Dilemma: Missing out on family meals / quality time because I’m doing IF…

Hi all! I’ve recently started doing IF to control my calories, re-set my hunger cues and fix my relationship (and obsession) with food. Its been great and I’m really optimistic to keep going! Due to my work schedule and my need to focus and move around a lot during the day, I prefer to eat breakfast and lunch, starting my fast from after lunch to breakfast the next day (18 hours). Personally, that’s my preference. However that means I miss dinner - which is the only meal we have together as a family at home, and is usually spent catching up on our days and spending quality time. Im very family oriented and having that time makes me very happy. If I avoid that meal and just spend that time doing something else, i start to feel like im missing out. And if I join and just drink water or tea, it requires A LOT of self control, is kinda stressful for me, and a bit awkward especially since my family isnt that supportive of my IF (they start to encourage me to just have one piece, and it’s exhausting saying no). Today ill try fasting through lunch instead (which i usually eat alone), at the risk of low energy or focus at work.. Maybe ill try fasting through breakfast instead? Any advice? Am I doomed to make a compromise?

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So what is more important to you, eating with your family or your preference of eating breakfast? Or you could decide IF is not for you and just practice CICO and split your calories between the 3 meals.

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I am in the exact same position. I’d prefer to do OMAD with a big lunch and that being it, but that doesn’t work if I want to have dinner with my family. But I decided that a sit down dinner with them was more important to me than being able to do my ideal fasting schedule. So on weekdays instead of OMAD I do an 8:16 fast with a smaller lunch (If I eat just lunch I’m good for 24 hours, but if I skip lunch I’m starving all afternoon, which is why a big lunch and nothing else is my ideal fasting situation) and a normal dinner. Then on the weekends my family makes lunch the main sit down together meal of the day and I do OMAD with lunch as my meal.

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What I do for lunch is just have something small and protein packed, usually around 4-500 calories. An example I had this week was a banana, two hard boiled eggs, and a small protein shake. Worked out to about 450 calories and kept me full all afternoon and I was still able to eat whatever was on the menu for dinner while keeping under my calorie goals and getting a 16 hour fast in.

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What fasting protocol are you looking at? 16:8/18:6 will definitely allow you to eat lunch and dinner… if you want to push to 20:4, you’re less likely to fit lunch in… OMAD, just do dinner.

How are your energy levels so low though, is the question? Are you taking electrolytes during your fast? Supplementing with a quality multivitamin and fish oil, etc?

For your one meal a day, try to reduce carbs and increase fat and protein… stop eating about 3 hours before bed. You shouldn’t be so hungry that you’re out of energy by lunchtime the next day, surely?