The FastDay Forum

[carorees]

@tml13 has a good point about finding a way to suit you. My reading of the scientific literature points to the period with no carbs being key to the benefits of fasting, so a low carb/high fat or a low carb/high protein diet can also be beneficial. However, you would still need to create a calorie deficit, so having the two or three days of dukan attack as suggested may or may not be enough to create sufficient deficit for weight loss. It's another idea to try.

I do worry, though, about the long term impact of a high protein intake as it has been linked with cancer risk. This is because high protein stimulates the growth factor IGF1 which encourages tumour growth. I would not use a low carb/high protein diet long-term, so if you go down that route I'd recommend finding a different maintenance strategy using either fasting and/or low carb/high fat instead of high protein. To reduce cancer risk you need to keep average protein intake below 0.8g/kg body weight per day, so I guess that if you could alternate high protein days with very low protein days to keep the average down, that might work.

For me though, it's a lot less complicated just not to eat three meals a day!

You have to find what works for you as it's the only way to succeed long term. So try different ideas, whether 5:2, 16:8, high protein, high fat etc. See what feels doable in the long term, but know that it's fine to chop and change according to what suits at the moment. I think that flexibility is the key to long term success.

Good luck with your journey!

Hazelnut - your post was amazing so a very big thanks to you.

When I am walking down the street with hubby i think things like "poor guy having to walk down the street with this mess" I know I shouldnt think like that.

Anyway I have ate my healthy lunch but I know I am going to be hungry about 2 pm but got to be strong

Hiya

And lastly, just remember that you are so much more than the way you look. Your friends and family love you for your personality, your kindnesses and for just being you, so try and see yourself through their eyes. If you love yourself a bit more then you may not want to wrap yourself up in food for comfort.

I'm sure you will be fine, and maybe I have gone over the top, but I just recognise those feelings you were talking about.

All the best xx

@Greenmonster your paragraph above has really helped - thank you do much

How do you tag people!

[janeg]

You can either go into the full editor in the reply and it's a wee box in the top that says tag
or
you can type [tag ]put in name[/tag ]
but with no spaces.

Hey Claire, one thing that helps me on non fast days (fast days I just eat nothing at all...simpler) is making sure that I have healthy nutritious food on hand. So, cutting up fruit and veg and stashing it all in a tupperware, or packing lovely tasty chicken and a bit of cheese to make into a sarnie on a protein bread roll.

If I have good food right there then when I'm peckish I will eat it. If it's not there then I will hunt down the chocolate!

Good luck Claire.
I sounds as though you know what you have to do? But be brave and keep talking to us, maybe start a blog

Glad to be helpful, Claire.

Re: your comment about walking down the street with hubby.......

Would this be the same man who fell in love with you......& married you.....& who would be really sad to hear that you feel so very bad about yourself?

We are all so much more than just our bodies. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

How we treat others, the way we live our lives, how we behave, whether we give or take - these are all so much more important than the external stuff when all is said & done.

Whatever has happened to make you feel so very down on yourself, is not true reality. I am sure you have many wonderful qualities, but life has somehow ground you down - which it has a habit of doing, sadly. But stick with us Claire, while we all work out how to kick our issues into touch, once & for all....

Take care xxx

Just read your post again, @Hazelnut20, and I read "mountaineer" when you wrote "maintaineer". Well, I think that's actually very appropriate too, since all of us who struggle with emotional eating issues have big mountains to climb. We need the right equipment (factual knowledge) and support (like on this wonderful forum!), we need to find our inner strengths to battle unpredictable weather & terrain and hopefully arrive at the summit eventually, (maybe by the scenic route!) by a combination of good luck & good management. And then...there are more surrounding mountains to climb, around maintaining our goal. But it's also a journey of self-discovery, to know our weaknesses and our strengths, and to use them all as a path to get to the summit. Even though I've been working on myself psychologically for a while (again, with the help of many people!), I still feel that I have a lot to discover, and certainly more kgs to farewell, before I can reach my own personal summit. But I'm loving the journey.

At the risk of getting too florid with the metaphors, I'm kinda thinking it might be nice to have a mountaineers' tent on the Fastonbury Glamping Grounds, for those of us who are interested in sharing our inner experiences around our relationship with food. I can think of a couple of people who might be interested, @Jo05, for instance,am I outing you here? I reckon those of us who do the hard yards on ourselves deserve some shelter & companionship of fellow travellers - what do others think??

@jools7I'll start packing my mountain climbing gear now, will we be pitching the base camp near a very good chai tea hangout? just say the word about the mountaineers' tent and I'm there.
And my humble apologies for taking soooooo long responding. This week has seen my first time back to 5:2 after being on 6:1 for a month. I'm kinda sleep deprived. But not letting of of 5:2 now. Sleep will sort out.
I will at times go mountain climbing and take some time responding but I'm big on deep discussion.
Jo xxx

@Jo05, here we are over here:

fastonbury-glamping-grounds-f34/the-mountaineering-tent-t11539.html

Please pop in and give us the value of your insight!!

Hi Claire,

Nice to see you back but sorry for the reasons you are back, I've often wondered how you were getting on as I hadn't seen your lovely face for quite a while. So, you fell off the wagon huh? Well, so have lots of folk here so you are amongst people who know EXACTLY how you feel. There are loads of good tips and advice in what everyone has said to you. I agree that easing yourself in might be better and more sustainable in the long run. My tuppence worth now......

Tip 1.......Your body deserves better treatment than you are giving it at the moment, this should be about improving your general health first and foremost and if perhaps you can change a bit of focus away from just the weight then it may be easier to deal with physiologically. Try not to think that you are depriving yourself, more, you are doing yourself a huge favour, which you will be doing, by the way.

Tip 2....... read EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING, not just the bits you like, that Carorees writes about low carb/sugar etc, you know it makes sense.

Tip 3........work out a strategy that you think you can stick with, be realistic about this, only you know what your weak areas are so work round them to eliminate them gradually and it will be less of a shock, it might be slower but if it works, IT WORKS, and success is what you are aiming for.

Tip 4........buddying up is a great idea so perhaps look at that, having someone on the forum you can call on any time on a one to one is a great help.

If after all that you are not back on the straight and narrow then I'm afraid I will have to call in the big guns..............what's that I hear you ask?.............big guns?...............mmmmmmm.....

In your case, big guns are Ballerina meeting you for lunch in Nottingham and giving you a good sorting out, now, we don't want that, do we? Janeg is too far away but I can have her wet fish fedexed, or whatever they call it, and put it to good use.


You are a very pretty girl and I don't believe for one moment that people feel sorry for your very lucky husband when they see you together. Good luck and how are your lovely dogs these days?

Ballerina x

Calling @claire23 how are you getting on? Been thinking about you.