Hi! I am back doing IF as it was quite efficient in Q1 2020 to manage my food intake, satiety and weight. I am doing 18:6 and was wondering if you could help me find some good answers as to why I cannot join lunches with coworkers but can join dinner.
My team is fully remote but a few will be traveling to my site soon and are looking to meet for lunch one day in addition to meetings.
I am just back doing IF and really need to stick to my schedule to re create habits.
Any good idea of what I could tell them without expending on my personal life?
Thanks a lot!
What’s your normal schedule? What time is the team lunch?
If these lunches are within a couple hours of your usual eating window, I would just go and adjust my fasting hours the previous day.
Like if it’s at Noon and you normally eat at 2pm, then just start fasting 2 hours earlier the previous day.
You do you but what i love most about IF is the flexibility. While i skip out on most work-eating events, some are more important and i will adjust my fast so i can participate. You don’t have to deny yourself the social aspect of eating, just plan around it.
If you don’t think it’s a chance to bond or worthwhile, then be firm, have water, coffee, or tea. You can lie and say you had a big breakfast or you can be honest and say you are abstaining till dinner for your own reasons.
I’d go and just have tea or coffee or something. IF has become so “mainstream” now that I don’t think it’s much of an issue. I just let people know ahead of time that I’d love to join but don’t plan on eating. If they have follow up questions to that, I’m happy to answer.
It’s More of a test of willpower than anything else. This is what I do (unless the restaurant choice is worth it to me to move or mess up my routine - that’s also a choice).
Just tell them you intermittent fast for health reasons, or because it keeps your head clear. My coworkers are incredibly supportive. Also, break fast every once in a while and join them. It’s not gonna kill or derail you.
This is your body and your life - feel confident in sticking with a routine that works best for you! Just tell them you’re not typically hungry at lunchtime, but are happy to sit with them. I’ve done this several times with different groups of peeps with zero issues. I just usually have a sparkling water, tea, or coffee to sip on and I help carry conversations while people are chewing. 😄