Keto works… but are you really committing to it?

It’s Easier to Believe Your Body Is the Problem Than Your Commitment — A Keto Coach’s Perspective

Over the last 10 years working as a keto coach, I’ve seen this pattern over and over again.

There will be two clients who come to me, often very similar in age, lifestyle, and even weight. Both will follow the same keto macros, eat similar meals, and have access to the same information — for example, the do’s and don’ts. And yet, within a few weeks, their results look completely different.

One client loses weight in the first week. She feels better, more in control, more confident, and this fuels her motivation even more. The other client feels stuck almost immediately. Common things for this client are that the scale doesn’t move the way she expected, and very quickly, doubt creeps in.

At this point, the natural conclusion is usually:  “Something is wrong with me,” or “My body just doesn’t respond to keto,” and maybe even, “This diet isn’t right for me.”

I will be very upfront in my conclusion — the difference between these two outcomes is almost never the plan itself. It’s the way the plan is approached.

The clients who get the best results tend to come in with a very different mindset right from the start.

Client A makes a decision early on that she is going to follow the plan exactly. Not perfectly, but properly. She doesn’t spend time questioning whether this is the right method or whether something else might work better. She doesn’t constantly look for reassurance from friends, Google, or social media. She commits, and then she executes. She stays consistent even on the days where motivation is low. And most importantly, she doesn’t negotiate with herself before every meal.

Client B, on the other hand, follows a pattern I see just as often. She also starts with good intentions. She has the plan and understands what to do, but her approach is much less grounded. She second-guesses not only herself, but the plan constantly. There’s a lot more questioning. Don’t get me wrong — questioning is good. I am the first one who wants to understand the “why” behind the “what.”

But Client B will often reference all the reasons why she thinks this isn’t working, bring up past experiences, and look for validation from others.

That’s the mindset difference.

Alongside this mindset, there are the small compromises that creep in — eating takeout over the weekend because it was “an in-the-moment thing”, or slipping up at the braai because “there was nothing else to eat.” Snacking throughout the day because she was "unprepared" is another one I’ve heard countless times.

Individually, none of these things feel like a big deal. But collectively, they create inconsistency. And inconsistency is where results fall apart.

So over time, what tends to happen is the following:

They don’t see the results they were hoping for, which in turn reinforces the doubt they already had, and unfortunately, that doubt leads to even less consistency. 

And that’s the part that’s difficult to confront when you come to the conclusion that your “diet” didn’t work.

It’s much easier to believe that your body, or something else, is the problem than to admit that your level of commitment wasn’t where it needed to be.

In Conclusion:

These are quite harsh words to hear. It’s also hard for me to write, but sometimes we have to apply a little tough love. Tough love is not my natural coaching style, and I’ve always said I’m not your “sergeant major” type of keto coach.

The point I want to bring across in this post is that keto is not a magic bullet. It is a very effective tool when it’s applied properly. The issue is also not a lack of knowledge. Most people already know what they should be doing.

The issue is that we do not face our own shortcomings and fail to understand our strengths and weaknesses.

If you are someone who can be disciplined, working with me will be easy for you. You’ll execute like Client A. If you are more like Client B, you’ll need to lean into accountability and staying consistent with me. This does not mean that I replace your responsibility. You still have to go home, cook the food, and eat the food. My role as a keto coach is to keep you on track, call things out when needed, and help you stay consistent when your motivation drops or your environment makes things harder.

If you’re ready to approach your weight loss efforts differently and want support with execution and accountability, you can reach out to me directly or visit my services page to learn more about my coaching options.