Intermittent Fasting with protein gives me 2-3 fog free hours a day.

Posted this in response to someone else but I figured I'd share more broadly.

Something I've found works to give me a few good hours every day is intermittent fasting with protein. Over time the process evolved, so here's what I do right now.

Wake up at a set time every morning. Have my usual coffee, pills etc. but nothing to eat. Around noon-early afternoon I take a protein shake (I've tried with protein bars but they seem to have too many non-protein calories and it doesn't work as well). Around 1-4 in the afternoon when the hunger pangs really hit I have several good clarity. I haven't tried anything physical, but mentally I feel I'm on top of things and operate at close to what I should be if I didn't have CFS. Dinner is my only real meal, but I'll usually have a healthy snack before so I'm not so hungry that I overeat.

A trick to keep from eating for longer periods when the hunger gets to be too much is to take a drop of hot sauce. It gives me the sensation of having food plus the heat in my mouth distracts from hunger pangs and I suspect the endorphins help as well.

Dunno if it will work for anyone else, but it works quite well for me. Also helps me keep fairly trim which seems to help with sleep. Some of this is based on science and medical recommendations from experts, some (like the hot sauce) I just made up myself.

Beyond just getting a few hours of minimal brain fog I feel like this helps with overall symptoms. I had a PEM recently and it only lasted for 3-4 days when my standard has always been 6-7 days.