It also applies to carb and other reductions. If I allow myself any bread, sweets, etc, I will eat too much. It’s easier for me to eat 0, then it is to only eat a little.
I think most (healthy) people should try fasting for 5 days to see how your body responds. It won't kill you, but many people are terrified of the thought of not eating for 12 hours.
I don't really understand it though... Between 'too heavy' and 'too light' exists 'just right', and it's pretty hard to miss...
The human mind is bizarre.
The first few days which were a little tough. From midway through the third day onwards, I started feeling absolutely fine. There is an overall feeling of lightness. And, of course, the amazing experience when I have that glass of coconut water is truly indescribable!
The other thing I've realised is it doesn't have to be about watching the clock every day. What I actually do is just eat lunch and dinner every day and that's it. It doesn't really matter when those meals are, which means I can adjust easily to accommodate socialising, for example. The diet that works is easy to adhere to. If you have to think about it every day and shape the rest of your life around it, it will not work (unless you're a professional athlete maybe).
A slight life hack. A few days of fasting (3-5 should do it) will probably get you to this state.
So once deciding on a new healthy composition of food. Start of a with a few days of fasting and it will be easier to stick to it.
* Limit your meals to two meals a day. Absolutely no snacking between meals. Make sure your last meal is it such a time that you won't go to bed hungry. But if you're hungry during the day, just wait until your next meal (lunch or dinner),
* Be mindful when you eat. The French are great at this. Don't eat for sustenance. Eat for pleasure. The object of eating isn't to get calories down your throat as quickly as you can. Enjoy the aroma of the food in your nose and the feel of it on your tongue. Don't load up your fork with the next bite while still chewing. If your food is too bland to enjoy this way, learn to cook French cuisine,
* Weigh your carbs carefully. Pasta, rice, potato etc. should all be weighed every time. Do not do it by eye. Your eye will cheat you. Do not rely on your satiation reflex because carbs won't trigger it,
* Do not be afraid of fat. Note the amount of fat in French cuisine. Fat is nice, but your body will automatically regulate your intake. Butter is delicious but nobody wants to eat a whole stick of it.
* Don't drink calories. Drink water, tea and coffee. Especially avoid beer, red wine, soft drinks and sweet cocktails. If possible, stop drinking alcoholic and soft drinks completely,
* Exercise discipline and restraint in the supermarket. Never go to the supermarket while fasted. Do not stock ready-to-eat food in your house. All food should be prepared before eating, and you should only prepare the amount that you plan to eat,
* Learn to relish hunger. Hunger is completely normal and something you are supposed to feel. Observe how fat people eat the moment they feel hunger. Remind yourself that you don't want to be one of them. If you feel hunger, just be safe in the knowledge that your next meal is planned and ready for you to prepare,
* Most importantly, find something that works for you. The first month should be discipline. After that it should become natural. If it feels like you want this new way of life to end at some point, revise your strategy. This should be easy. It's for the rest of your life.
Maybe that happens because we, as animals, have our bodies more adapted to eat as much as we can while food is available than to risk losing that opportunity for another unknown meal in the future. That to say that it is a hardwired behavior we have, a survival strategy that makes sense in the wild.
Problem is we don't live in that environment anymore. So, I think fasting works because our bodies trigger another natural response, that of focusing our senses to the search of food, kind of accepting that food is not available. Thus, it's easier to simply not eat at all instead of trying to eat moderately.
These are my 5 cents.
If it's a Monday or Wednesday, no I can't eat it. Else, I can.
This works so much better for me than counting calories every day, the "cheating" is eliminated.
The thing is, I already know where those calories are coming from, starting with the yogurt pot for breakfast. There's three items (under 200 calories each) with no room for extras.
Its why pregnant women are told not to drink alcohol at all. The reality is that the liver is amazing and can remove low levels of it so well that a small amount of drinking is fine. The problem is that it's really hard to a) effectively communicate what the safe level is b) get people to stick to it. It's much easier to avoid it entirely.
Calling that amount a “glass” perhaps is unfortunate, but it is convenient and well understood by most. But then again, I’ve also never known anyone who claimed that their 375ml pours were a “glass”. That just strikes me more as ignorance.
This doesn’t necessarily invalidate your overall point (that a foetus may be exposed to some alcohol, as it depends on how efficient the first-pass metabolism of alcohol is) but it does impact your logic.
Does it take must restraint to just eat like 2K calories in a 8-hour span?
Never had much problem with that during IF, and I used to have a BMI of over 35, so I was quite the eater...
Thing is, a rule like "only eat in an eight hour window" leaves plenty of time to consume huge amounts of calories. I've been known to pack away 4k+ in a meal, both in the past and today. It's not even hard for me. In fact, it's rather hard not to once I start eating because like many people who are of have been fat I'm a food addict.
Some here are saying things like "well, good luck eating 4k of lettuce dude!" and yeah, that is hard. But if you're eating lettuce and vegetables and all that low calorie stuff already you probably don't need the 8 hour window restriction!.
Honestly curious: Is there more discussion to be had than that?