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I’m always getting messages and emails from followers who are frustrated because they didn’t lost any weight in a span of a few days.

I lost 50 pounds in 6 months eating clean keto. In the beginning, it felt like the weight was just melting off. But by month 3, the weight loss started to slow down.

Here’s my advice on what to do when the weight doesn’t instantly come off or plateaus.

How Long Did It Take Me To Lose Weight?

I know people like concrete numbers. Here is how much I lost every single month since starting Clean Keto in September 2019.

It’s Been A Week + I Haven’t Lost Weight! Help!

Ugh. That’s so hard. Hugs friend.

I know it’s fun to see the numbers on the scale drop, and it can feel discouraging when it’s not moving as fast as you want.

My advice? DON’T GIVE UP!

Just because you didn’t lose a pound over a few days or a few weeks, don’t stop! Keep at it for another week or even a month then compare the weight loss amount.

Think of it as a traffic jam on the way to your destination. You’re trying to get somewhere, but there’s an accident and traffic is slow. You’re not going to give up and just go home. No! You’ll just hang out in traffic, keep at it, and eventually you’ll get there.

It’s the same with weight loss!

Especially once you’ve lost your first big leap of weight in the beginning. My 1st month I lost 17 pounds. My 5th month it was only 3 pounds. But it all adds up!

11 Tips For What To Do When The Weight Plateaus

1. Are You Keeping It Low Carb Enough?

I personally try and stick to under 25ish carbs a day. You may want to track your meals closely to make sure you’re keeping it low carb enough. Here is my post on my macro goals I stick to, and how to track your macros properly!

2. Are You Keeping It High Fat Enough?

You want to make sure you’re not only keeping it low carb, but also high fat. That way your body can adapt to fat fueled and and burn fat the most efficiently. Some great ways to get more fat in your meals:

3. Have You Tried Intermittent Fasting?

By keeping your eating window to just 8 hours a day, and your fasting window to 16 hours, your body is able to digest more efficiently and burn fat better. Try adding in intermittent fasting and see if it helps!

4. Are You Exercising?

Even walking just 30 minutes a day can get your heart rate up and encourage burning more fat. Doing weights is even better since it builds muscle. Muscle burns fat even when resting. So the more muscle you have the better. One of the reasons why guys lose weight so much faster than gals, they typically have more muscle. I share about my exercise routine here.

5. Are You Having Too Many Indulgence Meals?

Your body loses weight the fastest and most efficiently when it is in ketosis. Ketosis is when your body has adapted to being fat fueled by burning fat for energy rather than carbs. It takes about a week for it to swap over to fat fueled when you start keto. If you’re having too many indulgence or “cheat” meals, you’re throwing yourself out of ketosis and your body will burn the carbs for energy rather than fat. Try and avoid indulgence meals as much as you can until you’ve reached your goal weight. For more info, I share about why I try and avoid cheat meals during your weight loss journey here.

6. Are You Overly Stressed?

Stress causes a release of the hormone cortisol, which leads to increase weight gain. If your life is causing you too much stress, find healthy ways to relieve your stress. Walking, jogging, meditating, etc can help immensely.

7. Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

When you get a proper amount of sleep, your body releases the hormone leptin, which suppresses your appetite and encourages fat burning. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body isn’t releasing enough leptin. Do whatever you can to get 8 hours of sleep each night.

8. Stop Weighing Yourself Every Day

This is a huge tip that has helped me immensely as my weight loss numbers aren’t as drastic. Don’t focus on the scale every single day! It can cause stress, and be discouraging if it’s not dropping as fast as you hope. Plus, your weight can fluctuate so much day by day based on digestion, water weight and hormones. I notice my weight goes up by a pound or 2 the day I start my period no matter what, and drops back down as soon as my period is over.

9. Focus on Weight Loss Over A Longer Period of Time

Don’t compare weight loss numbers day by day. Instead, compare numbers week by week. Or even better month by month! 

10. Celebrate Each Pound

Even if you only lost 1 pound in a month, CELEBRATE THAT POUND! You’re one pound closer to your health goal. As with all things in life, when you focus on the good, the good gets better.

11. Focus On Your Other Health Benefits

Whenever I start to feel discouraged that the weight isn’t coming off faster, I focus on all the other health benefits I’m getting from clean eating. Deeper sleep! Clearer skin! Better mood! My clothes fit better! Because your overall health is so much bigger than just the number on the scale.

Last Bit Of Advice

If you’ve done all of these, and still aren’t seeing the scale move as much as you want, don’t give up! Give it another month or 2 and see where it is. Think long term. It took you a LONG time to get the weight on, it can take equally as long for it to come off. Just enjoy all the other health benefits in the mean time.

You can always consult your doctor for a more personalized plan of action.