The FastDay Forum

I have been losing weight steadily enough since I started this WOE in Feb2014. However, I am begining to wonder if I like the 5:2 diet so much because it allows me to binge a bit and still lose weight. I am also wondering if my feelings are normal food cravings, or something more unhealthy and into eating disorder territory. After a quick search I found this phycology test. My results gave me a bit of a shock. How about you?

I had a quick tussle with myself as to whether I should respond to this.

Unhelpfully, I scored 1/46.

However, I think it's very difficult for people in weight loss mode to answer those questions in a way that isn't going to rack up the points. (I'm in maintenance, and have been for some time.)

I know that Dr Johnson of the JUDDD (Johnson Up Day, Down Day Diet) who promotes ADF does warn against JUDDD for people with a history of ED. I know that experience of some forums where people do ADF/EOD is that people who hadn't previously had a history of COE or BED felt that the restriction tipped them across a line that they didn't know that they had.

That said, the studies of ADF/EOD don't report the blossoming of BED or similar as an issue. It's difficult to know if this is because they were supervised, the studies weren't long enough, or what.

You're following a 5:2 pattern and I don't know if that's different again.

The above probably isn't that helpful but does express some of my muddled thoughts on the matter.

Not sure of the validity of the test. 65% of people who took it were at the severe binge eating disorder end . I scored 28 which put me in that category, but I would not say I'm a binge eater.

I scored 3. I had a look around and unless I'm being thick I can't see anywhere that tells me who this has been created by. Is it by a professional? As far as I can see it might as well be a 'Jackie' magazine quiz. The questions are ridiculous and I worry about this being on our forum. I had to truthfully say that I either skip meals or binge. Not the same thing and shouldn't be categorised together. I skip meals because I either 5:2 or 16:8. I would even go as far as to say that I think this 'quiz' is dangerous. No offence meant

I agree with @Wendy Darling, if you are doing IF, especially if you are doing an eating window, some of the questions are stacked against you, as the premise is that you should eat the same number of calories every day, you should eat 3 meals a day, you should not skip meals, you should not snack in the evenings, you should feel hungry in the morning. I question all this.

I am human, I sometimes enjoy my food so much I eat until I am very full. It's a fasting and feasting approach to life as opposed to an over- ordered do the same thing every day, "be good", moderation at all times, outlook.

I did this and scored 17 - what I found most interesting about it though, was that fasting has actually changed my eating behaviour for the BETTER. Had I answered this quiz beforehand I'd have scored a lot higher - because I DID feel out of control around food all the time and I did binge on a regular basis. The fasting way of eating has changed that for some reason - I think at the very least it has made me more mindful around food and appetite and now I do know the difference between real hunger and just wanting to eat because I'm bored/stressed/cross/emotional.

5 but it's been a year and a half since I ate the conventional way so not completely relevant.

Ah, see, I adapted some of those questions in my head to mean, 'evened out over the week and in the context of your schedule - do you eat approx. the same most days'. It would be absurd for me to eat as much on an unusually sedentary day as a day when I have a lengthy expedition in a sea kayak in challenging water with the hypothermia protocols to eat/drink to meet (that's a day for a Michael Phelps style of intake).

The following is far too long and summarises to, the quiz is not externally validated, as far as I can tell, and can not be given any diagnostic or even 'awareness' value.

The quiz questions are very badly designed and based on some questionable and much contested 'conventional wisdom'. There's a reason why inventories, questionnaires, and measurement scales for qualitative items have to be validated for trials/screening purposes, and assigned specificity/sensitivity levels.

My quick check shows no external validation for the quiz, nor any assigned specificity/sensitivity. This last is important because if your questions are very sensitive you end up categorising a vast number of the population who take the questionnaire. "Does your heart ever beat very fast?" Out of context, the answer's yes - in our heads, we're thinking, 'When I play badminton, or I've just had a bad fright'. It doesn't mean we have cardiac abnormalities.

If the questions lack specificity, then vast numbers are labelled without any discriminating feature that marks out those who might genuinely give cause for concern. (It's why large scale testing/screening will end up generating a huge absolute number of false +ves, even if the specificity is allegedly 90% or more.)

Plus, much depends on the population. There aren't lots of non-dieting people or those without some recent/current history of overweight/obesity who are taking that test would be my guess. So, as above, lots of people fall into broad categories without the means to differentiate them.

..However, I think it's very difficult for people in weight loss mode to answer those questions in a way that isn't going to rack up the points..

I wondered that @ssure.

Not sure of the validity of the test. 65% of people who took it were at the severe binge eating disorder end

Another good point, @Rawkaren.

I can't see anywhere that tells me who this has been created by. Is it by a professional? As far as I can see it might as well be a 'Jackie' magazine quiz. The questions are ridiculous

The voice of sanity and reason, @Wendy darling.

the premise is that you should eat the same number of calories every day, you should eat 3 meals a day, you should not skip meals, you should not snack in the evenings, you should feel hungry in the morning. I question all this

Thank you, @Barbarita. I am seeing sence again!

I am so sorry for posting such crap here. Can I blame it on the full super moon? I must be quite literally looney!