The Patience of Weight Loss
I am fairly active on social media, and every day I get questions about the ketogenic diet. The most common ask, how do I start? or how do I avoid the keto flu? However, there is one question that I receive multiple times a day and it goes something like this: I have been on the keto diet for two weeks and I have only lost 3 pounds. What am I doing wrong?
As women, we have to recognize that there are so many things that can result in weight fluctuations. Hormones, water retention, stress, digestion, and even lack of sleep are all factors that impact the number we see on the scale. In fact, it is possible to have a 4 lb in just one day.
You want the scale to drop but is that really the best measure of success? To base short-term success on a number, discounts all your hard work. To quit keto 3 or 4 weeks in because you’ve ‘only’ lost 5 lbs just doesn’t make sense. In another four weeks you could be down 10 lbs, and then another 15 lbs a few weeks after that.
If you can play the long game, practicing patience with their weight loss you will ultimately find success. We live in a world where we get things immediately. Have a question? Google it. Want to listen to a song? Apple Music has your back. But weight loss isn’t something you can get immediately. It really is the product of consistent effort and good choices day after day after day. We’ve all heard it before that you didn’t gain the weight overnight and it’s not going to come off overnight either.
To put it into perspective, I was happy to lose 45 lbs in my first 6 months on keto. Not bad when my total goal was to lose 70 lbs. It then took another 6 months to lose an additional 15 lbs. At this point, I began working out with a trainer for 7 months, 3 times per week, and have lost only 2 additional pounds. 19 months in I am still 8 lbs from my goal. I have learned patience.
Put in 12 weeks of solid effort into your diet. Keep your mind set on making healthy choices every day and one day you will wake up in a different body.
Joanna Wilcox is Canadian Health and Fitness Influencer from Woodstock, Ontario.