The FastDay Forum

Hi! Karen might have the right idea; find yourself a really tasty treat.....something with fat on (but not refined carbs) like Austrian smoked ham or some of what Karen suggested, sounds good to me. Give yourself a tiny break, why not?

Having been following this WOE for 4 months, raving about how sustainable it is and how fast days get easier, I am now becoming a little fed up.

I won't give up on it and I will continue to follow it but I'm not so happy about it anymore. I don't like feeling hungry and I don't like having to wait all day for something to eat.

I don't know what I expect people to write back.. maybe I'm hoping someone else is in the same boat? I don't think it's motivation I need because as I say, I wont give it up. I'm just starting to dread the fasts I think.

Maybe I will try the eating small amounts during the day, although I have never done that since starting this WOE so will feel I'm going backwards a bit.

Lil

Agreed, it is.

I'm getting fed up with it too.

I'm more fed up, though, with not being able to get into my trousers.

To be honest you only need to go into your super market on a Friday evening to know we are all eating too much.....you watch what people buy.....crisps, takeaways etc.

It doesn't help (from a personnal point of view) that my back won't let me do much. Portion control is the only way.

[carorees]

You're not the first to experience this. I think it may be something to do with the famine reaction described by Dr Amanda Sallis (http://www.garvan.org.au/pdfs/miscellan ... ebPage.pdf)

Here are some suggestions for an action plan:
Cut down to one fast day a week (6:1)
Shorten your fasts so that you return to normal eating earlier...say 24 hour fast rather than the 36 hour version that most of us are doing
Change to 16:8 (fast at least three days a week for 16 hours, while keeping your eating within an 8 hour 'window'...basically skip breakfast but eat normally between say 1pm and 9pm)
Take a month off and then return to 5:2


Also, see this about how your body can show it's objections to too much fasting: http://www.niashanks.com/2013/07/interm ... -it-wrong/

Hi,
I break mine cals into lunch and tea so eat something at 12 and then between 5-6 then nothing until the next day.
I am a bit lazy so stick to two bowls of soup a day as can't bear coffee without milk so use some cals for that.
I also recently took a week off for my birthday, as a treat for the weight I had lost so far (lost more than any other diet and sustainable!) Found in that week I didn't 'pig out' like I thought I would, and, so only put on less then a lb which I lost the following week and more, so maybe a short break or spreading cals over two meals may help.
Or keep going for 4 more weeks and look forward to a xmas break?
Good luck.

Funnily enough I've gone the other way a bit. I've never fasted on this WOE, just restricted calories on 2 days a week. I am very happy with how that has worked for me. But lately I've been struggling on maintenance with constant hunger. I think it is quite possible that this BMI is my trigger point for that famine reaction in the article Caroline linked to, and I'll be keeping a watch on that. But to shake things up a bit and break the monotony of 5:2 that was becoming a bit of a chore, I actually started last week having a mini-fast, ie skipping (or rather, delaying) breakfast. Quite new for me, as I've always felt if I didn't get a little brekkie inside me I couldn't start the day. It seems to be working in that I am less hungry. I suppose at some point my colleagues will get used to the rumbling noise from my stomach! It also gives me something new to focus on, now I don't have a reducing weight to motivate me, ie how many hours can I hold out? 14 is my record, so respect to all you 16:8-ers!
Anyway, my points are: try a variation to give you fresh motivation, and, spreading the calories over the day, if that's a variation you fancy, can still lead to weight loss.

I've been maintaining for 7 weeks and am fasting today for the first time since then (I normally 16:8 twice a week) because I ate too much over the weekend and I'm a pound over my target weight this morning. And I am SUCH a grumpy cow today, even though I keep telling myself that it is only one day! I'm a housekeeper and I'm afraid poor Henry-hoover got a few kicks and snarls this morning when he got caught on a door or skirting....

I've been maintaining for 7 weeks and am fasting today for the first time since then (I normally 16:8 twice a week) because I ate too much over the weekend and I'm a pound over my target weight this morning. And I am SUCH a grumpy cow today, even though I keep telling myself that it is only one day! I'm a housekeeper and I'm afraid poor Henry-hoover got a few kicks and snarls this morning when he got caught on a door or skirting....

Oh dear! At least it wasn't the kitty cat... Congrats for staying on target though! 1 pound over doesn't sound too drastic

My son and myself have recently adjusted our fasting because of the feeling that fasting every third day was just getting too much. So we have shifted to a more standard 5:2 and are trying to be a bit more controlled on our feed days. We naturally 16:8 anyway as we don't eat breakfast and didn't eat it before starting 5:2.

