I believe dealing with cravings is something you address when you’re not having cravings. In other words, don’t make it a battle of willpower on the spot when you get cravings, that’s a losing battle, do the work up front so that you minimize the cravings and have tools to set them aside when they do happen.
If you make your fast a daily battle of pure willpower you will become exhausted and it won’t be fun and it will become difficult to continue. When IF and calorie restrictions are working, you should feel like you and your body are on the same team and are working together.
My approach.
- No simple carbs. I know these drive cravings in me. The more I have, even if I don’t bust calories, the more I want. I avoid them completely.
- I have half hour tasks that I keep in reserve for the worst hunger waves. Last night it was pruning my geraniums in my grow house. Something that needed to be done but could be picked up any time over several days. I go to that list when I start getting too focused on my hunger. It can be tidying a closet, doing the dogs’ nails, something that requires focus for a half hour and can be picked up at random times when the cravings hit.
- I actively work to break any “food = reward” or “food = comfort” mindset I might have. This takes practice, but it can be done. I make fasting windows a mechanical process. I’m either fasting or I’m not. No emotion involved. I try to not make it a “relief” to get to eat. It’s just time to eat.
- I never figure out how many hours until I can eat again. It is irrelevant so it doesn’t matter. Watching the clock becomes torture.
These are my tactics. Feel free to use and come up with some of your own. The best thing though is to think about it when you’re not having cravings and how you’re going to get through.
It was super difficult at first, but if you push past them long enough and don’t give in, they’ll eventually subside! Drinking lots of water takes the edge off, and I’ve also found that having plain unsweetened tea every night a little while before going to bed when I’d normally have a snack helps because it replaces a habit previously associated with eating :) also going to bed early helps me!
As I never was a big sugar fanatic, I never had to deal with sugar cravings but I understand that sugar is addictive so it is a big obstacle for some. I do love my carbs in that manner though, and I tried to phase it out by using lower carb options and limiting how often. Eventually my cravings for carbs subsided.
My overall hunger improved over time whereby I can stretch out my fasting window sometimes if I am just not feeling hungry when I would normally break my fast.
Although most of the time I am typically sedentary, there are several times a week I am normally on my feet quite a bit and I tend to plan my usual 2MAD on days before days like this to make sure I have the energy I need for the next day. Similarly, I try to do OMAD on days where I’m just sitting around the house.
I found when I severely tried to restrict my calories, fasting was quite difficult for me and it would have a negative effect on me mentally and also disturb my sleep. I try to listen to my body and eat the right things, but I don’t count my calories, just try to remain in a deficit.
Although the tricks like a pinch of salt in your water can help immensely to hinder the hunger pangs, I haven’t had to do that for a while and it’s gotten easier over time.
The best thing to do is to keep busy, phone a friend or watch a movie and if you can take your mind off it you can power through
Something specific or just eating in general?
If it’s specific I’ll make plans to have a magnificent feast centered around my glorious dish when I do plan to break it.
If it’s just general hunger I just drink some salted coffee and play video games.
Water and moderate cardio are my go to when I’m feeling the hunger pains 1-2 hours before breaking the fast. Some times I’ll lift light hand weights, do pushups/situps, etc and I’ll feel more hungry for 30 minutes but then feel a lot better for about an hour
Sparkling water helps, as does green tea. Or black coffee of course. On longer (>24 hr) fasts I have a tiny amount of salt, pepper, ground ginger and garlic powder - less than half a teaspoon. Read up more on electrolytes though as you’re supposed to have potassium too. You’ll find that the cravings go away after a week or two as your body learns to burn your own body fat instead of signaling hunger.