I’m shooting for 30 days, but I seriously do not think I’m going to make it. I’ve done 10 day fasts before, but for some reason, this is so much harder.
I do my eating window in the morning because I literally cannot function without something to eat by 10 a.m. I’ll get nauseous if I don’t eat by then. Day one went well, but I caved and ate during fasting period on days 2 and 4. Have held steady today, but it’s like I’m starting over and I’ve been starving all afternoon. If I hadn’t cheated, I probably wouldn’t be hungry by now on day 5.
Yes, it’s early days, but I’ve noticed no benefits so far. I get headaches in the afternoon, no matter how much water I drink. Not horrible headaches, just annoying. I even drink salt “shots” to try to stay hydrated so I don’t get the headaches, but I still do. I’m sleeping ok now. Had sleepless nights on days 1 and 2.
I’m taking supplements and a probiotic, so I’m not going to get malnourished. I don’t eat much in the 4-hour window, because I’m trying hard to lose weight quickly. Like today, I only had two cups of green tea with milk and stevia, one cup of cottage cheese and one cup of kefir with my supplements.
I just walk into the kitchen and look into the fridge and cabinets way too much. I’m obsessed with food all day long. So if I stick with this without cheating for another few days, will this insane hunger go away?
I totally hear you when you say you get nauseous in the mornings if you don’t eat. That said, I would think that eating your one meal in the morning instead of the afternoon or evening is probably leading to an insulin spike and then drop off throughout the rest of the day, causing a bunch of unpleasant symptoms. Most people find it easier to fast throughout the morning and afternoon because their blood sugar is already in a stable (low) state after waking up fasted.
Like others have mentioned, maybe start off with 16:8 and build your way up? This way the adjustment will be less of a shock to the system. You maybe even be able to slowly move you eating window up to the evening over time.
*Edit to add that if you’re regularly eating that little then you are undernourishing yourself. No amount of probiotics or supplements will replace proper nutrition. I appreciate you are highly motivated to lose the weight, but this type of calorie restriction (~400 cal/day) could actually have negative effects on your metabolism and overall health. You can still be health conscious but it’s important to eat to satiety when practicing intermittent fasting. Fast then feast!*
I understand you’ve reviewed this plan with your doctor and a nutritionist and they’re good with it. Others have suggested that it may be easier with your eating window later in the day. I agree and have a question for you………if you don’t eat by 10AM and get nauseous, what happens if you still don’t eat? Does the nausea get worse or does it go away? I’m asking because I used to be the same, until I realized that it would go away with some liquid and some time. Maybe try a plain green tea with some ginger added to push your eating window a bit later in the day (milk would not help my stomach in the morning)? Worth a shot anyway, since you have several issues you’re trying to address.
You’re almost doing a straight up fast. That might actually be easier.
If it’s not working I’d try something else. I did roughly OMAD most days and the one rule I almost never broke was I ate that one meal to satiety. If dinner wasn’t enough I added cheese or nuts. Whatever it took to be satisfied and not wanting more.
I found doing that and LCHF bordering on keto made fasting easy and I was great mentally. I still fast when I need to be at my best for important meetings etc. Anyway I lost about 50lbs in roughly 6 months.
I’m not an expert however I haven’t fasted in years but I wanted to get back to it not only for weight loss but as I remember it a mental and physical clarity that I’ve missed.I just recently started on IF 18/6 for three days then I moved to the 20/4 for the past 21 days. Tomorrow I plan to start a 72 hour water fast.One other thing is that my 4 hour eating window usually is from 2 or 3 pm to 6 or 7pm. Also I try to limit calorie intake by doing Keto meals.I don’t eat a lot but I don’t starve myself during my eating window🤷♂️Not sure if that helps, Good Luck!!!
You’re hungry because you are drastically undereating during the eating period. Eat more, and you will stop feeling so hungry and it will stop being so hard. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. You are burning yourself out and you’re going to crash. Find your TDEE, subtract 500 calories, and aim for that amount of food. That is a sustainable way to lose weight. What you’re doing is not sustainable.