Week 1 of Intermittent Fasting

I am 383 Lbs and on Mounjaro. I started at 420 in the beginning of the year. I follow a low-carb diabetic diet to support my Type 2 husband. I have been obese since my late teens and being disabled limits my ability to exercise. I've been a proponent of healthy eating and cooking since my early 30s. I even have a side hustle selling healthy seasoning to promote that goal for others.

This is about trying intermittent fasting. My eating disorder is partly due to starvation trauma as a child. My mother was so obsessed with my weight, I actually was on multiple diets from the time I was three years old. Long story-short, the idea of purposely starving myself is terrifying.

I talked to my doctor, and she recommended it because of my inability to be more active. We set up a schedule of 5 days on and 2 days off. Eat normally until 3pm and then nothing until breakfast the next day—16 hours fasting.

I am currently on day four. The first two days were uncomfortable had I had to muscle through the stomach discomfort by keeping myself busy. I haven't pooped yet, so that's disconcerting. Last night was really tough because I had nothing to do. Boredom is a killer. I was at the point that I would suck kale through a straw, and I hate kale.

I haven't broken yet, but I could use some encouragement. I am worried that with my eating addiction, I might blowout this weekend. Of course, Christmas is also a huge worry. I picked a helluva time to try this. 😖

Replies

cmriverside

Well, I mean all of us can encourage you - and I'd recommend reading all the threads in the Success Stories section…but this is your mindset. Only you can change your mind.

I'm sure intellectually you know you don't need the amounts of food you've been eating to keep you at your current weight.

I bet you also know that doing all this to spite your mom isn't the solution, and it doesn't change your childhood. That's over, you're safe now. You can let it go.

Have you tried any 12 Step programs? Therapy?

scldragonfish

Damn! Mostly, I was just looking for mental focus tips and maybe a "You can do it!"

Yes, I am two years in therapy. Its why I'm even attempting intermittent fasting and trying to share my experience with others.

I don't know if you meant it that way, but it sounded like you were condescending that I was dieting because of my mother? WTF?! Pints of ice cream in my 20s were how I told her "Eff Off". I've been eating clean for years!

I'm going to be polite and assume you were trying to be productive and not critical. I will say how you worded it came off as you making your own negative assumptions. The whole tone was very trite and blasé about trauma, child abuse, and going to therapy.

Please be more mindful and Happy Holidays.

cmriverside

Eating clean doesn't necessarily translate to being a healthy weight, though. And you mentioned being "terrified" to starve yourself while simultaneously being worried about over-eating over the holiday. That's a lot of cognitive dissonance for you right now apparently.

I'm not going to apologize, believe me I've seen my fair share of trauma and child abuse in my own childhood. That's why I recognized your particular statements about your eating disorder (food addiction as you called it.) I'm assuming that your particular issue is binge eating. If I'm wrong about that then I'm wrong.

Like I said, you intellectually know what you have to do but you can't or won't do it so that means more therapy, not (necessarily) intermittent fasting . IF helps some people, for others it can be triggering to their trauma. This is in your head and psyche, not in a food schedule. I hope it helps you, for me IF is miserable because it's making Rules around when I can eat and that's way too childhood-familiar.

When someone says something that I bristle against strongly it's often because that statement hits close to home. Resentments are just excuses to eat - so…it's better for me to figure out my Why. Why do I choose to continue to do that which harms me?

scldragonfish

My description of my background was an attempt to explain my head space, and relate to other obese people like myself, who are afraid of trying intermittent fasting. I was planning to do a series from week to week about the benefits and changes I would be making. I obviously failed.

This thread is useless now because you sanctimoniously felt the need to counsel me. When they read this, they will feel threatened that they will be criticized for being open about how they feel and their hardships.

I don't need apologies. I need you to think beyond your own self-satisfying need to be correct. It takes courage to be kind.

cmriverside

Keep coming back.

Being angry is okay. It's not my fault though.

cmriverside

I would add that if you want to do a journal type thread and have others doing IF join in, state that in the opening post.

We aren't mind readers.

cmriverside

AnnPT77

You've been doing great so far. Losing from 420 to 383 is a huge, huge accomplishment. I think you can keep making progress, given the strength you've shown making that progress already. For any of us, there are bumps in the road and challenges. Posting here for feedback is IMO a good idea - at least that sort of thing has helped me keep going at times. Not everyone's advice or feedback will be perfect, though. Probably obviously, we're just regular people bumbling along on our own path, and trying to help others if/when we can, based on our own experiences.

