Hello
I’ve been doing my research into Intermittent fasting and I’ve decided that I would like to start. The problem is I straight up know I’m not going to manage between 12 and 16 hours at first, also I’m not sure about the eating times, like do I eat as much as possible? do I calorie deficit? Whats the optimal eating times?
All and any advice welcome
This is what works for me: I’ll have an extremely fatty meal ( I keto IF ). I’m talking eggs and meat slathered with butter. When that meal is done it feels like post Thanksgiving x2 ( I am a US citizen ). When I think I want a snack, I think back on that meal and the cravings go away. BTW - fasting is always tougher at first, but paradoxically you may find your appetite decreased as you continue your fasting program. Also, I wouldn’t worry so much about calories as much as trying to keep processed carbs and sugars out of your diet. These foods seem to trick me into thinking I’m hungry as soon as I’m finished eating them. Good luck, whatever your plan is - have faith. You’re going to do great!
It might help, before you start fasting, to make some changes to your diet, depending on what it already looks like. Fasting is a lot harder when you experience cravings or hunger pangs throughout the day. Typically I get bad cravings and hunger pangs if I choose to eat something that highlighted sugar or just highly processed carbs during my eating window. Making a shift to reducing portions of those foods (I don’t think there’s a need to give them up entirely) and pairing them with veggies and protein might give you the boost you need to get through your first few 12 or 16 hr fasts. For instance, you can still eat pasta, but maybe eat half of what you normally would (depending on how big your portion sizes already are) and prepare it with some kind of meat or lentil and add a salad on the side. You’ll have leftovers for tomorrow and you might not have such a hard time getting through your fasting window.