Fasting requires physical preparation because going from 3 meals a day to 1 dinner or going from heavy meals to very light meals creates discomfort in our body that can abort our desire to fast and the spiritual blessings attached. Reading this article, you will find ten tips not to feel hungry when fasting.

The idea of ​ fasting often arouses strong emotions: rejection, repulsion, and even anger. The reality, the practice of fasting has its roots in the very evolution of the human being. There was a time when human beings did not have supermarkets available, did not practice agriculture and livestock, and lived off what they were able to hunt and collect.

There were times of abundance when provisions could be made and times of famine. When fasting was necessary and not a choice, in their evolution, humans have adapted to the need to fast so well that our bodies can derive enormous health benefits from fasting periods.

FASTING DOES NOT MEAN STARVING

We are not talking about the extreme deprivations to which prisoners in concentration camps were subjected. For example, we are talking about periods of conscious and voluntary fasting included in the overall scheme of a healthy, wealthy. And also varied diet. Fasting is simply a different way of spreading meals throughout the day by reducing your eating hours. Increasing the hours you don’t eat solid foods and leaving your body free from the burden of eating. Digestion.

Sometimes, it is also possible to practice a more prolonged fast of a whole day or even several days as long as there are no medical contraindications to take into account.

Fasting is not suitable for everyone; for example, it is not ideal for those with hypoglycemia problems, pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, and adolescents. Those are suffering from depression or, in the case of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. And also those who are heavily underweight and taking certain types of drugs.

10 Tips to not feel hungry while fasting

Once you have decided to practice fasting, you can adopt some simple tricks to make your fasting experience as simple and effective as possible.

These small strategies derived from common sense and experience may even seem trivial but can significantly help you.

1. Choose the most suitable feast day not to feel hungry while fasting

Especially if you are at the first experience, try as far as possible to avoid making the fasting day coincide with particularly stressful work or personal commitments. The ideal would be to fast on weekends (if you are freer). Or, on any other day, you can have more peace of mind. And not have commitments with other people (such as business lunches or aperitifs. ).

Suppose you are used to intense and frequent physical activity. Lighten up on fasting days until your body has picked up the pace. When you fast, you generally gain more time in the day. (Since you spend less time preparing food), it might seem sensible to dedicate yourself to stock up on supplies. However, it is better not to underestimate the “fascination” that the supermarket shelf exerts on most of us and avoid going shopping on the day you fast.

2. Prepare your meals in advance

Unless you decide to fast for 24 hours, you will need at least two meals on your fasting day. (Breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner). Try to plan and prepare meals in advance so you don’t have to cook when you decide to fast.

Being surrounded by food could easily lead you into temptation and spoil your good intentions.

3. Clean up the pantry

This is good advice that always applies but is even more critical if you decide to practice fasting. Before starting, take review your pantry and eliminate dangerous foods. The last thing it needs is the recall of junk foods, which would make your fasting experience much more complex and unnecessarily frustrating.

Do the same in your workplace, and avoid vending machines!

4. Find a fast partner

Sometimes the difference between being able to do something and not doing it is being able to share the experience with other people. If you know you’re having a more challenging time practising new solo experiences, talk to friends and acquaintances about your decision to try fasting and pray with them.

You may find someone interested in trying the experience, sharing it with you, and providing mutual support. If you don’t see anyone among your acquaintances, consider that online. There are many groups where you can find support, help, and share.

5. Stay well hydrated

Drinking enough and staying well hydrated are always essential. And hydration is even more critical on fasting days. We get some of the water our body needs every day from food, so when you fast, you have to compensate by drinking more than usual.

The best thing is to drink hot water or herbal teas without some added sweeteners. (Not even natural ones.) And avoid sugary drinks and fruit juices for athletes. (Even those with zero calories that generally contain artificial sweeteners are very harmful to health).

Simple non-carbonated mineral water with a low fixed residue or filtered is more than enough. Drunk hot at reasonable intervals during the day. Remember that thirst is the last sign of a dehydrated body, not the first, so drink regularly and don’t let your body suffer from a lack of fluids. Regularly drinking hot water also has the advantage of not feeling hungry when fasting, which is particularly useful on fasting days.

6. Wait before eating

If you get hungry while fasting and feel like you can’t control it, the last thing to do is go out and ransack the refrigerator. Wait, breathe, drink hot water, and don’t panic – you’re not starving, and you’ll see your stomach calm within minutes. Doing so helps you, fast after fast, to become more aware of yourself and the role food plays in your life, to understand how addicted you are and how irrational this addiction is.

Over time your relationship with food changes, it becomes more rational and realistic, and you learn that you can also put it aside for a while without there being who knows what frightening consequences (the irrational and unconscious fear of starving is primarily what stops many people from trying this experience). You also become more aware of your body, sense of appetite and hunger, satiety, digestion, and metabolism.

7. Keep yourself busy

The abuse of food is often the result of boredom and routine. On fasting days, you must keep busy with enjoyable and stimulating activities, which take your mind off the idea that you are fasting. Instead, avoid those activities that are inextricably linked to food for you.

