Fasters- Do you get irritable? My first week

Telugammayi87 · July 2012

I started the Fast Five IF on Monday, and so far so good. Monday was easy because I was very motivated, Tuesday a bit more difficult but still made it, and Wednesday was fairly easy as I was busy all day. Today I am not feeling hungry, but every day around lunch time since Tuesday I feel super irritable.... Could it be blood sugar getting low? My body craving food because normally I would eat lunch around this time? I'm not giving up, just want to know if anyone else has experienced this. Right now my colleague is about 8 feet away and crunching on ice nonstop... it's all I can do to contain myself. :grumble: Normally things like this don't really bother me. My window of eating is from 5-10p.m. every day. I have a good snack at 5, workout, and then have dinner. It's all working out well, but I'm normally pretty even-mannered, and right now I could snap someone's head off at any second. :explode:

Suggestions? Or has anyone else had this issue? Will it go away once my body adjusts?

..... :flowerforyou:

slkehl · July 2012

That's the biggest problem with IF in my opinion. Sure, if you fast and don't eat like crazy when you're not fasting, you'll probably lose weight, but it's likely going to make you irritable. Mood swings, low energy, not my cup of tea.

chris1816 · July 2012

Drink coffee, tea etc without any sweeteners unless its something like splenda or something else that is zero calorie and does not chemically have true sucrose in it.

(Artificial sweetener conspiracy theorists, just warning you now I don't give a *kitten*)

Hunger is two parts, hormone based and mindset. Yes there is an actual hormone that triggers feelings of hunger around the times you normally eat. If you are doing IF and thus not eating until much later in the day you are adjusting to the chemical signals telling you "Around this time, you normally eat, so start feeling hungry to facilitate appetite" etc (very stupid way of putting it but that is essentially the gist).

As to blood sugar, if you do not have some existing medically diagnosed issue related to blood sugar regulation your levels remain very stable on their own. You cannot affect them as easily as you think just by not eating.

As you adjust to this, as with any calorie restriction or general change to your eating habits you have to remember that you are ultimately in control. Nobody but yourself can make you pick up food and put it past your lips. So drink something with caffeine but little to no creamer or sugar like coffee or tea, drink some water, read a book, and focus on what you are actually doing; not on when you get to eat. You'll adjust.

wackyfunster · July 2012

I was borderline hypoglycemic when I started IF (18/6), so I spent the first 2 weeks repressing the urge to be a raging ****head. I also had to have other people drive me to lunch most days, because I was too lightheaded. After week 3 I felt a lot better. After about 2 months, all hypoglycemic symptoms were gone, and I can now go 20+ hours without eating before I start to feel ill effects.

Black coffee helps a lot!

azaborow1 · July 2012

Please, just be careful - I spent many years doing fasting, etc, and was a raging b*tch....and the weight would eventually come back on anyway. I have FINALLY learned to eat at least alittle for breakfast, lunch, and light dinner....it has helped so much. It finally became too agonizing to be in such a horrible mood all the time.

mfpcopine · July 2012

You might want to ease into it over a few months.

chris1816 · July 2012

Recommended reading:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/marshmallow-test.html

Telugammayi87 · July 2012

Thanks all,
My energy level has been great. Zero problems there. No light-headedness or anything. I've made all of the lifestyle changes to eating healthy over the past 2 years. That's not much of an issue. I crave asparagus, not oreos!

Mostly I'm doing this just to try and help kick my addiction to food. Because yes, I've made healthy lifestyle changes, but food still controls my life. Sometimes it's all I can think about. From what I've read, IF has been shown to help with this. And actually, only 4 days in.... it already is helping. It not only is helping with the addiction, but self control. I drink 96-128 ounces of water per day and will have a black coffee or plain green tea in the mornings when I wake up.

The ONLY bad "side effect" I've had is being irritable from about 12:30-2:00 or so, which is when I would normally eat lunch. Other than that all has worked out great! I figure my body will adjust over time as Chris1816 said

JennieAL · July 2012

Blood sugar and hormonal related mood swings were something I never got used to while fasting according to the LeanGains model. I wasn't super hungry. It was just the low blood sugar irritability that really bothered me. I still fast but I'm not strict about the feeding window. I don't fast as often anymore. The benefits (if there were any) weren't enough to outweigh the negatives in my case. So, if I fast now it's just sort of a leftover habit and I have to watch myself and eat before it gets too bad.

secretlobster · July 2012

Your diet is mainly sugar and carbs, with relatively little protein. No wonder you're irritable...

chris1816 · July 2012

I'm willing to bit 90% of self diagnosed cases of "low blood sugar" = "I am feeling anxious because normally I should have eaten by now"

chris1816 · July 2012

Your diet is mainly sugar and carbs, with relatively little protein. No wonder you're irritable...

