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No hunger?

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Okay, even though I've been relatively skinny my whole life, I've always had a problem with hunger. At 5'10", I can gain a lot more weight than many of my female friends without really showing it (except maybe a little bit in my face, breasts, and of course tummy), but I've never topped 150 lbs*. However, I've always been the sort of person who's hungry, who can squeeze a little bite of something in at nearly any given time, regardless of whether or not I SHOULD eat then. In a weird way, I've conditioned myself to be proud of my appetite, as in, "Oh, I'm not like those self-hating girls who never eat - I'll eat [almost**] anything anytime, 'cause I'm HUNGRY!" And I'm definitely not self-hating - I know I'm smart and good looking, and furthermore I can easily see the intelligence and beauty in my fellow human beings (self-hatred breeds hatred of others, in my opinion). But since forcing myself to do IF, and gradually reducing my eating window, I've noticed that my hunger has almost gone. Like, that hunger for breakfast in the morning? GONE. The itch to bite a little healthy snack before lunch? GONE. I just make myself another cup of coffee or tea (herbal or white - I can't do green or black on an empty stomach), and wait until the designated time, when my tummy's ACTUALLY grumbling and ready to go (3 PM this week). It's really freeing, because that little mental hunger would usually make me whiny or grumpy until it was satiated - and I usually still "needed" another snack an hour later anyway. Also, after I do eat a meal now, I really don't get hungry an hour or so after I've eaten (though some meals I might want a little bite of fair-trade dark chocolate to tide me off as "dessert" - but I no longer need it at 11:30 right as I'm about to go to bed). It's very nice that something so frustrating is gone while I'm doing IF!


*I'm pretty sure of this, though I haven't ever owned a scale in my life. The last time I weighed myself was when I was rowing 6 hours a week last year and biking 2-3 hours (I looked more lean & muscular then than I did in college, when I was probably 150 or so) and I weighed 133 on the rowing club scale. I was as low as 125 in high school, but back then I had a tummy and no butt from not working out, so I definitely look a lot better now (flat butts need just need a little toning!).

**I suppose I need to talk further about my personal food restrictions, because there are certain foods I do say "never" to, and other foods that truly fit the "almost never" mold. There are also things that I try to limit, but usually end up consuming in something or other at least once a week. The "nevers" are trans fats and artificial sweeteners (for obvious health reasons on the first, donuts and McDonald's fries are out, and as far as the second is concerned, I get headaches often and there's no place for aspartame in my life). The "almost nevers" are cookies, cakes, and baked goods with lots of refined sugar and white flour - while I have a taste for sweets, I really don't ever eat these more than twice a month and instead concentrate on snacks with natural sweeteners (fruit, raw honey & stevia are my favorites, as well as dark chocolate made with unrefined cane sugar in small amounts). Limits include alcohol - I really don't drink more than once a week, and only drink a glass of wine or unpasteurized beer (we have a bar that features homemade brews in town). I also try to limit white bread products like pizza and bagels, and have been much better at this since starting Fast 5. I never really buy bread for myself anyway, and while I'm not gluten-free, I have noticed some improvement in my health since concentrating more on eating gluten-free grains, legumes and nuts when I need whatever protein and carbs bread products provide (quinoa porridge with cinnamon & raw honey is a real favorite!). I do eat lots of veggies, meats (though I try to buy grassfed, organic and local, I definitely need my beef!), seafood (especially salmon & oysters), fats (butter, coconut oil, olive, flax and CLO (cod liver oil)), hella organic eggs and some dairy, though I try to limit the dairy to butter and kefir only, with a little raw goat's milk and raw cheese on occasion.

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