For example, if you know that sitting and watching television or fiddling with the computer inevitably leads you to brush the refrigerator, you would prefer a nice walk in the open air, a visit to a museum, or a bike ride. Whether it’s modelling, making puzzles, painting, or playing cards with friends. Make sure your fasting day has stimulating activities that are not part of your daily routine.

8. Try new fasting schemes

One of the keys to success is finding the fasting scheme that works best for you. This means you’ll need to experiment with different combinations before you find your ideal—sustainable long-term formula.

In fact, rather than thinking of fasting as a diet in the modern sense of the term. (Therefore to be done for a short time until you reach the desired results and then return to the old habits). Instead, start thinking of this practice as an authentic lifestyle. So don’t be afraid to experiment and change until you find the right formula.

9. Listen to the needs of your body

For fasting to become part of your good health routine forever, you must practice it flexibly. And you understand yourself. If you have any doubts about this practice, consult with your doctor. (Who is possibly knowledgeable on the subject and not full of prejudices about it) or a nutritionist.

Go step by step, be willing to break the rules if necessary, and stop if you feel this is not the right time. It’s not a competition; there are no prizes to win. And you don’t have to prove anything to anyone, so be kind and understanding.

10. Celebrate your success

Whenever you complete a fasting period, you gain health and change your relationship with food for the better. And, if you need it, you may even lose weight—all good reasons to celebrate your success.

Too often, we forget the importance of celebrating when we achieve a goal we set for ourselves. If you have a fasting friend, you can celebrate together, but if you are enrolled in some support group, do not be shy and share your result with the group.

Nobody displeases well-deserved compliments, and your achievement can be an inspiration to someone else. If, on the other hand, you are alone, give yourself a small gift (better if it is something that has nothing to do with food), such as a massage, a beauty treatment, or anything else that can give you pleasure and gratification for the result obtained.

5 Benefits of fasting

If you’re wondering if the benefits are worth the effort, here are some excellent reasons to start introducing fasting into your daily routine:

1. fasting is effective in reducing insulin levels in the blood. And thus, in treating insulin resistance which is one of the critical factors in the development of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
2. it can help you lose weight and has proven to be a viable strategy for obesity
3. helps balance hormones, especially those directly related to insulin. Such as glucagon, leptin, ghrelin, and cortisol
4. resting the organs directly involved in digestion causes them to remain efficient and young for longer. ( Digestion is a very demanding process for the body, and eating too frequently ages it prematurely)
5. given the decisive rebalancing action of hormones, it can help restore thyroid function. (In case of diseases such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Basedow-Graves disease, etc.)

Fasting is a practice that must be approached gradually and only after changing the diet—detoxifying the body and accus and timing it to burn fat instead of sugar to live.

The diet based on refined carbohydrates and sugars to which we have become accustomed in recent decades makes it impossible to practice fasting. Because the vicious circle of sugars and insulin constantly circulating in the blood removes energy. And also supplies excessively the sense of hunger, forcing you to eat every two to three hours. 

But when the body has detoxified and learned to burn fat instead of sugar to live (as it is programmed). Practising fasting becomes incredibly easy. We hope that while you read this article, you find the perfect tips to make you understand how not to feel hungry when fasting.

You might also want to know.

1. What happens to the body after 24 hours of fasting?

After 24 hours of fasting, metabolism is supported by the oxidation of triglycerides and glucose deposited in the liver as glycogen. Over time, given the modest amount of hepatic glycogen stores, most of the tissues (muscle, heart, kidney, etc.)

What happens after three days of fasting?

After three days of fasting, the low insulin levels achieved during fasting stimulate lipolysis, the breakdown of fat for energy. The storage form of fat, called triglycerides, breaks down into glycerin and three fatty acid chains.

3. How many days can you fast?

Conclusion

There are various ways to practice fasting, and everyone is free to experiment to find the one that best suits their rhythms and lifestyle. A classic fasting pattern is 8-16; meals are eaten in an eight-hour window. (For example, from breakfast at 8:00 in the morning to a snack eaten at 16:00 and then only liquids until the next day. ) Particularly effective because it takes advantage of the night hours and the work of cleaning the liver.

For some, eliminating dinner is not ideal as it can disturb sleep. So you can, for example,e skip breakfast and have a hearty lunch and a light dinner around 18: 00-18: 30. Then only liquids until lunch. The day after, in doing so, a fast can be achieved, lasting for 16-18 hours. Some practice this fasting daily, and those prefer to do it only a few days a week.

Another possibility is having three regular meals 5 or 6 days a week. And do a 24-hour fast for one or two days a week or once or twice a month in a lighter formula. You are choosing your ideal fasting scheme, and the plan not to feel hungry when fasting also depends on the goals you want to achieve. In any case, it is always good to start gradually. (If you have never done a fast, do not think about starting immediately to fast for a whole day). And only after having done it—A period of detoxification and re-educating your body to burn fat instead of sugar. We hope that all the information you needed was found reading this article on understanding how not to feel hungry when fasting.