I currently weigh 176lbs, trying to get down to 160. I was fasting 14:10 for about 2 months, I’ve lost 13 pounds and I’m very proud of that. However, I plateaued for about a week, and decided to take a break for a few days where I gained 2 lbs. No big deal. Two days ago, I started fasting again. I’m trying to go to 16:8, but now I’m having issues. For some reason, I’m having trouble dealing with this fast psychologically. I’m not hungry but I just want to eat. I tried to stick with just drinking water, and I failed. I’m going to do my best to get back on track but this is discouraging. I broke my fast less than 2 hours in. How do you deal with the mental side of IF?
>It took 2,774 attempts to arrive at the bamboo filament that made Edison’s light bulbs a commercial success.
nothing wrong with trying again. I have fallen off the wagon dozens of times.
making small changes consistently over time makes a significant difference over the long term.
I’m pretty new at this but i remind myself that it’s delay, not deny. It makes the waiting easier when there’s a known end time. Also i try to distract myself as much as possible and reward myself in other ways.
I battle cravings and food thoughts quite a bit. They are par for the course. Some folks become more food-neutral over time, but you don’t have to be food-neutral to benefit from IF.
I have a faith-based framework to help me handle the food thoughts. This image in particular has helped me:
Think of the part of you that sends the food thoughts your way as a very clever, friendly dog. (I have a specific dog in mind when I use this technique.) Like most dogs, it will charm you into thinking that it deserves treats, and even after you give it a treat, when you have your back turned, it will steal the Thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings off the table … and then make a horrible mess when it’s done chowing down. Guess who gets to clean that up? YOU.
What would you do if this dog were your pet? Perhaps you would: 1) take it out for a walk to get its mind off the food 2) play ball with it for a while 3) if it insists on bugging you for food, put it in its crate, and reassure it that it will get to eat its own satisfying meal later. And then give it that meal at the appointed time.
There are probably other ways to handle a clever chowhound, but you get the idea. The point is to remember that 1) the food thoughts are not “you” and 2) to have compassion for all those parts of yourself.
I’ve been going through the same issue with plateauing recently (started at 250lbs and dropped to 230lbs in 2 months, I’ve been fluctuating there for about a week) and the thought of plateauing alone has made me want to quit (literally today I thought about cheating and treating myself to some Dunkin’ Donuts during my fasting period) so you’re not alone.
Cut yourself some slack. I’m sure the physiological wall your hitting is from working too hard and not seeing results fast enough and that kind of dynamic can lead to really unhealthy eating habits/disorders. If you’re like me, I’m sure your thinking, “if I give myself a break, I might regress to my old weight and won’t be able to recover.” DONT THINK THAT! I know I’m just a person from the internet that doesn’t know you but please give yourself more credit. The fact that you’re even putting in an effort and you’re concerned about your habits is proof enough that you are doing the best you can.
Recover and get back on the horse I know you can do it.
We’re about the same stats and timeframe. We’ve got this. We’re rapidly approaching midwinter when I’m personally the least motivated to do anything that’s actually good for me. We just need to get through this hump - two more weeks then it’s downhill to longer and warmer days!