Happy Day 13!
Nearly 2 weeks down. You are past Keto flu, you might have seen some health improvements already.
But maybe you haven’t… what then?
How do you know Keto is ‘working’, or if it will ever work for you?
We humans tend to be short term thinkers.
Studies have shown that we aren’t good at judging how much time things will take us, and weight loss is certainly one of them.
“Most people overestimate what they can do in a day, and underestimate what they can do in a month. We overestimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade.
by Matthew Kelly from the book The Long View
So what does this mean?
We often expect quick results, sometimes even after a few days or weeks, and then get disheartened when we don’t see them.
We also constantly compare ourselves to each other.
So when we hear about someone else who lost 2kgs last week, and we didn’t lose anything, we get disheartened.
Because we have over estimated what we can do in a day, we give up, and don’t even get to a month or a year.
So today, 9 days in, I write this for those that are feeling a bit disheartened.
There is always a reason why you don’t lose weight on Keto if you are eating a balanced, nutritious low carb diet and you have fat to lose, so let’s look at some of the common ones.
This list is also handy to look at if you want to accelerate the health benefits.
I’m going to say it again though…
Weight loss is the last step in the Keto diet.
First you heal your gut, then you heal your insulin, then you rule out food sensitivities.
THEN your body will safely and slowly reduce body fat.
Below are some considerations and things you can check in on to help you quicken that journey.
1. YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT OR SET POINT.
If you don’t have much to lose your body may be holding on to a certain weight.
The good news is you are probably already in great shape, and you should consider whether you actually need to lose those final 3 – 5 kgs.
You might have been that weight before, but chances are you were younger as we are all getting older! Perhaps exercise and gaining muscle will achieve what you are looking for.
As we get older, our natural ‘healthy weight’ changes.
There is also Set Point Theory – it’s still being tested, but there’s some evidence suggesting that we need to break through ‘set points’ or weight barriers that our body is used to and tries to protect. You can read more about it here.
2. YOUR GUT HEALTH.
I’ve mentioned this above, but all signs point to gut health having a major affect on our health in a myriad of ways we are just starting to understand.
If you’ve spent years eating processed foods, high carb foods or things you know you are sensitive too, chances are you have poor gut health.
It’s going to take time to repair this (the lining of your intestines is essentially trying to rebuild itself), so give it some time.
3. THE SCALES ARE LIARS
This is why I always say to measure yourself and focus on your health improvements!
Often your body will be changing composition – ie. fat will move around and you may be putting on muscle to replace the fat.
The scales also pick up how much you ate last night, how dehydrated you are and whether you have inflammation.
When you eat poorly or drink, your body holds on to some extra water to protect you, and this can bounce those scales up.
I’m sure we’ve all jumped on the scales the morning after a huge meal to see we’ve gained 2kg over night. Of course that isn’t fat!
4. FOOD INTOLERANCES CAN CAUSE STALLS AND WATER RETENTION
Often we don’t realise we have food intolerances, especially if our diet has been pretty average. We are used to feeling kind of crappy all the time.
Once we cut out the processed foods and focus more on clean, fresh foods then our sensitivities can become more obvious.
This is because we feel good overall! Each meal should leave you feeling nourished and satisfied, so if something is gurgling away, time to think about what it might be.
Common ones are dairy, eggs and nuts but other people can’t eat niteshades like eggplants. Experiment with yourself and find what works for you.
I encourage you to relax, go with the flow and enjoy the health benefits of keto first and foremost. Stress can be a huge blocker to our health.
If your body has excess fat to lose, it will come with time. In the meantime, take a deep breath and continue on.
I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it again…
This is not a weight loss fad, a quick pill to lose a few kgs before an event.
The ketogenic way of eating is a life long change for optimum health and nutrition.
Enjoy the journey, enjoy the lessons and you’ll look back one day at how far you have come with price.
Love
Rachel xx
