Help!! I’m Bingeing When I Break My Intermittent Fast!

So, I’m finally fasting some regularly. It has taken a while to get used to it- longer than I expected. Something I’m struggling with is that when I do get to eat, I want a lot and tend to binge a bit. I feel like I eat too much at one time. It freaks me out as I formerly ate small amounts throughout the day. Any thoughts?

If you have (or had) a lot of weight to lose then you may still be struggling to regulate your insulin and hormones. While you’re hormones are still righting themselves, you might still experience wildly variable hunger signals and cues.

Now, all that said, if you were a pro-dieter in your previous life, and used to mini-meals, you have trained your brain that food will always be there, always be around at the first sign of hunger. So when you first start IFing (Intermittent fasting), your brain and body are having WTF moments….

“She’s starving us!”
“We’re going to die!”

That’s why it is super important to keep the carbs low (so as to not spike the blood glucose/Insulin) but get adequate protein (also keeps the BG even) to avoid the blood glucose dips that can cause anxiety and panic attacks.

All that said, it may take some time for you and your body to learn to trust each other again. I know that sounds woo-woo? dumb? Your body will catch on that you’re NOT going to starve it to death. It WILL learn that hunger isn’t deadly – even if you don’t like it. But it can take time. So be patient with yourself. It may seem like something you should easily be able to do and be done with yesterday… but we are creatures of habit. And even the smallest changes for some can throw off the alarms and send you running for a binge.

If your IFs are causing you to binge, try backing off a little bit. Even though you’ve been working into it for a while – maybe you’re still pushing a bit too hard. The idea behind the model is “optimal” but it also has to be “optimal for you.” If you’re undoing all your work…. that’s no bueno.

Also, you might look for patterns in what you eat or crave when you do break your fast… they can show you signs/signals as to what’s setting you off.  Let me know if you need help.