10 Hacks for Succeeding on Your Keto Diet

Keto Diet Hacks

Hitting a weight loss plateau is typical for any low-calorie meal plan you may be following. It is a notorious roadblock for anyone wanting to lose weight, and the game plan is to succeed on that weight loss plan, be it keto or other. Here are ten reasons why you may be hitting a plateau while trying to follow a keto diet:

1. You are not keeping and maintaining a food journal. Regardless of the meal plan you follow, a food journal not only helps you stay on track with your prescribed macronutrients and calories, but it is a tremendous educational tool as well. It can teach you where your carbs and calories are coming from, how portion sizes make a huge difference in the big picture, and how to choose foods most appropriate for your goals. If you are working with a coach, the coach can use it individualize nutrition education on better choices. 

One study found that people who tracked everything they ate lost twice the amount of weight as those who did not follow what they ate.

1. You aren't supporting your healthy gut bacteria. Come on. You have all heard of the healthy microbiome! Our digestive system is home to some of the most metabolically active bacteria alive, and it can be good bacteria or harmful bacteria. So, how are you supporting your microbiome?

 

• Try adding sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir to even the strictest keto diet to boost those helpful bacteria. Then, there are always probiotic supplements. With probiotic supplements, make sure you follow refrigeration recommendations as these are live organisms and need food safety precautions to survive in a healthy environment.

1. You are eating too many calories or protein. It is easy to consume 3,000 calories a day by binging on nuts and other high-fat foods on a keto diet. You cannot be in dietary ketosis if your calories are too high, as the body does not need to burn its own fat. It is getting all of its energy from your diet.
2. You are grazing throughout your day. Eating too frequently, even on legal keto foods, can stall fat loss. Try intermittent fasting instead. And intermittent fasts can be done without expensive research-backed programs. 
3. You aren't keeping your carb intake low enough. Many programs profess to be ketogenic, but to be genuinely ketogenic, a restriction of no more than 50 grams, about 5% carb calories, per day is recommended. To calculate the macronutrients to individualize your diet, you figure your total calorie needs minus the number of calories per day to lose weight (500 calories per day to lose 1 lb. per week on average) and then times it by .05 (5%). Then divide by four calories per gram, and that will give you your total carb allowance for the day on a 5% carb diet. That means that 20% will be protein, and 75% will be fat. It is, admittedly, a difficult diet to follow and one that should not be followed for any length of time unless medically indicated.
4. You are stressed out. Not controlling the daily stresses of a life well or dealing with major unexpected stressors can leave you with an elevated cortisol level, which alters carbohydrate metabolism. Often, meditation, mindful living, and Ashwagandha tea/supplements will help you get that cortisol down and help you control your stress more positively.
5. You aren't eating enough fiber. Dietary fiber keeps you full longer and creates an environment conducive to weight loss, particularly certain strains of bacilli. Fiber is traditionally found in high carb food such as the grain and starchy vegetable list but getting sufficient fiber on a keto diet is still essential for your health. Try eating more leafy green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), avocado, and berries.
6. You are eating foods you are either allergic to or sensitive to. Gluten, artificial sweeteners, and other restrictive ingredients may trigger an allergic flare up and, thus, a state of inflammation. These foods can also cause dysbiosis, leaky gut syndrome, and insulin resistance, all things that can stall weight loss.
7. You are drinking too much coffee. Too much coffee may induce insulin resistance, making weight loss difficult. Too much coffee is generally more than 3 cups per day. Try ginseng tea instead and take advantage of the catechins and natural antioxidants.
8. You are neglecting restful sleep and other positive lifestyle factors such as activity and exercise. How you live dramatically affects weight loss. How you think and behave may also affect weight loss. For many patients, a good sleep regimen may break the plateau. To get adequate sleep, avoid eating late at night, avoid caffeine at least 3 hours before bedtime, resistant cases may benefit from 3-5 mg. of melatonin at bedtime, turn off all lights including computer screens, and plan on getting 7 hours of good restful sleep. Less than seven is not enough, and ten or more is too much. Balance in life. Plan on an exercise program that takes up 150 minutes per day at a minimum and is a combination of strength training and cardiovascular. Plan your carb snacks around exercise.

Remember, hitting a plateau is normal. Breaking the plateau can be tricky, but the suggestions above may help break that plateau, at least on the keto diet. Some of the points are generic and apply to any diet, such as lifestyle and stress factors.

What is the best keto diet, you ask? The keto Mediterranean Diet is the healthiest keto diet plan to follow. It has healthy fats that won't clog up your arteries, and it's good for your heart.
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So, don't give up. Plan for the plateaus!