I think Riverside up there is an example of good folks. I've seen her posts for years now, since I've been on MFP for over 10 years. She's not being mean. I believe she's doing her best to be clear and honest.

I'd add this: Any new set of eating habits is hard at first, in my experience. It takes some willpower and powering through for a while. Distraction is about the only thing I can suggest.

Distraction would be getting into a hobby you personally find absorbing - I don't know what that is for you, but some common ones are needlework, sketching, journaling, listening to enjoyable music, playing a musical instrument, reading an absorbing book, or something like that.

I understand that you have movement limitations, but another common distraction is movement. Any achievable, mild movement can be good, like stretching. If you have mobility issues, that would be stretching whatever body parts are stretchable. (I'm also not being dismissive here. I'm lucky to still be able to do many things involving movement, but at age 70 now I also have some problems and limitations. I work on them. Some of them sometimes improve. It's a process.)

Looking for manageable movements on something like YouTube is an option. A couple of channels I like there that have good content that seems manageable are the Bob & Brad physical therapists, and Coach John Noel who has movement videos that include lots of adaptations so that more people can get the benefits, including people with movement limitations.

Any change in eating schedule is likely to bring changes in pooping schedule, realistically. If you go for an extended period (lots more than the usual interval) without pooping, and especially if you have unusual-to-you abdominal discomfort, reach out to your medical team. Other than that, make sure you're getting the right amounts of fiber, water, and healthy fats, all of which contribute to digestive throughput. I assume you're drinking water or some water-equivalent non-caloric beverage during your fasting periods. If you and your doctor think it's OK, maybe something like herbal teas during fasting periods would help. (To be clear, I'm not recommending "medicinal" teas. I'm just suggesting herbal teas that are tasty and non-calorie. Sometimes a warm drink takes the edge off appetite, for me.)

For me, a new set of eating habits usually settles down after a week or two. If it were me, as long as there aren't health or physical well-being problems, I'd try to stick it out that long if I thought the new routine would have value for me. That said, if I was still miserable after a couple of weeks, I'd begin to think that new thing was not the right routine for me. If you're working with your doctor, then checking back in with the doctor around that time is what I'd do if it wasn't working out for me.

Some eating strategies help some people, turn out really great for them. Those same eating strategies can be miserable and unsustainable for other people. Sorting that out, unfortunately, tends to be an individual experimentation process.

I hear you saying you worry about a blow-out ahead on the weekend. Those kinds of worrying thoughts sometimes become a hole I can fall into, in other words for me the worry makes the event more likely. A strategy I've used is to write a different more positive script in my head, and intentionally rehearse that as vividly as I can in my head, like a mini-movie.

For example, one of my struggles is buffets or potlucks. I can rehearse in my head how I'm going to survey the food available, pick out some healthy filling things, stay with one plate, add small amounts of rich but tempting things. I admit, that doesn't always work. Next time, I try something else.

While that "alternate script" idea doesn't always improve the situation dramatically for me, I've never had it make things worse. At minimum, it gives me practice in controlling my thoughts, focusing on positive plan rather than a negative worry. For me, focusing on positives also feels better in the moment. Maybe that idea doesn't work for you, but all I can do is suggest things that have helped me - I hope you understand.

I'd also underscore that one problem day or weekend is just one or two days, with lots of opportunities ahead to try something different. Not everything we try is going to work.

I hope this intermittent fasting plan will work well for you, or if it doesn't, that you're able to settle into a routine that does work. My belief is that as long as we keep working, learning from what doesn't work, and building on what does work, we're going to eventually make progress. Only giving up the effort is a real failure, to me.

You can do this. You've done so much already. Keep going. It's worth the effort.

Best wishes!

ddsb1111

I’ve done IF on and off for decades. Happy to share my experience, and the pros and cons. You put a lot out here on a public forum, so I’m assuming you’re okay with feedback.

If used solely as a tool, it can be very effective. I choose to do OMAD so I can have a larger dinner, and it helps with my energy levels throughout the day. There are some days I need lunch or a snack, and that’s fine. Not everyday is the same, and there’s no rules or failure, it’s just life.

Where intermittent fasting can become challenging, and sometimes not recommended, is when there’s already disordered eating or an eating disorder present. Using food for anything other than meeting your basic needs is a slippery slope. One of the most important things you can do for your health is to heal your relationship with food. It’s something you need to live, not something to be used for binges or punishment.

If your first thought about food immediately goes back to a troubled past, that alone suggests the relationship is still very enmeshed and needs to be untangled. I understand you were explaining how you got there, but that doesn’t change the reality that you’re still operating in a fight or flight state around food because of something that happened to you years ago. You even mentioned already bracing for issues this coming weekend, which shows this isn’t just history. It’s a current mindset, and that should give you pause.

