Six days ago, I started an Intermittent Fasting diet (16 hours fasting / 8 hours feasting). For the first week or so I was planning on eating whatever I wanted with the sole focus of getting used to the eating schedule and later switching to a Paleo-ish diet. Yesterday, I ate a footlong meatball sub for my first meal and I felt like HELL afterwards. I've never had blood sugar or insulin issues, so I don't know if that's what the feeling was, but I'm thinking that the bread caused it. Later that night I had roast beef and mashed potatoes and the feeling worsened. Today, I had roast beef (left-overs) and 4 clementines for my first meal and felt fine. I've read that I.F. can increase insulin sensitivity. Could the high G.I. of the bread and mashed potatoes have caused this? I really want to give I.F. a fair chance; according to my scale, which supposedly measures BF%, I've lost fat and gained a little bit of muscle. If anyone has any insight I would really appreciate it! Thank you all so much!
Intermittent Fasting Problem
- Thread starter DairyGuy
- Start date
Similar experience for me too when I try fasting and eating carbs in my fist meal. Personally I would take low carbs over anything else. If you want to fast, try either protien as your first meal and also try not eating such a large first meal at first or should I say heavy (fruit, veggies, salad, eggs). Also make sure you are getting plety of fluids during the first meal, it takes alot of fluids to digest food and you dont relise how thirsty you are because your stomach was empty then all of a sudden.... and dehydration will make you tired. Later as your body gets used to it and develops the ability to resond to longer periods of hunger without over producing the sleeply hormones that come with eating, it will partialy go away. I dont think the feeling of wanting to sleep ever fully goes away though. That is why I like low carbs, once your body gets used to it you feel great all the time, takes a while though.
I also try to keep carbs overall pretty low during my feeding period. I don't go very low but typically keep them under 200 grams for the whole period. Usually my first actual meal, after the protein I take to break the fast, consists of some sort of protein with green fibrous vegetables. Looking back at my logs, I see there was one day that I totally crashed after I broke my fast and that was when I ate a huge greasy meal that someone made me (fish sticks and fries) so probably that was what caused it.
Wow, those were some quick replies, thank you. I appologize, I've been trying to post all day but I was swamped at work (one reason that I love I.F.). I usually eat my first meal at work and workout later that evening and have never used an EC stack. Today, I had mexican food (beef and brown rice {left-overs}) with a lot of O.J. and was just fine. I guess it is just bread and potatoes that muck me up... Out of curiosity, would that be cause by a decrease in insulin sensitivity? About dehydration, that could be a contributing factor, I work outside (in Alabama) and don't drink as much water as I should. About keeping carbs low-ish, I'll definately be doing that! I seem to have responded well when my final meal of the day was low carb (salmon and veggies). Once again, thank you!