SHOULD YOU EAT OR SKIP BREAKFAST IN ED RECOVERY?

Is Intermittent Fasting Helping or Hurting You?

This article should be as simple as: If you’re hungry in the morning you should eat. If you’re not hungry without any physical malfunctions (such as low blood sugar side effects), you should wait until your body signals for fuel input, whether it be 10am, 11am, or 12pm. Listen to your body, and find a balance that works for you.

BUT for some of us extremists, there are plenty of if’s, and’s or butt’s to the story..

We can’t fathom the fact of simplicity and we feel the need to overcomplicate everything… sound about right? Well for me, it was.

We may read something on the internet, see someone preaching on youtube or find something in a nutritional diet book that says skipping breakfast is the golden ticket to health, internal cleanliness, body leanness and longevity..

We get pumped and inspired and immediately jump on this new #intermittentfasting bandwagon.

We throw out all personal intuition and ignore any signals from our body that may signal to stop, in order to follow this new way of living..

We tell ourselves if we’re hungry our body is lying to us, deceiving us, and we need to just be patient as our body adjusts.

We may believe there is a parasite or candida causing the cravings. As a result, we deprive ourselves of the proper balanced nutrition our body and brain needs in order to function properly. We do this to justify our new “clean eating” routine and journey to optimal health..

We’re desperate to find the fountain of youth and/or the diet that’ll make us look like that person in the magazine or the #fitspo account..

Unfortunately, this way of living is only hurting you, not making you healthier.

The further you get away from following your body’s intelligence and intuition, the further you get away from finding the most optimal way of living for your unique body physiology.

It’s hard to find our way back to our intuition once it’s suppressed and lost after months and often times years..

Now, if that’s just where you’re at, it’s of course doable to reconnect with your body’s subtle inner communication; it’s just a journey and you must be patient with yourself.

It most likely will come with perhaps a bit of trial and error with a splash of frustration and confusion. These are all growing pains, but a necessity for growth nonetheless; so embrace the journey! You will come out empowered and standing strong as your true self again that nobody can mess with, manipulate or lead astray!

So, how do you determine whether eating breakfast is right for you?

Remember, just because one day you’re ravenously hungry upon waking and the next day you are not, this does not mean you have to forbid yourself from eating when you’re hungry nor force yourself to eat, if you’re not..

Just like with all aspects of life, things are always fluctuating. Depending on activity levels, brain stimulation, times of the month/year, stress levels, and more, your appetite may fluctuate as well.. This is not a one-way-only approach.

Ask yourself these questions when determining whether eating breakfast is imperative for you..

• Are you hungry when you first wake up?
• Do you feel shaky, moody, irritable, faint, unable to focus, etc. if you skip breakfast?
• Are you thinking about food during the night and/or when you wake up?
• Is food the first thing on your mind when waking?
• Are your thoughts consumed around food in the morning at all?
• Do you feel fatigued, lack energy to tackle morning chores, or mentally not able to stay on task?

*If you answered yes to any of these questions, EAT THE BREAKFAST.

Now, Ask yourself these questions:

• Are you full and the thought of eating right upon waking makes you nauseous?
• Are you able to complete morning chores without feeling irritable, shaky, faint, hungry, or without thoughts of food?
• Do you wake with absolutely no thoughts around food?

*If you answered no to any of these questions, you may be able to skip breakfast and wait until 10-1 to eat, depending on your schedule and when you wake up and always listening to your body during that time.

**(BUT if you’re in Anorexia / Bulimia / Orthorexia Recovery, you might need to force yourself to eat breakfast, as the mind has it’s ways within these disorders to talk us out of what our body truly desires and needs.

OR from being in starvation mode from restrictive dieting, your body might be so depleted, it has completely lost it’s appetite. In this case you need to feed yourself despite the lack of hunger until you strengthen your body enough to get a healthy appetite back.)

***Hunger doesn’t have to be so intense that your stomach feels as though it’s eating itself or that you feel the need to binge because you haven’t been fueling yourself properly. Getting to this point of hunger is a set up for binging. Even a faint sense of hunger, or thoughts about what you want to eat, are all that it takes as communication to eat, even just a snack until you can get your next meal in.

What does my breakfast look like right now after tuning back into my intuitive gauge?

I wake up and love chugging a glass of water. I proceed on to brewing a cup or two of coffee, chai tea, Yerba mate, etc., with some creamer and sugar. I have some fruit that’s in season, and if still hungry I make some toast with jam and coconut oil/butter/ghee/nut butter.

Another option is having avocado on sourdough toast with a couple scrambled eggs (in oil and salt) on top and sometimes romaine lettuce or any veggies I decide to scramble too.

If I’m not hungry with the fruit and coffee/tea first thing, I’ll postpone this meal until I get hungry — maybe an hour or so later.

I eat until full, and am able to get tasks done efficiently without mood swings, and without consumed thoughts about food for hours!

I like to keep things simple and eat the same one or two breakfasts everyday until I’m sick of it and have to find something else.

My Experience with Intermittent Fasting..

I personally tried intermittent fasting — all sorts of variations. Not eating before 12, only eating within a 4-6 gap window, not eating past 5 or 6 pm, only having liquids in the am until 12, and more.

I struggled physically and mentally, as in I was weak, fatigued, lacked brain power and focus, lacked emotional stability (irritable / hangry), I got shaky, dizzy, faint and lightheaded, and was consumed with thoughts about “when I could break my fast” and what I was going to eat.

This was from multiple reasons, having already dealt with low blood sugar issues all my life, I was already malnourished from restrictive dieting, so restricting food in the morning was the last thing I needed. Instead, I just needed to eat, nourish and repeat!

I will note that, if I am absolutely not hungry in the morning, I’ll wait until I feel the urge to feed. I can’t push too far though, or else I will run into the problems listed above.

Moral of the story: Listen to your body, regardless of what others are doing around you. Your body knows best; following your inner guide is the safest most effective route when it comes to finding a sustainable lifestyle plan for the long run.

Always seek what works for YOU and go with that!

Xx 

Kayla Rose

Holistic Nutritionist

P.S. I’m hosting a free masterclass specifically for people who want to stop feeling obsessed around food and truly heal their metabolism and you’re invited! Click here to sign up.