IF works well for me but what’s odd is that I can go for an entire day without being hungry but as soon as I eat I’m somewhat ravenous. Is it willpower? Blood sugar issue? Or something else?
Much of it has to do with the hormonal and chemical responses that take place in your body when you’re fasting vs when you’re eating. I’ve done some reading up on it but it’s all very complicated stuff and I’m definitely not the person who can explain it all, much of it I still don’t understand!
You body reacts with hormones to a number of things. You’re probably accustomed to being hungry at select times because that is when your meal happens. The body’s internal clock remembers when you normally eat (if you keep a standard meal time) and activates accordingly to make the food more agreeable. I certainly don’t mind the effect.
If you aren’t eating a regular time, your body has adjusted and reacts with those hormones once you do eat something.
The key is that hungry isn’t a state of lack of fuel, but a hormonal state.
There’s a saying in French: “L’appétit vient en mangeant”, which kind of means, (in its most literal sense) - eating makes you hungry or food whets the appetite.
But if you haven’t eaten for a good while and you’ve missed or haven’t had any of the ‘I’m hungry’ cues, then the sight, smell and taste of food is bound to trigger the brain into releasing your ‘I’m ravenous’ chemicals/hormones so that you take in enough nutrition.
Ive been IFing since January of 2014 (read tons of IF & EF books with diff approach and sciences) I have tried all the hours combinations hahaha…. but THIS IS THE EXACT STRUGGLE I HAVE, O.P., and it’s still mysterious to me.
Same! I was fine today until I started eating….it was the weirdest thing. I was like damn. I should’ve kept fasting but how was I supposed to.know! I felt great this morning clear-headed and calm. Then I ate and was tired foggy and headache alllllll day not.matter how much water I drank. I do hope someone has this answer. I see there are a lot of.us who wants to know wth? Wait. Is that a sign from my body telling me to.continue to fast??
Edit. I totally didn’t read ops post, clearly lmao 😂
Yes! Chiming in to say I have the same problem. Have you heard of “breaking the seal” when it comes to drinking? When drinking alcohol, most individuals can go for a while without urinating, but once they do, they have to do it often. Ok so it’s a different physiological process and different brain signals BUT it makes sense to me. Because once I eat, I’m EATING.