Overeating after fasting is a common problem. Here are some ideas to deal with overeating after fasting from a person having problems with overeating after fasting.
I would like to do a water fast for healing and weight loss. However, I fear the inevitable extreme need to feed after breaking the fast.
I’ve done two 3-day water fasts in the past 2 years and both times I have a few days that I do really well eating small amounts and not wanting more, but then after about 5 days I get incredibly hungry and all I want to do is eat.
My thought patterns change into only wanting to eat and take over. Then I ended up overeating to nausea. I don’t want to start a fast unless I know how to deal with this. Any tips?
I would like to do a water fast for healing and weight loss. However, I fear the inevitable extreme need to feed after breaking the fast.
I’ve done two 3-day water fasts in the past 2 years and both times I have a few days that I do really well eating small amounts and not wanting more, but then after about 5 days I get incredibly hungry and all I want to do is eat.
My thought patterns change into only wanting to eat and take over. Then I ended up overeating to nausea. I don’t want to start a fast unless I know how to deal with this. Any tips?
Overeating and Emotional Cravings
Emotional cravings is the main reason why most persons who sacrifice and do a long-term fast soon gain the weight back.
What I have discovered in my case is that the mind, after fasting, seems to unleash an unconscious thought pattern that tells me I better eat all that I can before the “starvation” torture is again inflicted upon the body.
So, every time I have completed the fast, the hunger pains seem to return with a vengeance when I start eating solid food again.
My biggest weapon for this has been to eat and chew slowly and not succumb to the voracity that wants me to devour my plate. This is done one bite at a time, one meal at a time.
After a few days, or sometimes weeks, the voracity dies down and the body accepts the new diet regimen. When I say diet in this case, I am referring to the new eating habits that MUST be part of your post-fasting lifestyle.
So, in short, what happens when you overeat after fasting is that you are succumbing to the body’s unconscious signal that, in order to avoid future “starvation,” you must eat, eat and eat.
Once you are done fasting, your body is clean. The hunger pains at this point also often are the symptom of the same emotional issues that caused me to overeat in the first place.
I may finish a fast and feel insecure, thus food can be my buddy to cover that up. Or I may feel lost and sad because suddenly I am no longer in the “safe zone” or binging and overeating.
When one has been overweight for a long time, this “fat” image can become a person’s identity. Any change to that image brings up fear, a feeling of being lost and intense insecurity.
These feelings very often result in increased hunger and, unfortunately in some cases, a relapse into overeating.
It also happens that being slimmer and healthier is “uncharted territory.” For me, it was always easier to remain fat, shy and withdrawn, than to change.
I knew that just losing the weight was the tip of the iceberg, but that the weight loss had to be accompanied by changes in my thoughts, behaviors and approach to life.
I knew I had to come out of the shadows and join humanity in a more dynamic fashion. This was terrifying to me, so I gorged again and gained all the weight back - leading me to the cave that was so painful yet so familiar.
The bottom line is that the first three to six months after fasting are crucial because you are actually forging a brand new image of yourself.
And the hunger pains will increase as a defense mechanism against future “starvation.”
But if you keep yourself vigilant, continue to practice self discipline and learn to eat slowly and deliberately, the “voracity” will go away and you will find yourself establishing positive and constructive life-long eating habits.
What I have discovered in my case is that the mind, after fasting, seems to unleash an unconscious thought pattern that tells me I better eat all that I can before the “starvation” torture is again inflicted upon the body.
So, every time I have completed the fast, the hunger pains seem to return with a vengeance when I start eating solid food again.
My biggest weapon for this has been to eat and chew slowly and not succumb to the voracity that wants me to devour my plate. This is done one bite at a time, one meal at a time.
After a few days, or sometimes weeks, the voracity dies down and the body accepts the new diet regimen. When I say diet in this case, I am referring to the new eating habits that MUST be part of your post-fasting lifestyle.
So, in short, what happens when you overeat after fasting is that you are succumbing to the body’s unconscious signal that, in order to avoid future “starvation,” you must eat, eat and eat.
Once you are done fasting, your body is clean. The hunger pains at this point also often are the symptom of the same emotional issues that caused me to overeat in the first place.
I may finish a fast and feel insecure, thus food can be my buddy to cover that up. Or I may feel lost and sad because suddenly I am no longer in the “safe zone” or binging and overeating.
When one has been overweight for a long time, this “fat” image can become a person’s identity. Any change to that image brings up fear, a feeling of being lost and intense insecurity.
These feelings very often result in increased hunger and, unfortunately in some cases, a relapse into overeating.
It also happens that being slimmer and healthier is “uncharted territory.” For me, it was always easier to remain fat, shy and withdrawn, than to change.
I knew that just losing the weight was the tip of the iceberg, but that the weight loss had to be accompanied by changes in my thoughts, behaviors and approach to life.
I knew I had to come out of the shadows and join humanity in a more dynamic fashion. This was terrifying to me, so I gorged again and gained all the weight back - leading me to the cave that was so painful yet so familiar.
The bottom line is that the first three to six months after fasting are crucial because you are actually forging a brand new image of yourself.
And the hunger pains will increase as a defense mechanism against future “starvation.”
But if you keep yourself vigilant, continue to practice self discipline and learn to eat slowly and deliberately, the “voracity” will go away and you will find yourself establishing positive and constructive life-long eating habits.
Over Eating Is Loss of Thought Control
Our thoughts have such control over our bodies. We can give in to negative thinking processes and return to old eating habits. Overeating it may be a way of rewarding yourself after putting so much effort into meeting your goal. Overeating may be meeting a psychological unfulfilled need.
When you are done fasting, your body is clean. The hunger pains at this point also often are the symptom of the same emotional issues that caused me to overeat in the first place. I may finish a fast and feel It also happens that being slimmer and healthier is “uncharted territory.” For me, it was always easier to remain fat, shy and withdrawn, than to change. I knew that just losing the weight was the tip of the iceberg, but that the weight loss had to be accompanied by changes in my thoughts, behaviors and approach to life. I knew I had to come out of the shadows and join humanity in a more dynamic fashion. This was terrifying to me, so I gorged again and gained all the weight back - leading me to the cave that was so painful yet so familiar.
The first three to six months after fasting are crucial because you are actually forging a brand new image of yourself. And the hunger pains will increase as a defense mechanism against future “starvation.” But if you keep yourself vigilant, continue to practice self discipline and learn to eat slowly and deliberately, the “voracity” will go away and you will find yourself establishing positive and constructive life-long eating habits.
Fasting isn’t just for losing weight. Fasting heals the mind……….and the soul (our body). Remember, our minds lead our body and a healthy body soothes our minds. I wish you success!
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