Psychological Desire to Eat on Fasts

#1

Ended day 2 of what will probably be a 3 day fast, possibly 4 days. I have not fasted in over a month except for a fat fast or the occasional OMAD which I do not count. Entered this one accidentally when I skipped lunch and dinner yesterday (I never eat breakfast). I like fasting as it resets my desire to snack and it pretty much is the only way I will lose weight.

Today was not hungry most of the day but noticed that I was missing eating. Especially during the times I would normally eat. I really missed the sensation of eating. I do not want to do bone broth since it could stop autophagy which is one of my other reasons to fast. Ironically had to shop for carbage for a party my kids are having at school tomorrow (no I cannot send bacon instead, the school has a lot of restrictions on what can be brought in.) This did not bother me at all. Honestly carbage rarely bothers or tempts me these days.

Not sure how to get past the not eating beyond having tea, seltzer and water.

Tomorrow I will try exercising fasted which is new. Not sure how it will go. I am planning to do some slow burn weight machine exercises and then some aerobic work. One problem I usually have while fasting is that I get a little light headed if I bend down. I will make sure to add some electrolytes and see if that works. Suggestions welcome

(KCKO, KCFO) #2

When I feel like eating out of habit, that is what this is, I munch more pink salt. I always have bone broth on hand but rarely have to resort to it. The pink salt and crunch does it for me. YMMV.

(Mark Rhodes) #3

Me too!

Yesterday was different though. I was at about hour 40 looking for 72 and two things happened. First my fasting buddy (the wife) let me know she nibbled. TRIGGER but second and more important was my fingers and toes stayed cold. Pink salt didn’t help. Nor water. Nor black coffee. So I ate. My reasoning was that although I want the benefits that I keep accumulating from a fast I was getting signals that it would be far superior to eat, not nibble. Being in the office I grabbed two cans of sardines packed in olive oil and gulped them down.

The psychological thing was that this was not as refreshing as I thought it would be. It felt like a relapse! Now I know I also could take fasting too far.

#4

When I am fasting, I frequently eat a bouillon cube during family mealtimes. It’s basically flavored water with almost no calories and no nutritional value (unlike bone broth which has collagen, fat, protein, and other nutrients). It’s physiologically satisfying to take spoon to mouth and consume something hot.

(VLC.MD) #5

Stop autophagy ? Not really ?
How long for ? 30 minutes ?

Bone broth is great for fasting.

Halting autophagy for a short period might be good not bad.

#6

This is from Fung who says that autophagy takes 24 -36 hours to get going and protein can halt autophagy. I would think that it could halt it up to another 24 hours. Do you have a source that says otherwise?

I have a lot of excess skin from pregnancies and weight gain. I really want to get rid of it and more importantly, as I lose I do not want to accumulate more. I am always intrigued by what he says that you never see excess skin on starving prisoner of war

#7

I am always cold at various points but it is usually at bedtime and not limited to hands and feet. Last night I was freezing, this morning I am in a tank top and it is not very warm here but I am ok

(Mark Rhodes) #8

I do think it is important for autophagy to be completed you need to go through the elevated GH cycle as well, so 72 hours give or take. My reasoning is that autophagy dismantles the derelict proteins but the GH is what uses it to reassemble damaged structures.

I do like this take by Synchro on it.

#9

Good article.

(David M Hahn) #10

100% mental for me. I’m not hungry ever yet I eat anyway. I started a fast today hoping for four days I know I wont be hungry but I get in the way of my own sucess.

(THERESA PITTS) #11

I dieted for so long with the CICO school of thought, (1200 calories per day, low fat) that I have a mental block on fasting. I hate skipping meals because it reminds me of being deprived. I did manage a 72 hour fast and physically could have gone longer, but mentally, I was done with not eating. 22 hours into another fast, but not sure how far I will be able to go.

Anybody have any tips to get past this mental block?

(Stephanie Sablich) #12

My desire to eat when I’m doing an EF is definitely psychological. I have no idea of the insulin response, but I chew sugar-free gum. Even if it is producing a small insulin response, I’m still not consuming food. I just have the desire to chew something. It helps me quite a lot.

(Jack Brien) #13

Maybe you could ask this in the Ask Fung thread? I’d be interested to know too

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #14

I, too, have a mental block about fasting, but I find that I just naturally do a type of intermittent fast, because I am just not hungry. The key is eating fat to satiety, because I find fat so satisfying that I have no need to eat for quite some time after a meal if I get enough fat.

I wouldn’t worry too much about not fasting. Let it happen naturally (people here on the forums have posted about fasting accidentally because they forgot to eat!), and if it doesn’t then don’t worry about it. If you find you have a need to fast (to break a stall, or whatever), then you will find a way to do it. Till then, does it really matter? There is no keto rulebook, fortunately.

#15

A fast doesn’t have to be water only. Maybe try a fat fast or single food (ie. egg) fast or a green smoothie fast.

Another approach is to gradually extend IF, like eating every other day. Then 42 hours, then 48 hours. Over time you’ll overcome the psychological barrier.