I have been intermittent fasting off and on prior to joining the Life Coach school for a few months however not 16 hours at a time. I ended up eating later and later at night – probably stopping at around 9:30 pm and eating at 10:30 am next day.

I’m following the 16 hour fast, I am finding it hard to do my usual workout in the morning or playing pickleball with a friend at 9:00 am and feeling so tired in the middle of a game and feeling sluggish and lightheaded after I am done.

Thanks to your program and the protocol of 2 meals a day and no sugar, no flour, my emotional eating has subsided for now. I have lost 5 lbs so far and don’t think I need to lose any more, I am 125 lbs, 5’ 5 1/2”, but want to keep up not overeating, emotional eating or snacking and managing urges. This is where my work is.

1) Brooke – would you still recommend I keep your plan with intermittent fasting, 2 meals a day, etc. if I am mostly trying to use it as a plan to control the emotional overeating? Knowing myself, I think the no sugar, no flour part has to stay.

2) Should I adjust my intermittent fast, to eating yogurt before I play something more strenuous like pickleball with a friend in am? I am ok with being hungry but worry about the lightheadedness. I mostly want to maintain the weight but wondering if I plan to intermittent fast for shorter times on those days will still allow me to maintain weight.

3) I struggle with stopping my eating at 8:00 pm and knowing I can’t eat anything for 16 hours. I do have a long history of emotional eating and snacking after supper and this causes me to have the feeling of deprivation knowing I can’t eat for 16 hours so I tend to put more on my protocol. Any suggestions for IM thoughts to help get me over this deprivation feeling?

4) I have tried adding in a square of chocolate or bowl of strawberries at the end of my supper to make me feel less deprived for the anticipation of 16 hours without eating but am wondering if I am making myself more hungry with the increase in insulin before my fast which will make me more hungry and harder to do the 16 hour fast?

Thanks for your help!