How to break stalled weight loss on the ketogenic diet

Last Updated on May 18, 2022 by Latrice

Weight loss is already challenging enough. When a plan stops working, it becomes even more challenging and frustrating.

Keto is no exception especially considering how restrictive a ketogenic diet can seem. For some, this diet is the best thing since Kerry’s Gold butter.

For others, it’s limiting and if there aren’t any weight loss results, keto appears to be not worth the effort.

If you’ve started experiencing a weight loss plateau with the ketogenic diet, don’t toss out the keto approach just yet.

Give these tips a try if you’re looking to stick with keto. But if you’re totally over keto, by all means, give it up. There are other real foods, healthy methods for weight loss.

But if you’d like to stick with it below are 9 tips for breaking stalled weight loss on keto that I’ve picked up from around the way and given a try myself.

from the bus to your job. And they’re healthy thus guilt-free.

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Cut dairy out of your keto routine or cut down

Some people can lose weight on a keto diet that includes dairy, and some people simply can’t. The difference? Insulin resistance or insulin sensitivity.

Dairy causes a high secretion of insulin in some people. (source)

If you’re insulin resistant as it is, it is highly likely dairy will be an issue for you. But if not, dairy won’t affect you in that manner.

“Dairy seems to stall weight loss for some people, so you might try taking it out of the diet if you can’t lean out.” – MarksDailyApple.com 

Remove keto snacks – processed “keto-friendly” packaged foods

Every once and a while, a packaged keto-friendly snack might be fine but making it a daily occurrence can be why your weight loss has stalled.

For myself, I even had to cut them out as my weekly treat.

Packaged foods that call themselves keto-friendly are easy to overdo or can have extras in them that’ll throw off your appetite or macro count.

Sticking to real foods helps you keep a closer eye on what you’re eating.

Limit (measure) or remove nuts and nut butters

People tend to go overboard with the nuts. Myself included. Start out with a cute little handful and before you know it, you’re 5 handfuls in. If you know you’ve got a problem with nuts and nut butters, don’t even start.

Also, watch which nuts you consume. Raw nuts are better than roasted nuts. Raw nuts have their nutrients still intact and their fats. Roasted nuts tend to be higher in carbs and are usually coated in bad fats like cottonseed oil. 

And avoid cashews or keep a CLOSE eye on how many of them you eat. They’re high in carbs. And peanuts ARE NOT a nut. They’re a legume. 

Nut butters are also better when raw. And they are easier to overdo.

Again, if you know you tend to have more than you intended, don’t even start.

Keep your meals super simple

I’ve noticed my 75-pound weight loss was much simpler when I kept my meals simple and to the point – meat, vegetables, fat.

My mom even joked with me saying, “dang, all you eat is meat, fat, and vegetables. Meat, fat, and vegetables.” Yup! Pretty much.

This makes it easier to track macros and calories, removes worries of eating too much protein or carbs, and makes it easier to keep an eye on what foods work best for you.

Recipes are cool and all, but limit the fancy ones for special occasions. Definitely limit them when you’re on a weight loss regimen. 

Quit snacking and stick to 2 to 3 meals a day

If you’ve been snacking on a ketogenic diet, and your weight loss has stalled, it’s time to give up the snacks.

And honestly, if you’re following a keto routine correctly, you shouldn’t have to snack. Your meals should be nutrient dense enough to hold you over in between them, without snacking.

If you find yourself needing to snack in between your meals, consider adding more fat to your meals. You might even need more protein.

However, if you notice your hunger is actually a craving, you might be consuming too much protein. Too much protein can be converted into glucose by the liver. Glucose in the system can increase cravings.

Yes, keto is a delicate balance.

Incorporate intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is another tool for keeping your insulin low and limiting the amount of times it is elevated, thus increasing how long your body is in fat-burning mode.

When I first gave intermittent fasting a try, it helped me lose a significant amount of weight quickly. Like, one morning I got out of bed and when I stretched my arms up, my waist beads slipped right off my waist and onto the floor. The fat loss around my waist and hips alone was REALLY impressive.

All I did was quit eating around 4 pm and didn’t eat breakfast until 8 am the following morning. That was 16 hours of fasting with a good chunk of it done in my sleep.

You can give intermittent fasting a try by easing your way into it with the method I’ve mentioned above. Have your dinner a little earlier than usual and eat a little later the following day. Work your way up to 16 hours of fasting.

Limit artificial sweeteners or remove them

Listen, if you’re prone to binge eating, food addiction, and sugar cravings, cut even the artificial sweeteners.

Now, if you’ve overcome those behaviors around food with artificial sweeteners in your keto diet, than they work fine for you.

But if you’re like myself where something sweet can make you have more than you wanted to have, then cut those sweeteners out.

They can trigger cravings which can lead to over-eating.

Remove low-carb flours from your routine

Almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca and pretty much any of those lower-carb white and wheat flour substitutes can still cause a higher insulin response.

It’s the refinement that increases how much insulin they cause the body to create.

Removing them also helps you keep a closer eye on how many carbs you’re getting. If you’re weight loss is struggling, ditch the flours all together.

At least until you reach your weight loss goals. Or, you can limit them to once a month if you must have a keto-friendly, baked treat. 

Eat more protein

This video on protein was just released on June 17, 2018. It’s a quick message on if you should eat more or less protein.

According to Dr. Ted Naiman’s findings, those that ate more protein did better. They had lower abdominal fat and lost more body fat.

Check it out…

Here are a few good videos to check out on common ketosis mistakes