Top 5 Reasons You are Not Losing weight on the Paleo Diet

Top 5 Reasons You are Not Losing weight on the Paleo Diet

top 5 reasons why you are not losing weight on the paleo diet

Weight loss is a common goal for many people that transition to a Paleo lifestyle. Although the Paleo community is bursting with testimonials of those who have successfully shed pounds in exchange for a new physique, there are perhaps just as many for whom the scale refuses to budge. If you are following a Paleo diet but have yet to reach your goal weight, consider the following 5 reasons you are not losing weight on the Paleo Diet or experiencing a weight loss plateau:

1) You Are Eating Too Many Paleo Treats and Not Enough Nutrient-dense, Whole Food

A Paleo template should be based on a foundation of real food, instead of reincarnations of baked goods from the standard American diet. The popularity of sweets in our culture has resulted in a Paleo-sphere that is overflowing with an abundance of delicious, mouth-watering dessert recipes.

Although these treats are made with acceptable Paleo ingredients, they are not necessarily health-promoting or helpful to weight loss efforts. The energy-dense nut flours and large amounts of natural sugars that these treats contain can be detrimental to weight loss efforts and they leave less room for the consumption of nutrient-dense, whole foods that supply the body with nutrients that it needs.

Treats can help to ease the transition to a Paleo lifestyle and it may be okay to enjoy them on an occasional basis. But if weight loss is your primary goal, you may want to consider how much of your diet is based on real food versus Paleo treats.

2. Your Stress Levels Are Out of Control

In the modern world, stressors go far beyond emotional burdens and can include stimulants such as caffeine, lack of fresh air, sunshine, and natural movement, inadequate sleep and rest, environmental toxins, nutritional deficiencies, and underlying infections or disease processes.

Exposure to chronic stressors leads to elevated cortisol levels, which in turn contributes to insulin resistance, promotes the storage of fat, and inhibits weight loss. Reducing chronic stress may involve relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and massage, but it is also necessary to address the root causes.

Evaluating the cause of psychological stressors in your life may require major life changes, such as deciding to end a relationship or change jobs. Physiological stressors may need to be addressed by partnering with a Paleo-minded health practitioner to discover underlying nutritional deficiencies and latent infections.

It is impossible to completely eliminate all stressors when living in contemporary society, but you can make quite a bit of headway in stress reduction simply by identifying the root causes of stress in your life and striving to make progress in each area.

3) You Are Doing the Wrong Amount or Type of Exercise

Along with eating a nutrient-dense Paleo diet, exercise is a key component to optimal health. Weight loss is more complex than calories in versus calories out, but the right type and amount of exercise does have an impact by increasing your metabolic rate and improving your overall hormonal environment.

A too little exercise can result in weight loss stagnation, but too much exercise is harmful because the body views it as a chronic stressor. Like any other chronic stressor, too much exercise can lead to elevated cortisol levels and inhibition of weight loss.

Although every individual requires a unique exercise prescription based on their fitness level and goals, a combination of weightlifting, low-intensity exercise, such as walking, and a small amount of high-intensity interval training are typically ideal for weight loss efforts.

Chronic endurance exercise, such as running or biking for sustained periods of time, is likely to compromise weight loss and contribute to the development of health issues.

4) You Are Eating the Wrong Macronutrient Combination for Your Body and Activity Level

There are many different ratios of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that are possible by following a Paleo diet and there is no single version of Paleo that will be ideal for every individual. Some amount of experimentation may be necessary in order to find the macronutrient combination that works best for your body and goals.

Some people may discover that a low carbohydrate version of Paleo speeds weight loss, while the scale may not budge for others if carbohydrates fall too low, particularly if they are extremely active.

Likewise, some people may not respond well to the inclusion of large amounts of energy-dense foods in the diet, such as nuts or healthy oils. In order to find your ideal macronutrient combination, pay attention not only to the scale but to how you feel overall.

Monitor your energy levels throughout the day and before, during, and after workouts. Pay particular attention to how you feel after eating meals and any mood or energy changes that may occur. These insights can help you to determine if the macronutrient combination you are eating is working for you.

5) You Have Unrealistic Goals

Weight loss in the real world does not happen as quickly as portrayed in the media. Healthy weight loss ranges from 1 to 2 pounds per week, but individual rates of weight loss can vary widely.

You did not gain all of your unwanted pounds overnight and it is reasonable to expect that significant amount of time and patience is required to lose it. If you are adding exercise at the same time that you are making dietary changes, it is possible that your body composition is changing, although it may not result in any difference on the scale.

