Hunger

[cdpm]

Does anyone completely
Lose their hunger when fasting?
And for how long before this happens?
I've read that it takes 2-3 days.

 

[AndyPandy22]

Yes, I've been doing intermittent fasting for a while now, and over time, you do find the urge to eat goes away.

 

[Outlier]

It depends - we are all different. I can fast for 20 hours some days, other days I need to eat sooner. No way could I fast for several days. Hunger doesn't go away with everybody, so the info to take away is that it does for some of us, sometimes does for some of us, doesn't for others of us, and if we listen to our own bodies each day we can respond accordingly. No point in suffering!

 

[Guilty]

For me it takes about 3 days to settle into my rhythm of eating only at lunch and dinner.

Plenty of fluids helps me during that time. Tea, coffee, water.

Once I'm in that rhythm I don't get hungry between meals.

If I then try to skip a meal, or don't eat enough food at mealtime. I tend to get hungry and at risk of overeating and also snacking on junk.

Also if I do have a snack between meals - say there's biscuits going round - that makes me hungry to start eating more! So I avoid snacking altogether.

 

[cdpm]

Going to try to do the dr suggested 16/8 plan.
A dr a few years ago at a walk in suggested this to me.
I believe this is where you stop eating at 8 pm and start eating at noon.
He also said in a cute joking way that you can't eat all you want either between the noon and 8.
Noon works out great for me too since for many reasons I can't eat before noon anyway.
The worst part will be getting used to not responding to my hunger.
But it's medication caused so I just have to tell myself that and that it's not real
And at least this time I will be choosing to fast. And hoping it will actually help my bs.

 

[jjraak]

I do the 16/8 thing

2MAD most days.... OMAD others

Rarely snack in-between meals.

I can remember being hungry between meals.

I usually drank some water. (saluting the hunger, was how I heard it described)

Then check back in 30 minutes if I was still feeling hungry.

If so, that's when the low carb snacks came in. Boiled egg, deli meat, cheese or biltong.

All used, to get me that bit further on less.

I think of it like a car, trying to eek out as much mileage from each fuel up as possible. And at the cheapest (least damaging cost )

Biltong worked surprisingly well...(just be careful, I found my missus got rather partial to it, also ..lol )

If it helps you, I did find early days I got hungry next morning, so I tried to eat a little more at the evening meal.

Unwilling to just add more dinner, I'm not a pudding person naturally, but I found double cream & low cal jelly with some berries, didn't spike me, and left me feeling fuller each meal & helped carry me further the next day.

Another vote for @Outlier individuality.

I tried longer fasts, but at around 20/24 hours marker I just felt awful.

Where others breezed through a day or so of not eating, I felt like death at the end of day one.

I took the viewpoint it wasn't for me ..& haven't missed trying it, in the slightest.

It's not tenko or some sadistic game show, so don't be disheartened.

It took us ages to get here, so for many it won't be an overnight fix.

Take the time to let your body & yourself adjust to less

Perhaps just try to go that little further between meals without a snack ?

I know I used to drink the water, and then wait upto an hour even if I was hungry (sort of deferring the gratification) before snacking,

Odd how often I then forgot or didn't feel a pressing need to snack

But if you do feel the need, then do it, just try to make it a better/worthwhile snack, I'd say.

Good luck finding the way that suits you

 

[cdpm]

I do the 16/8 thing

2MAD most days.... OMAD others

Rarely snack in-between meals.

I can remember being hungry between meals.

I usually drank some water. (saluting the hunger, was how I heard it described)

Then check back in 30 minutes if I was still feeling hungry.

If so, that's when the low carb snacks came in. Boiled egg, deli meat, cheese or biltong.

All used, to get me that bit further on less.

I think of it like a car, trying to eek out as much mileage from each fuel up as possible. And at the cheapest (least damaging cost )

Biltong worked surprisingly well...(just be careful, I found my missus got rather partial to it, also ..lol )

If it helps you, I did find early days I got hungry next morning, so I tried to eat a little more at the evening meal.

