5:2 Intermittent Fasting to Overcome Grazing Habit
One of the main driving forces behind my middle-age weight gain has been my habit of grazing. I tend to snack between meals for no real reason – this grazing has nothing to do with hunger. I’ve committed to 10-weeks of 5:2 intermittent fasting in an attempt to break free of this unnecessary grazing habit.
Radical Steps to Break the Grazing Habit
Some nutrition experts experts suggest that grazing can actually be a good thing – especially if it means we eat lots of small meals throughout the day. The problem is that I’ve been eating small meals on top of large meals. The scary thing about this grazing is I don’t even notice that I’m doing it half the time. If I walk into the kitchen to make a coffee, I’ll automatically start looking for something in the fridge.
I’m the type of person who needs to take massive action in order to make a real difference to my life. This is why I’ve been using 5:2 Intermittent fasting to help me overcome my love of grazing. I’m teaching my body that it’s okay to be hungry, and that an empty stomach adds to the pleasure of eating.
Halfway Through My 10 Weeks of 5:2 Intermittent Fasting, and I’ve Stopped Grazing
I completed my tenth 24-hour fast yesterday, so I’m now halfway through my 10-weeks of intermittent fasting. I’ve become used to going hours at a time without eating, and I don’t have any urge to graze between meals. If I’m busy working, I can actually forget to eat, and this isn’t something I’ve done in a few years.
I used to do the grazing but I would do it every two hours. Only ever mixing fruit with protein (nuts/meat) – I actually lost weight doing this. Its good to keep the metabolism active but I know this can go the other way quickly if your grazing on the wrong things. For me I always need to be grazing or smoking when watching TV or youtube. Guess this is my addictive nature.
Hi Grant, I did use tactical grazing about three years ago to lose weight. I was trying full-time at Muay Thai, and I had the help of a nutrition expert. Like you, I was focusing on protein – I’d eat 500 calories every four hours, and it did speed-up my metabolism. It is the ‘mindless’ grazing that gets me into trouble.