I’ve done intermittent fasting in the past (16:8, 6 years ago) and now I started 18:6 a few days ago while on a cut since January. I decided to do this because my calories have been dropped in order to hit my goal weight and in order to eat what I want a bit more easily without bingeing (at least that’s the goal!). That being said, since I made the conscious decision to start this more narrow window IF when I do start eating I find I have control, eat slower, and don’t ‘panic’ as much as I did when I was eating an hour after awakening. It’s like, making the decision to not have to think about food until 2pm makes the rest of the day a little more effortless no matter how hungry I get. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t ya think? Anyway, anybody else feel the same?
Definitely have felt similarly. I want food to meet the requirements of my body, not (explicitly) those of my mind; I want it to supply the energy and nutrients that I need to optimally go about my day, not to provide any sense of reward or relief, or to cater to whatever flavor of longing, craving or anticipation I might be feeling; in the broadest possible sense, I don’t want food to have subjective emotional value. IF has been a cornerstone in pursuing that objective. In fact I currently leverage the exact same fundamentals to quit nicotine – spacing out my cigarettes further and further until (hopefully one day) the alarm on my phone, reminding me that it’s time for my dose, starts feeling like a nuisance and I can kick the substance almost effortlessly.