Yep I have to remind myself before the window closes "you need to get your calories in or the morning is going to suck!" This is especially true if like OP you're going beyond your normal fast, especially if you break the fast with a big meal. You're not necessarily setting yourself up for success if it wrecks your next day or even longer if you really screw up.
I’ve found it difficult to maintain longer fasts in the week/last few days leading up to the first day of my cycle. I also experience more cravings for carbs, chocolate, fatty foods etc. and thats completely normal. I let it be, indulge a bit more and have shorter fasts, rather than just pushing through it. And now I’m back to longer fasts quite easily until the next part of my cycle comes along. It oscillates. It’s fine.
This is exactly. If you’re still having a regular cycle, take the 5-7 days off of fasting before your period. Or at least chop it down to 12-14 hours. Basically your body needs to make progesterone and it craves chocolate and carbs and salt bc it needs magnesium and potassium and all the things. So take it easy if you can. For me, as soon as I start my cycle I can kick it back to 18-20 hours easy. Once a month right around day 10 I do a 24 hour fast. Then I keep the metabolic system on its toes by chilling the days before my period. This works for me, fasting with my hormones! Good luck!
16 is not a long time tbh. Make sure you drink enough water during the fast, close out your meal with electrolytes mix, make sure to eat fruit and vegetables and obviously enough protein and fats.
This. Stay away from artificially sweetened drinks in your fast window even if they are calorie free. Artificial sweeteners have been known to trigger hunger for awhile now
Yup! I fasted last year, only drank water and it went by smoothly. A few weeks in this year I was counting down just like OP, figured it was because I started drinking Diet Coke.
One thing that helps me is that I go and exercise in the last 2 hours of my fast. By the time I get home, I often am busy doing various things and actually end up fasting longer than I intended. I am never usually hungry while exercising. Although I definitely have a little less endurance, since my exercise is a 10 mile run. But since I am not training for any kind of race, and I'm just running for fun, it doesn't really matter if my performance is subpar. So in a nutshell, keep yourself extra distracted in that last 2 hours. It works wonders!
For me, as time goes on the 'why' resolve I started out with gradually works it's way back in my brain. I go from strong resolve to... oh remember you're doing this. Then my hunger starts to dominate. This time I am dedicating a whole year to stick with it. ( I will keep doing omad even after but to start with it's a solid year. I'm not lookig at the scale I'm just doing what I set out to do every day. I get at least 5 miles of walking or jogging in daily (7.5 today) and I figure by just eating my regular 'before' dinner with more protein, I get a deficit of 500 food calories. If I get hungry, I drink water or green tea, get chores done around the house, go grocery shopping or head out for a 2 mile walk around my neighborhood. Walking immediately takes my hunger away and it lasts at least a few hours. I also don't sit by the kitchen, I'm usually upstairs. I get really hungry if I sit in the family room open to the kitchen. Just tell yourself you are on a journey that's a lot longer than a day. A few month commitment for me isn't enough....I end up losing 20 pounds and then let it creep back on. I gotta commit way beyond. Hope you fly through this phase :0)
Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes I really crave sugar. When I feel hungry I drink a black coffee. Today is my first day giving up diet soda. Hopefully that will help curb sugar cravings and perhaps improve my overall health. Mostly drinking coffee and occupying my time with activities helps keep my mind off hunger. For me, the most difficult time is after dinner/before bed. I always get the most hungry during that stretch, after I make it through that, it’s relatively easy.
The other times it’s hard is the mindless snacking. If there’s snacks around the house, sometimes I go to grab some cookies or whatever, without even thinking about it, then I have to remind myself that I’m not in an eating window.
Did you lose some weight recently?
When I started my IF journey, it was easy and I lost about 20lbs easily in 2 months. But soon i started feeling crazy hungry the next few weeks and gained back 10lbs. There is a theory that the hunger suppressing hormone Leptin goes down as you lose weight, so you feel more hungry. This is body’s way of maintaining homeostasis and keeping your weight from fluctuating.
Only way i have been able to have some success is by recognizing the hunger i am feeling is a false signal and by doing something so i am distracted from the discomfort till the fasting window is over.
My guess is you’re not clean fasting OR you’ve become underweight and your body is just desperate to bring you back to your natural set point so is releasing ghrelin (having the right amount of body fat allows for your brain to receive leptin’s signals that you aren’t hungry anymore; people who are underweight don’t get those signals).
You may need to eat more during your fasting window. Also, what are you drinking during your fast? Anything thing with an artificial sweetener will leave you feeling like you’re white knuckling it. Fast clean. Plain water, black coffee or tea. Even some herbal teas can trigger your body into releasing insulin. Good luck and keep going!
Could be what you’re eating. Also I feel like it comes in waves. Some weeks I fast without thinking about it and then a week of hyper focus. Sometimes hormonal. Sometimes not. Just do what you can to get through - make sure you have proper nutrients - and see how it goes in a little while.
I found I'm pushing myself harder which means I'm creating a pendulum effect. I need to just be consistent 18/6(and eat enough) and not push for 22+ randomly.
Occupy yourself with something. Drink water. Go on a walk, laundry, house chores, yard work, go into work, etc.
You may be undereating during your eating window. Trac your calories and macros for a week and it should be gone. Same thing happened to me
This times 1000. You are likely accidentally in a sizable deficit, even more than you intend. They will lead to miserable
Yep I have to remind myself before the window closes "you need to get your calories in or the morning is going to suck!" This is especially true if like OP you're going beyond your normal fast, especially if you break the fast with a big meal. You're not necessarily setting yourself up for success if it wrecks your next day or even longer if you really screw up.
