Stomach problems with IF?

mikesphoto
mikesphoto Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm currently on day 5 of IF. I've done this before for a day or two but have never been able to maintain longer than that. Yesterday afternoon I started feeling unwell. It's continued today. I'm just wondering if this my body adjusting to my new eating schedule or something unrelated just happened to coincide with it. I'm not too worried yet but just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this.

Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I'd say it's unrelated. Have done IF on and off for over 10 years with no stomach problems and I've never seen anyone else post about that.
  • Phirrgus
    Phirrgus Posts: 1,894 Member
    Sorry for asking the obvious, but have you started eating/drinking anything you weren't before? Being on an IF eating schedule alone shouldn't cause it, as already stated.
  • mikesphoto
    mikesphoto Posts: 22 Member
    I'm trying again because I feel more drive this time and feel it will be the simplest way to control calories. I haven't otherwise changed what I eat.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    There's no reason why waiting to eat a few more hours should cause stomach problems. Depending on what you mean by stomach problems, I suppose it's possible you just have never been really hungry before and are unfamiliar with how it feels. But it's most likely unrelated.
  • mikesphoto
    mikesphoto Posts: 22 Member
    That's possible. It's been a long time since I've gone very long without eating. Probably part of the reason I'm here. 😁
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    you can also slowly move into IF. not sure how small your eating window is but you can start with a bigger one and over time make it smaller.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Yeah, I've eaten in an IF pattern for most of my life. It doesn't cause problems, it's a schedule.

    What kind of problems are you feeling? Can you describe it?

    Are you trying to eat too much in a short amount of time and you're not used to that? You don't have to change a whole lot to do IF, just schedule meals.

    I could see having a problem if I had to eat a huge meal to hit calories before the clock got me, but otherwise? Not really.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    An empty stomach gives me heart burn. For me, it helps to have a soothing tea, like cinnamon, ginger or chammomile. Or, just eat.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    FWIW, anytime I try to make all the changes at one time, no matter how much willpower I am feeling, it doesn't work. This time around I started with a few weeks of just logging what I was eating, then I evaluated what I was eating and made changes to begin lowering the amount of calories I was bringing in. Once I had the calories under control, I played around with some of the foods I was eating for a few weeks to see what kept me satisfied. Then, I moved on to adding exercise. I have been able to keep this up since any time something feels overwhelming, I work on that for a while longer before changing anything else. I am down 29 pounds and counting and feel good about it this time. IF may just not be a good fit for you.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,352 Member
    My stomach was uncomfortable when I briefly tried IF. I have a lot of digestive problems in general, though. I had a hard time digesting fewer, but larger meals, so I'd be bloated and had a lot of stomachaches and indigestion. I'm not sure what symptoms you're feeling, but it could just be the change in the volume of food you eat at once. I felt much better going back to 3-4 smaller meals spread out over the day.
  • mikesphoto
    mikesphoto Posts: 22 Member
    The feeling has passed for now, it felt like a swallowed a rock. I have not changed any other eating habit except for my schedule. My biggest problem has always been snacking. This gives me a structure to follow. My meals aren't any larger than they were before, however I noticed that even in my 8 hour window I snack less already, maybe that's it. I might just be trying too much all at once.
    Thanks all for your input. I'll watch more closely what and how much I eat and see there's a pattern.
  • StarliteTara
    StarliteTara Posts: 299 Member
    I hate talking about stomach problems only because I've experienced them the greater part of my adult life however I'd like to say that I have experienced some stomach problems with IF. I did the 16:8 method for a few months then tried OMAD (one meal a day) for about a month. I was eating the same amount of calories with both but I was having more stomach issues with OMAD. I personally feel like its because I chose my one meal to be dinner which meant I was consuming a lot of calories in one setting just a few hours before bed. Again, totally just my personal opinion. I have since switched back to 16:8 as I think that's a better fit and I haven't had the same issues.
    I feel I should add that for me IF was just a way for me to cut out a meal which has helped me cut my calories and if in the process I burn more calories due to fasting longer then it definitely doesn't hurt. Just my thoughts. :-)
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited June 2019
    I sometimes skip breakfast and eat just lunch and dinner in a 6 to 8 hour window, and it's never caused me issues, but that doesn't mean that it won't cause issues for others, especially at first. I'd think it more likely that it's a coincidence, though.

    I don't think I could do OMAD without eating less protein, veg, and overall fiber than I like, so I can totally see trying to get all those calories into one meal being difficult.

    Just to add another POV, while I can understand how a shortened eating window might help with things like evening snacking or naturally limit how much you eat, there are other options which can have the same effect, depending on the person. Most days I eat three meals, including a pretty early breakfast and pretty late dinner, but I just don't snack at other times. That has more effect on making it hard for me personally to overeat than just eating in a window would. But like I said, I know the window works really well for some.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    What diminishes my urges to snack is:

    1. Getting enough protein
    2. Getting enough sleep
    3. Regular exercise
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    What eliminated my desire to snack is making sure my meals during my feeding window satisfied me, and cognitive behavior self-analysis when I felt like reaching for a snack to understand the trigger and learning from it.

    Distinguishing real hunger from fake and habit hunger.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    Sorry if this was already asked but what is your eating schedule and how many meals are you consuming in your eating window?

    If you’re consuming too many calories in a sitting for your body to comfortably digest that could cause some tummy issues - like bloating, excess gas, constipation, nausea, etc.

    I don’t do IF now and eat when hungry but I did it for years. I’ve never been hungry the first part of the day so it was fairly easy but when I tried to move to a single large meal I experienced some digestive discomfort. So instead I switched it to a small meal around 3pm, a large dinner, then a treat before bed and I was fine. I only stopped doing that because now I get hungry around my workout times which varies day to day.

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