So, you’ve decided to embark on a ketogenic diet. At first, everything seems fine. You’ve suddenly dropped a ton of weight (thanks to the diuretic effects of cutting back on carbohydrates), are feeling looser in your jeans, and are experiencing a ton of things like controlling your hunger to lowering those little aches and pains that come as a result of chronic inflammation. Again, everything seems great.

Until…

Suddenly, your body is pivoting around and going back up in weight. Those jeans are feeling tighter again. And despite your best efforts, the scale is showing that the pounds are beginning to stack up. Now you feel defeated. Time to blame everything on the new diet.
It’s a fad, you tell yourself. I should have known better.

Now before you go pointing the finger at keto, take a step back, and wait before abandoning keto. You see, the ketogenic diet itself isn’t necessarily the reason why you’re experiencing a rebound with your weight. While I’m all for practicing bio-individuality when finding the best diet for YOU, I’d advise everyone to assess what goes onto their plate day in and day out before condemning their current eating style.

In regards to keto, many people assume that it’s the ultimate magic bullet for weight loss. Keep this in mind: right now, we’ve hit an all-time high with its popularity. Many people are jumping onto the bandwagon and preaching the good word of keto without actually doing it correctly or remembering that it’s simply a tool towards achieving a healthy weight. So, despite the fact that I personally go on it multiple times a year, I don’t believe it’s the be-all end-all of diets. If someone cannot sustain the diet without sacrifice, they’re doomed to go off, binge, and make things worse. Find the diet that works best for YOU- if keto is the one, then great. And if not? No worries! But in the meantime, let’s get back to my main point.
People are practically foaming at the mouth for keto, and are aggrandizing it to such acclaim that they lose sight of the fact that it’s still a style of eating, and should be done correctly to avoid any negative side effects- weight gain being one of them.
So if you find yourself gaining weight on keto, check out these top three reasons as to why those pounds are making a comeback:

#1: You’re Getting More Calories Than You Need

True or False: On the keto diet, you can eat as much as you want without gaining weight.
FALSE
It pains me to the bearer of bad news, but the reality is that you cannot overeat on any diet without gaining a bit of weight to some degree. Now, of course, there are exceptions. People with extremely high metabolisms, age, daily activity, higher amounts of muscle mass, and certain hormone-related conditions could override this, but the majority of people out there can’t.
So, drinking your weight in butter, cream, and oil on keto is not going to be doing your body any favors. Those extra fat bombs and keto treats or desserts are also notorious for adding tons of added calories that your body probably doesn’t need. So, what’s it going to do? Gain a bit of weight, of course; all of that extra energy will simply be stored for later use.
My advice: track your daily intake for a few days and see where you’re at calorie-wise. If it’s way more than you need AND you’re gaining weight simultaneously, than you’ve found the culprit.
A good tracker that you can use online is cronometer, which also factors in your daily micronutrients in addition to macronutrients and calories.

#2: The Quality of Your Food is Poor

Believe it or not, it’s entirely possible to eat a junk-food version of keto. Can you get away with it? Well, maybe… for a while, at least. I think we all know at least one person who lives off of convenience foods. This person may not be overweight, but they’re definitely not lean, and to put it mildly, they look awful. Their complexion, mobility, mood, and internal health are all in disarray. All because they’re starving themselves of nutrients. Calorically, they’re eating enough, but they’re lacking in the vitamins and minerals needed to sustain life. I’m talking about a healthy, robust immune system, heart, microbiome, and brain. And if they’re active, well, good luck. If getting rid of belly fat, building muscle, and sculpting a healthy, fit body is what they’re after, those junk foods aren’t going to be supporting any of those things. [1]
Circling back, with keto, it’s possible to live off of junk foods. Food companies are aware of the sensation that is keto, and want in on the game. To do that, they’re going to cater to this audience with a plethora of macronutrient-friendly keto-based foods that only help to satiate one’s cravings. These foods, for the most part, provide hardly any nutrients.
So heads up: if you’re living off of keto-based bars, chips, cookies, fat bombs, drinks, and ready-made meals, beware. Those foods don’t hold a candle to things like wild-caught fish, green leafy vegetables, avocados, fresh berries, and eggs… which all so happen to be keto, too.
(Note: It’s ok to have these keto-friendly snacks once in a while, but if they’re making up the bulk of your diet AND your weight is increasing, then it’s time to consider giving your diet a makeover.)

#3: Lack of Sleep, and Stress

Do not brush either of these off! I know something as simple as getting enough sleep and managing your stress seem like a cop-out, but do not underestimate them.
In a nutshell, with stress comes an increase in the hormone cortisol, which encourages fat storage (especially around the midsection) [2]. Cortisol is also catabolic, so if you’re trying to maintain or build muscle, it’s going to make things a lot harder; your body may be losing some as a result of chronic stress. [3]
Without adequate rest, you’re missing out on a number of things. Balancing hormones, increasing growth hormone (which helps with burning extra fat and increasing muscle mass, amongst other things), recovering from exercise, lowering inflammation [4]…. None of which can happen unless you’re getting enough sleep!
To make matters worse, missing out on catching those Z’s can actually increase cortisol and mess with hormones like ghrelin and leptin, which help to regulate hunger. So, a lack of sleep increases cortisol and the likelihood of overeating, thus promoting weight gain. [5]
(If you need some help with managing your stress, read my post here. And for getting enough sleep, check out this post here.)

There you have it guys. Three of the top reasons why you may be gaining weight on a ketogenic diet. If you tweak a few things here and there, you can certainly make it work in your favor! When done correctly, the ketogenic diet can definitely help with managing hunger and cravings, lowering inflammation, and maintaining a healthy weight. And like with any other diet, from vegan to paleo, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it.

And if you’re looking for a little extra guidance and structure to your keto diet, consider trying my Keto Meal Plan! 

Sources:
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/well/eat/counting-calories-weight-loss-diet-dieting-low-carb-low-fat.html
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27345309
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8239784
[4] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/growth-hormone/art-20045735
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831987/