The FastDay Forum

This WOL has made me aware that grazing ("intermittent snacking") all day meant I seldom got hungry. This of course meant I was eating when not hungry, didn't know what being hungry was all about, and when I did accidentally go long enough to actually get hungry, I'd panic and grab the nearest edible and chomp away! Now, even on non-fast days, I wait to eat till I'm actually hungry. And since I know I won't be eating again for several hours at least, I make sure whatever I eat is worth it. So, I think about what I'm going to eat when I do get hungry, which also increases my appreciation for it. I had bought a chocolate chip walnut scone on Saturday, forgot to eat it on Sunday, and yesterday was a fast day, so no go. Today, day after fast, I figured I could warm it in foil and that might bring it back. Yup! So I made strawberry shortcake with it--super yum! melted chocolate and toasty walnuts...whipped cream...can you tell I thoroughly enjoyed it???

So, I won't eat again till dinner, 'cause I won't be hungry--not because I ate something naughty, not because I'm making up for too many calories, not for any reason other than I ate something really satisfying when I was hungry, and I won't need to do it again till I get hungry again!

I tried something like this years ago--anyone else remember "Diets Don't Work"?--but had to tough it out at that time and obviously didn't keep it up long term. Hope I don't fall back into bad old habits, but since this just HAPPENED while 5:2ing, I don't think it will. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

[Debs]

Good post! And probably something that many of us can relate to. I was taught in nutrition classes at my gym that I had to snack every four hours between meals to keep my metabolism going. The problem is, most of us over when we snack.
It is quite a radical departure for me to eat when I am hungry, not before I get hungry! But I have learned that I can still function, exercise, carry on without the world falling in. In fact. I often feel sharper when I am hungry. Tummy is currently rumbling, but I shall ignore it for now!

I find that I very rarely feel hungry these days, and when I do, the pangs subside if I do not respond to them. It is not at all difficult to eat one meal a day. I have unlearnt the habit of always eating when I get up in the morning and then eating every five hour or so.

I smile to myself when colleagues speak of being "starving" as it approaches noon.

[janeg]

Sounds like a breakthrough @ferretgal! good on you.
It's quite a revelation that feeling hungry doesn't kill us! This from one who used to have 'crashes'/dips at such a regular time that you could almost set the clock to me, and friends could recognise it's impending appearance before I felt it and take remedial action.
Isn't fasting great!

I guess a point I was trying to make above was that constant snacking puts one out of touch with hunger...what other cues should one use to know when it's time to eat? The clock? You hear a lot about "eat only when you're hungry," but not only do they not define what that means, they also contradict themselves by telling you that skipping a meal will "ruin" your metabolism.

I am learning, slowly, how to tell when I am really hungry, mostly by making mistakes and waiting too long...but at least I'm getting in touch with MY true hunger cues and respecting those. NEVER did I think that this WOL would effortlessly lead to this...by effortlessly, I mean without conscious intention or effort; just happening.

@ferretgal, I completely agree & yes, it is very freeing. I never thought I could say I enjoy being hungry but I look forward to it now. The biggest revelation of this WoE was that "hunger comes & goes in waves" (MM). It's such a great feeling to have found something that is working & discovering that if I had just let my body work the way it was supposed to in the first place, instead of fighting it all the time, I wouldn't have had to relearn it! But then I wouldn't have found all the wonderful folk on this forum, so it has a + side too, doesn't it?