It seems like everything is revolves around eating and/or drinking. Going out with friends usually involves dinner and drinks (which, at least for me, usually results in the drunchies). Being at home with my SO involves two/three meals a day. And all of these events usually fall outside of my window. So how do you guys do it? Give in? Fake it? Explain fasting? And if you do, how do you deal with the inevitable push back about not eating?
It can be stressful. Dealing with the family is one hurdle. I just made sure I was present.
The social and work gatherings were another animal. I tried to explain IF/TR while they devoured alcohol and bar food. but soon realized I sounded like I was going door to door wanting to talk about religion. I made to decision to just avoid those situations. I got a reputation of being antisocial. I stay in my path.
5 years in. My physical/mental health are off the charts.
When people ask why you aren’t eating with/like them, I’ve found these lines work wonders:
“I’m avoiding sugars & starches to give my digestion a break.”
-or-
“I’m fasting today to give my digestion a break.”
Those pretty much covers all the bases - politely….No one wants you to “all-of-the-sudden” start talking about your poops, so usually it gets an, “Oh?…That’s nice!” response.
I try not to tell anyone any more than that, if I can avoid it, because I just don’t want the hassle of getting into it and refuting people’s ignorance anymore, especially co-workers, friends and family.
Anyway, it has worked very well for me when the circumstance arises.
For social things I just ask if they want to grab coffee instead. I can get black coffee or a nice tea and they can get whatever they get. Then people just think “oh so and so really likes tea. How nice”
I dont let people pressure me. I say I’m fasting for health benefits, if they ask more I mention emerging studies on autophagy, aging that look promising.
If they press it further I say ‘3 meals a day is a recent invention, we evolved to eat more infrequently’ and leave it there. Nobody has pressed it more.
I don’t have no friends. But I do go out to eat my hubby and kids during my eating window. They all know when the eating window is. My oldest is 17 and she will send me ideas to try during my eating window. My youngest is old enough to go with the flow.
I do OMAD and would like to eventually do longer fasts if I find a sodium chloride sub
The tough answer is, any time you try to raise your level you gotta get better friends. Even in here I get shouted down and downvoted for trying to bring in higher level info. There are gatekeepers everywhere who are extremely threatened by anyone becoming more successful than they are. If I had an SO would didn’t support me in what I wanted to do I’d dump her immediately. They don’t have to share every single belief, but overall if people aren’t supportive of you, by definition they are enemies and not friends. This way of living is harder but you keep your soul. Letting others dumb you down is a slow death by 1000 cuts and is why most people are miserable. They use up all their creative energy trying to stop or repress other people instead of being authentic.
I find one of the easiest ways to get around it is to claim to be doing OMAD (One Meal a Day) and say you have already eaten, or that you’ll be eating later and already have food made, etc.
If it is with your partner or someone you live with, then I would just explain the fasting protocol you are following so they can understand.
I’m always amazed by the inability to stick to your believes. Why would you ever struggle with telling people what you’re doing? Either tell them and explain or just screw it and eat to socialize if you’re feeling like it. It’s not some kind of cult that you have to keep secret or be afraid to share. You just be yourself, if you’re not feeling comfortable around the people you spend your time with it’s not the problem of your interests rather than them being short minded.
I wish that we would stop making it harder than it is. Eat or don’t do it, it’s that simple.
We had a gathering not too long ago. I decided to feast to my heart’s content for that meal and had a lot of sugar that day. Felt the bloat the next day and decided after that to do a 48. I’m still on track.
Now if it’s societal pressure to eat for every “meal time” they’ll allow me to skip breakfast and I start feasting at lunch. The problem’s dinner time they also want me to consume. I mean it’s still technically a 16:8 but I do feel bad not getting to OMAD that day. Sometimes they’ll allow me to skip it but not before saying something hurtful. Whatever.
I give myself enough flexibility that sometimes I push it and fast a little longer or dive in a little early to make it fit my window and make my cut off sooner. The answer for so many people is militant that I’m sure this isn’t the popular solution but I love the culture context of food so much that I won’t abandon it. Most people if you explain “Hey I wanna get food in by this time” or “can we do a late lunch” are willing to work with you I’ve found too.