Have you been intermittent fasting and noticed your weight-loss results have not been as good lately? Let’s delve into the reasons why so you can smash your intermittent fasting weight-loss plateau.

If you read my post on Food Addiction you’ll know I’ve had a problem with my weight my whole life. Intermittent fasting has helped, but just like any addiction, whilst there are tools to manage the craving, the craving for junk food never fully goes away. Recently also, I noticed that while I have been losing weight through intermittent fasting these last few months, my weight has not only now hit a plateau, but I’m finding it harder to get through my fasting window.

Here’s what I found in my research into the causes of a weight-loss plateau while intermittent fasting. After some honest self-reflection we may be able to understand what might be contributing to the stall.

Lack of discipline

Since I left my job (see my post on The Great Resignation) I’m now at home for most of the day – at home with only the cupboard, the fridge and my motivation for company. The cupboard and the fridge are my life-long, loyal but at times, very destructive friends. Depending on how long it’s been since the last grocery delivery, they might be full of interesting things or pitifully lacking. An empty fridge or cupboard won’t put me off though – it just means I either need to get inventive with the dregs or dig deeper to find hidden treats!

It’s far easier for me in an office setting to just not buy snacks and be fine. If a snack is not within easy reach from the spot where I’m sitting staring at a spreadsheet, then I won’t eat it. There is never a shortage of left-over birthday/wedding/Tuesday cake in the office kitchen. But it’s easier to side-step the cake when the office is full of skinny people watching your every sleight of hand with their beady judgmental eyes. At home there is no judgement and there are no eyes!

But my lack of discipline is now contributing to a weight-loss plateau and threatening to thwart all of my previous efforts. So I admit lack of discipline is a contributor. But is there more to it?

Overeating / not eating enough

While doing my research, I got some great tips from Autumn Bates who is a clinical nutritionist – she has a ton of great material on YouTube. One of the things she talked about which, I never considered, is how important it is to get enough calories during the feeding window. Not only that, but the right kind of calories.

I was finding success on my weight loss journey by fasting for 36 hours three times a week… until I wasn’t. It is quite possible by not getting enough calories over the course of the week my body has adapted by burning less energy when I fast and clinging on to the calories I do eat for absolute dear life!

I do make damn sure I eat plenty when I have the appetite to – often to the point of feeling stuffed – but it is also possible that I am now over-eating for my new, much lower, energy needs.

Eating the wrong foods

If I’m reeeeeeeeeeeally honest, I have started back on the junk food again. I so missed having toast on a Saturday morning and I more so missed having rice with my dinner.

While we’re in confession, I also dared to eat a chocolate finger that someone in the office offered me out of kindness (or they wanted to drag me down with them?!). The junk food seal was broken. A couple of treats from the box of Celebrations later and I’m losing myself down the filth aisle again buying fudge, mince pies and all the rubbish I can fit in my basket, all under the ‘guise’ of sharing with the office on my leaving day. It wasn’t for them, it was for me! So that’s me back on the sugar. I don’t want to be, but it’s found me again and probably the biggest contributor to my current weight-loss plateau. We know this now. Sugar causes insulin release, which can halt weight-loss and ultimately lead to weight-gain.

Breaking your fast with the wrong foods

If it wasn’t bad enough, according to Thomas DeLauer, the worst thing to break your fast with is fat combined with carbohydrate. That combination compounds the insulin spike. Goodbye cheese on toast. Goodbye peanut butter on toast. Goodbye toast! I mean look, it all makes sense. The body is an amazing adapting machine. It does a great job of clinging onto those calories when it senses food is scarce. This amazing skill kept our ancestors alive. Instead of fighting our survival instincts, it’s best to just work with them. So what’s the best food to break a fast? Lean protein is best according to the experts. Protein from an animal source is apparently even better. Eggs without the toast is then!

Your body is taking a natural pause

That’s given me at least somewhere to start. If you’re doing all this already and still experiencing a weight-loss plateau while intermittent fasting, then just keep going! Plateaus happen with every weight-loss endeavour. Your body may just be going through a phase of adapting or your body may just have reached a natural healthy weight.

I’m a big fan of Dr Mindy Pelz. I’ve just finished reading her book Fast Like a Girl. She’s a big advocate for varying your fasting lengths. So cycling through 15 hour fasts, 17 hour fasts and the odd 48 hour fast could help to smash your weight-loss plateau. Dr Mindy also recommends cutting out stress and getting a good night’s sleep.

In summary… cut out the junk, break your fast with lean protein and vary the fasts.

Give that a whirl and let me know how you get on!

If you liked this blog post, check out my other blog posts here.

Take care.