The FastDay Forum

Hi all,

I did the 5:2 diet last year and found out I was pregnant early October so stopped fasting straight away. I had a gorgeous baby girl who is now 5 weeks old and I really need to get back into my normal clothes instead of having to continue with my maternity ones.

My diet since having her hasn't been great, from snacking on anything I can quickly shovel in (mainly biscuits) to not eating all day and having quite a large tea in the evening put in front of me by my partner who's concerned I haven't eaten all day!

I was wondering if I should jump back into 5:2? I'm not Breastfeeding so I've no reason to think why I can't.

Would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!

[Moogie]

Welcome Stella and congrats on the new addition!
I'm sure it won't be a problem for you to get back into 5:2 if you're not breastfeeding and have no other medical concerns at this time. And remember, if you struggle on your fast days while you're also looking after the little one you could always allow yourself a higher amount of calories and do a few days a week if needed. Or, try 16:8 so you have a feeding window rather than a strict calorie restriction. I'm sure your days are pretty busy with baby, so experiment and find what works for you in your new lifestyle!

Thanks moogie! I've just realised I have two accounts (main one was my work email) so my tracker isn't correct! Oh well I'll use this account as a fresh start!

Congratulations Stella on the birth of your daughter.
Wow, you're some woman, I think I was in a spin for the first 3 months after having my 2 kids, so to be thinking of dieting after 5 weeks is quite something.
I know you said you're not breastfeeding but looking after a new born is still exhausting.
With the sleepless nights and general tasks of taking care of the baby, I'd be concerned that you'd run yourself into the ground.
Fasting is stressful on the body and even though it gets easier with practice it can be tough some days. I would think you'd need your energy in these early baby days.
What Moogie said about an eating window might be a more realistic and doable option for you at this time.
Still, you know yourself best, so you must do what works for you.
Fasting and this forum will always be here, so don't put yourself under too much pressure.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the very best. And you can always drop in and out of the boards and keep in touch whether you're ready to go back to fasting or not

Good luck and enjoy your beautiful baby girl

Aw thank you Emerald17! I guess I'm just impatient! What is the eating window? I'll have to do some research. I'm guessing fasting should be easy for me as I'm so busy but I'll see how I get on, may start tomorrow and just do it once this week and twice from next week.

I guess l have to put some batteries in my scales!!!!!

[carieoates]

Yay a forum baby. Trust all went well. I believe we have another on the way as well.
Like Moogie says not when feeding. It's damn hard being organised when you've got a awe one. I had my in laws staying when my now 18yr old was born. Due to new house not being built yet. So get organised first. Batch cooking soups ready prepared salads if need be.
Love babies. Can we see a Piccy. Please.

Welcome back @stellatw Congratulations to both of you on the birth of your daughter.
Good luck with your return to 5:2 and weightloss journey.

Welcome Stella and congrats on yrbaby! What have you called her!
As others have said,this is such a new and busy time in yr life,so go easy on yourself...fast if you can but if you get days where its just not right for you ( we all get them sometimes,when life just gets in the way) don't worry too much - youve enough on yr plate for now
Call in whenever you can for chat and support x!

Stella, an eating window is another form of intermittent fasting.
So instead of restricting calories to 500 per day, you'd only eat within a certain time frame every day. A common one is fast 5, so you would only eat in a 5 hour period, thereby fasting for 19 hours. It can be whatever suits 10-3 or 12-5 etc... or 16:8 is another popular one. So you'd only eat in an 8 hour time period every day, thereby fasting for 16 hours.
Usually for a lot of people it means eliminating breakfast and snacks and concentrating on 2 meals a day. There's loads of threads about it on this forum. If you have a look around you'll be able to get plenty of information and read about peoples experiences with it (if you get the time of course)
Plenty of members on this forum choose this style as their preferred method of fasting and have had great success with it.
In fact with the way you're skipping meals here and there, you're probably already doing it

I remember people saying to me before my kids were born that you'd sometimes forget to eat.
Well as someone who loves her grub, I used to think yeah right as if I'd forget to eat.
They were right and as you've probably discovered now, sometimes the day just disappears in a haze of baby tasks and evening rolls around and you realise you haven't eaten yet. So continue to let your hubby feed you nice meals in the evening.
You deserve it

Hi, I would recommend not being too harsh with yourself. The eating window is a really good idea, but also ease into fasts if you do want to fast. Just cut down the cals a bit eg 700/800, as your body will still be repairing itself from the 9 months it was busily making your perfect baby xxx xxx

Just a quick message to say thanks for all your replies much appreciated!
Now back to feeding baby!

Congratulations you lucky lady. If you can, enjoy every minute of her babyhood it passes so quickly.

Agree with Nessie the days and years whizz by so enjoy and look after you.