I’ve started fasting from 8 pm to noon the next day and I’m feeling very hungry in the mornings, Does anybody have tips or last meal of the day ideas to help with the morning hunger? I drink water which helps a little but wish I could eat better and not feel famished and mentally off in the mornings. I’m doing this to curb unnecessary snacking and not changing my diet otherwise but would be interested in meals that will sustain me longer. Thanks for any help!
Water would usually do the trick for me. I believe a nutritionist may recommend a higher proportion of complex carbs for your last meal of the day, wholegrain or the like.
From my personal experience this sounds like more of a case of training your mind not to expect food and learning to understand, acknowledge and move past your hunger cravings.
I would suggest doing this through the addition of some longer (24hr+) fasts periodically. When you committed to an eating goal which is further away, whenever it is, the hunger seems to diminish right up until you approach your eating time.
Not a medical professional, just my experience over the years.
You’ll need to minimize your sugar/simple carbs during your eating window. If I have a heavy carb day, the hunger is unbearably strong the following day. Hot peppermint tea did help in the beginning when I was first adjusting to IF also.
I drink water as soon as I wake up then a black coffee or two in the mornings.
It takes a while for you to understand that there is a difference between the feeling of an empty/rumbling stomach and actually being hungry. Your mind will slowly be trained to know that this is the new normal. Keep it up!
I would check for what you are eating before 8pm. Carbs/Sugar stuff? Or proteins/vegs?I would eat more salty vegs and proteins as a last day meal, therefore I wouldnt wake up craving for food. But that’s me. :)
Try to eat your last meal earlier, and go like 6 to 10, I find it’s much easier. I bang out 24hr days by eating huge at 2pm - slow digesting carbs and healthy fats will keep me full until bed time no problem.
Only exception is if I’m extra active I definitely feel powerful hunger and it can be hard to hold out even for 16 hours. In those cases I just eat because it feels like my body really needs it.
Coffee! I make my own cold brew, but I do consider myself a “dirty faster” as I add zero calorie sweeteners like Splenda or 0 cal sugar free syrups. This keeps me so happy and i feel very satisfied for a few more hours. :)
Also eating high protein helps me stay full longer 😊
You mostly just have to deal with it, distract yourself. Before fasting, I legit had an addiction to sugar for breakfast. I would get cranky if I didn’t have some sort of sugar for breakfast every single day. Now I don’t feel that way anymore.
Of course sometimes I still get generally hungry in the morning. And I found that preparing something for lunch helps, feeling as if I actually ate when I didn’t. But you should be careful about accidentally taking a nibble as a taste test. Sometimes when I’m really hungry I’ll watch something about food on youtube.