Using intermittent fasting, which is essentially a tool that restricts food, may not be something you’re ready for right now, and that’s okay. This is not failure, it’s about timing. When you truly feel in control of your own food and your life, and no longer feel that it can be taken away from you, then it may be worth revisiting. But only if and when food is no longer tied to a distorted coping mechanism. It starts with fully trusting yourself and your own sense of safety, and that is something no one else can do for you.

You mentioned you’ve been in therapy for years around this, and therapy matters, but it’s only part of the work. The other half is taking responsibility and recognizing that you’re in control now. You’re no longer a helpless child. Change happens when you make a decision and actually believe it, then take small, consistent steps that prove to you that you can trust yourself. That’s how you learn you are safe, with or without food, because you are the one in control.

yakkystuff

Profound.

I have not tried IF so no advice to share.

A comment, however, regarding Holiday feasts. A few times, I tried to "stick to my diet on/during the feast day and meals" then later at home ate a feastly amount...

Other years, enjoyed feastly amounts at the feast meals/day - eating too much, I needed a nap! Instead of being alert and able to really enjoy visiting with everyone.

Upshot - I thought there has to be a middle ground... eat and enjoy but not too much. Tried that and overshot target, ate too much... Took me several years to change my eating approach for holidays, but it is getting better…I am still practicing.

Looking at it as a new approach to try... has helped. No regret, no guilt, I will adjust and keep practicing. —→ this has allowed experimentation and removed the emotional swings…

Whether a person is trying this or that... it's always a learning curve and we can always stop if it doesn't work, and try something different next time.

♡

LyndaBSS

I’ve been doing IF for a long time on and off. Now, I’m pretty much down to one meal and two snacks per day. I have my first food of the day at 3:00 or 4:00 pm and have a 4 hour eating window. I eat approximately 1200 calories per day. I’m being treated for lung cancer and am not active at all. So, for me, weight loss is all about maintaining a calorie deficit.

You can do this. Your body will adjust. But expanding your fasting window should be done slowly.

JCT1000

I do IF every Monday and it’s been a great help in my weight loss journey even though it’s only once per week. Did I read you correctly you were advised to do the IF five days per week. I’ve heard the opposite approach- two days IF, and five days regular eating. I normally don’t eat much before 10am most days so I guess technically I’m fasting 14 hours on most days

It definitely helps if you’re busier during the fasting period. I’m usually working or doing something on the computer. I drink black coffee, more water than usual, occasional weak hydration powder (something like Liquid IV, but half the packet into 16 ounces), and I’ll often reward myself with some vegetable stock in the afternoon. I usually won’t eat until around 5pm, and try to keep the total calories around 500.

I think I’ve learned over time that the experience of hunger will be temporary. That is, it doesn't get worse, I’ll quit thinking about it and it just goes away.

Best of luck to you 😀

AnnPT77

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48875001#Comment_48875001

There are different styles that people call IF, though some might more accurately be referred to as time-restricted eating (TRE).

The generic 5:2 IF is eating maintenance calories 5 days per week, and very low calories - 500 is a common number - 2 non-consecutive days. It wouldn't really make sense to talk about that as doing IF 5 days per week.

The other kind of IF, maybe more precisely TRE, is limiting eating hours in the day, like 4 hours of eating and 20 hours not eating, but the time breakdowns can vary. Usually people do that every day. But a person could do that 5 days a week, then eat during unrestricted hours 2 days per week. Lots of people vary their weekday routine from their weekend routine, so maybe that's why 5 days - don't know. That kind of thing is probably what OP is talking about.

There are other kinds of fasting approaches, too, with longer fasts that involve not eating for more than a day. Those aren't something MFP supports.

Retroguy2000

As you probably know OP, it's all about calorie reduction, and IF is merely a tool to that end. If that tool is working for you, great. It sounds like you've chosen a manageable schedule with 16:8 and 5 days on 2 days off.

This is a tough time of year to be dieting, so don't feel bad if you slip for a couple of days. It's a journey ahead, a day here and there doesn't matter in the long run. (Case in point, the obscene amount of chocolate I had yesterday, ha).

In general, track your calories, and keeping your protein, fiber and water intake all quite high will help with satiety.

Are you responding as expected to the GLP drug? I've read that 10%-20% are non-responders. I just ask because others I've seen posting about their reactions to GLP have lost higher % of bodyweight. Obviously that's not your fault if that's the case, it's just genetics.