It’s quite exciting starting a weight loss journey. You start doing everything possible to see those pounds go down. You change your eating habits, start exercising and go to bed early to at least get more hours of sleep. You start to lose weight, week after week, you see the numbers on the scale go down. You are excited and motivated! Then you begin to notice the numbers are hardly going down. You say to yourself, “Maybe it is because I overindulged at the party, or maybe I’m gaining more muscle”. You decide to give yourself another week, but you don’t seem to make the progress you are hoping for. A few more weeks go by, and those pounds seems to cling on you. Frustration kicks in. You feel stuck!

You are not alone.

The weight loss plateau is a great thing if you have reached your weight goal but it is one of the most frustrating things if you are still on your healthy weight journey. This is where most people give up. During my four years weight loss journey, I hit the plateau two times. I was doing everything I knew to do but still could not losing weight. At one point I slowly started gaining a few pounds. I felt quite discouraged. This was before I knew what I know now.

I always heard that diet and exercise are both parts of healthy living, but diet plays a bigger role. I never thought this applied to me. I was determined to outwork my poor food choices. That is how my weight plateaued the first time. My mentality was I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I went to the gym to burn the calories. The more I worked out, the hungrier I got and the more I ate. At first, I lost weight, but after a few months, my weight stayed constant.

I was determined to lose weight so I hired a personal trainer for six months. Hiring a personal trainer was one of the best decisions I made. I learned how to use gym equipment, how to engage different muscle groups during my work outs, and how to design a workout plan. My personal trainer also provided a consistent workout schedule. One of the things he taught me was to change my workout regime every 6 weeks to make sure my body did not get used to the same routine and get into a weight loss plateau. I lost 19 pounds during the six months. My only regret is I did not make better food choices during this time. My Personal trainer advised me to eat more lean meat and fewer carbohydrates. I cut out bread and rice, from my diet but I still ate plenty of carbs from other sources.

After the six months, I no longer had a personal trainer. I put into practice what I had learned but after some time, with no one to be accountable to, I stopped going to the gym consistently. I went from working out 3-4 times a week to 1-2 times a week, and this is when my weight loss gradually came to a halt. Based on other time commitments, my going to the gym 3-4 times a week was not sustainable long-term and my not so good eating habits required me to work out consistently in order to lose weight.

I wanted to get off the weight loss rollercoaster but didn’t know how until I understood the role my diet played in my health and weight loss journey. I was working too hard at the gym only to come home and undo my efforts by eating too many starchy foods and very little fats.

Getting on the Keto diet helped me understand how to make the right changes. I realized a very large percentage of my diet comprised of carbs; mainly starchy foods and sugars, and very little protein and fats. I had focused on the calories I ate and not the quality of the food. No wonder I was always hungry and I never seemed to lose belly fat. The keto diet proved to be efficient and sustainable. Within a few months, I accomplished my goal. I continued going to the gym, not to lose weight but to tone and stay fit.

If you are stuck at the same weight and never seem to lose belly fat, Ketogenic diet (otherwise known as keto) is a good option.

If you are on keto and have hit the weight loss plateau, check if,

• You are eating more than 20 grams of carbs per day.
• You are eating too much protein (preferably 1 gram of protein per kilogram of your weight per day).
• You are eating enough healthy fats based on your goals.
• Make changes in your excerise routine.

I’m also aware that no one diet works for everyone, so here are a few things to consider if keto is not for you,

• Pay attention to how many carbs you are eating. Keep in mind veggies, fruits, and beans have carbs too. If you find that most of your diet is carbs, find ways to reduce the amount by 50%. Excess carbs are stored in the body as fat making it difficult to lose weight. Avoid fast food and reduce your sugar intake.
• If you have not been exercising, this is a good time to start. Exercise helps boost metabolism and burn more calories.
• If you have been doing the same workout program or routine for a while, change it up. When the body adapts to the same workouts, it becomes efficient and easier to do the workouts, therefore using up less energy and burning fewer calories.
• Find an accountability partner to help you stay consistent with the new healthy habits you are forming.
• Seek help from someone who has already succeeded in their weight loss journey.

Diet and exercise are both parts of healthy living, but diet plays a bigger role.