Defining Keto Plateau
According to Dr. Eric Westman, one of the
leading proponents of the New Atkin’s Diet and the Ketogenic Diet, a dieter is
not on a weight loss plateau unless his/her weight loss has stalled at least
thirty days. Dr. Westman says when a dieter’s weight stays the same or goes up
a half pound or more for a few days, it is a stall or halt, but not a true
plateau. We do want to get the terminology correct, but whether it is called a
stall, halt or plateau, it can be quite frustrating.
By the way, I do not know Dr. Westman. I have
never met him or had any conversations with him. I only know about him due to
Youtube videos he has published. I have read a couple of his books. I have
watched his videos over and over and always learn something helpful from them. I
think he gives good advice.
I hit my first stall after losing 17 pounds
in three weeks. I was upset and puzzled. I knew I was eating less, sticking to
the plan and had seen the pounds melt away. I wondered what I had done wrong
and if something was wrong with my body. Would I ever lose another pound? Would
I be the only person who did not lose weight on the Ketogenic Diet?
I did not know what to do, but I did know
Youtube contained tons of information, so I turned to the wonderful dieters
across the world for their shared experiences. I typed in the words plateau and weight loss stop in the browser bar only to see tons and tons of
videos from people who had experienced the same situation as I was facing. I
spent hours searching and viewing videos and learning from others. I tried many
of the tips they were suggesting and soon saw my weight loss continue.
I was certain I had taken care of my problem
with weight loss stalls, but after losing ten pounds I hit another stall. Once
again, I turned to the Internet and to books, articles and anything I could get
my hands on that might help me. Luckily, I found great help. However, the
stalls have continued throughout my journey.
If you have hit a stall, the best thing I can
tell you to do it to hang in there.
Do not stop the
program and do not starve.
Mainly, when you hit a stall your body is
adjusting. Getting on the Ketogenic Diet is something that requires patience,
learning and endurance. I can tell you now and I wish I had known this when I
hit my first stall, that each person’s body reacts differently to Keto. There
may be one food that your body simply will not allow you to eat and continue to
lose weight. There may also be foods that enhance or speed up your weight loss.
The key, of course, is for you to find the foods that your body reacts to that
will speed your weight loss, and to stay away from the foods that put you into
a stall.
We have no problem believing that certain
people have allergies to nuts, gluten and milk. Why do you have a problem
believing that certain people are allergic to other foods such as cheese, beef
or pork? For sure, certain people can be allergic to any food substance. You
may find that you are allergic to specific foods as well.
For me, beef is one food that I have learned
to stay away from. I lose great while eating bacon, pork chops, chicken or
fish, but when I eat beef burgers or steak, I do not lose weight and may gain a
pound or more. I find tuna, salmon and liver to be foods that cause me to lose
the most weight. I often eat them. Why not?
I know a man on the Keto diet who turned to
me when he hit a stall. After carefully going over his food diaries, I
suggested that he stop eating cheese every day. He stopped eating cheese and
saw his weight loss continue.
What do these examples mean? Each person’s
body is different. Our bodies are made up of chemicals and some chemicals react
differently in different bodies. Find out what chemicals your body reacts to
and you will see your weight loss continue.
You can ONLY find out what foods are go foods and what foods are stop foods for your body by experience.
Remember, this journey is one you must take for yourself. You will get plenty
of help along the way, but your body is unique and you must learn to feed it
what it wants and needs.
The next chapter includes my best tips for
getting off a stall and watching the scale move down again.
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