Have other Fabulous members tried intermittent fasting? What are your experiences developing that habit, particularly in the setting of a home with children?

Fabulous Community
10 response(s)
Annett X.

I personally don’t recommend trying any kind of fast because you for doing that, you should know how your metabolism work and what kind of fast or diets suits better for you, so my recommendation is to assist with a nutritionist.

Judith J.

I do it but I leave by myself. Start the first attempts on sundays, because this day is more quite often, then your body will need less energy. When you get used to it you can try twice a week. It is very important to realize we eat more than we need and that feeling hungry is perfect fine and will do you only good. It will take all the energy at your digestive chackra and take it to the upper chakras. I recommend, although I have no kids, to feed them every 1h30 with one fruit. This is also fasting for them... you can feed them with coconut water, green tea, apple, pear, carrot, leaves, tomato, homemade keffir tea, rooibos tea, avocado... in the end of the day they will be full of enough nutrients and more aware of their feeding

Noelle T.

I have. It was a matter of being a bit overweight and wanting to return to a weight that would make me comfortable. I used an app like this one as motivation as I knew that such a change would be difficult to achieve. What I understood is that it all became easier as I knew more about food, calories, what they did to my body and why pairing this and that wasn’t good. It became a rational decision instead of an impulse one. Through knowledge, I created a barrier from immediate satisfaction (carbs) and found myself eating healthier. That alone cut my weight a lot. Fasting came after I understood that the body may need a period of rest from all the toxic food I was eating. Yes, there are those that say it is worthless, but I tried it. And felt good. And kept on doing it. Because it felt right. It became emotional, not rational. What I want to get at is that you first must rationalize food, then you’ll be able to look at it emotionally but not from an instant satisfaction perspective.

Joseph Y.

I have begun fasting, usually until 11 am. My kids usually have smoothies for breakfast, and I find that fixing them one isn’t to much of an inconvenience, or too tempting to me as I fast. I felt like often I was eating just because their were, and I wasn’t even hungry!

Maria P.

I live alone so have more control. I’ve found it quite easy and find that I’m not eating as much. For me, I delay breakfast by having a coffee and water in the morning. I need lunch earlier as a result and snack before dinner. But if I work it that way I’m absolutely full.

Ana S.

I have been intermittent fasting for a couple of years and I have a kid. I basically just don’t have breakfast when she does, and I focus only on her nutritional needs during that time. Then, later on, I have a small breakfast and/or coffee. I usually only have two more meals during the day: lunch and an early dinner, which I eat with her. My hours go from 10:30 to 18:30. (I live in Portugal, where the standard dinner time is at around 8pm, hence "early dinner") I don’t believe that having children hinders the goal of intermittent fasting, it’s a matter of picking which times you prefer to have family meals with them. If breakfast is the one quality meal you can have with your children, choose your food intake hours to include that time. For us it’s dinner, so I chose dinner time as the natural fasting start and counted backwards. ymmv, since school start and dinner times vary around the world. Still, it’s definitely feasible and it didn’t take me long to adhere to intermittent fasting.

Sifredo S.

Hi! I haven’t tried it yet as it is not recommended for me (I have gastritis). But I think you should at least start slow, and see what works for the family especially the kids who are always full of energy that would need a lot of replenishment via rest, fluids, and food. :)

Angela R.

I do not know any other fabulous users, so I wouldn’t know. I actually enjoy intermittent fasting because I can monitor when my body is in ketosis and using stored fat. I also drink lots of water which is always good for a body. I like the idea of delaying what I eat as opposed to denying what I eat. As far as working this in with children; it is easy as I can cook for them in the am and eat when my fast is over. I can eat the same as my child. I also like intermittent fasting because I curve my urge to snack at night... which is when my fasting is mostly done...

Eliza W.

Well, I fast atleast 30 days in a year. It’s ok if you have a strong enough motivation to do it . You may feel a little weak in the beginning but make a habit of it and it gets easy

Tasmira W.

Children make every change more challenging. It will depend on your own will power, because growing children shouldn’t be fasting, they need all the proper nutrition. So you will have to prepare, serve, and then watch them eat, while you try to convince yourself that you aren’t hungry. Fasting can be harmful to you as well, not likely unless you have a blood sugar issue, and you should always check with your doctor before trying something new like that. They might even have a few suggestions to help and know of a community group that you could get support from. Also, more people have found higher rate of success in weight loss eating something super bland, like a handful nuts or a stick or two of plain celery, between meals than the ones that fasted. Just something to think about.

Answers reflect the personal experiences of Fabulous community members. They are not medical or professional advice — for guidance about your health, talk to a qualified professional.