Lots of things can cause plateaus

Don't get discouraged even if your progress is plateauing. There are many possible reasons, and they can all be addressed. Tap the heart on any card to flag it as relevant to your situation.

Some plateau causes are directly tied to your diet:

Artificial sweeteners

Frequent intake of foods that are artificially sweetened can raise insulin and lower ketosis, stalling progress.

Too much protein

Eating too much protein keeps the body from using fat as its main energy source, slowing the production of ketones.

Dairy

Forgetting to count the carbs in dairy products can lead to high carb intake, lowering ketosis. For dairy, focus on cheese, heavy cream and whole-milk no-sugar yogurt — and be sure to count the carbs they contain.

Eating past fullness

Are you eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full? Sometimes people snack on calorie-dense foods (like nuts) and eat past fullness by mistake. Try eating a bit slower so your body can register fullness — it can take 20 minutes for the signal to reach you.

Too many carbs

Are you accidentally ingesting more carbs than you are accounting for? Perhaps there are carbs in the sauces you eat at restaurants, or you're eating larger portions than you realize.

Other plateaus come from habits adjacent to diet:

Sleep

Chronic sleep deprivation leads to greater insulin resistance. If you feel tired in the middle of the day or don't get at least 7–8 hours of sleep a night, this might be something to work on.

Too much alcohol

Although there are zero-carb alcoholic drinks (vodka, gin), our bodies burn alcohol before anything else and for some people this can knock them out of ketosis.

Hydration

Drinking enough water helps your body flush ketones, balance electrolytes, and stay regular.