I do think that a shake up is needed every now and again. A week off etc. Mind you the last time I had a week off I was poorly and went mad for carbohydrates and managed to put on 6lb over a 2 week period.

Hey Lil
You are definitely not alone. About 4 weeks ago I was feeling utterly fed up and like I just couldn't be bothered with it anymore. Old bad thoughts crept into my head like "This sandwich won't make a difference". I also found myself doing some boredom/stress eating on my feast days which I thought had stopped.
I started having 100cals cup-a-soup with croutons and found that made things a lot better. I also had the odd 90 calorie lollipop - foolish but it made me feel much better!
Last week I finally felt positive about the fast days again. I think some of my negativity was down to lots of stress at work, not seeing my friends for a couple of weeks and some money concerns but it could just be that after a certain while most things get tiring - the novelty wears off!
Don't give up but do give yourself a break!
Big hugs xxx

I feel happy about fasting today and positive about further weight loss on this WOL.

Good point David and well worth bearing in mind for all of us when we get a little fed up..as we are all likely to do at one time or another..
Yes fasting may become tedious at times.but being overweight,clothes fitting badly etc etc is soooo much worse
Great tho lilsmiler to bring up the subject coz it gets us all talking about something that can affect any of us any day..and then we see poss reasons why,ways around it and so on x

Good point David and well worth bearing in mind for all of us when we get a little fed up..as we are all likely to do at one time or another..
Yes fasting may become tedious at times.but being overweight,clothes fitting badly etc etc is soooo much worse
Great tho lilsmiler to bring up the subject coz it gets us all talking about something that can affect any of us any day..and then we see poss reasons why,ways around it and so on x

It s quite hard work for at the moment as I'm trying to fast alternate days. That may actually be counter productive but I'm spending more time doing the computing course just now and not doing physical work like I was.

(It would be interesting to compare the calory intake/usage between now and my last days working at the factory when I was waking 3xtimes a night to eat).

I ve still got an epdemic and I have remember that when I'm nearer to target I can relax the rules maybe a bit. Maybe that goes for the opening poster and one or two here.

Agreed, though, it is hard work at times.

Poor you LilSmiler, perhaps you should take a break during December and return in the New Year?
It is strange that one minute this seems great and then something changes, either no weight loss or you just don't feel motivated for whatever reason. All the comments here are really helpful but sometimes you just need to 'let off steam' and relax the rules, then return refreshed by a set time in the not too distant future.
Here in the UK the weather doesn't help (cold and grey), plus loads of temptation in the shops with lovely Christmas food everywhere. Maybe you should think about swimwear or strappy tops - you lucky lot in the warm Aussie sunshine, it might help you to feel more motivated.

PS I sometimes put on a pair of trousers that fitted well before I started this WOL, it's so good to see how big they now are - Motivation to keep on going in itself!!

Thanks everyone for all your kind and helpful comments. They really have helped!

I 'fasted' until midnight but when we left the studio I was so hungry and grumpy I had a pie and a sandwich before bed. Boy did I enjoy them! I weighed this morning and have put on 1-2lb but I'm hoping eating so late has something to do wth that

I'm going to try 16:8 today and tomorrow and try a fast again on Thursday. I want to make this work for me somehow because I don't want my weight creeping up again. I'm proud to say I weigh ten stone *something* and although I'm disappointed in myself for slipping up I know I have done well to lose the weight. I've never stuck to a 'diet' for four months so it can't be that bad.

Maybe I just needed a kick up the arse.

Thanks everyone.

Lil

That's the spirit @LilSmiler, tomorrow is always another day to try again with this WOE.!

I know I am in the minority here, but I am still a strong believer in 3 meals a day - see no reason to suffer all day and a big meal in the evening.
Breakfast today - a scrambled egg (80 cal), small slice multi-grain bread (65 cal) and a small packet of light cream cheese (35 cal0 totals 180 calories.
Now for lunch a piece of chicken breast (135 cal), a small can of green beans (40cal) and just a touch of rice (25 cal) so right at 200 calories,
Tonight I will probably have a frozen dinner (beef/brocolli 150 cal) and coleslaw or some other raw vegitable - around 200 calories seems plenty in the evening.
Never feel hungry, but I feel "scratchy" the only word that I could come up with for being out of sorts and a bit grouchy:)
Good luck and shake things up a bit, Stan