Why All Your Friends Are Losing Weight On Keto

Why All Your Friends Are Losing Weight On Keto

By Taylor Noriega

Why All Your Friends Are Losing Weight On Keto

I get it, it feels like everyday we’re flooded with incredible transformation photos of people who finally made the switch to a keto lifestyle (or any other diet lifestyle for that matter).  You may even know a person who’s done this themselves, and you can’t help but notice there are tons of comments on their social media posts from other successful keto-followers cheering them on.  First off, congratulations to your friend!  Transformations are a huge accomplishment, and it’s even better when they’ve found a lifestyle that is sustainable for them.  Not to be the buzzkill, but nothing magic came from that person cutting their carbs.  

So, what are the two most important ingredients in the secret sauce to fat loss?  Among other factors that contribute to overall weight loss, keto tends to provide two key nutritional changes: sufficient protein and a calorie deficit.  

You may also know another friend who’s lost weight on keto, but gained it all back at some later point.  In this case, your friend successfully maintained a calorie deficit while on keto, however the diet itself (restricting mostly carbohydrates) was unsustainable.  This is why it’s so important to find a diet type or lifestyle that works for YOU.

You can look around and see what your friends are doing, however just because it worked for them doesn’t mean it will work for you.  A majority of people end up failing on any restrictive type diet.  A whopping 80% of people are not able to maintain their results after weight loss.  What’s the difference between the 80% of people who couldn’t and the 20% of people who could?  Maintaining the results requires maintaining the lifestyle.  If whatever restriction you choose is not something you can follow for the rest of your life, it’s likely not going to work beyond the parameters of your “dieting” period.

Let’s go over some of the major factors again: community, sustainability, and a calorie deficit.

All of which you can do with or without keto.

Find a community that encourages a lifestyle you can maintain!  Don’t try to be like other people, find people who are already like you.  It doesn’t have to be a community of like-minded dieters either!  You could join a small gym or sign up for bootcamp classes.  There are lots of different ways you can find communities full of incredible and encouraging people.  

In order to achieve a sustainable lifestyle, you need to figure out how health and fitness fit into your current life, not the other way around.  It’s more effective making small changes over time than immediate drastic changes within a few days.  Your life could still look drastically different in a year's time, but at least you’ll be able to keep it going because you’ve already been doing it consistently the past year. 

Lastly, in order to achieve any kind of weight loss or gain goal, you need to understand energy balance.  There cannot be weight loss without a calorie deficit, no matter how many food groups you cut out.  Just like how there cannot be weight gain without a surplus, no matter how much protein you’re piling into your day. 

So remember, the next time you see someone online achieving their fitness goals through keto, it wasn’t being in a state of ketosis that got them there.  They likely had a community encouraging them every step of the way, they achieved and maintained a calorie deficit, and finally, they found balance and sustainability.