The FastDay Forum

I had an "oops" situation. I didnt lose as much as i normally do yesterday, my declared fast day after the long weekend and i tracked back to what i ate or drank (after 5 months into the diet, i find i dont calorie count during the actual day, i guess you think you get wise about calories)

Anyway I guess you slacken off and don't read the calories on backs of packages after a while. I realised that I consumed a litre of So Good Almond milk (the sweetened, standard one) and that's 300 calories just in what I drank. So adding the 450 calories or so in my food that's much over TDEE to be unacceptable.

I guess Almond milk (the sweetened one) is ok for a feast day. If you wonder why i dont just go for the unsweetened, its cause i havent found one yet any good taste wise and would rather just go without.

Anyhow I'm limiting myself to a cup of almond milk from now on, on fast days. I just so love it chilled on a warm day.

Do you have any foods you've consumed regularly on fast days only to find it's always stepped you over your 1/4 TDEE ?

Well, I find I'm struggling with the black coffee. I was fine with it all summer, as I drink iced coffee. But now that I'm back to hot coffee I just hate it black. I've counted the calories (as best I can estimate) into my daily count, but I still wonder if it's ruining the fast aspect. If I have milk in my morning coffee, then I'm not doing 16 hours without food.

When I first changed to black sugarless coffee I hated it. It took a couple of months before I could honestly say I liked it. That was years ago and I love my coffee that way now and cannot drink it with milk or sugar.

[Debs]

I have found that I am doing better on liquid fasting as I know I regularly go over otherwise as I will not give up tea with milk for anything. That way I can drink tea til the cows come home, have a protein shake if it gets too much but know that I will be safe.
I need to count my TDEE as I haven't been very successful to date, so that is my way of coping.

Interesting post. I have just watched the YouTube. Sugar: The bitter truth. In it there is one key message. Sugar is poison and particularly so in sweetened drinks including milk. Most sweetening is now added in the form of fructose. Fructose = Fat.

I don't want to be alarmist, but please go watch the YouTube. It might spur you to go non-sweet.

Well, I find I'm struggling with the black coffee. I was fine with it all summer, as I drink iced coffee. But now that I'm back to hot coffee I just hate it black. I've counted the calories (as best I can estimate) into my daily count, but I still wonder if it's ruining the fast aspect. If I have milk in my morning coffee, then I'm not doing 16 hours without food.

know what you mean. I grew up and many decades ago, my mum used to give me black coffee to induce me to vomit if she felt i needed to. I know that may sound strange but i guess times were different then. it was instant coffee too and i only drink expresso now but even so i associate black coffee with vomit!

i tend to have frothed milk on feast days in my milk and literally just a smidge of milk to at least lighten the coffee, on fast days.

I'm thinking a teaspoon of milk is ok during a fast period. anyone know?

Interesting post. I have just watched the YouTube. Sugar: The bitter truth. In it there is one key message. Sugar is poison and particularly so in sweetened drinks including milk. Most sweetening is now added in the form of fructose. Fructose = Fat.

I don't want to be alarmist, but please go watch the YouTube. It might spur you to go non-sweet.

this one i think.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

it has over 9,000 comments and nearly 4 million views.

Calling sugar poison is alarmist, I don't care what Dr. Lustig says. In moderation it's absolutely not poisonous at all. And with fructose it totally depends on the form you take it in. The sugar in fruit is fructose, but because it enters your bloodstream more slowly (presumably because of the fiber in fruit), it does not necessarily lead to a fatty liver.

Back to topic: There have been times when I kind of forget that I'm fasting and very nearly drink a glass of wine. It hasn't happened yet, but I bet it will.

[Debs]

All things in moderation (yes, even red wine I'm afraid!). Lack of moderation in eating is the biggest problem rather than any specifics IMHO. I try not to go overboard in anything these days.

Chewing gum!
There's 30 calories in a pack of ten but I just can't go without it
Lil

I'm thinking a teaspoon of milk is ok during a fast period. anyone know?

[/quote]

Well I don't know, but I also don't believe anyone knows.

The best thing about 5:2 is what is repeated so often on this forum - it's the WOE that conforms to us, we don't have to conform to it. In that spirit, I think that worrying about a teaspoon of milk is obsessive (no criticism intended, Juliana, as we've all done it). My approach is to not even tally up the really little stuff. My really little stuff includes a tablespoon of nonfat milk in my morning coffee, a teaspoon or so of lemonade or cranberry juice in each big glass of sparkling water that I drink, and a teaspoon or so of low fat dressing on my salad. If you add all that up, I guarantee it doesn't amount to an oops. And it makes a fast day easier. If you prefer a teaspoon of sugar in your morning coffee, that's really little stuff too. (and I'm very anti-sugar the way we eat it in our society)

PS Wrote all that before seeing MaryAnn and Debs moderation comments above. Yes, let's hear it for moderation.

i think ive accepted the teaspoon of milk in my coffee, the only thing i consume till about 6pm as an ok thing.
the ooops thing was my starting to drink the almond milk which must have a heap of sugar in it to be 75 calories per cup, and being a bit addictive its easy to drink more than one.

so i say no more to almond milk on fast days, at all. part of my drive to get to 69 point something before Christmas

Chewing gum!
There's 30 calories in a pack of ten but I just can't go without it
Lil

Can you try a sugar free brand?

I must confess that I can have neither tea or coffee without anything sweet in it. So on fast days I have my morning tea with nothing else but 1/4 tsp of honey and I don't drink coffee those days. I don't drink much coffee at all but when I do I have to have it sweet (brown=unrefined sugar) and frothy milk on top.

I don't believe that sugar is poison - everything including water is if you over do it. I'm sure that artificial sweeteners (not Stevia which is natural) is not good for you either. And life without sugar and salt is very very bland IMHO.