Good point, didn't look since most people keep theirs closed.

Eat some damn meat.

LindaCWy · July 2012

Eat some damn meat.

THATS WHAT SHE SAID! (yes!!)

2012asv · July 2012

Very, that's why I don't do it. I can't afford to not have energy- I have too much to do $:\$

Telugammayi87 · July 2012

I admit, the past few days have been bad with sugar and carbs... First anniversary weekend and then holiday. Normally I'm better about this though. Usually I don't eat sweets except fruit. I've lost over 100 pounds... can't complain too much ^_^

chris1816 · July 2012

Very, that's why I don't do it. I can't afford to not have energy- I have too much to do $:\$

If done right, it's fine. I train fasted, and upped the weight on a couple lifts yesterday on a similar (16/8) fast. I find its easier to focus when I don't give a crap about food. Granted I take a serving of BCAAs right before I exercise but otherwise yeah, completely empty stomach.

I find you have more energy honestly; you're still digesting the feast you had yesterday...unless you're eating almost nothing substantive like OP.

MirrorsBrokeHearts · July 2012

Eat. Don't fast. Don't starve. Please. Is your life.

deadstarsunburn · July 2012

I drink lots of water it gets easier. I do eat stop eat, 24 hour fast. Dinner to dinner is easiest!

Just looked at your diary. When you fast, the days you AREN'T fasting you should eat way more. Almost maintenance. Otherwise all your doing is starving yourself every few days. Which isn't smart to continue. I suggest you find your TDEE and eat 100-200 below that most days.

chris1816 · July 2012

I admit, the past few days have been bad with sugar and carbs... First anniversary weekend and then holiday. Normally I'm better about this though. Usually I don't eat sweets except fruit. I've lost over 100 pounds... can't complain too much ^_^

Oh absolutely, in relation to weight loss your calorie intake is right on the mark. However I'd take another look at the composition of what you take in; as I picked a random day in early June and went back from there; typically low protein, high carb, high sugar...basically your habit is to spike your insulin all over the place with lots of simple carbs (yes, fruit is a simple carb).

In relation to IF and in general really you want to be high on protein, and your carb intake should go up or down based on rest or training days. Personally I just try to stick to 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat, though many times my carb intake is lower and my protein will be higher.

usmcmp · July 2012

Eat. Don't fast. Don't starve. Please. Is your life.

It's IF. She still eats just in a shorter window. She eats all her calories in 5 hours instead of spreading them out all day.

chris1816 · July 2012

Eat. Don't fast. Don't starve. Please. Is your life.

Unless you are at 0% body fat, not eating for 16 or more hours will not do a damn thing health wise. More studies point to it actually being a pro-longevity habit and in general healthier as a whole.

usmcmp · July 2012

I admit, the past few days have been bad with sugar and carbs... First anniversary weekend and then holiday. Normally I'm better about this though. Usually I don't eat sweets except fruit. I've lost over 100 pounds... can't complain too much ^_^

Oh absolutely, in relation to weight loss your calorie intake is right on the mark. However I'd take another look at the composition of what you take in; as I picked a random day in early June and went back from there; typically low protein, high carb, high sugar...basically your habit is to spike your insulin all over the place with lots of simple carbs (yes, fruit is a simple carb).

In relation to IF and in general really you want to be high on protein, and your carb intake should go up or down based on rest or training days. Personally I just try to stick to 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat, though many times my carb intake is lower and my protein will be higher.

This is what I was going to say. I make sure my protein intake is 1g per pound of lean mass then fill in the rest with whatever. Protein keeps you full and feed the muscles. Almost all IF eating patterns tell you to eat lot of protein. Might want to change your eating to a longer feed window. Typically men do well on 16 hour fasts and women on 14.

