“Is it safe to stay in ketosis indefinitely?”

Is it harmful at all to stay in ketosis forever? Why is the scale not moving even though on the meal plan? And what about age and weight loss?

Get the answers in this week’s Q&A with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt:

Can we stay in ketosis indefinitely?

I was watching the documentary, ‘The Skinny on Fat”, and one of the doctors said it’s not good to stay in ketosis indefinitely. Is this true? Or did I misunderstand?

Cheryl

 
There is no proof that it’s anything but healthy long term. However, most people end up dipping in and out of ketosis semi-regularly anyway, as it’s a hard thing to ALWAYS be in deep ketosis. So if being in ketosis forever has any negative unknown effects, it’s likely something that very few people are going to experience anyway.

To learn more about all the myths and unfounded fears about keto, have a look at this guide:

Low-carb and keto myths and fears

Best,
Andreas Eenfeldt

Why am I not losing??

I am so confused! I am eating to the meal plans provided and I have not lost a thing. I know my body has changed as the pictures I take show it, but the scales are not moving and if they do it is up not down. I am so lost! Help!

Leigha

 
Hi Leigha,

If your body is changing that’s a good sign! I would suggest first making sure you’re really keeping your carbs very low, second make sure you’re not eating more fat than you need to stay satisfied after meals, and third consider adding some intermittent fasting.

Here are many more tips if you want them:

How to lose weight

Top 10 tips to lose weight on low carb for women 40+

Best,
Andreas Eenfeldt

Serious hair lost after 4 months on keto

Hi Dr. Andreas,
I have been loosing a lot of hair at the 4 months mark of my keto diet, which is very scary for a healthy 46 years old women. I don’t need to loose weight, my main reason to be on keto diet is to get rid of the pain in my body, as I feel that I have a lot of inflammation or I get inflammation muscles easily from activities.

Now, I have stopped the Keto diet due to the serious hair loss, even when I have been drinking bone broth together with lots of seaweeds a few times a week at least. Would you pleases let me know what I should do? I am back on my normal high-carb diet for two weeks now as I am on holiday, the hair lost seems to slow down.

If I go back to keto after 1-2 days of fasting, will I keep on losing a lot of hair again right away or it will start again after four months ?

Thank you and hope to hear your answer soon!
Kamie

 
Hi Kamie,

Hair loss after four months is not entirely uncommon, and it’s normally a very temporary thing that you’ll completely recover from.

Learn more about it here:

Temporary hair loss

Best,
Andreas Eenfeldt

Does age have anything to do with a keto diet for weight loss?

I’ve been on a keto diet for 3 plus weeks and have been in low to moderate ketosis for at least 3 weeks. I have experienced the leg and toe cramps at night and have increased salt intake and have been using magnesium supplements to address the cramping issues. Although I can see less fat on my body, I have not experienced any weight loss. I have been intermittent fasting for 16-18 hrs. a day for 3 weeks. I would like to loose 40 lbs. I have listened to many of the Diet Doctors videos. I am 73 years old. Could this lack of weight loss have anything to do with my age? Any suggestions?

Wanda

 
Hi Wanda!

Yes, weight loss can be more of a challenge with age, especially for women. It’s certainly not fair. It seems like you’re doing many things right, but perhaps you can find some useful tips here, beyond just being persistent:

How to lose weight

Top 10 tips to lose weight on low carb for women 40+

Best,
Andreas Eenfeldt

More

Keto for beginners

Intermittent fasting for beginners

How to lose weight

More questions and answers

Many more questions and answers:

Low-carb Q&A