Unfortunately Im having a really hard time getting used to it. It’s so bad where I’m not even doing it anymore, this seems like the kind of thing I’d need a partner for. I’m currently 160-170 at 5’1 in ft. Please please leave times it would be so helpful!!!!
Why don’t you start with something simple and work your way up?
The simplest is a 12:12. Stop eating at 8pm, start eating at 8am.
When you get used to that, try shortening your window to 14:10. So stop eating at 6p, start eating at 8a… OR stop eating at 8p, start eating at 10a.
When you’re fine doing that, try reducing the window again to 16:8. So stop eating at 8p, start eating at noon OR stop eating at 4p, start eating at 8a.
When you get to 16:8, you may find yourself not needing 3 meals, maybe you only need 2 meals.
Once you get good at 16:8, you can throw in 18:6, or try a 20:4.
It’s basically just a gradual decrease of the hours in a day you have available to stuff your face, the idea being if you aren’t eating constantly you won’t consume as many calories as you would if you had all day to eat.
I just started back up fasting again and Its hard for me. I’m an emotional eater and when I give in to my cravings I binge a disgusting amount of food. It’s really difficult to overpower it but I have a few things that I’ve been doing and Its been helping me at least.
It sounds obvious but I reassure myself of why I’m doing what I’m doing, usually have various reasons to list off. It helps if you say it out loud or at least whisper it to myself.
Another thing I’ll do sounds really cliche but I’ll do a few push-ups after getting myself pumped up about why I’m doing I’m doing.
And drink tons of water when you are hungry or feeling snacky
I started with 16:8 and use an app to track my time. I can’t recommend the Zero app enough. I’m competitive so the challenges have been great. I completed the 4/4 days and now I’m doing the 12 Days of Fasting one. It’s easiest to have the bulk of your fasting window while you sleep.
I fast from 7pm-11am. My challenge has been more around pre-fast and post-fast meals. The past few days I have found eating a small post-fast snack an hour before my 1st meal works well for me. Like today I had about a cup of chicken bone broth to break my fast before having my lunch of tuna salad (no bread) and a bag of microwave green beans w/butter. (I go to the store today so I was working with what I had to not eat mini corndogs.)
I also try to plan if I’m going to eat a high calorie food. For example, Friday night my friend and I were walking in our park’s parade (I have a side gig at an amusement park) and saw a cheesecake on a stick vendor. She really wanted to go but it was already past 7pm. I convinced her to go Saturday night and planned for it all day.
Are you using an app? I find the free version of Fastic to be really helpful. It recommends to start out doing a 12:12 schedule then move up from there. That’s where I started and now I fast 16 hours most days, sometimes 19.
The beginning is hard. In the beginning, the wait until I had my first meal, was nerve wracking. It will get easier over time. Sometimes having a glass of water can really reduce that feeling. Good luck :)