I’m in day 4 of a 16:8 fasting program.
Part of this program involves stopping drinking all soda and sugary drinks, so my sugar intake may be down as much as 80%, so that could be a factor.
I went for a twenty minute walk and while I did, I felt great, but now I’m back at my desk I feel like I could put my head down on it and sleep and I’m wondering how I’m going to get through my weight lifting tonight (it is cheaper than therapy) and even if it would be a good idea to skip (I really don’t want to).
Is this feeling normal? Does it go away?
It goes away. Depending on your situation you probably have high fasting insulin levels still. It often takes a week or two for your body to adapt properly. Another issue might be your electrolytes. Try to do a rudimentary tally of how much magnesium, potassium and salt you’re getting in your meals and add in what you might be lacking.
None of this is medical advise and is only meant to be food for thought:
It’s been so so so long since I decided to cut out all the obvious corn syrup foods and this was before I discovered IF. I do remember that it took some effort to actually stop drinking sugary drinks and beer. I’ve since replaced the habit with carbonated water which gives me the same psychological lift. I don’t remember if I felt lethargic after doing so though.
Thinking about it for bit… this could actually be withdrawal symptoms from the lack of constant sugar lifts. Certain foods definitely exhibit ‘drug-like’ reactions in the body. cheese and pure sugar come to mind.
If you want to ameliorate it, you’re going to have to come up with safe coping mechanisms while you process your withdrawal.
When I start/restart IF, it takes my body 3 to 5 days to adjust to the new eating schedule and you got withdrawal symptoms on top of it. Make sure you have a balanced diet. use vitamin supplements if you’re unsure. Figure out what foods help cut hunger pangs (raw nuts for me, so I eat handfuls during my eating window and a couple handfuls before fasting starts). For sugar cravings, fruit and if I simply can’t let go of giving myself a sugar rush, I’ve learned to become satisfied buying Justin’s dark chocolate peanut cups (2-pack) (non-dairy/vegan) as a reward if I walk to the grocery store and schlep my groceries back home on foot.