Everyday Systems

Today I had to fast for a medical procedure. By the time the docs let me go it was lunchtime. All was good, I had soup and a roll, plus an extra avocado and salad sandwich as I was really hungry.

About an hour later I lost it. 8 pieces of chocolate later I managed to see what was happening and switched to fruit. A nectarine and 2 plums followed, then some raw almonds and seeds. By supper time I was calming down, but I still had seconds. Now it is almost bedtime and I have managed not to eat anything since supper.

Ok so that is a red on the habitcal, and mark it down to experience....BUT...

I know people do intermittent fasting although I have never tried it. What stops them eating the entire town when they can eat again? My fast was medical, but it seems to have knocked me well off the rails (I know, my mouth, my choice, but you know what I mean). Do intermittent fasters overeat when they can eat, or is it just me?

Any thoughts?

Benni

Hi Benni,

So if it were me....

It's stressful to go to the doctors. So that would be a trigger for me.

Sometimes I don't have breakfast but I don't overeat nor do I go to town with it at subsequent meals.

Completely unrelated to those times, however, I will overeat whether or not I had breakfast in time of stress, especially if I don't acknowledge the stress.

Any chance that might have been it?

Humm....interesting. Yes, I do stress eat, and I was telling myself that there was nothing to worry about, don't be silly.......


I shall consider.

Today is another day.

Benni

Maybe if you plan your post-fasting meals ahead of time?

Yes, that would have made sense. I thought it would not be a problem but the doc kept me longer than expected.

Hopefully this will not happen too often!

Benni

Bennedicta, I don't know how long you fasted for, or what the meals you didn't have would have contained, but the meal you ate sounds rather unsatisfying to me - low in protein, and what type of soup was it? Maybe it just wasn't enough to replace what you'd gone without? Also you don't state how active you were during the fasting period, it can have quite an impact on your appetite.

I do intermittent fasting. My fast-ending meal is always planned to have plenty of protein, fat, carbohydrate, fruit and vegetables. I have had periods of success with combining No S and IF, and times when sticking to a one-plate meal after a fast was beyond me. After a fast it is best not to know you have ice cream in the fridge or a stash of chocolates somewhere!

I also think that how you react to a fast imposed by someone else is going to be very different to a fast you chose to undertake yourself. A chosen fast might bring curiosity or optimism about the outcome, an imposed fast might just leave you feeling needy.

I agree that your meal didn't sound very nourishing.

Were you a restrictive dieter before you started No S? Do you associate hunger with deprivation instead of pleasant anticipation of the next satisfying meal?

It takes a loooooooooong time to rewire your brain to respond to hunger cues appropriately. We are hardwired to eat. Over the years we have added all kinds of cues and triggers to that hardwiring. We don't just decide one day to behave differently then be done with it. There are a lot of things to undo and redo.

I'm a firm believer that reflecting on experience is a good way to slowly start turning that ship around.

Graham wrote:I also think that how you react to a fast imposed by someone else is going to be very different to a fast you chose to undertake yourself. A chosen fast might bring curiosity or optimism about the outcome, an imposed fast might just leave you feeling needy.

Very true! And Blithe Morning has a great point about associating fasting with deprivation as well.

Glad you started this thread.

I like to say that I fast every day, from the end of dinner to the start of breakfast

But seriously, now that I only have 3 meals, skipping one of them puts me into more of a spin that it used to. Physically, but also mentally, because the way I resist the comfort of my old bad habits is to tell myself "hey, it's ok, you get to eat a whole plate at lunch time" or "don't worry, you'll have a sweet treat on Saturday". Then if something happens to take away the things I've mentally promised myself, I feel all out of whack. Even delaying a meal to fit in with others can make me a bit grumpy.

I'd just say take mental note that you don't do as well with No-S if you skip meals, and cut yourself some slack if circumstances put you in this position again. Remember that Sick is an S day too.

Try not to worry about how people stick to intermittent fasting! Just to fasting between your three meals for now.

You'll find eventually that you don't have to eat a lot just because you're hungry. These days, I tend to get full faster when I'm very hungry.

I find that there's not much else to keep me from eating at times than just the sheer belief that I will be better off if I just wait for that next meal, and that eating something right then, no matter how strong the urge or thought to do it, will leave me sorry later. I've never regretted waiting for my next regular meal. I've almost always regretted not waiting for it. When that gets really clear, it gets easier. Not necessarily easy. Just easier. And WORTH IT.

While on my extended fall off the wagon of No S, IF was one of the things I tried. At first, I controlled myself pretty well, but after a while, when I knew I wasn't eating again for maybe 24 hours, I wouldn't want the meal to be over. I would actually be sad and a little desperate feeling! Binges ensued, sometimes to the point of making myself sick. Just crazy!
That's why I came back, with my tail tucked, to the sanity that is No S.

I combined IF, 22-24 hrs 2X wkly with No S so that kept my eating under control. I did it for 1 and 1/2 years. I recently gave it up, but not sure if maybe I'll pick it up again or just stick more strictly with my Vanilla No S.

BTW, I tried versions of IF, and it seemed to bring up all the old "diet" feelings. I guess I just didn't have the right mindset, but it wasn't worth the struggle to me.

oolala53, I agree, it does put you in a dieting mindset. That's why I'm back!

My body couldn't handle long term intermittent fasting. I got low blood sugar episodes ect and symptoms of high cortisol. I am back to 3 meals a day counting my bites of course about 5 1/2 to 6 hours apart and I feel better!

i was thinking about what IF really means and i think i kind of do it, just not for a long time... i usually finish dinner by 5:30 pm and then don't eat breakfast until 7:30 am the next day. so that is about 14 hours that i've technically "fasted". but my schedule of my three meals is 7:30, 11ish, 5ish so i've really adapted to it and not thought of it that way. i had to fast monday for bloodwork. what i did was the appt was 8:45 and i just ate one meal around 9:30 when i was done with the appt. then i ate lunch around 12 and my usual 5pm dinner. so it didn't mess me up too badly if you have to fast for medical reasons it is possible it could make the Nday weird so maybe if it happens again try to not eat sweets but let yourself have a little leeway on your meals.

If NoS "counts" as painless form of "moderate Intermittent Fasting", then count me in!

I have been having a bit of trouble getting back to moderate, sensible eating. I'm doing No S but my plates have been loaded. IF really messed with my head. This week I'm working to get back to actual normal one plate meals instead of looking like I've run amok at an all you can eat buffet all on one plate.