The FastDay Forum

Does anyone else do the thing:
Lying in bed in the morning and think "it's a fast day, it's going to be great, I love this lifestyle"
In the shower "I'm feeling kind of hungry already. Maybe I won't fast today. No, I must fast today and Wednesday as I have plans on the other days!!"
In the car on the way to work "Yep, I'm going to do it, I'm going to fast today! It's going to be awesome. I'll lose at least half a pound this week if I stick to two solid fasts!"
In the work cafeteria buying black coffee "I could just have a boiled egg. Usually I don't do breakfast when fasting but it won't hurt! No, I won't, that's 90 less calories to have later today."
In my office drinking coffee "Ok, this is good, I feel a lot less hungry with the coffee. I'm going to do this!!!"
20 minutes later "I'm hungry. I feel like giving up today."

And on it goes.... still going strong here in Seattle but it's only 8;26 and I've only been at work for an hour and a half!!!

[carieoates]

You know what it's like that for most of us but I find that planning my foods for the whole day ahead of time helps no end. This makes my mind rest with regards to food. Every half day you manage to not go bonkers eating is a bonus.

Yes! That sounds pretty darn familiar to me! I love your description of waxing and waning! I find that exhausting but it happens quite a lot!
But like @carieoates says..every time we ' wax' rather than 'wane' is a bonus for our health and weight...Even half days help! X

Well, I've made it to 12:30! I'm having a lovely "farmers market vegetable soup" which is delicious and I think under 200 calories. Lo-cal sausages for dinner (320 calories). Hot bath and early to bed!!

Hey, @smallerrose, I'm also in Seattle! Normally, I don't go through that sort of back and forth, but only because I've "killed the alternative"--I just have light days on Mon/Thurs, no ifs, ands, or buts! (I did on one day, mostly because I wasn't feeling well...but realized that eating wouldn't make me feel better--and if I did eat, I'd just have to do a light day on Tuesday--so I stuck it out.) I've been doing 5.2 for over a year and a half now, and have only changed my days a few times; I really don't like changing days, as it makes it tougher to keep the commitment without the sort of waffling you describe. I've found that sticking with my normal light day pattern helps a lot, as does planning meals ahead of time; not a good idea to let my Hunger Monster make choices for me at dinner time! Planning on MFP keeps me honest. Another funny little thing I do is I have a small journal, just for light days, and I write: "Mon Nov 2, Light day #159" (for today) across the top of the page. I then record what I ate when (doesn't have to be all details; once I determine the cals of say, a salad, I'll write "salad 150 cals"; I also keep track of remaining cals for the day). When I first started 5.2, I did eat earlier in the day, but as I went along, I started making it a game to see how long I could go. I can now tell the difference between hunger pangs that are manageable and ignorable, and those that will lead to weakness and "hangriness."

My usual pattern on a light day:
First thing: cup black coffee
Next: pot of plain green tea
Optional: 2pmish, glass of water with fiber mixed in
4pmish: cup of veggie broth, tiny blob of coconut oil
After work (6pmish): one of the following:
Small salad
Hardboiled or poached egg
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt with fresh fruit
Dinner (9-10 pmish; I'm a night owl and always eat late)
Depends....currently liking Trader Joe's split pea soup (100 cals for a cup, very filling)
Stir fries, blanched broccoli...Beyond Meat strips (I'm vegetarian)
I used to save cals for a frozen yogurt treat, but lately I've been plateaued and am eschewing sugar on light days. (I don't ever do artificial sweeteners; no sacrifice, they taste bad to me)

@smallerrose - if you want to try something different you could have a go at low-carbing......

You don't need to worry so much about calories and I've found it has suppressed my appetite so life is easier in general!

[wildmissus]

@smallerrose, love it, your self talk is very similar to mine. I've got a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other and that big beast of a devil has been dominant for such a long time but just recently my 'voice of reason' angel has woken up and it's been reminding me that I won't get anywhere without a little bit of effort and a little bit of hardship twice a week and guess what....I've started losing weight again!

Must admit I have often started a fast day only to do it properly the following day so well done for persevering and completing your intended fast day. Quite often I'm doing really well and then I realise I'm not going to keep to 500 calories after all and so aim to keep under TDEE for that day, sleep on it and then I'm geared up to do the fast day properly.

Thanks all! I'm glad it's not just me! I have successful just completed my second fast day for the week...will weigh in tomorrow. It's only 615 pm here but I have to work on the nursing floor at the hospital until 9 and won't be able to eat and then plan to hit the sack as soon as I get home

@smallerrose, I don't start the day that way, because I'm like ferratgal. I usually stick to the agreed day. Now it's Monday and Wednesday, but it's been Monday/Thursday for years, literally! But about 3pm I start to have break outs: I'll just have ...... and there's no discussion, there's no time for the angel voice of reason, before I know it that biscuit, piece of chocolate what ever, has passed my lips. I need a plan for that time slot. Having miso soup around 1pm certainly helps, but I need, God Forbid, carrot sticks pre-prepared, or something like that. Lately I've been waking up with 'oh no, not another fast day! Boo! ' I'd love to get back that enthusiasm and Oh Good feeling. It's great to hear that @wildmissus, has started losing weight again. That gives me hope. I am trying to tighten up and did well this week. Summer is easier. And I'm walking. So here's hoping. If I lost some weight, I think I'd feel more enthusiastic about going without breakfast.

Well, I'm down .8 pounds this week so it was worth the struggle I even cheated a tiny bit and had a small glass of wine when I got home last night (but was still under 600 calories for the day).

Does anyone know how to get my start day reset on my tracker? I've messaged @moogie twice and she hasn't responded?