Are you a woman? Before my period is basically impossible.
Yes and it is almost time!
I’ve found it difficult to maintain longer fasts in the week/last few days leading up to the first day of my cycle. I also experience more cravings for carbs, chocolate, fatty foods etc. and thats completely normal. I let it be, indulge a bit more and have shorter fasts, rather than just pushing through it. And now I’m back to longer fasts quite easily until the next part of my cycle comes along. It oscillates. It’s fine.
This is exactly. If you’re still having a regular cycle, take the 5-7 days off of fasting before your period. Or at least chop it down to 12-14 hours. Basically your body needs to make progesterone and it craves chocolate and carbs and salt bc it needs magnesium and potassium and all the things. So take it easy if you can. For me, as soon as I start my cycle I can kick it back to 18-20 hours easy. Once a month right around day 10 I do a 24 hour fast. Then I keep the metabolic system on its toes by chilling the days before my period. This works for me, fasting with my hormones! Good luck!
This is great advice. A shorter fast is better than no fast! And definitely more forgiving for our bodies natural reactions.
Are you eating properly? What’s your current fasting period? Still 16h?
At least 16 but I try for 18
16 is not a long time tbh. Make sure you drink enough water during the fast, close out your meal with electrolytes mix, make sure to eat fruit and vegetables and obviously enough protein and fats.
That’s what she said I’m sorry
Have you recently changed anything during your fasting window? Eg: Change of drink, additives, exercise?
This. Stay away from artificially sweetened drinks in your fast window even if they are calorie free. Artificial sweeteners have been known to trigger hunger for awhile now
Yup! I fasted last year, only drank water and it went by smoothly. A few weeks in this year I was counting down just like OP, figured it was because I started drinking Diet Coke.
One thing that helps me is that I go and exercise in the last 2 hours of my fast. By the time I get home, I often am busy doing various things and actually end up fasting longer than I intended. I am never usually hungry while exercising. Although I definitely have a little less endurance, since my exercise is a 10 mile run. But since I am not training for any kind of race, and I'm just running for fun, it doesn't really matter if my performance is subpar. So in a nutshell, keep yourself extra distracted in that last 2 hours. It works wonders!
For me, as time goes on the 'why' resolve I started out with gradually works it's way back in my brain. I go from strong resolve to... oh remember you're doing this. Then my hunger starts to dominate. This time I am dedicating a whole year to stick with it. ( I will keep doing omad even after but to start with it's a solid year. I'm not lookig at the scale I'm just doing what I set out to do every day. I get at least 5 miles of walking or jogging in daily (7.5 today) and I figure by just eating my regular 'before' dinner with more protein, I get a deficit of 500 food calories. If I get hungry, I drink water or green tea, get chores done around the house, go grocery shopping or head out for a 2 mile walk around my neighborhood. Walking immediately takes my hunger away and it lasts at least a few hours. I also don't sit by the kitchen, I'm usually upstairs. I get really hungry if I sit in the family room open to the kitchen. Just tell yourself you are on a journey that's a lot longer than a day. A few month commitment for me isn't enough....I end up losing 20 pounds and then let it creep back on. I gotta commit way beyond. Hope you fly through this phase :0)
For everyone asking, I only drink water when I fast
Great advice! Thanks
Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes I really crave sugar. When I feel hungry I drink a black coffee. Today is my first day giving up diet soda. Hopefully that will help curb sugar cravings and perhaps improve my overall health. Mostly drinking coffee and occupying my time with activities helps keep my mind off hunger. For me, the most difficult time is after dinner/before bed. I always get the most hungry during that stretch, after I make it through that, it’s relatively easy. The other times it’s hard is the mindless snacking. If there’s snacks around the house, sometimes I go to grab some cookies or whatever, without even thinking about it, then I have to remind myself that I’m not in an eating window.
Did you lose some weight recently? When I started my IF journey, it was easy and I lost about 20lbs easily in 2 months. But soon i started feeling crazy hungry the next few weeks and gained back 10lbs. There is a theory that the hunger suppressing hormone Leptin goes down as you lose weight, so you feel more hungry. This is body’s way of maintaining homeostasis and keeping your weight from fluctuating. Only way i have been able to have some success is by recognizing the hunger i am feeling is a false signal and by doing something so i am distracted from the discomfort till the fasting window is over.
My guess is you’re not clean fasting OR you’ve become underweight and your body is just desperate to bring you back to your natural set point so is releasing ghrelin (having the right amount of body fat allows for your brain to receive leptin’s signals that you aren’t hungry anymore; people who are underweight don’t get those signals).
I am only drinking water and I am definitely not under weight
You may need to eat more during your fasting window. Also, what are you drinking during your fast? Anything thing with an artificial sweetener will leave you feeling like you’re white knuckling it. Fast clean. Plain water, black coffee or tea. Even some herbal teas can trigger your body into releasing insulin. Good luck and keep going!
Could be what you’re eating. Also I feel like it comes in waves. Some weeks I fast without thinking about it and then a week of hyper focus. Sometimes hormonal. Sometimes not. Just do what you can to get through - make sure you have proper nutrients - and see how it goes in a little while.
I found I'm pushing myself harder which means I'm creating a pendulum effect. I need to just be consistent 18/6(and eat enough) and not push for 22+ randomly.
You bored bro
cos you eating less so your metabolism slows down. gotta do more exercise. eat more if need be
No pain no gain 💪
That's what she said