Getting comfortable with Intermittent Fasting

#1

Over the past few months (since sometime in April) I’ve been working on getting comfortable with IF. It has not been easy since I have a history of hard-core eating which included never (NEVER) missing a meal.

I’ve been permissive low carb for years, lazy keto in 2017, and more strict since Christmas of '17. And in April decided to move towards IF. (73yo physically active female, currently 208.)

In the beginning, it was difficult to wait till 9 am to eat anything. Then that got pushed to 10. Then 11… Not an easy thing to do for a person with a serious history of over-eating and weight issues. But I persevered knowing it would help. Now I can go till 2 pm sometimes, but that usually requires being out of the house for most of those hours. When I am mentally engaged, it works quite easily, but I cant just go shopping or play tennis every day. I am retired so am home a lot.

When I first started IF, I decided to try not eating before playing tennis (about 3 times per week). I feared I would pass out on the court without food. Turned out when I was playing, the thought of food/eating rarely crossed my mind. Now I don’t even think about eating before heading off to play.

I believe I am fat adapted. And I’m currently trying to move myself closer to having a shorter eating window. Perhaps eventually to 20/4 or so. Most days are variable however, with some at 18/6. I’d love to get to one meal/day (OMAD), but that concept is beyond what I can consider right now. Even though I am no longer a binger, I still have food issues. (No, you can’t take my food away from me!!!) But I am slowly working through that.

I do drink a rich mocha/HWC beverage when desired. (No need to tell me that’s not ‘real’ fasting.)

Because I still have great resistance to serious fasting (EF type), I can’t even read the monthly IF/EF thread very much. People are doing so well, going days at a time… but I’m not there yet. I would love to be, but I find reading that thread generally over-whelming and in some ways, frightening. So I am here, working to maybe get there. Right now, I’m working to shorten my eating window on a day to day basis. Most days I’m doing pretty well, and getting better as the weeks pass.

At the moment, my main goal is better health via weight loss.

#2

Hi Alexia,

I love reading your story. I desperately want to join the cool kids in the fasting forum, but I too find my eating pattern quite pathetic compared to the others that I read about.

I think it’s a great idea to push your first meal back slowly over time. In fact that’s how Dr. Berry recommends starting out.

I am pretty much okay with not eating until supper as long as I have coffee or iced coffee with cream. Usually I have two, one in the morning and one in the mid-afternoon. I stopped doing BPC because I wanted to get closer to fasting instead of drinking the calories of a small meal.

Its after supper that I find challanging. Once I eat I just want to keep eating. Even if I’m full. It’s like I need something sweet to finish off my supper and I will keep eating until I feel satisfied in that way. I know i just need to stop - but instead I will eat blueberries and cream (lots of blueberries, not just a couple) or make a mug cake or something. If I could just fix the after dinner munchies I’d be golden.

#3

Thanks. I also would like to be one of the cool kids in the fasting forum, but right now whenever I look in there, it sets me back somehow. Cant’ explain it, but it does. Wish the IF and EF were separate threads. Our issues seem so different.

Speaking of pushing meals back in time, this morning I started early with a hwc mocha which was divine. 6:30. Didn’t know how Id make it to noon or so today, but went outside to work in the garden and accomplished a lot. Light hunger came and went, but mostly was not hungry. Eventually I got quite hungry enough to eat at 2:30 and ate a nice salad. This was the latest I’ve been able to push lunch back. Had been planning another hwc mocha, and although passing it by was difficult, realized I was not hungry at all and would have consumed it just for the sheer pleasure of it. I am not often able to do that.

I understand about the blueberries and cream - I have several BB bushes but this year I took off the bird netting and let the birds have most of them. I grazed enough, but decided to just not really harvest till next year. When I eat them, I flood them with cream. But not this year. Sigh.

I don’t know if I’ll get hungry enough for dinner. If not, this will be close to a first. I do however see another hwc mocha in my future later today. :heart_eyes_cat: