Morgan HolbenI used to say that intermittent fasting wasn’t a diet because you weren’t limiting what you eat, just restricting when you eat. Key word = restriction. A diet is ANYTHING that requires you to restrict.
I would try to limit the hours I eat within an 8 hour period and anything outside of that window was “bad”. I had my blinders on because this is a diet and it is disordered eating. Sure, IF has some good benefits and you shouldn’t be eating all hours of the day and night BUT you also shouldn’t not eat if you’re feeling hungry.
What’s my approach now?
-I eat my first meal when I’m hungry not after a certain time. But I also don’t wake up and eat first thing–it’s all about finding a balance. You don’t need to eat breakfast first thing in the morning, but you also shouldn’t wait until you’re feeling “hangry”.
-I no longer eat dinner earlier because I know I can’t eat after 6pm. But I also try not to eat too late because it’s not fun going to sleep right after eating.
So, my lesson is learned that even though I thought I was rid of the diet mentality, I was actually still on a diet with IF. Now I eat intuitively and listen to the needs of my body.
If breaking a diet mentality is something you’d like to work on, feel free to reach out to me.