It is often more beneficial to pay attention to how your clothes are fitting and how you feel overall. If all other factors that can interfere with weight loss have been addressed, yet another consideration is that your body has already reached an ideal, healthy weight, which may not correspond with your desired goal weight.

There are often other health markers beyond weight loss that can more accurately demonstrate the progress that you have made by following a Paleo diet. The positive benefits of eating real food extend far beyond the numbers on the scale.

Have you ever experienced difficulty in breaking past a weight loss plateau while following the Paleo diet? Please share your insights and tips in the comments!

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41 Responses

  1. Yes, great advice. You hit the big three; too many treats, too much stress, and unrealistic results. The key is to take baby steps. Maybe start out with some paleo treats but slowly eat less and less of them over time.

  2. Great article, Katy–I especially love the last point. We live in a weight loss culture that exists primarily on the premise of unrealistic goals: cleanses, fasts, pills, miracle cures, etc, all intended to help us “get out bikini bodies” in 7 days or less. But real weight loss–or any type of body composition change–is a process. But if you’re taking the right steps (i.e. 1-4), eating real food, and ENJOYING the benefits, even if you’re not “there” yet (wherever “there” may be), then you’re on the right track.

    • Yes, it definitely is a process. One of the things that I love about the Paleo lifestyle is that it really does help a lot of people see past weight loss as the only benefit. It is truly a lifestyle for health, not just a diet for weight loss.

  3. I do get a bit ticked at the “You didn’t gain it over night” remark. Three out of the four times I’ve gained/regained weight it was to the tune of 40lbs in three months. This is just a bit over 3lbs a week. Yes, I really did gain it over night.

  4. #2 is a hard one because many of us have so many different stressors that may cause us to gain weight while we’re trying to lose it. Sometimes, yoga, meditation isn’t an option when someone has a full time job and 5 mouths to feed at home. Any suggestions for those types of people? For me, I have anxiety disorder that I have been trying to treat naturally, holistically and through diet. Nothing works for me. Stress ALWAYS makes me gain weight but I have been sticking to Paleo and have lost the 30 lbs alone, which decreased my anxiety. Maybe being overweight (hormones) may contribute to stress alone? Like just being overweight can cause stress? I know it did for me.

    • Stress is unavoidable in our society. But there are still things that all of us can do to decrease the stressors that we have control over. I understand what you are saying about the difficulty in finding time to devote to a yoga or meditation practice. But what about taking *some* time in your day, even if it is only 5 or 10 minutes, to be alone and do something that you truly enjoy doing? It might be reading a book, taking a short walk, or just staring at the wall and clearing your mind. Learning to breathe properly and doing a few breathing exercises throughout the day can also be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. No matter how busy you are, it is really important that you prioritize a small amount of time each day for yourself. Give yourself the permission to do this for your health. If you have a support person that can help you at home while you take this 5 or 10 minutes, that’s great. If not, do it before bed or just after you wake up in the morning.

      Being overweight certainly is a type of physiological stress on the body, as it does disrupt hormonal balance in the body. Beyond that though, being overweight can also cause psychological stress because you feel uncomfortable in your own skin.

  5. I gained on the Paleo diet due to #2 and #3. My stressors were off the charts, but worse, I stopped my exercise regime (due to a horrid commute and ensuing depression). But I continued to eat nutrient and calorie dense food. Thankfully I’m still eating well and back to working out! And losing about a pound a week.

  6. Paleo did wonders for me for the first two years, then this last summer I noticed I was gaining weight regardless of how well I ate and the fact that I was working out regularly. I finally broke down and went back on Thyroid medication- I went off originally because I felt fine and thought my diet would suffice. Now I am feeling my energy come back- but this weight is still sticking. It is very frustrating! I am about to turn 40, but I refuse to believe that weight gain is inevitable.

    • Don’t ever feel bad for having to take thyroid medication. Depending on what is going on with your thyroid, it may be entirely necessary. Diet may not be enough in many cases. How long has it been since you’ve started the medication? Hormone issues can take a long time to correct, so it just may be a matter of more time.

  7. I was waiting for the final reason to be “because you’re already at your ideal weight.” Goes along with the cultural expectation to be better/leaner/stronger/faster/etc. when you may be healthy just as you are.

