Intermittent fasting

[Ultralight]

I see why fasting is a part of so many religions. I cannot deny a certain "spiritual" feeling on my fasting day. I want to try to again to explore this interesting feeling. It was a "subjective, internal experience" as Sam Harris might call it. Once the intense cravings faded the fasting felt like a meditation.

And when the cravings were bad I just told myself: "You can eat _____ tomorrow. Tomorrow is not far away."

[ApatheticNoMore]

yes a kind of calm sometimes, a calm feeling. I just did a 24 hour fast, but I don't do it for weight loss (I don't fast often enough for that for one thing), I consider it health maintenance I guess (in the same way as talking a walk or eating healthy food).

There is a book on everything one would ever want to know, and never wanted to know, about fasting including much about fasting catholic saints called "Fasting An Exceptional Human Experience" that frames it this way ("When the term exceptional human experience (EHE) was coined in 1990, it marked the beginning of an effort to discover what could be learned if all types of psychic, mystical, encounter, death-related, peak, and other anomalous experiences were viewed as members of a single class."). It's not about fasting for weight loss though.

Honestly for me it is just relaxing, although once ecstatic when I was in a natural area as well. And also I feel better physically afterward. It's why I don't believe in hangry, hunger doesn't make me angry, I don't consider that part of the experience of hunger. Although if I have a very hard work day I won't fast, because that is demanding in it's own right. It's not all wonderful though, I've gotten kind of depressive and broody occasionally fasting (it's really not the time to give play to one's darkest thoughts - wait until you eat for those at least, and all will go better in my experience).

[pony mom]

I've been doing the 8/16 version of intermittent fasting for a few weeks now. Eating from 10:30 am until 6:30 pm was OK for a while but I get too hungry while at work. Now it's 9:30-7:30 which works out much better. This is because at 9:30 I'll eat a small snack (usually cashews and cheese) so when I eat lunch an hour later, I'm not starving and engorging myself; I'm actually a bit satiated by then.

Now if I can only stay away from the sweets and ice cream at work. I started at 118 lbs and went down to 112 (I've always been a slender person so don't judge me) but lack of willpower with sweets have brought me back up to 115. Those few pounds less made me feel much more comfortable, I fit into my summer clothes, and hopefully I'll get there again soon.

This method of fasting isn't too difficult if you don't mind being hungry. I wake up hungry, go to bed hungry, and complain "I'm hungry" all morning at work.

[Ultralight]

Today is my second day of fasting. I am working out this morning. So today might be tougher than last Thursday...

[Ultralight]

Again, today around 10am I started getting hungry! But I waited until noon to eat my oatmeal and my apples.

That was a strong wave of hunger.


A smaller wave came around 4pm. I wanted hard boiled eggs again. That urge faded.

Now another wave of hunger is on me. I want stewed or roasted veggies, like root veggies.

Fasting makes me crave odd foods. haha

[iris lilies]

Again, today around 10am I started getting hungry! But I waited until noon to eat my oatmeal and my apples.

That was a strong wave of hunger.


A smaller wave came around 4pm. I wanted hard boiled eggs again. That urge faded.

Now another wave of hunger is on me. I want stewed or roasted veggies, like root veggies.

Fasting makes me crave odd foods. haha

Oooooo, you are craving healthy foods, good.

[Ultralight]

Welp, same as my first day of fasting, I woke up the day after and I don't feel hungry. Strange.

[Ultralight]

It is crazy! I have been prepping food all morning -- my egg. bacon, cheese sandwich for breakfast (at work in around 8:30am), my lunch of oatmeal with fruits and nuts, and my dinner of chicken and veggie stew in the crock pot mini.

No urges of hunger. I even handle the ultimate culinary temptress -- bacon! No hunger urges.

[JaneV2.0]

...
Honestly for me it is just relaxing, although once ecstatic when I was in a natural area as well. And also I feel better physically afterward. It's why I don't believe in hangry, hunger doesn't make me angry, I don't consider that part of the experience of hunger. Although if I have a very hard work day I won't fast, because that is demanding in it's own right. It's not all wonderful though, I've gotten kind of depressive and broody occasionally fasting (it's really not the time to give play to one's darkest thoughts - wait until you eat for those at least, and all will go better in my experience).

I don't think it's actually hunger that produces the anger, it's the blood sugar swings that some of us get from eating the wrong foods/eating too often. I used to be subject to occasional bouts of low blood sugar (reactive hypoglycemia) that could render me near-speechless. I can fast for a day or two without problems.

[luna92]

Good luck Ultralight and I hope it works well for you.