Telugammayi87 · July 2012

I admit, the past few days have been bad with sugar and carbs... First anniversary weekend and then holiday. Normally I'm better about this though. Usually I don't eat sweets except fruit. I've lost over 100 pounds... can't complain too much ^_^

Oh absolutely, in relation to weight loss your calorie intake is right on the mark. However I'd take another look at the composition of what you take in; as I picked a random day in early June and went back from there; typically low protein, high carb, high sugar...basically your habit is to spike your insulin all over the place with lots of simple carbs (yes, fruit is a simple carb).

In relation to IF and in general really you want to be high on protein, and your carb intake should go up or down based on rest or training days. Personally I just try to stick to 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat, though many times my carb intake is lower and my protein will be higher.

Thanks, I'm working on cutting meat out of my diet, and I'm FULLY aware I need to up my protein. Going to start working on this. And I get that I'm just spiking my insulin.... it's pretty obvious because after I would eat I would get super amounts of energy. LOL. Definitely going to try upping my protein substantially! Thanks

Telugammayi87 · July 2012

Thanks, I will definitely see about adjusting it. But again, hunger is not the issue. I'm not counting down to 5:00 when I can eat. I don't even feel hungry at all and my energy levels are okay. Again, my ONLY issue is the irritability around lunch time.

I'm all better now!

I admit, the past few days have been bad with sugar and carbs... First anniversary weekend and then holiday. Normally I'm better about this though. Usually I don't eat sweets except fruit. I've lost over 100 pounds... can't complain too much ^_^

Oh absolutely, in relation to weight loss your calorie intake is right on the mark. However I'd take another look at the composition of what you take in; as I picked a random day in early June and went back from there; typically low protein, high carb, high sugar...basically your habit is to spike your insulin all over the place with lots of simple carbs (yes, fruit is a simple carb).

In relation to IF and in general really you want to be high on protein, and your carb intake should go up or down based on rest or training days. Personally I just try to stick to 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat, though many times my carb intake is lower and my protein will be higher.

This is what I was going to say. I make sure my protein intake is 1g per pound of lean mass then fill in the rest with whatever. Protein keeps you full and feed the muscles. Almost all IF eating patterns tell you to eat lot of protein. Might want to change your eating to a longer feed window. Typically men do well on 16 hour fasts and women on 14.

estitom · July 2012

Eat. Don't fast. Don't starve. Please. Is your life.

This is not the same thing. They fast for a while and then eat all their calories in a few hours, in a controlled way.

Unless you are at 0% body fat, not eating for 16 or more hours will not do a damn thing health wise. More studies point to it actually being a pro-longevity habit and in general healthier as a whole.

Maybe as long as you get all the calories you need.

chris1816 · July 2012

Eat. Don't fast. Don't starve. Please. Is your life.

This is not the same thing. They fast for a while and then eat all their calories in a few hours, in a controlled way.

Unless you are at 0% body fat, not eating for 16 or more hours will not do a damn thing health wise. More studies point to it actually being a pro-longevity habit and in general healthier as a whole.

Maybe as long as you get all the calories you need.

Pardon me while I eat my 800+ calorie afternoon breakfast, muahahaha

ColleenRoss50 · July 2012

Recommended reading, ignore the scary, dry looking jew swede on the right, he's smart at least:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/marshmallow-test.html

Interesting read.

wackyfunster · July 2012

Eat. Don't fast. Don't starve. Please. Is your life.

This is not the same thing. They fast for a while and then eat all their calories in a few hours, in a controlled way.

Unless you are at 0% body fat, not eating for 16 or more hours will not do a damn thing health wise. More studies point to it actually being a pro-longevity habit and in general healthier as a whole.

Maybe as long as you get all the calories you need.

Pardon me while I eat my 800+ calorie afternoon breakfast, muahahaha

inorite... I am really starving with my 2 1600 calorie meals per day, or my one 2000 calorie meal if I do the 22/2 thing. It's amazing I haven't starved to death! :P

kelseyhere · July 2012

I was SUPER irritable the first week doing IF and even feeling delusional by the time by eating window opened. Second week still pretty hard and annoyed all the time, but by the third week I seemed to even out. Give it a little bit more time for your body to adjust.

epmck11 · July 2012

I don't get irritable at all. At first I felt hunger for the last few hours of my fast, but now it's not even difficult, and I've only been doing it for two months. It's really pretty easy once you get used to it. Learn to drink coffee (or tea) without sweeteners and it's really pretty easy to suppress your appetite for a few hours. Your body adjusts quickly.

Fasters- Do you get irritable? My first week

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