Jill, I had the same problem with trying to get my cals high enough because I was eating so many veggies and you know veggies fill you up too fast. And you're right lean protein isn't good either... So I have been trying to stay away from lean protein... any fatty meat is good.. I had duck the other day and really enjoyed it (duck has a lot of fat).

I don't count cals but my goal each day is to eat enough to carry me through to the next meal. If I find it difficult to wait until the next day to eat, that likely means I didn't eat enough the day before.

I was very hungry yesterday (due to TOM soon), so I just gave myself permission to eat high cals, high fat and protein. That helped a lot.

Thanks Serrelind! Like you, I am far below my goal weight and I do not want to lose any more. I also live in Florida :-) My husband and I are going out to dinner tonight and I will be sure to pig out..... Have a good one! Jill

Jill, same here -- don't want to lose anymore. Where is Jupiter? I'm in Tampa... moved here 2 years ago from CT. I love it here Have fun dining out tonight. You ate too little yesterday and need to seriously PIG out Enjoy!

That is so funny as I was born and raised in CT!!! I will visit your journal as I do not want to highjack this thread ...... talk with you later...

I was quite hungry soon after I woke up, but not during the night. Its mostly gone now and I feel just fine. I already went out on the BMX bike and strength is way up there. I am going to utilize some of my new found time and energy to do some serious housework and lift a few weights.

It takes me about an hour to finish break~fast at 6 PM, I eat quite a lot then I don't need to eat till my snack before bed. Last night I enjoyed a few smoked oysters, 1 oz brazed liver and a little plain yogurt with blueberries.

I record meals in my journal, they have been quite large

That sounds like a good idea, as it may provide more quick energy straight away. At that point I sometimes need energy to prepare my food

I usually go for some coconut oil, nuts, HB egg or fatty meats 1st-- this effect may be largely psychological for me since I normally associated these foods with satisfaction on my LC diet.

I remember on high-carb I would grab a sugary snack for the same purpose, I was totally unaware I was doing the wrong thing.

Unfortunately, it didn't "work."

Anyway, Stuart, some of the things you say bring tears to my eyes!

I think the reason I was doing so well for a while is that I was indeed treating that urge to binge as a child, soothing her in other ways besides eating. I allowed her have a voice by acknowledging the feelings behind it but I practiced a lot of self-soothing. I also allowed myself the treats you suggested, but I got away from that. Probably b/c I started losing more weight and I wanted to see if I lose more, restricting this and cutting that, mostly without even realizing it, instead of continuing as I was to see if I could lose more. Talk about the wrong checklist!!

Thankfully I have a detailed record of those days, in my online journal (for feelings and coping mechanisms and day to day stuff) and my food notebook (for foods). I just need to go back and run that "checklist" again.

I'll keep trying to figure this out. I can't afford not to. I don't ever want to be as fat as I was again.

I am very frustrated right now, b/c I am not hungry, not like I would "like" to be and it's dinnertime. I was hungry at lunch & I had 10 grilled wing sections and 2 T blue cheese dressing, plus one square of Lindt chocolate. It didn't seem like much at the time. I certainly wasn't stuffed.

I am so totally frustrated with every aspect of this. I just want it to be EASY like it was in the beginning. By beginning, I mean when I FIRST started the Atkins diet back in Sept 06 (and was hungry and eating 3-5 times a day) or when I first started IF in early June 07 (and was hungry and eating 2 times a day). I am totally NOT HAPPY with the way things are right now.

Not being hungry yet not willing to go to one meal a day, yet having unbearable cravings & feeling totally out of control, floundering around, not knowing whether I should eat more food or less food, or more often or less often, graze or feast.

I miss the "natural" feeling of intuitive eating (whether it's twice a day or 3 meals and 2 snacks) and the strong hunger signals that make food taste so good.

Hi Elle!

I know how awful it is to feel like you've got everything figured out and under control, and then zap, it disappears and you're back to Square 1. How many times have we experienced that??!!??!!

In this case, it sure sounds like your body is confused and stressed out.
Would it be possible to just kind of go with your appetite for a few days? Maybe if you don't fight it for awhile, your body will relax and be more willing to adapt to what your mind wants. Conversely, it's even possible your mind may adapt a little more to what your body wants.

If that doesn't sound possible right now, please keep posting and reading -- someone will suggest just the thing that will resonate with you!

Elle, let's assume that you think it's worth sticking with IF for a while. Do you think that you could just try the gentle breaking of whatever fast length you are comfortable with, leading up to a not eating anything for two hours before dinner? I know it is unfamiliar. And this is certainly not a criticism, and not exactly uncommon ( )_but you very strongly feel the urge to use food and eating as an emotional comfort, rather than just highly pleasurable nourishment. Note that the difference between the two is a very fine line. Your life will become a lot less complicated when you discover how to identify that line and choose which side to be on.

