Hello and welcome to the Intermittent Fasting Gems with Jen Podcast.

I'm your host Jen, a middle-aged Michigan mama, wife, and teacher who

in 2021 stumbled upon this crazy cool thing called intermittent fasting.

And before I knew it.

I've lost 46 pounds in four months and gained an incredible lifestyle

filled with complete food freedom.

If you're hungry for unique, no nonsense fasting tips that actually

work, you're in the right place.

So whether you're walking the dog, folding that last load of laundry or cruising to

your nine to five, let's start fasting.

Our way to freedom together

hey everybody.

Thanks for tuning in today to episode number 52 of the Intermittent

Fasting Gems with Jen Podcast.

I so appreciate you and if you're new, welcome.

I'm so glad to have you here with us today.

Okay, so today I've got part two of our little mini series 17

simple Reasons You're Not losing weight with intermittent Fasting.

Plus easy fixes.

In the last episode, I gave you the first eight reasons you're not losing

weight with if F and easy fixes.

And today I'm gonna give you the final nine possible reasons.

If you haven't listened to the first eight reasons, I highly recommend

heading back and taking a quick listen to the last episode, number 51.

Let's do a lightning fast recap of part one, the first eight reasons.

Number one, you're not being patient enough.

Two, overeating during your eating window.

Number three, lack of hydration.

Number four, you're not getting enough protein.

Five, not enough fiber in your diet.

Number six, lack of good, solid sleep.

Number seven, you've got way too much stress in your life and

you're not managing it too well.

And finally, number eight, you are not fasting quite long enough to see results.

Alright, ready, set.

Let's dive into the last nine.

Reasons number nine is too much fasting.

Now I realize that reason number eight was to try and fast more trying

and to bump up to that 18 hour mark.

But there really is such a thing as too much fasting.

Fasting for extended periods might seem like a shortcut to

fast weight loss, but it could.

Definitely backfire on you when you fast too much.

Your body definitely could go into conservation mode,

slowing down your metabolism and holding onto those fat stores.

Additionally, it can lead to nutrient deficiencies that

might leave you feeling tired.

Cranky.

So how can we fix this with intermittent fasting, it's very important to find

the right balance between fasting and eating to ensure sustainable weight loss.

It is a trial and error game, and it's also helpful to remind yourself

that losing weight with any plan should be approached as a marathon.

Not a sprint.

Reason number 10, not enough exercise.

If you're not losing weight with intermittent fasting, adding a

little more sweat to your schedule.

Might be just the fix you need, although you cannot out exercise a bad diet.

Uh, that is definitely, uh, something I have learned the hard way.

But exercise definitely revs up your metabolism and it does help your body

burn more calories and maintain lean muscle, all of which are very crucial.

For shedding pounds.

So here are a few fixes to help you with the not enough exercise problem number

one, aim for short intense workouts.

Opt for high intensity interval training.

HIIT or hi, quick, intense workouts that can be completed in a shorter time.

These workouts can be effective for burning calories and building

muscle without requiring a significant time commitment.

Check out Beach Body, love their program.

Highly recommend it.

Number two, take active breaks.

Incorporate short bursts of physical activity throughout your day, like

take brisk walks during breaks.

Use the stairs instead of elevators, or you can do quick.

Body weight exercises like squats or pushups while watching tv.

These little breaks add up and help you stay active even

during your very busy day.

Number three, strength train Strength training builds lean muscle mass, which

can increase your resting metabolic rate.

This allows you to burn more calories even when you're not.

Exercising.

Additionally, muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain.

So incorporating strength training into your intermittent fasting routine.

Can contribute to more efficient weight loss.

And number four, start a morning exercise routine in the fasted state.

Consider working out in the morning before you break your fast.

This really can help kickstart your metabolism and energize

you for the day ahead.

I absolutely had amazing.

With three lines underlining amazing weight loss results once I started

exercising in the fasted state.

