[manicorganic]

Plenty of recovered alcoholics can be around family that drinks (responsibly). Smokers who quit don't have to run away whenever someone lights up in front of them. I quit both (with longstanding addiction issues), and within a few weeks I was able to join family dinners where everyone else drinks and my brother smokes. NBD.

If people can endure that, then people can still be social at mealtimes and just get used to drinking some water or tea or whatever while they fast. Or coffee, mmmmm. They might feel a bit put out at first during lunch, but then again might enjoy the looks they get during dinner when they get to chow down with abandon. The big thing would be waiting until you're comfortable with the fasting so you're not making everyone around you uncomfortable with your body language (or worse, complaining or otherwise drawing attention to it).