I personally think that IF can get you there. You get the other health and body fat burning benefits as a big bonus (that's a LOT of b words isn't it? ).

But at the moment, breaking your fast with a big meal (in your case make that a meal at all) is thwarting you getting totally comfortable with this dietary approach. You've still got a few days before you go oot. So make them count. When time comes to break your fast don't eat ten grilled wing sections. Eat two, wait 30-40 minutes, eat one and maybe a small something else, wait another 30- 40 minutes.... and so on. Two hours before your planned dinner feast, stop eating. Believe me, you won't be that hungry anyway.

Elle, doing this won't be that difficult. You still get your daily feast. And it will be that much better being able to share this experience with your family. But most importantly it sets up the time frame for the best calorie intake cycle for IF. You've got a long fast ahead. So this is when you should be refueling to the max.

Also I can't stress enough that the reason you are finding it all so difficult is that you are expecting it to become second nature far too quickly. It really is a big change for the human body to change eating rythms. Think weeks and months Elle, not days. But it is SO worth doing.

Just chip away.

Remember, don't eat a meal when you break your fast. A hungry body will rejoice at even a very small amount of good quality low carb food. Sure it's not as much fun as a big meal.

Elle, save the fun till the evening meal.

Stuart.

Yes, I know this. You mean it can't be both? I think I recall your saying it was OK to be this way...as long as I eat LC and according to my IF? Or was that BEFORE you realized the extent of my issues?

The fact that meals provide me with emotional release and pleasure is the main reason I was SO THRILLED with the 18/6 IF when I started doing it. It seemed that I could have it both ways: get the emotional release I needed from a hearty lunch and dinner, getting to eat slightly bigger meals, providing me with the enjoyment of complete satiety by being good and full. And I got to do it twice a day, and dump a meal that I cared nothing about (breakfast)! I was eating berries and nuts and Lindt chocolate and tons of whipped cream and veggies and protein, I thought I was in heaven.

And good Lord, the bonus was I reached a new low weight!

It was working so well. I was happy with every aspect of it.

I, for the life of me, can't understand why it had to change.

Why did my appetite start fading about 3 weeks into it? Is this a natural progression of IFing, that the appetite will lessen?

At first I went with it--it was pretty easy to skip dinner every few days...but now I feel gypped. Robbed. I'm back to needing my 2 meals a day for stress release--but the difference is the appetite is not there. I know that I brought this stress on myself by eating off plan on my vacation to Myrtle Beach. But that doesn't make it any easier.

So again, my real question is: is it normal for the appetite to continue to fade on IF? I assume it is. The problem comes when you can't (won't) go with it b/c of emotional attachments to food.

I'm sure I can continue to maintain my weight, maybe even get back to my low, by eating 2 meals a day, one at 12 and one at 6...if I can just stop the binging!

I would not wish compulsive eating on my worse enemy!

Thank you again for the time you spend talking me through this, Stuart. You need to post a picture so we can see you.

BTW, I went ahead and ate a small dinner. I actually feel pretty good tonight. No urges to binge.

Don't feel like the lone ranger. After being quite hungry on and off all day when 6 PM finally came my hunger totally vanished. This was after doing housework, walking the dog and lifting heavy weights (which always makes me hungry). I was worried about getting adequate nutrition, essential minerals and possible "muscle waisting" so after an hour passed I ate anyway. The meal wasn't as enjoyable as yesterday because I just wasn't all that hungry. I could have skipped-- for how long I have no Idea.

I hope this is just part of the IF adjustment period-- but if it happens again ill fix something and just wait till I am hungry enough to eat it even if its way past dinnertime or the following morning. I just don't think ill worry about it, the body will take care of itself.

Thanks for the diet link suze_c, I have lately become interested in the various customs of fasting:http://www.submission.org/ramadan-health.htmlI have begun to notice improved mood, relaxation, mental clarity and focus-- I noticed the TV sounding louder yesterday so I had to turn it down from the usual setting. A cure for age related hearing loss?

Day 4 for me. I'm still liking IF a lot. I started with 19/5 but eased into 20/4 yesterday without much trouble. The scale is down 1.6 pounds. Part of the reason I'm able to go the 20 hours is that I'm not restricting what I eat during my window yet,. When I feel firmly entrenched in this WOE I hope to make wiser food choices!

2 hours until lunch and counting! I'm feeling a hungrier today than usual. I have managed to skip breakfast for four days now.
I have just realized that I am probably noticing my hunger as I have less to do today than on previous days...maybe I'll clean out the shed.