Why Aren’t You Losing Weight on a Low-Carb Diet? Surprising Things You Might Be Doing Wrong

So, it’s been a few weeks—maybe even a month or more—of giving up your favorite carbs. No more potatoes, pie, or pasta. You step on the scale, fully expecting something a little bit magical to happen.

Nothing.

Why, after all this time and effort, do you still weigh the same?

If you’re following a low-carb diet and aren’t losing weight, you’re not alone. Many people find that they don’t lose weight on low-carb diets, even if they are strictly following the rules.

There are several reasons why this might be the case for you, and in this article we will explore them all. We’ll also provide some tips to help you lose weight on a low-carb diet, even if it’s been difficult for you in the past!

Most Common Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight

Staring at a scale that hasn’t moved, even after you changed your diet, it’s incredibly frustrating.

What gives?

You’re following the rules, stopped eating your favorite desserts and carbs, and you still haven’t lost weight.

This is enough to cause many people to throw in the towel. Why keep trying if it isn’t going to work?

We’ve all been there. It’s seriously de-motivating to feel like all your efforts aren’t paying off. Before you quit, let’s look closely at why you aren’t losing weight. This is a common experience for lots of people – especially women. There are often a few common reasons that those pounds just won’t leave – and a few things you can do to banish them for good!

You Aren’t Completely Thin Adapted

The most common reason people don’t lose weight when they eat low-carb is that their body isn’t completely Thin Adapted yet.

What’s this mean?

When your body is Thin Adapted, it switches from burning carbs for energy to burning fat. This is the phase you’re in during our 28-Day Metabolism Reset. During this phase, some people lose between 7-15 pounds.

Most people lose the majority of their weight after they become fully Thin Adapted. After your body is used to burning its stored fat as energy, you’ll notice your clothes fitting loser and the scale finally moving.

But you have to give it time and eat the correct foods in order to get to this point. That’s what the 28-Day Metabolism Reset takes you through, step by step.

You’re Eating Hidden Carbs

Another reason many people fail to lose weight while eating low-carb is that they are actually eating more carbs than they think.

This is because some foods contain hidden carbs, or the labels are seriously misleading. This isn’t your fault, and it’s really easy to fix.

You see, a lot of foods that are marketed as “low-carb” on the labels actually have a lot more carbs than people assume.

Check the nutrition labels on all the food you’re eating, and ensure that the carb content is truly low. Otherwise, you might find yourself inadvertently sabotaging your weight loss efforts!

The safest way to avoid hidden carbs is to cook the food yourself. There are tons of super-easy Thinlicious™ recipes that are ready in 30 minutes or less. Plus, they taste better than anything you can buy in the store. Try one of these tasty recipes:

• Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Quick & Easy Garlic Butter Shrimp and Zoodles
• Thinlicious Green Low-Carb Smoothie

Not Eating Enough Protein

Friend, protein is the most important thing you can eat when you are trying to shed those stubborn pounds. If you aren’t eating enough of it (or enough of the right kind) that scale might not budge.

Protein is essential for weight loss, and many people find that they need to eat more protein when they are trying to lose weight.

It’s important to eat enough protein while you are becoming Thin Adapted because your body will turn the protein into lean muscle mass and keep using your stored fat for energy. This one small habit can make all the difference in your weight loss journey.

Make sure that you are eating the right kinds of protein too. Animal protein delivers all of your essential amino acids and includes the fat we need in order to digest and use this protein efficiently. Eat plenty of protein at each meal to keep your body Thin Adapted.

Try these tasty high-protein recipes:

• Easy Low-Carb Beer Can Chicken
• Best Low-Carb Halibut Recipe
• Roasted Honey Garlic Glazed Pork Loin

Not Getting Enough Sleep

How’s your sleep? Are you getting enough zzz’s? If not, your restfulness might be contributing to your body keeping those pounds.

How can sleep be related to weight loss? It all goes back to hormones. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more of the hormone cortisol. Then, cortisol makes you crave sweet foods even more and then stores sugar as fat.

Cortisol isn’t the only reason sleep affects our weight. When we are sleepy, we are more prone to feeling hangry, which leads to bad food choices. We might sneak a sugary snack really quick, hoping it helps us feel more awake.

Sleep is also that beautiful time when our bodies repair and recover from the day’s activities. Your metabolism works while you are resting. This is essential to helping your metabolism work more efficiently. Your body needs to build muscle so that you burn more fat, even while you are sitting still.

