Keto & the Mid-Year Slump

Weight Loss Fluctuations (7.7.2025 to 7.13.2025)

As I write this, 2025 is more than half gone. And many of us may be reflecting on what progress, if any, we've made towards the aspirations we optimistically itemized way back in January. Perhaps we committed the list of 'things I'll achieve this year, for sure' to paper, to an app, or just to memory. We may have shared our commitments, our resolutions, with friends and family, posted them on social media (don't do that, by the way), or written them in a private journal. Whichever way we engage in itemizing our goals, we promise ourselves that this year will be the year, that it will differ from all those previous years. We'll keep going towards our objectives no matter what.

Then six months pass. Depending on one's geographic location, half a year's worth of the Earth's revolution around the sun may land us dealing with summertime, wintertime, hot weather, snowy cold weather, changes to work and school schedules, and vacation-taking. Even if none of those impact us, we may find the mental energy to keep up the resolve to stay 'on track' wearing on us.

I can see this in the rolling waves of membership to my private support group on Patreon, subscribers to my YouTube channel, Facebook page, and to this blog. January ingress and July egress, the predictable flow and ebb, and being a human being have confirmed for me that the mid-year slump is a thing. And not just regarding efforts to follow the ketogenic protocol. Loads of things—getting spending under control, decluttering the house, getting more daily steps in, and finally unpacking the moving boxes from when we bought the house five years ago—can commence energetically and peter out come Memorial Day. But this space is about keto, so …

If you find yourself wavering in the face of six more months of staying true to the ketogenic protocol, if continuing to pass on some foods that for years were staples of your life, don't think in months. Not even in weeks. Heck, there's no shame in breaking the future into small, more manageable 'bites,' if you will. Having persevered for several months, it can be tempting to feel that enough is enough. That even though January found us full of conviction and enthusiasm for incorporating habits that serve us well and disincorporating those habits—and foods—that do not. July can find us waffling. (Also, don't eat waffles.) So, instead of contemplating how to manage the time until the next January 1st, just look at today, right now. "I may have a bowl of Ben & Jerry's tomorrow, but not today."

Or fifteen minutes may be the most your mental strength allows. And that's fine. I've broken my life into fifteen-minute clumps for years. I can resist anything for fifteen minutes, except breathing.

The bottom line is that this year can be the year. Right now can be the moment you conquer the urge to toss in the towel and head for the vending machine. Although past performance is the best indicator of future behavior, it's not an absolute. Imagine how powerful it would be to look back after having stayed the course. Every other time might have resulted in faltering, but this needn't be like every other time. I know of what I speak—in spades. And I can attest that successfully making it over a hurdle is thrilling. Stringing a few of those successes together morphs thrilling into astonishing. It changes the way we think about ourselves.

And it all starts with this day, this month, this summer, this year ... with the next fifteen minutes.

If I can do this, you can do this. I promise. 💪


Disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor, researcher, or Ph.D., but instead, I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths, and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all. I welcome questions, comments, and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to affiliate links, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through those links. Thanks!