So I’ve been pretty strict for 9 days now, eating only between 12-20 but I still get hungry every single day at 10:30am and then it gets really difficult after 11am… I figured it would start to get easier by now but it doesn’t seem like it. I figured I’d stick with this schedule to the end of the month but am I maybe doing something wrong or is this normal?
I’ve been in and out of IF for about 7 or 8 years now. The best method for me is always taking about 2 weeks to adjust to any new changes, even if it’s a micro one.
For example, if I’m feeling hungry, I may opt to increase my protein or overall food consumption, try it out for 2 weeks, before deciding on the final plan. I have noticed that 10 to 14 days is a good way to decide if your body will get used to it or if there’s something that needs to be tweaked to get you closer to your intended fasting goals.
Another suggestion would be to move your window earlier if possible, breaking your fast at 11.00am. Sometimes you just can’t / don’t need to fight the biology of your body. I have low blood sugar levels and if I don’t eat earlier in the day it’s not a great feeling. I moved my window to eat breakfast / brunch and skipped the other meals. Embrace it, sometimes.
First focus on what you eat during the eating window. You need to eat a lot of protein, carbs and enough micronutrients. I made the mistake of not caring what I eat, which made me eat too little calories and not enough protein. I started to pay attention to the amount of protein I take in, and as soon as I shift my focus on that I lose the need to eat junk/snack and also I take in enough calories so I don’t starve while fasting.
Try making a habit of drinking a lot of plain tea, helps with hunger pangs.
If none of this works, maybe you need to change your window. But it’ll work for sure, you just need a while to adjust!! So keep being patient.
9 days is nothing. If you’ve been used to eating at that time for years your body is going to send hunger signals telling you to eat at that time until it learns not to. Try to distract yourself or drink a glass of water. It takes the time it takes and a lot of that is dependent on your resilience.