The moment I hit that “start fasting” button, I just think about food. It consumes my thoughts entirely, I can’t get any work done or engage in any kind of hobby or do anything, I just think about food and how bad I want it. I get so angry and upset about this because I’m desperate to pull my myself away from food.
For reference, I’m 23F/5’5”/185lbs, this is my second time trying IF and so far I’m on my ~5th day (32hr fast to test my limits, then 16:8 for 2 days, today I’m doing 18:6). I’ve been fighting binge eating disorder for about 6 or 7 years now and while I have it somewhat controlled with medication now, fasting has been a trigger for binge eating in the past, so I’m worried. I have managed to stick to 1200-1500 calories in my eating window, but I’ve come so close to losing control every day so far.
I’ve lost about 6lbs (coming down after the holidays) which is keeping me going, but it’s already getting incredibly difficult. Willpower hasn’t been enough— is there anything I can do or anything I should know in order to detach my mind from food?
From what you’ve described, you are currently in a binge mode/ mindset. You binge-fasted 32 hours in your first 5 days of IF. “Testing limits” is pretty much another way of saying “did it to the extreme” (aka, binge). Losing 6lb in 5 days is not sustainable (or healthy), and will certainly result in binge eating/ over fasting and perpetuating the cycle.
To change your mindset, you will need to also change your behavior. If you’re starting a new IF routine, and especially if you’re prone to binge behavior, I highly recommend you commit to at least one full, complete month of 16:8. Challenge yourself to stick with the same, middle-of-the-road routine for a long time without changing. It’s not a terribly difficult schedule, and by easing slowly into it (maybe move to 17:7 for the entire second month) you will not be doing anything extreme. You may not lose as much weight quickly, but aiming for -5lb a month is totally reasonable and within reach for 6-8 months, during which you will have built good habits to support this rate. If you cheat and fail for a day (this is very likely!) then it is very important that you go back to normal (normal caloric intake, normal fasting hours) the next day, and not try to “overcompensate”. “Overcompensating” is what starts that harmful binge cycle.
Good luck to you.