  8. Sort of funny that in the margins of this article there are ads for paleo chocolate maccorons and recipes for paleo cornbread and cookies

  9. The Paleo diet is working amazingly for me. I have been on it for just under 3weeks and lost 13kgs or 28lbs. I feel fantastic, I have been very strict though, and stuck to only the wholesome foods. 3 weeks ago I weighed in at 152kgs/335lbs, now i’m down to 139kgs/306lbs. Paleo is changing my life. Infact I don’t think I am doing the Paleo diet anymore… I am simply a Paleo!

  10. I am not eating any Paleo treats, I’m not particularly stressed, exercise is so-so (like it has always been), and I definitely do not have unrealistic goals. I did try different types of exercise over a longer time period but it didn’t change anything. Over the course of months, I have not lost a simple oz! I don’t eat any fruit and a very minimum of nuts. Loads of veggies, eggs, organic meats. I find it close to impossible to figure out my right combination of micronutrients as I am numb to any effects of changing my diet. I don’t feel any different – I’m not happier, more satisfied, in better harmony with myself etc. – I just don’t feel anything no matter how hard I try. Any suggestions?

    • Pernille,
      The same thing happened to me. The Paleo Diet simply wasn’t enough to address my condition completely, but what it did do for me was keep my symptoms from worsening. What I discovered is that in order to make the weight gain change (I was 105 lbs, and gained 50 in the space of a few short months) I had to focus on eating QUALITY meats, grass-fed and wild-caught, I ate no animals that ate corn and soy so no chicken, no pork, and no turkey, and I also added in increased amounts of fructooligosaccharides after going on a VLC version of the Paleo Diet (big mistake).

      What took me a few years to realize was that at the root of all of my diseases and symptoms, I had one glaring disorder that had gone unchecked: gut dysbiosis. What I did to resolve that finally you’ll never believe, but it was something called a fecal transplant. If you have rendered specific species of beneficial bacteria in your body extant, then no amount of eating a grain-free diet can bring them back to life. I had to resolve that. Then, eating nothing but wild-caught fish and orange juice took me the rest of the way.

      And from 105 to 155, where I stayed for three years unable to budge despite my calorie-deficit, VLC, animal protein only, zero fruits, zero nuts, etc. experiments, I finally got back down to 107.

      • Karen, thanks for your reply. I’m a little curious a to how you discovered that gut dysbiosis was the root cause of your problems? What type of treatment provider administered the fecal transplant – a medical doctor or ? Also, I’m wondering about the orange juice. I’m very against drinking your calories and normally consider it more beneficial to eat the whole fruit to also get the fibers – if you allow yourself to eat fruit at all.

        • It was a DIY procedure. I tell all about it here http://scdlifestyle.com/2013/08/how-a-fecal-transplant-saved-karens-life/

          I figured it out when I was trying to connect the dots between my several medical conditions. I think the biggest ‘aha’ was when I figured out the link between PCOS, Liver Disease, and Celiacs.
          And I began drinking orange juice because of a study that I read that suggested that orange juice decreases the relocation of gram-negative bacteria and can stop the inflammatory processes in its tracks.

    • Be careful of falling into the same trap I did. I started Paleo twice, both times stopping short of where I needed to be. I found out (now a few years later) that it was because I stopped eating enough carbs. if you limit carbs too much your body will adapt by storing what it can when it can. this was may problem so I would lose 20 lbs the first few months, stall then get frustrated. It took alot of research to figure out what I did wrong. Know what are good carbs and make sure your including them in the amount that reflects your lifestyle.

      My other problem was not getting myself checked out. I found out recently my food sensitivities (tomatoes and nightshade veggies, eggs, milk products, almonds to name the bog ones) were causing me to stay inflamed. My gut also needed to be healed so I need to take a probiotic (not yogurt because there not enough and too many people are sensitive) and enzymes to get my stomach rebooted. Find a good functional nutritionist who can help you figure it out. It certainly helped me, my journey to 10% body fat is restarted and not nearly as hard on my stomach (in terms of eating what I want)

  11. Seriously like anyone wants to hear this from a skinny girl. What could you possibly have to offer here. You have probably never been a fat girl trying to lose

    • Saying that I have nothing to offer people who are struggling with weight issues just because I’m at a healthy weight myself is like saying that I have nothing to offer my patients with heart disease because I don’t have heart disease. That’s ridiculous.

    • That’s funny!
      Seems to me it would be best to get advice from someone who has been successful at something rather than someone who has not succeeded!
      So logically, if you’re fat and don’t want to be… you should be getting advice from people who aren’t fat! The fatties won’t be able to help you, since they haven’t been able to help themselves.