Unwilling to just add more dinner, I'm not a pudding person naturally, but I found double cream & low cal jelly with some berries, didn't spike me, and left me feeling fuller each meal & helped carry me further the next day.

Another vote for @Outlier individuality.

I tried longer fasts, but at around 20/24 hours marker I just felt awful.

Where others breezed through a day or so of not eating, I felt like death at the end of day one.

I took the viewpoint it wasn't for me ..& haven't missed trying it, in the slightest.

It's not tenko or some sadistic game show, so don't be disheartened.

It took us ages to get here, so for many it won't be an overnight fix.

Take the time to let your body & yourself adjust to less

Perhaps just try to go that little further between meals without a snack ?

I know I used to drink the water, and then wait upto an hour even if I was hungry (sort of deferring the gratification) before snacking,

Odd how often I then forgot or didn't feel a pressing need to snack

But if you do feel the need, then do it, just try to make it a better/worthwhile snack, I'd say.

Good luck finding the way that suits you

Thanks

 

[coby]

Does anyone completely
Lose their hunger when fasting?
And for how long before this happens?
I've read that it takes 2-3 days.

Hi @cdpm ... I am a big fan of fasting!
If your diet prior to a fast is carb heavy then yes, you will feel hunger, so it's best to lower carbs and start with skipping just one of your meals for a few days before attempting a fast. Or perhaps fasting for say half a day to begin with. Hunger is caused by a hormone .. think it's called grelin (someone may correct me) and if you just drink a glass of water it goes away again, but the more used to you are at fasting the less you experience hunger! I get absolutely no hunger pangs now if I fast, but the body is still being fed ... by your stored fat cells .. so hey ho!

 

[cdpm]

Hi @cdpm ... I am a big fan of fasting!
If your diet prior to a fast is carb heavy then yes, you will feel hunger, so it's best to lower carbs and start with skipping just one of your meals for a few days before attempting a fast. Or perhaps fasting for say half a day to begin with. Hunger is caused by a hormone .. think it's called grelin (someone may correct me) and if you just drink a glass of water it goes away again, but the more used to you are at fasting the less you experience hunger! I get absolutely no hunger pangs now if I fast, but the body is still being fed ... by your stored fat cells .. so hey ho!

The hardest part so far is from when I get up until noon. So that last 4 hours of the 16. I'm used to no breakfast as for years I haven't been able to eat before noon unless in a more rare situation making me have to. Like if traveling and not being able to for longer. That rarely happens tho. So it's just that 4 hours. A coffee helps.

 

[KennyA]

I do fast but it's always not planned. I don't eat until I'm ready.

I never set out (eg) at 8pm with the set intention of "not eating until after 2pm tomorrow". It just happens that way. Sometimes it can be 8pm the following day - I do easily forget to eat, and I've sometimes missed entire days.

 

[Jasmin2000]

Bear in mind that not eating carbs between 8 pm and 12 noon means you need to be careful about the exercise you do as that will bring down your BGs.
As a T1, I've worked out how to exercise in the morning and only eat what I'm going to burn off - but no idea whether this puts a dent in my keto journey.

 

[KennyA]

I do fast but it's always not planned. I don't eat until I'm ready.

I never set out (eg) at 8pm with the set intention of "not eating until after 2pm tomorrow". It just happens that way. Sometimes it can be 8pm the following day - I do easily forget to eat, and I've sometimes missed entire days.

Edit - double posting, see below, very strange

 

[cdpm]

I do fast but it's always not planned. I don't eat until I'm ready.

I never set out (eg) at 8pm with the set intention of "not eating until after 2pm tomorrow". It just happens that way. Sometimes it can be 8pm the following day - I do easily forget to eat, and I've sometimes missed entire days.

I don't have meal times. I eat twice in the eating time. Around other things. Regular times always get in the way.

 

[AloeSvea]

I come on to these threads discussing hunger going away when fasting, and essentially say the same thing: we would be a very odd, very short-lived-on- the-planet-animal if hunger went away when not eating, rather than the other way round. And we just aren't that odd.

