What happens if I break my fast?

I've been doing IF for around 1.5 weeks now and I'm down 2.8kg (6.1 pounds). Very happy with the results! I've been eating twice a day (once at 11/12am and once at around 4pm) , low carb 0 sugar diet, healthy meals. I was wondering what would happen if I broke my fast? I'm kind of craving something that I shouldn't eat and I can easily not eat it, but it would be nice XD. Should I just maintain self-control or indulge? I feel like if I eat it I'll wake up a kilo heavier. What are the downsides to breaking your fast? Will it also impact my metabolism and undo the schedule my body has just gotten used to? Again like I said this could easily be avoided at this current time, but also just wondering for future reference. Should I feel guilty for giving into cravings and will it ruin the work I've done up until now? Any advice would be appreciated!

Answer

I’ve been doing IF since 8-5 of last year. It’s inevitable that you are not going to be able to stick to your ideal eating window. What I do is try to adjust either before or after my “treat” and then resume with the plan. I’ve eaten some fast food, some fine dining and a couple holiday meals but every time I tried my best to account for the calories. FYI, as of Sunday I’m down 94 pounds of my 145 pound goal. My advice is to stick to your plan as much as possible and if you have a treat or something don’t let that open the door for more. Have it and jump back on. IMO it’s the easiest most low effort way to lose weight so you can do it! Good luck and don’t be hard on yourself for having a treat.

Answer

This is a personal thing but for me it’s important to not view it as a failure, if I think I did poorly I will just spiral out of my good habits. If I allow my self a small variance then I just try harder because of it. I would recommended not weighing your self daily and that will also help.

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Is it worth moving your window for? My advice is to ask this question and then decide. Sure, you can have it and shorten your window but it means tomorrow you’d have to go longer than normal on your fast. Only you can decide if it’s worth it.

The only rule I’ve made for myself is that I don’t eat anything during my fasting window so if something is worth eating then my window is worth moving. Some things are, most things aren’t. Can you delay and eat whatever it is you want during your window? Those would be my two choices.

Having these as the only 2 options frees me from feeling guilty.

Answer

I started fasting at the very beginning of the year. I did great for about 3 weeks but then life got in the way. I’ve managed to keep fasting on weekdays and take breaks one or two days a week when I have social events. For example, the Super Bowl is coming up this Sunday, I’m not going to fast that night. Will try to eat healthily but I want to balance losing weight while enjoying life :). I’ve lost almost 7 pounds so far, but I definitely see the impact on the scale on days I’ve indulged. The important thing is that the trend keeps moving in the right direction.