Why you may not be losing weight on a low carb diet

A friend has suggested you try a low carb diet as they have seen amazing results- she has dropped weight, her skin is clearer and she feels great! However you give it a go and you don’t appear to have anywhere near as much luck. If you are having trouble shifting the weight on a low carb diet here are a few reasons as to why that could be the case:  ​



• Going nuts on nuts (or seeds for that matter)

Nuts can be so easy to over do.  They can be a great on the go snack for a lot of people but so often you can reach for a handful and before you know it you’ve had the calorie equivalent to a meal. I personally can eat a whole bag of nuts and still not feel satisfied despite the very high energy density. If you think this may be you, avoid having nuts or seeds as a snack and just use them sparingly as an addition to an actual meal (like a salad).

• Too much dairy

This is an interesting one as whether or not we should be eating dairy is of great debate. Dairy can be great; however again can be easy to over eat. Due to the composition of dairy, it causes a highly insulin spike (1). Insulin is your fat storage hormone and can shut down your body’s ability to use fat for fuel so if you are trying to lose weight this is not ideal. If you feel like you may be eating a bit too much dairy try cutting back your consumption of all dairy with the exception of cooking with butter. Butter is low in protein and lactose and therefore does not elicit such a spike in insulin (1).

• Lack of sleep

A lack of sleep can make you feel hungrier and can increase stress hormone which is not ideal if you are trying to lose weight. Try to ensure that you are getting around 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Read more about lack of sleep and the effect on your waist line here. 

• ‘Treating yo self’ too often

Unfortunately there is a lot of truth in the saying 'consistency is key'. For example being really disciplined during the week only to blow out on the weekends can be really detrimental to your progress. Be realistic with your ‘treats’ and treat yourself because you truly want it and not just because you are trying to fill an emotional void.
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• Just too many calories

Who has heard the sayings recently ‘fat doesn’t make you fat’ and ‘calories don’t count’? This is true.. kind of.  The main reason why people say this is because when you are eating a lower carb, higher fat diet they often are effective at reducing your appetite and therefore you are more likely to eat fewer calories without even thinking about it. However I think people take this far too literally and are then actively loading up on calories (just for the sake of it) and whether they are good calories or bad calories, at the end of the day if you are over doing it you probably aren’t going to lose weight.  
 

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​Atkinson, F. S., Foster-Powell, K., & Brand-Miller, J. C. (2008). International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care, 31(12), 2281-2283. doi: 10.2337/dc08-1239