I started doing 20:4 this month from 3rd. I feel really good during fasting in general. But the last two hours of my fast us when hunger kicks in and i can feel my stomach.
I know i can do 18:6 but 6 hours is a lot of time since once i open my fast i find myself snacking a lot. Therefore four hours works really well for me.
I was hoping that by now my body will get used to of the schedule and the last two hours will become easier. It isn’t the case tho.. i still struggle with that
If anyone has any advice on how to deal with hunger during those last two hours, please share .
For me it was reminding myself that “hunger is my friend”. That is a true statement when you are a metabolic syndrome pre diabetic as I was. A cup of tea, green or black or herbal, in response to the hunger pangs along with the mantra was enough.
I down water when I get the hungrys. Usually happens to me around the 15-16 hour mark, then it goes away. I do 18:6. I also purposely schedule things to do around this time. Phone calls with clients, appointment, etc. And I remind myself that this is just my body feasting on my fat, not true hunger.
That is a rough spot for me, too, so usually I sip on a black coffee with salt and find a distraction. Work, walk, bike ride, clean something or call someone. Doing a chore instead of eating makes time fly for me. Helping someone with their work is also a nice distraction.
4’s are beastly. There’s nothing wrong with 18:6. There is a mindset that you have to shake that if you can do a 20, anything less than a 20 becomes a failure. That is not the case.
If you like 20’s and can handle the 4 hour window (I can’t, because the 2MAD are too close together) then you can schedule your exercise in that last two hours.
I settled on 5’s and have done a 5 hour window now for a couple of years. Then, sometimes I do a 6 and feel like I failed.
So part of this is wrapping your mind around the fact that you are succeeding. And it’s possible to be legitimately hungry. Being hungry isn’t a failure.