Breaking the Fasting Mental Barrier

(Dustin Bell) #1

Good Morning peeps. So i have been struggling to build my “fasting muscles” recently. Having an uber tough time breaking through day 2. On my fast last month, I made it 2.5 days and gave up, not because I was sick or week, but because my mind suddenly fixated on food and I became so hungry that I broke my fast with a lara bar.

On a side note, it seems that the people at my job are a little less supportive than I expected them to be. The only co workers that understand are the ones that practice Islam, due to their fasting practices. So, the haters do things, like purposefully eat in front of me, stand behind me ans chew their food and constantly try to talk about food around me, not helping me get over the hurdles at all. Maybe i need to flip out on them one day.

#2

Cognitive dissonance.

You’re doing something that the vast majority of people don’t really understand, and the media bombards everyone with food as well as all the experts telling us to eat regularly, etc., so they can’t handle it.

If they acknowledge that you’re doing something good for yourself, and they don’t… well they need to attack you and try to make you fail to justify their own beliefs.

I’m sure this is probably just venting, but just in case… :wink:

If you do flip out, it will only justify their belief that what you’re doing is extreme and could make things worse.

(Marc) #3

On a side note, it seems that the people at my job are a little less supportive than I expected them to be.

I’ve experienced this too in a more general sense. I’ve been doing this quite awhile. When I first started I was so amazed at the results that I would tell everybody about what I was doing and how I was doing it in the hopes of convincing them that it would be better for them. Because I’d run into so many people (friends, family, etc) saying things like “you’re going to kill yourself”, etc. I’ve learned to just keep my mouth shut around others.

In the years since I started the science is starting to catch up with the practice. Thus, it’s much easier now to come back at naysayers.

Having said that, it’s up to each individual whether they want to tell others what they’re doing. Nevertheless, keto on!

#4

Yeah, me too. Between keto and fasting I still try to tell some people, but mostly watch while people blame various issues on CICO, not exercising enough, or in any way following out-dated advice and not making any progress. I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them to wake them up from the misleading dogma.

#5

Yeah, I totally understand. I get that sort of behaviour, too.

Best thing to do is not to respond with any emotion. Because emotions gives them the feedback that they are wanting/desiring. If they can’t get an emotion out of you, they feel like it’s a waste of time, and move on to other things that occupy their mind, and they forget about you.

And then, to seal the deal for next time you fast, personally take them aside, and one-on-one, have a chat with them. Tell them that you really appreciated their support, that they are the best work companions ever, that you couldn’t have done it without them. They will give you the dumb-founded look, but then they will say some like “you are welcome” and take the credit, because they are shallow idiots. So, you need to work the situation.

(Marc) #6

Yeah, me too. Between keto and fasting I still try to tell some people, but mostly watch while people blame various issues on CICO, not exercising enough, or in any way following out-dated advice and not making any progress. I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them to wake them up from the misleading dogma.

@BillJay exactly my experience. The worst part of my experience is that a number of people (3) I talk with in my family are MDs. Can you believe it? Worse, their kids are really suffering from how they eat. I think, because the kids have eaten that way all their lives. Even worse, there is diabetes in one of the doctor’s family. I’m just struck silly by all this. They (MDs) do it to their kids to the point of giving their kids diabetes. I just can’t understand this. I’m dumbstruck by this. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is. Nevertheless, I keep my mouth shut and keto on.

That is one reason I joined this group. This one area where I can talk freely about keto.

#7

I think the best strategy is not to tell anyone what you’re doing. There’s no reason they need to know, plus it should be easy to keep from them. Say you’ve got to grab a quick lunch out while running an errand, and they won’t know that you didn’t eat. Or fast on weekends when you aren’t around them.

(Dustin Bell) #8

True. I’ll try to remain positive, but, we all know how day 1 - 2 goes when your starting out. lol

(Jeff Davis) #9

I’ve taken this approach when people have asked me how I’ve lost weight. I just shrug and say “diet and exercise,” because I don’t want to get into a discussion about keto and fasting with people who have been pumped full of conventional wisdom. When I’ve tried to explain, I get questions like: “you eat how much fat?” or “you know you should really be eating several small meals a day to keep your metabolism going” or “you’re going to get sick if you fast.” I got tired of answering those questions. Maybe I should get some cards to hand out like @brenda has. It makes me a poor keto disciple, I know.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #10

Meh. Do it if you feel like it. If not, just take care of you.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #11

No way in hell I’d tell anyone uneducated about fasting if I expected support. I’m on day 9 of a water fast atm. What kind of reaction do you suppose I get??

You work with immature assholes.
Sorry you have to deal with that. Don’t talk about your personal life around them, and fasting is totes personal.
They’re not your friends. We can be your support with fasting:

(Cathy Schroder) #12

I didn’t tell anyone at work when I was fasting. When I broke the fast at 2.5 days they claimed that it was simply too unhealthy to fast for longer than a couple of hours, and that I would be too ill to work. Their collective jaws hit the floor when explained how long it had been since I had eaten and pointed out that no-one had noticed any difference with me. Not sure that they would believe me if I told them how long some of you fast for!

#13

Yeah, I had one friend texting me daily, saying “have you eaten yet?” “Please eat, or else your heart will stop”, and “you have an eating disorder”.

(Patrick B.) #14

I think it might be more, if they acknowledge that you’re doing something good for yourself, and they aren’t doing that, they are the failure. So they attack it as a bad thing to make them okay with how they live their life.

(Jane Reed) #15

“The first rule of Fasting Club is not to talk about Fasting Club.”

My opinion:. if you have to say anything, say it’s religious practice or prep for lab tests or your doctor (Dr. Fung, of course) advised you to.

(Dustin Bell) #16

Hahahaha, I love it!!! Yes, my Dr has advised me to fast.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #17

No shit? Really? Are they willing to read any science on the subject??

(eat more) #18

i really did just see my brain from my eye roll :joy:

(Ruth Poutanen) #19

Yes, I agree that no one really needs to know. If you get good results and they ask, that’s one thing. Even when I’m out to dinner or with friends, I still eat “my” way and don’t make a big deal of it. You can’t convince somebody in a three minute conversation so I don’t even try to go there.

(Tim W) #20

This is what I do.

Everyone knows I don’t do sugar so it’s easy to turn down the junk food they constantly cram into their maws. When it comes to something like a potluck etc. I just politely decline and claim that I’m eating later or something.

I have a different work environment though, not in a full office and have some space between me and the rest of the crew, that makes it much easier.

Can you take walks/go to a park during the herd’s lunch hour? Maybe that would help?