The #1 Reason People Fail at Keto! (Hint: It’s Not the Diet)

Keto didn’t fail you. You stopped following it.

You’ve probably heard it—or said it—a dozen times:

“I did keto for a while… I lost weight, felt great… but then I gained it all back. I don’t think keto works.”

Let’s be clear:
Keto works.
What doesn’t work? Quitting.

What Actually Happens (and Why You’re Not Alone)

Let’s walk through the real-life version of what “keto failure” usually looks like:

• You start off strong—locked in, eating clean, tracking macros, and staying in a calorie deficit.

• You start seeing results. You feel amazing. Energy’s up. Confidence builds.

• The class reunion passes. The wedding comes and goes. The pressure’s off.

• Suddenly, the motivation fades. You cheat “here and there.” Old habits creep back in.

• The scale climbs, so you stop looking.

• You lose control—and blame keto.

Sound familiar?
Let’s be honest:

Keto isn’t the problem. No diet in the world works if you stop following it.

The Real Issue: Accountability, Not the Approach

Nobody’s expecting perfection. Not me. Not Demi. Not anyone on this journey.

When I travel, I shift between strict keto and more flexible low-carb eating. Food access can be limited, compromises happen—but I’m never lying to myself about it.

Awareness is everything.

If you're eating fries and drinking soda, then wondering why the scale is climbing, it's not the diet—it’s your decisions.

Let’s be real:

• You went to a restaurant. You're saying they had no salad, meat, or fish?

• You ordered steak and broccoli (great)—but ate six rolls before the meal?

• You drank the soda, ate the fries, and then said, “keto doesn’t work”?

These are your choices.
You’re not failing keto—you’re bailing on it.

How I Lost 30 Pounds (and Kept It Off)

Here’s what worked for me. Not perfectly—but consistently. And that’s what matters.

1. I Chose Weight Loss First
I picked a number I hadn’t seen in 14 years and made it my main focus.
No cheat meals. No celebrations. Just the goal.
Once I hit that number, I’d reevaluate. sometimes we try to do to much at once. so i focused on this one thing.

This took me 60 days. I even had a massive work conference in the middle of it—normally four days of drinking and indulgence. But I stayed locked in. If the value was there, I allowed a strategic cheat otherwise, I didn’t compromise.

I had One drink at the final dinner. Steaks and grilled fish, cheats weren’t fries and cake they were letting someone else cook the meal.

2. I Started Morning Walks
Simple. Fasted. 30 minutes. No off days.
It’s low-impact but high-reward.
→ Read why I still walk daily here

3. I Picked 1–2 Meals I Could Eat Daily
No rotating menus. No stress. Just meals I loved that got results.

The first time you break your plan because you “didn’t have time,” you’ll wish you had one go-to meal ready.

→ Here’s how to build your own go-to meal system

4. No Victory Laps
This is a simple but powerful idea goes as follows:

Don’t celebrate mid-race.
No cheat meals. No “I earned it” dinners.
Hit the goal, then reassess.

→Read why “Victory Laps” might be ruining your results.

5. I Did a 2-Day Bone Broth Fast
Here’s how this went down:

• One salad at lunch

• Bone broth, coffee, and water the rest of the day

• Two days in a row

Yes, I did my bone broth fast during the NFL playoffs.
I can tell you I opened that fridge at least 16 times each day looking for beer or snacks, but I stayed locked in. This exercise really helped me break my snacking habit and I think broke me from the addiction to sugar.

→Here’s what a 2-day bone broth fast taught me.

6. Intermittent Fasting
Aside from the bone broth fast, I stuck to a 16:8 eating window—16 hours fasted, 8 hours for food.
This is not always easy when working long, physical days, but it was huge in the beginning and is still part of my routine when I can.

7. I Made It Non-Negotiable
→ Read about making your goals non-negotiable here

This was the real turning point.
I stopped hoping it would work. I made it impossible to fail.

What Happens After You Hit the Goal?

This is where most people mess up… again.
They hit their number and think, “Cool, I’m done.”

Not true. That was just Phase One.

Phase Two is about maintaining what you worked for then leveling it up.
It’s about reshaping your body, your habits, and your lifestyle into something you’re proud of. Something you actually want to live with long-term.

Right now? I eat more. I weigh more (because I lift). But my body looks better, my energy is better, and I’m still in control.

None of that is by chance.
It’s by design.

The Goal Isn’t to Do Keto Forever

The goal is to stay in control forever.

That’s what Creative Keto Living is all about.

“Creative” doesn’t mean we’re reinventing the wheel.
It means we’re using proven tools like keto, fasting, discipline, prep and adapting them to fit our lifestyle in a way that’s sustainable.

You’ve got to do the same.

Final Thought

If keto “didn’t work” for you, ask yourself:

• Did you stop following it?

• Or did you stop being honest about your choices?

This isn’t about guilt.
It’s about truth.

You’re in control.
You always were.

Let’s keep building something that lasts.
Your journey is yours to create.

Want to see the tools that helped us through our first few weeks?
Check out our What We Use page here →