One of the most motivating aspects of keto dieting is watching the scale drop lower and lower every week. However, when you’re in ketosis and your weight loss stalls, it can get discouraging. Weight loss plateaus can be a great opportunity to assess your current diet and narrow in on any factors that may be causing problems.

There are some immediate aspects of your diet you’ll want to investigate in order to determine what might be causing your plateau.

• Are you consuming too many calories?
• Have you been measuring and tracking your foods carefully?
• Did you properly calculate your macros?
  

If you’re fat adapted and have ruled out any obvious causes for a weight loss stall, you might want to take a look at some of the foods you’re eating. While perfectly keto friendly for most, some people experience a plateau when they incorporate specific foods into their diet.

Alcohol

Say it ain’t so! Having the occasional vodka and sparkling water is a definite perk of keto dieting. As much as certain alcohols are allowed because they fit into your macros, alcohol doesn’t just impair your judgment, it also impairs your metabolism. The byproducts produced by alcohol metabolism are viewed as toxins – making them priority number one by your body – and a shift occurs. Rather than burning up all the fat and calories, like we want our bodies to do, we spend ample time removing the byproducts first before returning to our normal metabolic state.¹

Too Much Fat

While keto macros indicate we should follow a low-carb, high-fat diet, keeping your fat intake under control is still an essential part of weight loss. Consider this – the entire point of being ketosis is to shift energy-burning gears, going from burning carbs to burning fat stores. If you’re eating more fat than your body is burning, you’re still not going to lose weight. You’re just burning the fat that you eat and not allowing your body to dip into your own fat stores for energy. Ditch the fat bombs and consider your fat intake as an optional goal. Use it when you need it, but avoid it if you’re satiated.

Nuts

Often the easiest snack choice for ketoers on the go, nuts and seeds end up being a lot more carbohydrate heavy than most of our macros are fit to handle. Of course, high fiber nuts and seeds can work if properly planned into a day. However, the tendency to go over portions is a lot easier if you’re grabbing a handful or two (or three). If possible, try cutting nuts and seeds out of your diet for a couple of weeks and see how that goes. Otherwise, be mindful of the serving size on the package and stick to one serving.

When weight loss stalls, the frustration can be so real. But fear not! Don’t give up and give your diet a careful investigation in order to see if you’re as on track as you think you are. With some adjustments, you can be back to shedding pounds in no time.

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD

This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD.

Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.

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Allison Lee

Allison is a freelance writer, fitness expert, and long-time advocate of the ketogenic lifestyle. Once overweight, she contributes her success in losing over 75 lbs to both a low-carb, high-fat diet and moderate exercise. Residing in Tacoma, Washington, Allison enjoys getting out to explore the Pacific Northwest with her two children and taking in baseball games on lazy Sunday afternoons.

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