Are You Stuck in a Stall?

When James and I started this keto journey in 2019 it was about losing weight but as I started reading and learning it became about so much more. It’s about health. We both lost weight quickly and our bloodwork showed we were very healthy too - we had great numbers so we were very pleased. It’s been so great for our health and we feel great too.

But I did reach a point in my weight loss where I stalled and didn’t really lose more weight. I didn’t overly concern myself with it since my health was good and I was definitely a much smaller size than I had been. I have been able to maintain my weight loss for a long time and haven’t gained any so I figured my body just needed time to adjust and then I’d lose some more. I’m only about 15 pounds from my original goal weight too so I wasn’t too upset about how far I’d gotten.

But I’ve been stalled and stuck at the same weight for quite awhile so I’ve been trying a little harder to get that extra weight off. I’ve continued to read and try to learn what causes the stall and some of the things I’ve learned are that the sweeteners we use to fit the keto diet can sometimes work in our bodies like sugar does. Some of the sweeteners can trigger an insulin release (which is the main cause of weight gain) even though they aren’t real sugar.

I’ve shared ideas and products with you through our journey here so that you could still enjoy certain types of food even though we’ve eliminated sugar. But if you’re not seeing the results you want, you may want to be stricter on yourself and not allow yourself to have those extra treats for now. Some of the things that I’ve enjoyed incorporating into my keto diet but I’m getting a little more strict on now are Rebel ice cream, ChocZero chocolates and other sugar free candies, Jordan’s Skinny Syrups for coffee, Mio drink flavor, and things like that. If your numbers are good and you’ve lost the weight you wanted, those can be totally fine. But if you’re like me and you’re struggling to get past a stall, it might be good to give up things like that for a bit and see if it makes a difference.

So with that being said, I recommend you don’t eat any desserts or snacks that are marketed as “sugar free” but are still sweet. I would also recommend limiting any foods that are things we normally avoid on a keto diet that have been made to be “low carb.” Sometimes those are made low carb by adding in fillers that aren’t great for you - things like bread, tortillas, syrup, etc. They can be just as bad for you even though they’re technically low carb.

Another thing you can try is intermittent fasting. This is another topic I’ve been learning a lot about and it can really be beneficial and help your body use the extra fuel you already have - aka fat. ;) You can choose to do it however you wish and there’s a lot of great info out there to help you get started and do it well. As I learn more about this I’ll share more too.

And last, if you’re struggling or on a stall, I recommended just tracking your daily food intake so you know what you’re putting in your body. Carb Manager is a great app for this. Sometimes it can be very surprising to see what the macros are once you plug it all in!

If you’re struggling with a stall, I hope that these ideas can help you kickstart that weight loss again and you’ll gain some momentum and achieve the goal you’ve set for yourself. Just know you’re not alone in the struggle. I’m right there with you!