I love seeing your pictures and stories. I tried 16:8 last week and was so hungry. I ended up binging over the weekend. What kind of eating plans are you guys following please?
It can take a bit of time before your body adjusts to the new schedule. I’m almost never hungry anymore, but at first it was a little hard. I was always super hungry at the exact time I used to eat before IF (9am, 12:30pm). Our bodies like routine :)
Drink water. A lot. It will help with the hunger. Unsweetened tea also helps (added advantage for tasting like something I guess)
Eat more. If you’re also watching your intake, make sure you’re still eating enough. Try to have more food towards the end of your eating window.
Review your schedule so it’s easier for you. If you sleep through half of your fast, it’s easier. Some people find it easier not to eat in the morning (like me), but others like fasting in the afternoon/evening better. Find what works best for you.
But most importantly, give it some time. If it’s really too much, well, start with 14:10 and increase fasting time slowly.
I’m putting this first because it is probably the easiest and most important- Water. Apparently some hunger is actually dehydration. Lots of water.
Fiber can fill you up so you don’t feel as hungry. (Metamucil or Citrucel) or vegetables of course.
Stay away from sugar and empty carbs, excess breads and pasta; They cause more hunger.
Hunger is an illusion.
Your body kicks up a hormone called “ghrelin” that makes you feel hungry… at whichever time of day you’ve trained it to. Maybe that’s breakfast/lunch/dinner… but after you’ve been 16:8ing for a while, you might find you’re no longer hungry during the time you’ve skipped a meal.
There’s an anxiety associated with hunger that’s all mental. If you can recognize that it’s reasonable/normal to let your stomach growl and you don’t HAVE to eat, it becomes much easier to push past these moments with a water or tea, knowing you’re not starving and you’ll be eating soon.
It gets easier with time.
I do water, lots of straight green tea throughout the day, and a big meal at the end of your eating window. I try to get extra veggies/fiber in right before bed. I was feeling the same way but adding in those veggies right at the last second seems to has made things much much easier for me.
You could start with a smaller window and work your way up to longer windows. Do you use an app? Fastic allows you to choose your goal window. I started with a 15 hour window and when I noticed my windows were consistently 16 or 17 hours I set a longer goal
Also don’t be afraid to adjust your window. I thought I would want my window to start with breakfast but I would want to snack at night. I moved my window later and found I was less hungry at night and it was easy to have a late breakfast/early lunch. It does help that I like black coffee. If you like a lot of creamer or sugar that would definitely be more difficult.
This was me yesterday. I was drinking a lot of water yesterday (it helps! Sparkling, still, warm, icey) and then I got so hungry I ate some salt. Just a sprinkle - then I wasn’t so hungry any more 🤷🏻♀️ unsure if it works for anyone else
If you’re going to do IF with calorie deficits, there are a number of things you need to get straight to be successful. You’re looking at a lifestyle change, so it has to be sustainable.
What is your binge / non fasting diet? Lots of simple carbs? Eat all the time?
I eat this almost daily as a base - bacon, eggs, cream cheese on top, saurkraut, whatever ur favourite cheese is. I emphasize fats a lot and protein. It helps SO much but the first week or two is an adjustment still
The first few days stink. Stay away from carbs and sugar. I decided one day to cheat some and only had a few potato chips. Big mistake! I was starving the rest of the day. Certain foods tell your brain you’re hungry.
I feel you, OMG! Every other day, I question life lol…here’s what I do to get through it.
But it’s hard. Really hard and I come to this subreddit to keep myself motivated by looking at all these success stories and remember I’m just one month into the process! and I have at least three months to go before I can really see the difference!
Note: Once I reach my goal weight, I’ll switch up my window because eating dinner is no longer possible in this morning window and affects time with family…