WHY YOU AREN’T SEEING RESULTS WITH INTERMITTENT FASTING!
Happy Monday Squadies! Intermittent fasting is something I rave about to all my Squadies! Why? It is super effective, has great benefits, and is easy to incorporate into your everyday life. Although this is the case for me and a ton of other Squadies, some find that they aren’t seeing the results they would like to or were expecting to see. That’s why today I will be talking about WHY YOU AREN’T SEEING RESULTS WITH INTERMITTENT FASTING!
First off... What kind of results are we talking about here?
Intermittent fasting has many benefits, to learn more about these benefits, check out our beginner’s guide. The results generally most sought after are weight loss and de-bloating benefits. Some can also experience an increase in energy levels, insulin sensitivity improvements, and improve blood pressure. The easiest results to measure of course are weight loss, de-bloating, and energy levels. If you are practicing intermittent fasting and aren’t seeing any of these results, then read on to find out why this could be and start seeing results! 
How long does it take to see results?
Since everyone is different, there is no single answer to this question. There are SO many factors that play into it, such as:
- Current Weight
- Age
- Metabolism
- Diet
- Exercise
- Overall lifestyle
Basically, your body’s genetics plus your age and lifestyle all play a part in how long it will take to start seeing results. I typically suggest trying Intermittent fasting for a couple of weeks before deciding if it is working for you or not. YES, it is possible to see results with intermittent fasting without any lifestyle changes, BUT this is not always the case. You will ALWAYS see better, healthier results when practicing a healthy lifestyle along with intermittent fasting.
Now let’s get into it! Why you aren’t seeing results with intermittent fasting!
Calorie intake: Your Eating too much or Not Enough
A HUGE factor that plays into your intermittent fasting results is how much you are eating. It can go both ways, eating too much or not eating enough - both have negative effects on your results and could be why you aren’t seeing results with intermittent fasting. Looking at calories in vs. calories burned, if you are consuming the same amount or more calories then you are burning, you are not gonna be losing weight! Your body will store those extra calories in your body as fat. Yes, with intermittent fasting you could potentially get rid of this fat FASTER, but you are essentially taking one step forward, one step back - your right back where you started. There are 2 main issues with not eating ENOUGH calories within your eating window. First off, you are not giving your body the proper nutrients it needs to function properly. Secondly, your body can go into starvation mode and begin to store your fat rather than burn it. How to solve this problem: In order to solve this problem, you need to acquire some kind of understanding of caloric intake, how it works, and how much you should be consuming each day.
There are a couple of ways you can do this:
Calorie counting: Although I don’t recommend this, if you want to try and figure it out on your own, I would try calorie counting for a few weeks to get an understanding of how caloric intake works, and what foods you should or shouldn’t be eating to reach the proper amount of calories and nutrition in a day. Get a Meal Plan: If you are new to healthy eating or just need some guidance, I would recommend purchasing a meal plan. A meal plan written by a professional nutritionist can be super helpful and is the best way to make sure you are eating the right amount of food AND the right foods. You can ask all the questions you need and get it customized however you like! Meal Prep: Once you have an idea of caloric intake, start planning your meals ahead of time and have them ready to go! This will make it easy for you to eat all the food you need to reach your goal calories within the day! 
Not eating the right foods
Although intermittent fasting is more about eating in a specific window of time, doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want! If you are eating foods filled with empty calories (processed carbs and sugars, such as fast foods) you will be eating too many calories without the nutritious value. This means although you are eating a ton of calories, you won’t feel FULL causing you to eat EVEN MORE. This doesn’t mean you can never enjoy the junky or not so healthy foods that you like, it just means that you can eat these foods sometimes, eating clean and healthy foods for the majority of the time! How to solve this problem: taking similar steps as the previous point can help solve this problem! Visit the previous point to find out how to solve this problem!
Hydration
Not drinking enough water can be the reason why you aren’t seeing results with intermittent fasting. Staying hydrated plays 2 key roles, first being that it helps keep you satiated so you are not having so many cravings while fasting. Second, it helps detoxify your body. A huge part of intermittent fasting is its ability to detoxify and clean out your body. If you are not drinking enough, your body isn’t getting rid of all the toxins it should be. How to solve this problem: DRINK YOUR WATER! You can even try a water tracking app to make sure you are meeting your daily water intake goals
Choosing the right eating window
Although 16:8 is the most popular fasting window, it is not always the BEST one for you. There are many different fasting windows and styles to choose from. Try changing up your times, even try fasting longer or 24-hour fasting to see what works best for your body. How to solve this problem: Try something new! Change up your eating window and see what works best for you. 
You’re breaking your fast without realizing
The truth is, when it comes to intermittent fasting there is still a ton of research that needs to be done to conclude what CAN and CAN’T break your fast. Along with this, some research even suggests that certain things at certain amounts can be fine for one person, but can break the fast of another! How to solve this problem: Take some time to research about what can and can’t break your fast! Try sticking to JUST water and a black coffee to make SURE that you are staying in a fasted state! There you have it squadies! Why you aren’t seeing results with intermittent fasting!