When you are in ketosis, your body burns fat and uses it efficiently for energy. This process makes the keto diet an ideal option for those looking for an easy way to lose weight. However, if you are following this diet and not losing weight, chances are you are not in ketosis. Below are some common reasons for not losing weight on the ketogenic diet.
1. Not reaching ketosis
Typically, most keto dieters do not lose weight because they do not achieve ketosis. And the reason they don’t get ketosis is because they don’t reduce their carb intake. According to experts, your carb intake should be only 5 to 10% of your caloric intake.
Most keto diets require dieters to reduce carbs by at least 20 grams per day. And this is the reason why they are not able to burn fat. You can buy a home testing kit and use test strips to find out if you have ketones in your urine. If the test result is positive, you are in ketosis.
2. Consume Lots of Protein
Most low-carb diets allow some amount of protein. If you thought the keto diet meant a high-protein, low-carb diet, you need to think again. The thing is, this type of diet can’t help you reach ketosis because your body can’t break down excessive amounts of protein to get amino acids, and then convert the amino acids into sugar.
When on a keto diet, you get your calories from fat. And fat should make up at least 55% of your caloric intake.
3. Consuming Too Much of Allowable Carbs
There are certain types of carbs you can have on the keto diet, such as dairy and nuts. Typically, these foods are rich in fat and nutrients. Hence, they can be an ideal addition to your diet. But the problem is that they contain carbs.
Therefore, it is not good to consume too much of these foods. Ignoring this advice will prevent you from maintaining ketosis.
4. Eating Maltitol
In general, sugar alcohols are fine for keto dieters. They give sweetness but do not increase the number of carbs in your body. But it’s important to note that some types of alcohol contain carbs.
For example, maltitol is one type that is not allowed on this low-carb diet. Technically, it is a low GI sugar but it does have an effect on your blood sugar levels. Therefore, it may prevent you from achieving ketosis.
5. Consuming too many calories
If you eat more calories than you burn, you won’t be able to shed those extra pounds. In fact, if you consume too many calories, you can still gain fat after achieving ketosis.
Foods that contain a lot of fat have more calories than foods rich in protein and carbs. Therefore, it is important that you monitor the calories you consume on a daily basis. If you stick to a balanced diet, you can achieve your goals.
So, these are some of the reasons why you are not able to lose weight on your keto diet.