I have extensive experience with fasting, and read lots on the subject. I am a huge fan of Dr Fung. But. Hunger going away, not intensifying, when going through food deprivation over time when there is still time, does not stand to reason. And I thought - documented human experience? (I am not talking intermittent fasting, which is relatively short term.)

There must be waves of hunger, when it isn't short-term, and to memory - Dr Fung talks about riding waves of hunger during fasts.

But if it is long term - hunger goes away when.... well... can you guess what I am going to say? Yeah? -

Hunger completely goes away when we are dead.

 

[cdpm]

I come on to these threads discussing hunger going away when fasting, and essentially say the same thing: we would be a very odd, very short-lived-on- the-planet-animal if hunger went away when not eating, rather than the other way round. And we just aren't that odd.

I have extensive experience with fasting, and read lots on the subject. I am a huge fan of Dr Fung. But. Hunger going away, not intensifying, when going through food deprivation over time when there is still time, does not stand to reason. And I thought - documented human experience? (I am not talking intermittent fasting, which is relatively short term.)

There must be waves of hunger, when it isn't short-term, and to memory - Dr Fung talks about riding waves of hunger during fasts.

But if it is long term - hunger goes away when.... well... can you guess what I am going to say? Yeah? -

Hunger completely goes away when we are dead.

Wow that's intense. I truly never thought of this. I just get annoyed and don't think of it ending for sure when we die. Thanks for the response. (Being honest not sarcastic).

 

[Roggg]

I do 20:4 a lot of the time, and have done fasts as long as about 60 hours before. For me, if I'm eating a lot of carbs, I'm always hungry when fasting, and it never goes away. When I eat low-carb or keto, to be honest, I dont really think about food until mid afternoon anyway. It makes sense... when your body is using fat for fuel, it can draw from the body stores. When the body is expecting carbs, it has to come from external sources.

Multi-day fasts are different. Hunger comes and goes, but it doesn't escalate over time. For me it never really get much worse than the first evening (26-30 hour mark). The second day feels pretty much like the first.

 

[cdpm]

I guess what I'm hoping for is just the excess unreasonable hunger to stop. From insulin side effects. Not totally never be hungry.

 

[cdpm]

Update
The insulin is still causing unreasonable extreme hunger.
I looked at some things to do to help. Such as more liquids.
Talking to my dr. My calories are 1500 as recommended. Adding a little exercise around the leg pain it causes.
So far no help.

Are there some other things? I don't really want to go off the glargine again .it seems to have finally kicked in to lower my numbers. But I'm also gaining weight again. Despite using rybelsus.
Is it just going to be this way always?

 

[Paul_]

Update
The insulin is still causing unreasonable extreme hunger.
I looked at some things to do to help. Such as more liquids.
Talking to my dr. My calories are 1500 as recommended. Adding a little exercise around the leg pain it causes.
So far no help.

Are there some other things? I don't really want to go off the glargine again .it seems to have finally kicked in to lower my numbers. But I'm also gaining weight again. Despite using rybelsus.
Is it just going to be this way always?

I can't comment on the insulin side of things as I don't have experience with that. However, for the hunger, is this specifically when fasting or general hunger between meals too?

I do 16:8 fasting, but as @KennyA said above, my approach is very much on a "as and when it happens" basis, I don't have a fasting schedule and it's not a regimented approach. Some days I want breakfast, some I don't, and on those I don't then I just resist the habitual urges from my ape brain and listen to my stomach instead.

 

[cdpm]

I can't comment on the insulin side of things as I don't have experience with that. However, for the hunger, is this specifically when fasting or general hunger between meals too?

I do 16:8 fasting, but as @KennyA said above, my approach is very much on a "as and when it happens" basis, I don't have a fasting schedule and it's not a regimented approach. Some days I want breakfast, some I don't, and on those I don't then I just resist the habitual urges from my ape brain and listen to my stomach instead.

This is always hunger.
When I first began glargine I had not heard of fasting. But my legs started hurting and extreme hunger began. I blame the glargine because it goes away. If I stop using it.
I'm still hungry but it's not extreme and food resolves it.