The FastDay Forum

I noticed during my last couple of fast days that I cope much better if I make lunch my largest meal on a fast day. For example, yesterday I had a small portion of yoghurt for breakfast and a hearty portion of veg/lentil soup for lunch (250 calories!) and some cherry tomatoes for dinner. I literally didn't feel like eating much for dinner. I also noticed that having three proper (but sensible) meals the day before really helps too.

The trick for me is that it keeps me going on a long work day without feeling too light-headed in the afternoon.

[carieoates]

We all establish our own method here. Glad you've found yours. Sometimes I have a wee salad or mug of homemade soup at lunchtime. But usually nothing, an oxo or an egg.
Also I've discovered that it's nice to be almost veggie on fast days then I can have more.

Keep it up.

I did notice during my unsuccessful trial of fast five that a hearty lunch was incredibly filling and that even quite late into the evening I wasn't that hungry. I think if I was single I'd do this
But being the cook of our house hold I also like to look forward to tea.

I think it's great you've found a way to make it sustainable, and it's worth trying a change of routine if you're finding the "traditional" eat nothing until tea time method a bit difficult. I fasted that way for over a year no problems, but then it just got so hard. I will try the big lunch method next fast, Sunday for me. Thanks @marietje.

Different strokes for different strokes and whatever gets you thru the night ( tho in our case,day!) if it works for you,stick with it x

I started out eating lunch on fast days. And lunch is my big meal on non-fast days.

But I have since learned am so much less hungry if I don't eat anything until about 4:30 and if I start my fast the previous evening at 7PM. This gives me a very long fast, during which my blood sugar stays nice and flat. Plus if I eat lunch, I don't have enough calories to make for a satisfying meal.

I too have noticed that eating lunch as the largest meal of the day seems to work, possibly better than a single meal at dinner, but fixing dinner for the family prevents that as a continuous thing. Congrats on reaching your weight-loss goal.

Welcome. We are rather in the minority here but I lose more if I eat at lunchtime on fast days and it is easier to combine that with a zero calorie 24 hr fast either before or after. I get up at 5.30am most days and need to eat by lunchtime, but as you say, I don't need anything for the rest of the day and if I do, it's rarely more than a 100 cal of veggies or fruit.

Yes I have been wondering about this myself. It's not possible for me to do this on work days as I'm in a dog park with lots of mad, greedy dogs running about, so I only ever eat when I'm driving, as I have no breaks. However on quieter days if I get home mid afternoon, starving and I eat a huge bowl of veg, I'm full all evening. I'm sure it's not coincidence that Krista Varady has her 'subject's eat their calories at lunch.

I've done it once, when I was taken out for lunch unexpectedly, and it was OK. But as a rule prefer to look forward to an evening meal. Wondered about trying it in winter though, as I tend to get quite cold in the day.

Great that it works for you though!

Thanks all! Let's see if it's sustainable for the next few fast days.

I've definitely learned from this forum that you have to find a structure that works for you and it's a question of experimenting.

Hi @marietje I think I'm getting dementia from getting up so early just posted a thread about this, forgetting you had started this a week ago. I think it was what started me thinking. I agree from my last couple of fasts eating as early as I can, usually 2 to 3pm, makes 500 cals seem easy. Less hours of hunger before and not hungry after. Thanks!

I am also a happy lunch muncher. I poster quite a long reply about this on GMH's thread

Ballerina x

@GMH think ive got dementia,could swear i posted a reply a few mins ago..
I THINK that I was saying that lunches sound like rather a jolly choice..but for me,too much day left afterwards and too many opportunities to draw a chair up to the fridge and eat all the contents x

Don't think you have dementia @CandiceMarie - I also posted and it's disappeared!

I was just saying that I might try it as sometimes on a fast day I am eyeing up the table leg with hunger in the afternoon............

oops @CandiceMarie - think I have solved the conundrum - 2 similar threads here - "lunch ONLY" and "lunch BIGGEST MEAL" - think we both posted on one then looked at the other if you follow me!