If you’re not getting enough sleep, try to make it a priority and see if that helps with your weight loss efforts!

You’re Not Eating Enough Fat

It might seem crazy, but our bodies need to eat fat in order to burn fat and lose weight. It’s confusing, right?

That weird logic is why many people on a low-carb diet struggle to lose weight. We villainize fats so much that we aren’t eating enough of them to become fully Thin Adapted.

We’re not talking about greasy fat that you’ll find on a pizza. We’re talking about healthy fats that are in salmon, nuts, and avocados.

When your body is becoming Thin Adapted, it is learning how to burn stored fat for energy. In order to keep it in this mode, you need to feed your body healthy sources of these fats.

Healthy fats will also help you feel satisfied and full. You won’t have those annoying hunger pangs after you finish eating your low-carb meal.

Make sure you include healthy fats in your diet, and if possible, try to get most of your calories from fat rather than carbs or protein.

Not Exercising The Right Way

All that cardio we do, trying to melt away the fat, might not be doing as much good as we hope.

As much fun as dancing and Zumba is, only focusing on cardio and excluding weight training might be stunting your weight loss efforts instead of helping it.

In fact, building muscle is the best thing you could ever do for your metabolism.

As you go through strength training, your body uses more energy to repair and rebuild your muscles. This is an outstanding way to increase your metabolism and burn more fat, even while you are resting.

If you’re focused on losing serious weight, make strength training a part of your workout routine.

You’re Stressed Out

Here’s your excuse to go get a massage—it could help you lose weight.

Stress is such an unhealthy thing. It contributes to migraines, skin problems, and even weight gain (or lack of weight loss).

Remember that hormone cortisol we talked about earlier? When we are stressed, our body produces more of it. If your body has high levels of cortisol, you’ll be fighting a hard game to lose weight.

Unfortunately, sometimes stress is caused by things out of our control. Family members, financial issues, or the world around us. Focus on improving what you can control. Take yoga classes, seek therapy, and find some coping mechanisms to slow your heart rate and decrease your anxiety.

Basically, put yourself at the top of your priority list. You’ll see major benefits!

You Have an Underlying Health Condition

Let’s not rule out the possibility of a health condition that could be causing your body to hold onto that weight.

There are a few health conditions that can cause weight gain and make it difficult to lose weight. If you have any of these conditions, it’s important to get treatment from a doctor. Some common health conditions that can cause weight gain include:

-Hashimoto’s disease

-Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

-Cushing’s syndrome

-Depression

-Sleep apnea

If you think you might have one of these conditions, talk to your doctor. They can help you get the treatment you need to lose weight and feel your best!

You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

Go grab your water bottle, fill it up, and start drinking. Being even slightly dehydrated could be putting the brakes on your weight loss.

You’re at a greater risk for dehydration when you eat fewer carbs. This is because your body gets rid of more water while it pees out the ketones.

Think about all that water you used to drink before you ate low-carb and increase it. You need to be drinking more water if you want to stay Thin Adapted.

Make sure you’re drinking eight glasses of water a day, and if possible, try to drink even more. Make drinking fun – add a few slices of lemon or cucumbers to your water. Do whatever you need to do to encourage yourself to flush out those ketones and kick-start your weight loss.

Your Hormones Have Changed

Ladies, we know all about hormones – we have dealt with them since puberty. Well, these hormone levels could be working against you, especially if you are over the age of 40.

Hormones affect so much—especially as we age. When they are out of balance, it can cause us to gain weight, feel lethargic, and even feel depressed.

How do we change our hormones so they work with us instead of against us?

Sometimes, eating low-carb, high-protein meals and getting enough sleep and exercise is enough to balance out your hormones. If you are doing all the right things and the scale still isn’t moving, you might be able to try hormone supplements.

There are a bunch of different options available, so talk to your doctor about which one might be right for you.

Jump Start Your Weight Loss

As you can see, there are several potential reasons why you might not be losing weight on a low-carb diet. But don’t despair! When you become fully Thin Adapted and learn more about the science behind weight loss, you will be more successful. That scale will start moving, and you’ll feel that rush of joy you deserve.

We recommend starting with our Thinlicious™ 28-Day Metabolism Reset, which is designed to introduce you to the Thin-Adapted System and help you retrain the way your body burns fuel in just four weeks. Get it HERE.

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