Fasting is surprisingly natural for the human body. Do you think the humans 10,000 years ago ate every 2 hours? Absolutely not! The had to hunt and gather their food and it wasn’t always easy to come by. In the modern world, we no longer have to go dig around in the dirt to find root vegetables or search for berries, and we certainly do not go out and hunt any time we feel the need for a steak! Therefore, I would like you to look at your body as a vessel that needs fuel from food—but not every 2 hours.
Without digging too deep into why we feel the need to eat every 2 hours (processed foods, elevated insulin levels, other hormone imbalances, habit loops, etc. all play a part), I would want you to open your mind to fasting. Fasting from food simply means going a certain amount of time without eating. Whether you are an experienced “faster” or new to the fasting lifestyle, there are times that you feel hungry despite knowing intellectually why you’re doing it!
How do you navigate the times when you start feeling that uncomfortable feeling in your stomach when you still have 30 minutes or 4 hours before you “get” to eat again? I hope these tips help you push off hunger and get you to the finish line!
- First ask yourself, “Am I really hungry and what am I feeling?” If you are sad, bored, anxious, etc. then it may not actually be hunger—it’s an emotion. Do something that improves your mood instead like listening to music, talking to a friend, petting or walking your dog, go for a power walk, you choose!
- It’s possible that your minerals are out of balance. Try mixing a sugar-free mineral replacement like LMNT or Redmond in your water. You can sip on this while you are fasting and not worry about it messing up your fasting window.
- Ok, your stomach is still yelling at you to eat? Then you may want to add some organic full-fat cream or MCT oil or grassfed butter to your coffee. WARNING: everyone reacts differently to “fat bombs” and some people get a rise in blood sugar when consuming these. The only way to know this is to test yourself with a glucometer for 30- and 120-minutes post-consumption of a fat bomb; if your glucose stays fairly steady, then you’re good to go!
- Keep in mind that traditionally when we eat, we are eating for two: ourselves and our gut microbiome. It is entirely possible that the microbes in your gut are the ones signaling to your brain that they’re hungry and they want to be fed. In this case, add some prebiotic fiber (inulin, acacia fiber, raw potato starch, or fluorodisaccharides) to your coffee, tea, or water.
There will be more to come on fasting as I have incorporated it into our Balance Health weight loss program—and even if you are not fasting, eating fewer times a day, and coping with emotions in other more productive ways is better than rummaging in the fridge and kitchen!