If there was one thing that I could impart to new fasters, it is this: The ravenous hunger you feel during the first several days of Daily Intermittent Fasting (IF) will pass. When a faster talks to a non-faster, the person who isn’t fasting simply cannot believe that the faster goes without food for 18, 19, 22, or more hours a day. The inquiring person often comments that they get “sick-hungry” if they just miss breakfast! Some go on to report how terrible they felt when they had a fasting blood test. “I can’t feel that terrible all the time. I don’t know how you do it!”

Trust me. We fasters wouldn’t fast if we felt that way. Nobody wants to feel terrible all day long—even to lose weight and get healthy! There is an amazing process that happens in the body after two to three weeks of consistent Daily IF: your hunger subsides. Yep. Your body becomes “fat adapted,” which means that it uses all of the glucose from your storage and from yesterday’s food, and it starts using your body’s own fat for energy. Eventually (again, after consistency!), your body does this seamlessly—and you no longer feel starved when you’re “all out of food stores” to use.

Ghrelin is a hormone that is released that causes hunger. It is known as the hunger hormone. (In my teachings, I call these hormones Ghrelin Gremlins….and guess what they do? Yep….they growl!) Many people describe hunger as “waves,” which it actually is. Ghrelin is released periodically (not surprisingly at breakfast, lunch, and dinner!), but it does not “accumulate.” That is, we don’t have so much when we first get hungry (surprisingly, mid morning—we can go all  night and still not be hungry first thing in the morning!) then more than that at lunchtime. Then the most at dinner time.

This is why we say it comes in waves—and leaves just as quickly! You can usually overcome hunger within ten minutes or so. If you ignore it, distract yourself, drink something (non-caloric and non-flavored), it will go away—not continue to grow. Studies done on people who did extended fasting (33 hours or more) showed that ghrelin did not continue to increase during that time period. The people actually got less hungry over time, not more!

There are some things you can partake of during the first few weeks of fasting to help with the ravenous hunger during the fasting window. While calories can cause a metabolic response, resulting in breaking the fast (and causing more hunger), there are non-caloric things you can consume and still remain in the fasted state. First of all, water can help with hunger as it fills you up some. Sparkling (non-flavored) water can trick the “growling ghrelin gremlins” into thinking you are putting food in the stomach—and they just might stop growling. For hunger that is associated with low electrolytes, many people find that pink Himalayan salt (stirred into water or coffee or taken as crystals under the tongue) can instantly give the minerals that are needed.

Caffeine is another appetite suppressant for many Daily IF’ers. While consuming anything with flavors or sweet tastes (including flavored coffee, tea, water, or drinks) can cause an insulin response and create hunger (and break the fast), unflavored water, black coffee, and real (not herbal) tea can provide help with hunger. Caffeinated water, coffee, tea, and supplements help many people with hunger during the fast.

Work, hobbies, to-do lists, baths, naps, story time, reading, hand work, exercise—all of these and more can provide welcome distractions to hunger. It is best to start Daily IF during your busiest days. Some people take up new hobbies to keep their hands and minds busy during the fasting hours. Others take naps or go to bed earlier. Plan non-food activities to fill your

In the book, What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, the author teaches that the brain, just like a computer that you program, believes anything you tell it. Tell it good things about yourself and your fasting journey!Each day tell yourself that you are a great faster. That you control food, not the other way around. That each day you turn your body into a fat burning machine. And that YOU re successful. Your brain will believe it—and tell your body to act accordingly.

Many people are unnecessarily hungry during their fasting window because of what they ate during their eating window. Some people count calories and simply eat too few calories in an effort to “speed up their weight loss.” Others eat too low in fat and too high in carbohydrates, filling their glycogen stores so full that the body doesn’t go into fat burning very easily.

There is not a hard and fast rule for WHAT to eat during Daily IF (at least not in my groups and course). This is where you will need to experiment. Some people find that if they eat fat in the end of their eating window, their hunger is lessened. Others find that if they have enough carbs, especially eating a complex carb like brown rice or white/sweet potato the evening before helps with hunger the next day. Find out what helps you the most food-wise with your hunger and eat that!

1. Trust the Process: Hunger Will Decrease After Three Weeks or So When Your Body Becomes Fat Adapted
2. Ghrelin (the Hunger Hormone) Rises in Waves But Decreases Quickly
3. Control Hunger During the Fasting Window With Water, Salt, Caffeine, and More
4. Control Hunger During the Fasting Window With Distractions and Affirmations
5. Control Hunger By Eating Well During Your Eating Window