Fasting... distractions

choosing_fitness
choosing_fitness Posts: 102
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I am working on intermittent fasting... Today I am fasting from 2:00 pm to 6:00 am tomorrow morning. This is about a 16 hour fast... How can I distract myself during this fast? I am just so worried I will end up eating A LOT...
Thoughts?

Replies

  • tdander26
    tdander26 Posts: 5
    I have found that cramming so much food in an eight hour window made fasting for 16 hours pretty easy! Assuming you get 8 hours of sleep that knocks down your conscious fasting time to just 8 hours! It was easier for me to fast in the morning and eat later though! So, in my head I could just look forward to eating later in the day! =P
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    As a kid, I used to sing the "Peanuuut, peanut better. AndJelly." song in my head. I don't know why I started that, but I did it a lot. I also spent a lot of time thinking fasting was stupid and God could not possibly have meant for us to do it...and that grown-ups were crazy.

    As an adult, I put it out of my mind. It's just not that hard to skip one day, much less part of one day. Mind over matter. :)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Hot tea, coffee, lemon water, sugarless gum, activity.

    Also, just notice how you feel and how it's not a medical emergency to live with hunger for a little while. The mental part is much harder than anything physical, if you ask me. Don't 'distract away' the whole experience. It's great for learning about your feelings about food and hunger.

    It doesn't have to end with a binge. My fasts haven't, but I don't do it for so long I feel really deprived, either. I actually feel more in tune with my body's natural hunger signals after, and I get satisfied with less.

    Good luck!
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I'm not a "strict" IF-er (heck, I don't even advertise myself as one). However, I find it easy to do if I delay my breakfast until noon (I wake around 6:00am). I do give myself the leeway of 40-100 calories worth of coffee and a little cream before noon. I find this easy to do, since I'm in classes (college student) back to back all morning long--no time to eat, anyway--unintentional IF, I guess. But I like it, so I'm sticking to it.

    OP--assuming you're waking in the AM's, eating immediately(ish), then closing your day at 2:00pm, I'd have trouble with that, too. Like PP said, putting off eating til later in the day is easier, knowing you have the "feast" forthcoming. Doing it opposite--eating your feast, then stopping with several hours until sleep is hard to do for some.

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