Hello coaches! I would love your help with re-doing my model. I know that the amount of discomfort I am willing to tolerate is equal to the results I can get but I am really struggling with making tolerating hunger fun. After an initial big drop of about 4 pounds, I have stayed at the same weight for 9 days which tells me that Thursday when this two weeks is up, I should change my protocol. I am proud of myself to sticking to it for the full two weeks and not changing it so far!

Here is where the panic sets in. Right now, I am eating 3 meals in an 8 hour window. I get up at 5am, so I have breakfast at 9, lunch at 12 or 1 and then dinner at 4 or 5. I am not eating sugar or flour, plenty of vegetables and some healthy fat and protein. I know we are not supposed to count it, but it’s around 1300 calories. I also walk 5 miles per day and am training for a Ragnar relay race (running brings me a lot of joy and fasting runs have felt really great) and I ran 22 miles last week (over and above the 5 miles of walking that I get because I walk to work from the train and basically everywhere).

The thought that I can’t seem to shake is “I can’t eat any less”. It literally freaks me out. I already am telling myself hunger is no big deal and feel physical hunger a lot of the time. I keep telling myself this is my brain freaking out and eventually it will eat my fat. What seems to make this bearable is knowing I can eat at 9 and then I will eat at again at 1 then 4. The idea of cutting out my breakfast makes me want to cry, but if I want to be thin, I’m not sure if there are any other options plus I know Brooke says all the time we need a lot less food than we think we do. Here is my model:

Circumstance: 178 pounds for 9 days
Thought: I can’t possibly eat any less
Feeling: Panicked, anxious, fear of more hunger pangs
Action: Inaction, just freeze and feel awful
Result: White knuckling protocol, unwilling to change protocol further

Circumstance: 178 pounds for 9 days
Thought: ???
Feeling: Excited, eager
Action: Reduce meals by one more
Result: Goal weight of 148 pounds

Thank you!