Hi, Queen! Always great to see you!

I don’t know that my mood has improved. I’ve always got my inner b*tch fired up and ready if she’s needed. But I *certainly* have a much improved sense of well being — both physical and mental — and that must translate into being a more positive and happy person.

As for whether I’m anymore tolerable or less eccentric… I’d really need my family to weigh in on that one. 😂

Late reply but I thought I would chime in.

I have been fasting every other day (with a break last weekend for a trip). I find it does improve my mood, which was surprising.

I feel like I have more energy and drive than I did before. Hunger has always been something I’ve tended to avoid before and I’ve always believed it made me irritable. Now, I have to be mindful about it – and I find the irritation goes away.

Also, I have noticed that my attitude to using food as an emotional coping mechanism is starting to shift. Because, I have to find a different coping mechanism on fast days, I’m learning things about myself, and because I don’t have to do it all the time, it is not overwhelming.

Would love to hear if others have similar or different effects.

Intermittent fasting has improved my mood, but results vary depending on your mindset at the time of the fast.

Food is a basic necessity. We all know this. In every celebration, day out, party, holiday etc. the food is always one of the most important things. From the moment we wake up we are often thinking about food, and while at work, wondering what we are going to have for dinner when we go home. This is even when we are not fasting. Yet despite this, we all take food for granted the majority of the time.

When fasting food becomes increasingly appealing and feels like the answer to our problems more and more. However much of this is the mind pestering us and kidding us. We think eating again is going to be the most sensational experience ever as we have been so deprived of food. Only to eat again and then realise in no time that we feel just the same as we did before starting the fast. The feeling of deprivation during the fast can lead to a low mood. But, lets now discuss the positive mood changes fasting can cause.

If we manage to put this niggling desire to eat away for a while then we feel in many ways more free. I am not saying it is easy, but the prize is worth having. More worthwhile that the feeling we will get from eating that sausage roll we have been eyeing up. If you manage to somehow cut off the desire to eat by focusing your mind on the good points of fasting such as what I’m discussing right now, then you will find it easy to detach yourself from other niggling thoughts which hinder your concentration. Many people, myself included, want to fidget and lose concentration easily. It can be for something as simple as feeling you have been looking at this screen for too long. Fasting is like spitting in the eye of anything that might try to distract you. Be it the need to eat, drink, or dwell on negative thoughts. So therefore fasting can be a welcome break from having things controlling your life. The focus during a fast in on you and something you are doing for yourself. You also find that you have so much free time to get so much done, which would usually be spent preparing food or eating. Of course you can use the time to rest, sleep or meditate.

I am not pretending that fasting is easy, and sometimes I have had unsuccessful fasts where my mood has got worse rather than better so I have had to break the fast. However I keep trying and that is how I have achieved many successful fasts and been doing it for almost one year. I fast for 2-3 days once per month.

My 60 hour fast:

This is how I do it:
Start of Fast – I eat dinner and then start my fast. At the start I usually feel relieved that I am on a cleansing process. I typically pick a time where I know I have been indulging too much or drinking too much alcohol.

Full Day 1 – This is a bit of a cheat but on day 2 I am always working a night shift. This allows me to rest during the day time, thus avoiding stresses. On my night shift I am busy, plus my body is not used to eating at this time of day.

Full Day 2 – I am so exhausted after my night shift that I manage to sleep. Once I wake up I know I do not have to worry about getting to sleep again while I am fasting. I simply eat breakfast before I go to bed.

Full Day 3 – After my second of two night shifts I get home and break my fast with a light breakfast before sleeping. By this time I have fasted for around 60 hours and only had to sleep on an empty stomach once. Once I wake up after around 3-4 hours sleep I resume to normal eating. I then go to bed at a sensible time that night. I chose only to have a little sleep in the day so that I get a good nights sleep.

Until I break my fast I take no food. Only water. I find that allowing myself a little bit of food makes me feel as if I cannot manage without some food so food is still controlling me. I prefer the feeling to be free from food. This also makes the fast work better. High protein, low carb is good, but no food means our body starts to break down its unwanted protein to repair itself. Skin tags can fall off during fasting and blemishes can begin to fade. It’s good for the body. The key is its only intermittent. You can look forward to eating a normal diet when you are not fasting!

I’m sorry I didn’t reply thanks to these responses that were written a long time ago! Thank you. I consistently have a better mood with IF but some mornings have found the hunger overwhelming. The curry spice sounds great. I think soup and beans is definitely the way to go with food choices. X-Ray Rob not sure if you’re still on the boards but I agree sometimes being free of food is liberating. I haven’t been doing low carb – I eat lots of bread and wonder if this is why my appetite of late is overwhelming. I find a salad for lunch or evening meal not filling enough.