The FastDay Forum

I'm not feeling it this week. Yesterday was my first failed fast, caving in and having a cream tea when the day was almost done! Today I promised myself I'd go to the gym after work but instead I came home and delved into the Christmas chocolate stash that just won't seem to go down!

Does anyone else have weeks where they just can't motivate themselves? Would it really be so bad if I 'took a week off' from 5:2/dieting? I'm not planning to overeat as I don't want to undo the good work I've done so far, but are there any implications of this?

Of course it's not bad to take a week off if you really can't motivate yourself, after all it's not compulsory and sometimes is does do you the world of good, but just sometimes it can be very hard to come back again. That's all I'd say.

Take the week off. It may be that your hormones are playing up or more aggressive this time around. It could be that you have hit a point where your body doesn't want to lose anymore weight.
An alternative is to try doing a 16:8. Only allow yourself to eat within an 8 hour window. Most people choose to eat lunch and dinner, others choose breakfast and lunch.
Another alternative is to pop along to the inspirational pages and read through what others have said and done to strengthen your resolve.

Whatever you do, remember this is a life change you are attempting, it is not a quick fix, there will be days or weeks when it just doesn't feel right. But whatever happens, even if you put on weight, don't feel ashamed to come back, we are not here to judge, just to support.

Thanks guys. @Auriga, that's what I'm worried about - if I take the week off then I'm probably going to find it even harder to motivate myself. Usually I calorie count on my 'off' days to make sure I'm not overeating but I may just do my Thursday fast (or at least try) and not calorie count again until Monday.

@Julieathome, good ideas, thank you Maybe I will give 16:8 a go although I've never looked into this so don't know much about the benefits. This year is all about changing my eating habits for life rather than dieting, achieving a target and going back to my old habits, so like you said, it might be good just to take it easy this week and get back into it properly next week. It's all about control I suppose and not letting myself go back to my eat-everything-in-sight binges!

@carorees wrote this today @hayleyhay....

Regarding 16:8, I think that by at least keeping the fasting momentum by having a longish period with no food even on feast days it helps to keep the body in fat-burning mode by allowing insulin levels to fall. If you are insulin resistant (which is a good bet if you carry your fat around your middle), this is due to the cells that should respond to insulin by taking up glucose from the blood (the fat, liver and muscle cells) becoming resistant to the effects of insulin. Because the body needs to keep blood glucose tightly controlled it increases the amount of insulin it produces. Allowing insulin levels to fall by not eating and specifically by not eating carbohydrates means that the cells become more sensitive to insulin. This means that blood glucose levels fall faster after a meal and the body can then switch to fat burning mode more easily. Fasting on two days a week allows the drop in insulin to happen twice a week but by fasting for 16 hours on at least some days as well as 5:2 you can give things a boost.

There is also some evidence that fasting can help leptin sensitivity too. Leptin is a hormone produced by the fat cells to tell your brain that they are full up and would you kindly stop eating! So high leptin should mean reduced appetite. However, in obesity there is also leptin resistance in which leptin levels are high but the appetite is not decreased the way it should be. Fasting seems to allow leptin levels to fall enough so that the brain becomes more sensitive again and this may be the reason why the day after a fast we are not all that hungry. Again, having a good long overnight fast of 16 hours will help with this.

You don't have to do 16:8, but the concept of having a good period with no food each day (so no night-time snacking essentially) is, I think, beneficial for our bodies.

Hope it helps! Auri XXX

Hi @Hayleyhay Yes we all have weeks like that whatever age we are we're still human and those chocks are best gone I only managed 1 good fastday last week because I was unwell so I cancelled my second, and whether I do 2or3 fasts a week I've now made most of my other days more like 18:6 this combination worked well for me before xmas and I've now returned to what works for me and finding what works for you is important good luck. Sue

Thanks everyone. @carorees, @Auriga, thank you! Yet again I skipped the gym today and I'm planning to go out for dinner tonight instead...oops! It may be a failed week for dieting but I'm treating it as 'trial maintenance' - allowing myself treats but not letting myself eat whatever I want simply because I've had a bad diet day. I've eaten chocolate today but that's not an excuse to continue, whereas in the past that's been my reasoning. As of Monday I'll be back on 5:2 and I think perhaps on Wednesday I'll try 16:8.

Thanks everyone for all your advice and support!

Good luck @Hayleyhay!

You know yourself best, so I am glad that you are cutting yourself some slack! At the same time, you have already been given some brilliant advice & suggestions, so I would only say keep reading the forum....because so many members will relate to what you are feeling & will want to support you.....

Best of luck!