Intermittent fasting has not only helped me lose wight, it has become a way of life. At this point in my weight loss journey, I use intermittent fasting on a daily basis in order to keep the pounds from coming back on. But also, I just like the way I feel when I’m fasting!

That said. I have had times when IF is not working. That is to say when I’m following an IF plan but I am also gaining weight. I know a lot of people have gone though this same experience. Here are three reasons why it could be going wrong.

First Reason

The first is you are not really following the plan. There are many IF plans out there to chose from. And all of them will help in your weight loss journey. But if you are eating too often outside your scheduled eating window, the IF plan you are on will not work.

This of course will not happen after cheating one time. It is a result of continual off schedule eating. Remember that weight loss is a journey. It is how you eat over time that will make the difference. If you are continually cheating on your plan you will gain weight.

In order to fix this you have to be honest with when you are eating and how often you are cheating. A food diary will often help with this. After you get the honest a real information, get back on it!

Second Reason

The second reason is that you may simply be consuming too many calories. IF is a great way to live that provides a person with lots of freedom during their eating window. However, it is not magic. If you are consuming more calories than you are burning you WILL gain weight!

This normally happens when you are eating too much and eating too much of the wrong foods. It is actually pretty easy to overload on calories if you are eating ultra processed food.

The rule of thumb here is eat NORMALLY during your eating window. Your eating window should be filled with your favorite food within reason. But it still should not look like Thanks Giving, Halloween, or Christmas every time you eat.

Third Reason

The last reason your IF might not be working is that your body might have adjusted to your new diet. This one is a bit tricky because ultimately if you are not losing wight or if you are gaining weight it is due to the fact that your are consuming too many calories. This makes this reason closely related to the last reason.

However there is a catch. Your body does not want to lose weight and any method you chose will ultimately stop working. Your body slows down many of its process and learns to efficiently use the amount of calories it is getting.

The solution is NOT to double down on your IF plan. Instead, you need to take a break from IF for a while. This is not an excuse to pig out. In fact, what has worked best for me is intuitive eating! Try it for a while and then go back to your IF plan!

Final Thoughts

Please remember to ask your doctor before you start any diet. BUT if you found this helpful please leave a comment, like this post, share it, AND if you are so inclined please buy me a coffee by pressing on the donate button!

And here is a great book on Intermittent Fasting

Here is a book in Intuitive eating