36F here, been doing IF for years. I started about a week ago being more mindful about eating. For example, sitting down, not snacking, drinking more water. Essentially taking my time with my food to really enjoy it and savor it. It’s not easy but now I am a week in and can’t fathom how I was eating like a crazy person before - scarfing my food down at the refrigerator and always feeling deprived even though I’d eaten quite a bit already. The big reason I’m shocked is about just how small my portions have gotten now. I don’t count calories but I’ll make myself what I think is a generous portion but have trouble finishing it. I noticed my brain wanting to force me To finish my food but I’m not interested at all. Has this happened to anyone here? What was your experience?
Yep- it’s why I’m still IF-ing! The mind-body connection is just not something I was even aware of, much less cultivating, strengthening and optimizing the relationship. My body sends clear signals to me of what it wants, how much, and when, and I know how to “listen” and respond correctly. Resultantly, I went from a daily drinker to basically never feeling like even having alcohol. And etc etc.
I started IF to lose a little weight, but am so pleased at how it’s basically helping me age in reverse. Some of my chronic pains and allergies and digestive issues have cleared up substantially thanks to IF.
So in short- YES! Welcome to your great new lifestyle.
I have been IF ing since the end of November. 295 lbs down to 260 lbs. Whenever I eat, I pace myself so that I don’t finish eating until 20-30 mins. Oh my. A couple of weeks ago, I just could not finish all the same old food amount and I constantly have leftovers. Food budget and weight win
I love the way I feel while doing IF. More energy, less bloat, and every day feels like an accomplishment. I’ve found the real magic also happens with meal planning/prep which allows me to be more mindful and deliberate in what and how much I eat because I pre-portion my meals in advance. This also leads to a smaller appetite which for me is a plus.
I’ve had similar experience. I had some success with CICO in the past, but I would get way too wrapped up in trying to balance it out, which ultimately wasn’t sustainable. So I started IF trying to find a system that would work for me without counting calories. I was a pretty bad snacker, so I knew having a structure to curb that was going to help a lot.
For meals, I more or less eat what I want, but I did make an effort to eat better. Enjoy some favorites from time to time, but otherwise eat better foods, more protein, and make some good substitutions. And then try to be better about portions and like you said recognizing when I was done, even if that meant just a few bites were left. A hard habit to unlearn that good old midwest ‘clean your plate’ upbringing.
It’s really improved my relationship with food a lot and I’ve had a lot of success with it. Which has felt great to see such progress on the scale, but also know I’m going to be better off to maintain once I hit my goals.
We did this when I went to Yoga retreat, we were not allowed to speak to each other but pay attention to food. My portions got really small too. Lot of people started eating less but had loads of energy, we did hours of yoga. And I lost tons of weight real fast and my hair grew like crazy with in a month. It was strange 🙂
Yeah. I’m often watching tv or scrolling on Reddit and not paying close attention.
If you literally just do one thing at a time… wow.
Just eat with some music, or maybe a phone call or conversation with someone at the table . Nothing especially demanding of your attention…
It’s amazing how you notice that you’ve had enough when you’re really present.
Just started IF a month or so ago, but the experience has helped me realize how messed up my relationship with food has been all my life. I’ve always been a super fast eater (because growing up if you weren’t, there wasn’t much left on the plate!) and it wasn’t until I deliberately slowed down that I had the same realization about the real amount of food I needed vs. what my brain thought was the amount I needed. I also am not a fan of counting calories, so being more mindful of when I’m full, and how much I’m eating, is helping a lot.
Birthday here, I was forced to eat and keep a cake and other heavy foods so that was not something I looked forward to…. Ended up eating a lot and having a longer window.
So now I have leftovers which I have to eat tomorrow before i can begin to get back to my mindful broths and smaller portions
I would love it if I could work on a water fast soon too actually