what the long-term effects are on your health.

If you've tried keto and you're not losing weight, or you're simply looking for alternative ideas, here are some other weight loss options to consider.

Follow a balanced diet

It's really hard to follow low-carb diets or even eat zero carbs for long-term and sustainable weight loss. Instead, one of the best ways to lose weight is to eat a balanced diet with foods from all 5 food groups. To promote healthy weight loss, your diet should consist of:

• Veggies of all colours
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Dairy products including milk, yogurt and cheese.
• Lean proteins including meats, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes and beans [12].

Some other helpful tips are to drink plenty of water, limit your alcohol intake, eat regularly, consume fibre-rich foods and get enough protein to be fuller for longer and focus on eating smaller portions.

Exercise regularly

Alongside a balanced diet, no matter what weight loss programme you choose, regular exercise is important to burn body fat and for burning calories too. It also helps with other things like stress levels and sleep.

Try to find exercises you enjoy, whether that's walking, running, weight lifting, or swimming at the beach and make it a part of your lifestyle.

Holistic weight loss programmes

If you've tried other ways of weight loss and you're not losing weight or hit a weight loss plateau, Juniper’s Weight Reset Programme takes a holistic approach to weight loss efforts through a combination of medical science and targeted weight loss.

Juniper’s Weight Reset Programme combines proven weight loss medication, health coaching and ongoing support to help you lose weight and keep it off. We prescribe a GLP-1 medication called Wegovy, which contains the active ingredient semaglutide.

Semaglutide is clinically proven to reduce your appetite and make you feel fuller for longer, while also reducing cravings by targeting the rewards centre in the brain.

For long-term success, changing your eating and movement habits is also crucial, which is why we offer a comprehensive programme that includes 3 core pillars of lifestyle change with the assistance of our UK clinicians.

We can help you break habits that might be impacting your weight and help you hit your weight loss goals sooner.

Ultimately, the ketogenic diet has risen in popularity but there's currently limited long-term research into its effectiveness for sustainable and consistent weight loss.

If you've been on the keto diet and you're not losing weight or you've hit a weight loss plateau, there are other options available and Juniper is here to support you with your weight loss journey.