Fasting question for you all!

newbies
fasting
(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #1

Good morning everyone!

I’m looking for a bit of advice with regards to IF…for months now I’ve been fasting daily with no problems at all, feeling fuelled, no drastic hunger pangs, and it’s worked well for me. Just lately though I’ve noticed I’m struggling to make it to lunch time…not been feeling fuelled at all, watching the clock and I just can’t wait to break my fast. I’m starting to wonder if it’s time to change things up a bit and start having breakfast. For the past couple days I’ve been having a bulletproof coffee for breakfast and I’ve loved it! As soon as that hot fatty goodness hits my soul I feel so much better! :rofl:

I do have a theory also in that I’m so close to my goal weight (about another 5-7 lbs to go) so I’m wondering if during my fasting state, there’s not enough fat on me to keep me going until I break my fast. Can someone advise me if I’m right with this thinking? I eat plenty of protein the night before, along with veggies cooked in olive oil, and plenty of fat to see me through until I break my fast, I also eat to satiety so it’s not like I’m not eating enough. My electrolytes are taken care of too.

I’ve found fasting to be a bit of a comfort zone for me but I do also understand it’s important to change things up a bit. Can your body get used to fasting? I’m trying to understand my body’s signals and I just have a feeling it’s time to change things up a bit. I just hope it doesn’t hamper my weight loss goals.

(Carl Keller) #2

Congrats on your success so far Clare. It’s interesting to note how much our hunger evolves from when it was carb influenced to when we become fat adapted and finally to when we have a small to moderate amount of fat left on our bodies. I am also about 5 pounds away from “ideal” weight and the closer I get to that goal, the more my hunger is more pronounced. Granted, it’s not the same kind of “OMG I NEED TO EAT NOW” hunger like when I was a carb junkie, it’s more like a “Mmmm I can’t wait to eat that steak and brocolli that’s in my fridge”… and through doing lots of reading, I’ve learned that our body’s natural response to losing weight and not having much fat reserves left is to increase ghrelin (the hunger hormone) activity so that it encourages us to eat more.

Bottom line, our bodies WANT a certain amount of fat on us and it may not agree with our goals and it’s becoming stingy in giving up that last bit of vanity fat.

(Allie) #3

Best to change things up constantly. You’re doing great so far, just time to make a change to get your body guessing again.

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #4

Thank you for this Carl - congrats to you too! This is where I’m at right now…I can make it through the morning with a growling tummy, but I don’t really want to! :rofl: what you have said totally makes sense, I find myself thinking about food a lot more lately, which leads me to the conclusion that maybe it’s time to fuel myself a bit more.

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #5

Thank you Allie :blush: woohoo breakfast is back!!

(Carl Keller) #6

You’re welcome Clare. Just remember, we are in a much better state than we used to be. Most would love to be in the position we are. :slight_smile:

I have found that feasting days do help my hunger signals. Totally satisfying, but not overfeeding, my hunger seems to put the idea of wanting to eat at rest, somewhat. But that doesn’t help me on the scale much. I’ve maybe dropped 2 pounds over the last 3 weeks but I am ok with that. There’s no hurry since the basic principles of this WOE are something I will continue to use, even after my goal weight is met.

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #7

Very right too! If the weight loss slows down a bit then so be it. There are so many other elements about keto to focus on. I didn’t eat as much at lunchtime yesterday but somehow didn’t feel any hungrier for it either which is a good thing.

(Windmill Tilter) #8

Congrats on your progress! If you’re finding that morning eating is working well for you and you want to switch things up, you might enjoy this article from Dr. Fung’s blog. In a nutshell, there is growing evidence that if you’re going to do intermittent fasting, there are additional benefits to matching the “feeding window” to normal circadian rhythms by eating between 8:00am and 2:00pm. Here is a link in case anybody is interested.

https://idmprogram.com/the-critical-importance-of-meal-timing-for-weight-loss/

(Allie) #9

Close to what I do, normally 630am to 1200pm. Not because of science, just because it’s what I’ve found suits me best.

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #10

Ahh brilliant! Thank you for the link it looks like an interesting read. Looking forward to checking it all out when I’ve put the toddler to bed! :rofl:

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #11

Do you have two meals a day and skip dinner?

(Allie) #12

Sometimes I do OMAD with a big breakfast, sometimes I’ll have a second meal at work around 1100-1200. If it gets to 1200 and I’m not hungry that decides whether it’s an OMAD or 2MAD day.

#13

@ClareBear I know how you feel. Since the holidays fasting and feasting have both been more difficult. Successful and working, yes, but still it’s harder to get by the peaks and valleys.

While extended fasting of 3-4 days I watch the clock and think/plan about real food meals though it is not what I would call cravings. A kind of fixation that I can distract from. But I feel great and emboldened with scale victories.

On my 3-4 days of eating I beat myself up worrying about undoing my fasting success and scale creeps and spikes. I feel OK but sometimes a little bloated after meals. Also, temptations to cheat are much harder during feeding days rather than fasting days.

In short, I feel better while fasting and would just as soon fast all the time. But I am sane enough to know that is not what is best for me.

I’m tempted to give snake fasting a try — fast 3-4 days and eat only 1 day and fast 3-4 days again and continue this pattern for 2-3 weeks.

I love Keto/EF — I’m just afraid the holidays stole my mojo.

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #14

You are braver than I Ben!
The thought of fasting for any longer than 16 hours gives me a bit of a cold sweat! :laughing: it’s a balancing game of wanting to see results on the scales, as well as wanting to feel our best.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having a bit of fuel in me in the mornings, especially during the cold weather. I feel the cold so much more since I lost more weight, and fasting hasn’t helped with that problem.

Good luck with your fasting :blush:

#15

Yes, I, too, get much colder since I’ve lost a lot of weight. Fasting tends to make me even colder.

I think fasting is a way of saying to ourselves that we are in control, not food. But we have to eat and it wins out much more often than not.

I enjoy eating, obviously, but not always the feeling it brings on a short time later.