Complete Fasting?

This topic contains 5 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by Coffeeman 7 years ago.

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floweringcurrant

2:37 am
9 May 17
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I’m new to IF and have tried to fast a few days and made it most of the day, but after I eat my first ‘meal’ I find that my mindset changes and I start feeling like I can eat food again. It’s happened a few times now. I’m wondering if anyone else just fasts from food completely on those days, to continue in line with the mentality that you are really fasting on those days?

bigbooty

3:46 am
9 May 17
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I jumped into the deep end and made my fast days water only. I actually found this easier than eating 600 cal/day. When I first started all I could think of was that the next day I would eat like a king. It occupied my mind big time. This lasted about a month before it disappeared. After 6 months fasting became very easy and still is. The next day I eat normally and do not “feast”. After a while your system adjusts and you are more in tune with your satiety signals. Sugar and processed carbs completely destroy and sense of satiation. I break my fasts with fats and protein. The carbs I include are usually some fruit which has fibre. Never fruit juice or fruit smoothies.

Fighting those urges is a combination of habit and your hormones. Eat whole foods, no processed foods, and by processed Im including bread, breakfast cereals, muesli bars, pasta etc. and you will make the task of being successful a lot easier.

Minka

4:15 am
9 May 17
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What works for me best is to eat my first food on a fasting day until late into the afternoon. I’m less hungry overall and feel that I’ve actually got a 500 calorie feast to consume, if so I choose at that point. What is wonderful is that I rarely find I am hungry for the full 500 calories by that point in time.

AndyR

9:15 am
15 Jun 17
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I agree completely. I find it hard to limit my intake on fast days and once I’ve started find it difficult to stop. I therefore do complete fasting which is often referred as a 36hr fast as you tend to go from evening meal on day 1 to breakfast on day 3.

This feels much easier to me. Today for example is a fast day so I don’t have to think about or plan ANY food. When I used to have an evening light meal I spent much of my fasting day thinking about what I was going to eat, now I can just switch off.

I also believe you enter and stay in ‘autophagy’ for longer, making your fast days more effective.

It’s not for everyone though, my wife does a more traditional 5:2 with light evening meal and does very well using that moment. Horses for courses I guess.

Good luck.

Big_Bill

9:40 am
15 Jun 17
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Personally I’ve found that sticking to 600 calories (or less) really helps me to be mindful of the food that I’m eating, not just on fasting days but on non-fasting days as well. I’ve learned that I can eat low-calorie meals and snacks and still feel satisfied. I’ve learned that sometimes I feel like something to eat, and convince myself that I’m hungry, but that if I ignore that feeling for a few minutes it goes away. I’ve also learned that I can go for long periods during the day – even 8 hours or more – without eating and I’m just fine. And that an unsweetened cup of coffee with a dash of unsweetened almond milk can be just as effective a pick-me-up as a bar of chocolate.

I’ve done complete fasting before, even a couple of days at a time, and I agree that it is a very simple approach. If it works for you then that’s great.

Coffeeman

4:45 am
28 Nov 17
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I’ve also found that sometimes just not eating is easier than limiting it to 600 calories but I’m not sure if that’s the healthiest way to do it…