The FastDay Forum

Series of excuses coming up and I either need a) encouragement to chill out and eat or b) a massive kick up the bum.

My usual fast days are Mon, Weds and Fri (4:3). This week I planned in advance to only do 5:2 (Monday and Wednesday) as it's my birthday on Friday and celebration meals/events start on Thursday.

However, I failed Monday's fast at about 3pm by caving into cheese, a roast dinner and apple crumble and custard as it was a bank holiday - I think I ate close to my TDEE in one sitting!

So I moved Monday's fast to yesterday and did absolutely fine. However then we get to today. Having a terrible day at work and finding the back to back difficult, I cannot concentrate on anything.

I've got half a mind to just sack it in when I get home and cook a hearty chilli, served with a jacket potato and a sprinkling of cheese, followed by sugar free jelly. This could be worse, but it is by no means a fast meal.

My fast meal is an onion omelette with a tiny smidgen of cheese (can't live without the stuff), served with carrots.

Do I write off this week and allow myself my chilli and a fun birthday week. Or do I stop making excuses and force myself to make do with 400 cals today? I know the answer deep down...

[carorees]

Hi @lottie89

Some fast days are just harder than others. Back to back fasts are often hard. Remember this is just one week out of the rest of your life so I would say to ease up on yourself. Even if you ate your TDEE today, you would have prevented a weight gain, no? You could choose to swap your jacket potato which is high in carbs and more likely to result in weight gain for something higher in protein and fat that would fill you up for less calories. Why not have a bigger cheese omelette with lots of veggies? Or have the chilli but cut down on the potato or rice? Have, say 800 cals today...that is still less than normal, you've fasted all day which is excellent, you can count it as being a good week!

I fast everyday for 16-19 hours and some days are just harder than others. The key to successful intermittent fasting is to be flexible. You need never 'fail' a fast, just redefine what today's fast will be.

Have a great birthday and stop being so hard on yourself!

Can you tell I'm a perfectionist? My boyfriend is always telling me off for being hard on myself - I slightly burnt the Yorkshires on Monday and spent about an hour apologising for it!

Perhaps I'll do the chilli and just have it with a big pile of veggies instead of a potato. I think the issue is that I had an omelette yesterday - usually on a fast day I crave them (because of the protein I think), but today the thought of egg is really unappealing for some reason and it's affecting my resolve.

Zizzi with free(!) birthday Prosecco tomorrow, wine/cake/Hard Rock Cafe on Friday and Southern food and cocktails on Saturday. And hangover food on Sunday I imagine. With these plans I think I owe it to myself to not overeat tonight!

Thank you for putting things into perspective @carorees - so glad I found this forum

[carieoates]

I'm glad you found the forum too.
And yes caro knows what she's talking about, we do judge ourselves, and can be harder on ourselves than we are to others.
Have a super birthday with free fizz yes please.

Has anyone told you what a great smile you have.

Do what carorees suggests! It will be a low cal practically fast day..then just chill and enjoy allllll the birthday fun! Back to the drawing board next Monday to help sort out the bday indulgences! Have a fabulous time and don't be hard on yrself...life is too short to stuff a mushroom as they say!

Be the perfect girlfriend for your boyfriend by becoming less of a perfectionist. Sounds confusing, but should make you both happy and is thus the perfect paradox (something that is apparently contradictory but still true)
Happy birthday

Oh you guys are all so lovely! Being a perfectionist stems from school where we were berated if we got anything lower than an A!

I succeeded - had a bowl of chilli with a few grams of cheese (no sides) and am now munching on raw carrots, with sugar free jelly setting in the fridge - all comes in at around 550 cals.

I think the back to back fast was getting the better of me earlier - feeling absolutely fine now!