Give it a try.

All right, keeping with the topic of exercise.

Number 11 is too much exercise and as valuable as regular sweat sessions

can be exercising excessively while you are intermittent, fasting may

be holding you back from reaching your weight loss goals first.

Intense workouts, especially when fasting can elevate your stress hormones

like cortisol, this may hinder weight loss and disrupt hormonal balance.

Next, too much exercise without proper nutrition.

Can result in muscle breakdown, which can lead to a decreased metabolic rate.

And finally, intense workouts can increase your appetite, potentially

leading to overeating and making it harder to stick to your fasting plan.

How to fix it.

So to avoid over exercising while trying to lose weight with intermittent fasting,

let's consider these three strategies.

Number one.

This one's probably the most important.

Listen to your body.

Pay attention to your body's signals.

If you feel excessively fatigued or sore, or you notice a drop in performance,

it might be a sign that you need more.

Rest and recovery.

Number two, schedule.

Actually schedule rest days.

Incorporate scheduled rest days into your plan and into your workout routine.

These days allow your body to recover and reduce the risk of over training.

And number three, vary your workouts.

Don't do all hit workouts.

Incorporate a variety of workouts including lower intensity activities like

yoga or walking alongside those higher intensity exercises like hit exercises.

This balanced approach is gonna ensure that you're not constantly

pushing your body to its limits.

Number 12.

Inconsistent fasting consistency really is the secret sauce

when it comes to intermittent fasting and weight loss success.

Each fasting period contributes to your overall progress and not being consistent

really does disrupt your body's rhythm.

Making it harder to reap the full benefits of fasting.

And although intermittent fasting is very flexible, you can't just do intermittent

fasting here and there or whenever you feel like it and expect it to work.

All right, let's talk about fixes.

Um, here are a few strategies to help you stay consistent

with your intermittent fasting.

Weight loss goals, number one, set a schedule.

Find a fasting plan and schedule that aligns with your daily

routine and your preferences.

Consistency becomes easier when fasting becomes a regular part of

your day and when it becomes a habit.

Uh, number two, track your progress.

Use an intermittent fasting tracking app to monitor your fasting hours.

Monitor your.

Food intake, your fasting periods and record your progress.

Seeing your achievements really can motivate you to stay consistent.

Number three, find a fasting buddy or an accountability partner.

Partner up with a friend or a family member who is also

interested in intermittent fasting.

Having someone to share your journey with can provide encouragement

and help you to stay consistent.

And if you're not part of our so what if with Gen Fasting Support Group,

we would absolutely love to have you.

I only have one rule to get into this.

Public Facebook sharing group, and it is the golden one.

Be nice, treat others how you wanna be treated.

It is a safe place where like-minded friends and intermittent fasts

can share and support each other.

If anybody puts anything negative in there, I just delete it and kick 'em out.

That's it, that you just need to be nice.

So come join us if you're not already a part of our group.

Again, we'd love, love, love to have you.

All right.

Reason number 13, eating when you are not truly hungry.

Indulging in meals when you are not truly hungry can really become a big problem.

When it comes to losing weight with intermittent fasting, uh, so many of

us eat out of habit and boredom or emotions get the best of us and disrupt

our fasting window and calorie balance.

Um, making those weight loss goals much, much harder to conquer.

So eating when you're not truly hungry can become a really big thing.

Here's how to fix it.

Three ways to know.

If you are truly hungry, okay, number one, true hunger comes on gradually.

Emotional eating often arises suddenly and typically appears as

a craving for a specific comfort.

Food Number two, true hunger is an actual physical sensation with

real physical symptoms like stomach growling or a feeling of emptiness.

On the other hand, emotional eating is usually triggered by

a feeling of stress or sadness.

Boredom.

Three.

If you are truly hungry, you are going to be more likely to eat

mindfully and savor your food.

With emotional eating, people tend to devour food very, very

quickly, oftentimes without even being aware that they're eating.

