Restarting & relearning to say “no”

I (relatively) successfully intermittently fasted on a 16:8 schedule last year. I was starting to really see results, but then I fell off the wagon after vacation and the stress of restoring an old home. Yesterday I decided to restart because I do appreciate the intentionality that it makes me engage in, and I do feel better, both physically and mentally. What’s hard for me is trying to stick with my schedule and not feeling bad for saying “no” when it’s outside my window. Where I’m from, there’s a significant link between food and sociability, which may not be uncommon. Here though, turning down food is considered kind of a snub. Additionally, my fiancé currently works nights and has strange days off, so when we can eat dinner together, I feel horrible saying, “Uh… sorry, honey, I can’t eat dinner with you,” because it’s an hour too late. I know he and my friends would totally understand and support me, but I feel some weird sense of guilt for possibly coming off as rude or unsociable. *TLDR*: Does anyone have advice for not feeling guilty about the social aspect of saying no?

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Your fasting window doesn’t need to be during the same time every day, and it’s also fine to extend or shorten it an hour or two as needed. “An hour too late” should not be a dealbreaker when it comes to having dinner with your partner. Can you just eat at the time that works for him and then fast an hour later in the morning? I do 16:8 but my window adapts to the time that I finish eating dinner. I love the flexibility in this! Also, over the past month I’ve had a few fasts that were 14 & 15 hours, plus one that was 10 due to a birthday party dinner the night before. Those days have not negated my progress because I’m still doing 16 a majority of the time and not letting perfection be the requirement for my persistence. Too many people have one off day and quit. That’s the wrong mentality. Just stick with it and find ways to adapt. Breakfast usually isn’t a meal that people expect us to eat with them so it should be easy to skip it while still sharing lunches and dinners.

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Remember there is a difference between being kind and being nice. Your boundary is sticking to the plan to better your health. Saying “no” is not mean. It’s being kind because you are being clear. You got this. Stick to what is right for you.

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This is why I’ve been skipping breakfast instead of dinner for several years now. Dinner is usually the most social meal in most cultures. Can you shift your eating window to start and end later in the day?

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It’s New Year’s eve and I am brand new at IF. I’ve been doing 16:8 for about a week. I broke last night’s fast at 11 am today and I know I won’t be finished eating tonight til at least 9:30 pm. Up until now I have managed to stick with eating during the hours between 11 - 7. I was thinking I could break my fast later today but I didn’t think I could manage waiting until 1:00 or 1:30 pm to eat. So, I figured I will start my fast asap after my late New Year’s Eve dinner out and it is what it is. My question now is how do I get back to my pre New Year’s Eve window of eating between 11 am and 7 pm?Because 16 hours after my dinner tonight will have me breaking my fast at 1 pm tomorrow ( and so on and so on). How do I get back to my usual 11 am- 7 pm routine?