Now that you understand how ketosis works, and what foods to eat in order to achieve it, you need to understand what foods and drinks could be secretly sabotaging your progress. 

Low-carb diets are pretty straightforward. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why so many people choose them when trying to lose weight. Sometimes, people are surprised when the low-carb diet doesn’t work the way they expected it to—and generally that happens when they are unknowingly sabotaging ketosis. Let’s take a look at five things you could be doing to sabotage your progress. 

   EATING TOO MUCH 

 One of the draws of a low-carb diet is that it doesn’t require calorie counting. This is because people generally eat lower-calorie foods and need less of them to feel satisfied. But that isn’t always the case. Some people manage to eat too much even when on a low-carb diet—indulging in frequent meaty snacks, low-carb desserts and bars and fruits that bring their daily calorie intake too high, even as their carb count stays low. 

DRINKING CAFFEINE 

 There aren’t any concrete studies that link caffeine to slowing down ketosis, but there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that it does. First there’s the fact that caffeine can drop the glucose level in your blood and cause some insulin instability, which can make you crave carbs—and cravings can lead to indulgence. The second reason caffeine could be sabotaging your low-carb diet is through overworking and exhausting your adrenal glands, resulting in hormone deficiencies and exhaustion. When you’re tired all the time, not only are you more likely to choose the wrong foods but you’re also less likely to exercise, which leads me to the next saboteur. 

 NOT EXERCISING 

 If you want to be healthy, you must—absolutely must—exercise regularly. With the value that exercise gives to your circulation, heart health, bones and muscles, it makes sense that exercise is at the center of a truly healthy life. But when you want to lose weight, exercise has an added role, by helping increase your overall caloric deficiency and speeding up that loss. It can help you increase your muscle mass and, as a result, increase your resting metabolism and can help even out your insulin levels and beat insulin resistance. 

 EATING THE WRONG VEGGIES 

  With only 50 or so carbs allowed each day, you have to be extra careful about choosing the right vegetables to eat. While you probably know to avoid potatoes, you might not realize that some non-starchy vegetables, such as carrots and tomatoes, are higher in sugars and carbs. Eating multiple servings of these each day can quickly cause your carb count to skyrocket.  

EATING PREPACKAGED MEATS 

  You might think that as long as the prepackaged meal you pick up is meat-based, it’s great for your low-carb diet. But many prepared foods contain secret carbs from sugar used for flavoring and bread used to bulk them up. You need to look at both the ingredients and the carb count before you indulge.