Alright, moving on to number 14.

You're eating too much junk.

No, you absolutely can't.

Eat whatever you want and still expect to reach your weight loss

goals With intermittent fasting, if you regularly break your fast with

high calorie unhealthy foods, it can very easily lead to weight gain.

You should really try to limit your consumption of fast food, sugary drinks,

baked goods, alcohol, processed foods, fried foods, and excessive carbs.

Now.

I realize that can be a hard one, but here's a few ways that we can fix it.

Number one is meal planning.

Plan your meals and snacks in advance and make sure they consist

of whole nutrient dense foods.

Having a well thought out meal plan reduces the temptation to reach

for junk food when hunger strikes.

All right, and again, side note, look into that meal delivery service.

I do have an upcoming episode, a podcast episode plan for that.

So.

Um, listen for that.

Number two, healthy substitutes and food swaps.

Identify healthier alternatives for your favorite junk foods and just have some

fun in the kitchen trying things out.

So.

For example, opt for air popped popcorn instead of chips or Greek yogurt with

berries instead of a bowl of ice cream.

Bake with almond or coconut flour instead of white flour or,

and this is a really big one.

Um, swap out that banana in your smoothie for a half of an avocado,

and you'll save 14.3 grams of sugar.

18 grams of carbs and make that smoothie that you thought was a fat burning

smoothie, an actual fat burning smoothie.

All right.

All of these substitutions can definitely still satisfy your cravings

without derailing your progress.

I have a really good blog post titled 11 Simple Weight Loss Food Swaps that still

taste great, um, and it will give you tons of great ways to make food substitutions.

Still taste awesome.

And of course I will leave that link in the show notes on my

podcast recommendation page.

Alright, number three, I know I talk about this one a lot, but it really does work.

Practice mindful eating by paying close attention to your body's

hunger cues and the sensations you experience while eating.

This can really help you differentiate between true hunger and emotional

cravings, making it easier to resist the temptations of junk food.

Alright, moving on to number 15 on our list.

Another really, really big one, not fasting clean.

Fasting clean is extremely important when it comes to losing

weight with intermittent fasting.

If you're not clean fasting, it's kind of like, it's basically cheating.

When you prioritize clean fasting, you allow your body to tap into its fat

stores more efficiently, as there are no additional calories or substances

to process during the fasting period.

Clean fasting also helps regulate blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation,

and really optimize the overall benefits of intermittent fasting.

How can you fix this?

Well, you need to make sure that you are fasting clean by sticking to the

four best drinks for intermittent fasting only during your fasting hours.

Black coffee, unflavored herbal tea, plain water, and of course

plain sparkling mineral water.

If you are unsure about what does and does not, break a fast head back

and give a quick listen to episode number 10 15 shocking things that

could totally be breaking your fast.

Also, I have a really great blog post about the clean, fast and

how to do it just right and get.

Super awesome results.

I'll leave that link on my recommendation page too.

All right, next up, the 16th.

Reason why you are possibly not losing weight with intermittent fasting is this.

It's super important to realize and understand the power of.

Body recomposition, you most definitely could be losing fat and not actually

losing weight according to the scale.

Intermittent fasting has the ability to reshape your body and your physique by

burning fat and building that lean muscle.

This dynamic approach not only results in a more toned appearance, but it

also has a host of health benefits too.

As you lose fat and gain muscle, your metabolism becomes more efficient.

Plus muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat, so your

body becomes a calorie burning machine even when you're not.

Active here are three strategies to help you focus on body recomposition

rather than the number on the scale when losing weight with intermittent fasting.

Number one, measure instead of relying solely on the scale, use other measures

like body fat percentage, waist circumference, or progress photos.

Take note of how your clothes fit.

These metrics provide a more comprehensive view.

Of your body changes, rather than just relying on that number

and the scale strength training, incorporate regular strength

training exercises into your routine.