  12. I wonder if our Paleolithic ancestors had trouble losing weight and keeping it off??? I highly doubt it. I think it was more they had trouble finding enough food, which is why this diet is a joke.

  13. Thank you for this article. It was very timely for my spouse, who started eating “Paleo” with me a couple of months ago but wasn’t seeing the weight loss he was hoping for. I think he may have taken the “don’t count calories” aspect of ancestral nutrition a bit too far and went crazy eating avocado and tons of nuts. Even nutrient dense foods like that will put the weight on if consumed in excess.

  14. In the EPIC/Panacea study of hundred of thousands of people, total meat consumption was significantly associated with weight gain in men and women, and the link remained even after controlling for calories. What this means is that people who ate meat, even though they ate the SAME AMOUNT OF CALORIES as people who solely ate plants, gained more weight annually. Chicken meat was correlated with the highest weight gain.

    • Doesn’t surprise me, especially if the study was conducted in the United States. Our chickens here are fed corn and soy, so there’s an inflammatory load from an Omega-6, Omega-3 ratio of 20:1 and the soy causes an increase in isoflavones daidzein and genistein in the muscle tissues, also a huge endocrine disruptor. And, from what we know about arachidonic acid and the positive feedback loop for inflammation, it is absolutely no surprise that this would happen. Inflammation can cause weight gain, just because of the horomonal cascade of a response that we have to it. And we aren’t bomb calorimeters, we are driven by hormones. Precisely why I tell people with metabolic disorders and hormone conditions to avoid chicken, turkey, and pork like the plague in (unless it’s feral) and to focus on consuming grass-fed herbivores— since apparently we understand *their* diets.

  15. Thank you for posting this. I just started paleo 2 weeks ago, but am already getting nervous about hitting a plateau. I have always been an active person, but have laws struggled to be the perfect weight. Now I have an infant, and paleo helped me lose the last couple of pounds to get to pre baby weight, 124 lbs. Today I stepped on the scale and it read 123! I do not think people should look at paleo as a diet, but as a life style change. I wonder why there are so many negative comments on here. Paleo is very realistic and it will definitely help you battle disease..from what I have heard from a lot of people! Keep posting great things and merry Christmas! 😉

  16. hi katy , Awesome writing.i would like to few line here ,you can lose weight if you Follow the Paleo roadmap as closely as possible.
    You can’t eat any processed foods on this diet.
    Dairy,Refined sugar,Potatoes,Salt,Refined vegetable oils, such as canola.

    Health Benefits of This diet, it will improve health tremendously.

  17. I have yo-yo dieted since the age of 12. Following many extreme diets. I have not eaten wheat or sugar or pre-packaged foods for months. 2 weeks ago I started the paleo re-set diet, and excluded all wheat, dairy, sugar, alcohol from my diet. I have one cup of black coffee a day, herbal teas and water. I am devastated that whilst initially dropping a couple of kilos, I find myself back at square one. I am doing high intensity interval training 3-4 times a week and yet my body just does not seem to want to shed weight. My clothes do not particularly feel any loser. I have diarrhea most days. I cook with coconut oil or ghee, and limit my snacks to almonds or macademia nuts. I am 3 stones overweight and absolutely fed up of 40 days of dieting!!

    • Angela,

      During my first paleo challenge, I was always calling my crossfit trainer freaking out because I hadn’t lost any weight. She told me I wouldn’t lose anything until after the 30 days was up, and she was right!! Also, I was advised to take a before picture, and take measurements because it’s hard to gauge weight loss using a scale sometimes. Scales can be very misleading, especially if you are working out and gaining muscle. After the 30 days, I was shocked at how much thinner I looked! Don’t give up!! Push through, the weight loss will come.

  18. Paleo diet results are mostly positive, but not a lot of people are willing to stick long enough to experience the benefits that it offers.

  19. The sweeping changes in our modern day diet have been brought on by agriculture, but our genes have
    not changed as quickly. What they did not include were grains, salt,
    legumes, refined sugars, dairy products and highly processed foods.
    The low-carb Paleo diet is the most popular diet around today, and has gained a huge celebrity following, including Matthew Mc – Conaughey, Megan Fox, Jessica Biel, Kellan Lutz, and supermodel Adriana Lima.

  20. I think I am having the problem of not losing weight because I’m not taking in enough carbs.. I was under the impression that eating no carbs would help me drop weight but that hasn’t happened. I do CrossFit 4-5 times a week. How much carbs should I be eating and what are some paleo friendly carbs to eat?

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