Intermittent Fasting and Nursing a Toddler? Not a Good Mix!
During a recent check-up, my doctor recommended that I shed some pounds. Isn’t it amusing how they always feel the need to point that out? I haven’t managed to lose the baby weight since my second child arrived three years ago. While I had some success in losing weight between pregnancies, dealing with PCOS and the challenges of aging has made it significantly tougher with two kids to care for. For me, losing weight requires a more rigorous approach than what many others might need.
My doctor suggested increasing my cardio and trying intermittent fasting. To be honest, I really do want to lose some weight, but parenting is stressful, and I often find myself indulging in too much sugar. Let’s face it: the idea of fitting in cardio feels impossible when my main task is just surviving the chaos of raising two little ones. So, I decided to give intermittent fasting a shot! Unfortunately, my doctor didn’t provide much guidance other than to fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8-hour window. I crunched the numbers and decided to stop eating around 4 p.m.
That experiment lasted all of a week.
I struggle with blood sugar regulation, often needing to eat every few hours to feel balanced. Why I thought intermittent fasting was a good idea is beyond me. I became “hangry” in no time. Each night during that week, I found myself getting irritable around 8 p.m. at my nursing toddler. He has relied on milk to help him sleep since birth, but suddenly, I was getting frustrated with him. I would lay there, stewing in my irritation, and it was awful. After four hours of not eating, my hunger intensified, leading me into a rage fueled by hunger.
In conclusion, while intermittent fasting might work for some, it’s definitely not for me—especially while nursing. I feel let down by my doctor for not offering better resources and for essentially setting me up to fail. Not only did I not succeed, but I also made myself miserable.
Ultimately, I realized that fasting was an unhealthy choice for both me and my son. I despised feeling hungry, the hangry moments, and being upset with my son for something he has done since day one. I decided to stop fasting. After all, a few extra pounds aren’t the end of the world.
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