Top 15 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight on a Low-Carb Diet

Low-carb diets are very effective. That is a scientific fact.

However, as with any diet, people sometimes stop losing before they reach their desired weight.

Here are the top 15 reasons why you’re not losing weight on a low-carb diet.

1. You Are Losing Fat, You Just Don’t Realize it

Weight loss isn’t a linear process.

If you weigh yourself every day, then there will be days where the scale goes down, other days where it goes up.

It doesn’t mean that the diet isn’t working, as long as the general trend is going downwards.

Many people lose a lot of weight in the first week of low-carbing, but it is mostly water weight. Weight loss will slow down significantly after that initial phase.

Of course, losing weight is not the same as losing fat.

It is possible, especially if you’re new to weight lifting, that you are gaining muscle at the same time that you’re losing fat.

To make sure that you’re losing, use something other than just the scale (which is a big, fat liar). Use a measuring tape to measure your waist circumference and have your body fat percentage measured every month or so.

Also, take pictures. Take note of how your clothes fit. If you’re looking thinner and your clothes are looser, then you ARE losing fat no matter what the scale says.

2. You’re Not Cutting Back on Carbohydrates Enough

Some people are more carb sensitive than others.

If you’re eating low-carb and your weight starts to plateau, then you may want to cut back on carbs even further.

In that case, go under 50 grams of carbs per day.

When you go under 50 grams per day then you’re going to have to eliminate most fruits from your diet, although you can have berries in small amounts.

If that doesn’t work either, going under 20 grams temporarily can work… eating just protein, healthy fats and leafy green vegetables.

To make sure that you’re really eating low-carb, create a free account on Fitday and log your food intake for a while.

3. You’re Stressed All The Time

Unfortunately, it isn’t always enough to just eat healthy and exercise.

We need to make sure that our bodies are functioning optimally and that our hormonal environment is favorable.

Being stressed all the time keeps the body in a constant state of “fight or flight” – with elevated levels of stress hormones like cortisol.

Having chronically elevated cortisol levels can increase your hunger and cravings for unhealthy foods (1, 2).

If you want to cut back on stress, try meditation and deep breathing exercises. Cut back on distractions like Facebook and news media, read more books instead.

4. You’re Not Eating Real Food

A low-carb diet is about more than just lowering your intake of carbs.

You have to replace those carbohydrates with real, nutritious foods.

Throw away all processed low-carb products like Atkins bars, they are not real food and they are NOT good for your health.

Stick to meats, fish, eggs, vegetables and healthy fats if you need to lose weight.

Also, “treats” like paleo cookies and brownies can cause problems even though they’re made with healthy ingredients. They should be considered as occasional treats, not something you eat every day.

What is also important is to eat enough FAT. If you try to cut back on carbs AND fat, you will end up ravenously hungry and feel like crap.

Eating a diet with nothing but protein is a very bad idea. Low-carb, high-fat and moderate protein is the way to go if you want to get into ketosis, which is the optimal hormonal environment to burn body fat.

5. You’re Eating Too Many Nuts

Nuts are real foods, no doubt about that.

They are also very high in fat, almonds for example having about 70% of calories as fat.

However, nuts are very easy to overeat on.

Their crunchiness and high energy density give us the ability to eat large amounts of them without feeling full.

I personally can eat a bag of nuts and still not feel satisfied, even though that one bag contains more calories than a meal.

If you’re snacking on nuts every day (or worse, nut butters) then chances are that you’re just eating way too many calories.

6. You’re Not Sleeping Enough

Sleep is incredibly important for overall health and studies show that a lack of sleep correlates with weight gain and obesity (3, 4).

A lack of sleep can make us feel hungrier (5). It will also make us tired and less motivated to exercise and eat healthy.

Sleep is one of the pillars of health. If you’re doing everything right but still not getting proper sleep, then you won’t see anywhere near the results you might expect.

If you have a sleeping disorder, see a doctor. They are often easily treatable.

Some tips to improve sleep:

• Avoid caffeine after 2pm.
• Sleep in complete darkness.
• Avoid alcohol and physical exercise in the last few hours before sleep.
• Do something relaxing before sleep, like reading.
• Try to go to bed at a similar time each night.

Source: AuthorityNutrition