Building that lean muscle through strength training can really help reshape your body

and increase metabolism even if the scale.

Doesn't move.

Three, focus on those non-scale victories.

Celebrate 'em, um, victories, such as increased energy, improved endurance,

better sleep, or your clothing fitting.

Differently and better.

These milestones can be more motivating than any stupid number on the scale.

And last but not least, reason number 17.

Not enough mixing and switching.

All right.

So hitting a weight loss plateau is a very common snag that many people run into

along their intermittent fasting journey.

It, it's happened to me.

It's, you know, it's happening.

More now to me, and I'm really having to fight against it as I

am gonna be 50 here soon, and I'm struggling with that time in my life

of the change and all of that, but.

Initially, you may see that rapid progress as your body adjusts to the new eating

pattern and sheds excess water weight.

However, over time, your metabolism may adapt to the calorie deficit.

Leading to a slowdown in weight loss plateaus can be very frustrating, but they

really are a natural part of the process and it's just a great idea to try to.

Get that in your head and deal with it and then keep moving forward.

One of the main reasons people hit plateaus and have difficulty overcoming

them is because they get too comfortable.

They're like, Hey, I'm doing this intermittent fasting thing and I

lost all this weight and it's working so good for me, and they just keep.

Doing the same exact thing over time, the body may adapt to a

consistent fasting routine and slow down your weight loss progress.

So how can you fix it to overcome a weight loss plateau?

It's really essential to reassess your eating habits.

Consider adjusting your fasting window or your meal plan, and.

Incorporate regular physical activity to keep your progress

moving in the right direction.

So mix things up.

It's gonna keep your metabolism humming.

Try new fasting routines or different exercise routines.

Um, like I said, keep your body guessing and the number on

the scale will keep dropping.

You can't keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same.

Amazing results.

I think that's like insanity or something like that.

Who knows?

But all right, there you have it.

Nine more possible reasons why you're not losing weight with intermittent fasting.

Maybe you're fasting too much or not exercising enough.

Maybe you're exercising too much.

Maybe you're not fasting consistently, or you are eating

when you are not actually hungry.

It's possible that you're eating too much junk food or you're not truly

fasting clean, or maybe you're not quite understanding the true power.

Body recomposition, or it could just be that you're not doing enough

switching and mixing up your fasting schedule, whatever the reason may be,

I am confident that we can fix it.

Together.

If you want more help, remember, you can snag my intermittent fasting

and weight loss masterclass for just $29 until the end of the month when

you use that discount code back to school, to the number at checkout.

The.

I really, really want to see you succeed because intermittent fasting works.

It really, really does.

The key is not to be discouraged by these roadblocks, but rather to see them as

opportunities for growth and adjustment.

Remember, your weight loss journey is unique and with determination

and support and flexibility, you can achieve your goals and enjoy

the numerous health benefits that intermittent fasting has to offer.

You have totally got this.

I. Believe in you.

All right.

Have yourself the absolute best day ever.

My fabulous fasting friends.

Hey, thank you so much for choosing to spend part of your day listening

to this episode of the Intermittent Fasting Gems with Jen podcast.

If you think these tips could help a friend or a family member, please

consider sharing this episode with them.

And if you really enjoyed the show, taking a minute or two

to leave a positive review.

Would be so appreciated.

Tune in for new 15 to 25 minute episodes released on the 10th,

20th, and 30th of each month.

Episodes will feature solo shows filled with if F hacks that

have worked for me, as well as episodes where I get to chat with.

Fun folks of all ages who've experienced incredible success

with intermittent fasting.

If you have questions or want more unique intermittent fasting health and

weight loss tips, tricks and recipes, please visit my website and blog at.

So what if with jen.com?

Finally, we'd love to welcome you into our free intermittent.

Fasting Facebook support group.

So what if with Jen?

Find all of these links in the show notes below.

And as always, I hope you spend your day loving without fear and

laughing until your cheeks hurt.