Intermittent Fasting

Sodnozile

I’m new to attempting a Lifestyle Change and Intermittent Fasting. For 3 weeks I’ve fasted between 14-20 hrs. daily. Trying to stay low carb to no carbs. Hoping to reach Autophagy. A few times, I have had a soda when it’s time to eat or a sliver of sweet bread or cereal. Today, I did not fast and I feel guilty. I had a soda, 5 ritz crackers, and a handful of popcorn kernels. I feel like binging and I don’t know why I sabotage myself. :(. Tomorrow, I am scheduled for bloodwork. 🫩.

AnnPT77

If the key goal is weight loss, the key issue is calorie balance.

Intermittent fasting or low carb will help with weight loss if they make the process easier for you to follow. If they make the process harder to stick with, then they don't help reach that goal.

I 100% understand that people may have other reasons to use IF or low carb tactics, reasons other than weight loss. I'm not saying not to do them.

All I am saying is that neither is universally necessary for weight loss. I didn't do either one, and lost weight fine eating anytime from shortly after getting up in the morning until near bedtime, and eating 150g+ of carbs most days. I've been maintaining a healthy weight for 9+ years since losing 50 pounds doing the same, except that with more calories available, it's usually 250g+ carbs daily. (The carbs are mostly from veggies, fruits, dairy foods, whole grains, though I do eat some treats once my nutrition is in good shape and I still have calories available.) But that's just what works for me, not saying you need to do that or that it would be best for you. I'm just being transparent.

Some people do find that if they increase carbs, their appetite increases. Odds of that happening may be higher if those are "quick carbs" from sugary or refined foods like your soda and Ritz crackers. Those things can raise blood sugar more quickly, and appetite kicks in when it drops later. Also, things like that tend not to be very filling for their calories, which doesn't help.

I'd encourage you to use self-talk that avoids guilt, or the feeling that you're "sabotaging" yourself. Neither of those things burn extra calories, they feel icky, and they don't usually help improve future scenarios.

Instead, I'd encourage you to think of weight loss (and other eating-related goals you may have) as a fun, productive science fair experiment for grown ups. The goal is finding long-term sustainable habits that not only get us to goal weight (and the accomplishment of any of those other goals) but that also keep us in that place long term, ideally permanently. Experiments don't always have the expected outcome. When they don't, that's not "a failure", it's a thing to learn from.

What does that learning look like? Thinking about what triggered the undesired outcome, and trying another tactic that we think can be more successful. If a person sticks with that process, trying steps toward the goal(s), keeping what works, discarding what doesn't work, they can find their own best plan, and reach their goals. Only giving up that effort will fail to lead to the goals.

You can do this. Stay the course, keep chipping away toward your goals. While you do that, give yourself some mental pats on the back for persisting in the effort, as you would in talking with a friend, rather than beating yourself up every time you learn something that isn't working for you. The long-term results will be worth the effort.

Good luck with those blood test results, and best wishes for future progress!