The FastDay Forum

So, I was all set to fast today - meals all planned and a busy afternoon organised to stop me being distracted by food but I have just eaten the following:
Large handful dried fruit; cheese ham and pickle sandwich; half a big bag of grainwaves, a huge glass of milk and 4 date and chocolate balls.......
I know I can fast tomorrow instead but what I just did was soooo unnecessary. People have just started noticing that I have lost some weight and I was feeling great but it is as if I have some deep psychological need to sabotage myself. Does anyone else feel this way?

Full up and fed up.

Yes and it's called being human. You may have food allergies that keep you craving the foods you love and that's what makes you weak and give in....not entirely your fault. Like you said, tomorrow is another day and you can fast then...good luck, I know you'll do well...

Been there, my friend!
Willpower is such an elusive creature to me, I often have to really almost get angry with myself - "No! You are NOT going to eat that!!" - because I think, oh it's ok I can fast tomorrow.
I don't know what advice to offer other than just saying "NO!" to yourself when you reach for the food.
It's difficult sometimes for a variety of reasons, just try to think, "It's ok, I'll have it tomorrow."
Good luck for tomorrow if you're having another go. Stay strong!!

Yes, I know that one, and not just from eating. There's your brain not agreeing with your losing weight, and doing all kinds of sneaky things to sabotage you like telling you you "want" or "need" this stuff to be happy or less anxious. Maybe there is also the "moral licensing effect" at work - you have been "good", lost weight and made plans for today - your brain tells you that you therefore can relax, and that you "deserve a treat". Kerry McGonigal (not sure about spelling) has something about that on YouTube and her book about willpower (including tips on how to deal with it).
Be kind to yourself, it's human, you are not the only one! Next time you will maybe be a bit more prepared for this effect. If you manage to stop and concentrate on your thoughts and feelings of "wanting/needing", there is a good chance that it may pass. Another thing McGonigal advises, is intentionally doing this thing that you want, but paying close attention to how it actually makes you feel. Does it actually taste as good as you imagined? Does it make you feel happy?

Good luck, you have the rest of your life to do this. A couple of misses are part of the journey.

Hi Pilchards, if I knew the answer to that question I could make a huge amount of money All I know is it's very common.
As mad as it sounds I think it's to do with a part of me/us not wanting to change, not wanting to be noticed for anything but our real selves fat or not.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Just having written on here what I ate was really helpful as in the past I would have just binged secretly.
And in the words of Scarlet O'Hara "tomorrow is another day."

[carorees]

Just to add a couple of thoughts to the excellent advice given above, I have been reading about the changes that occur in our bodies and minds with weight loss. As you know, the body tries to prevent weight going below a certain 'set point' which may or may not be able to be changed. When you get near the set point many changes occur to try to encourage weight gain, these include greater hunger and increased desirability of fattening foods. I am fairly sure that this is why some people struggle with fasting whereas others do not. We don't know what our body's set point is, but when we get near it I think it becomes obvious by this desire to binge/break the fast/eat junk. So don't be too hard on yourself about your lack of willpower...it has been affected by the weight loss. Some say that sugary/fatty foods themselves are addictive and it is true that we are programmed to like them because for hunter gatherers such foods are rare and important.

So, anyway, what to do about it? I think it is best to try to consolidate your losses for a little while so perhaps eat more on feed days to see if that helps fast day cravings. Attempt to make the feed days nutritious but enjoy some treats as well. Don't worry if you don't lose weight for a week or three, after all if you can just maintain your current weight loss that is a great improvement over before you started. I think that you will find your appetite on feed days stabilizing and the fast days getting easier and then you will start to lose weight again.

You do have a psychological need to sabotage yourself, yes, but it is the same for everyone and shows that you have just run up against the biological mechanisms that are in place to stop us from starving! Don't take it personally

Why are you beating yourself up about an isolated incident (or three, four, more)? You have lost nearly 4kg in four weeks, which is fantastic!

I wonder if this may be a part of your "I've started, so I'll continue (eating)!" problem? Have you been allowing yourself to eat the foods you just binged on, on your non-fasting days, or have they been put on your 'forbidden fruits' list? If this is the case, they then become much more desirable and are the foods you will turn to when 'the munchies' start.

You haven't caused permanent damage to your weight loss and what you did was what many of us have done on more than a few occasions. So, what to do about it?

You could continue eating excessively for the remainder of the day and make yourself feel even worse. You could exclaim loudly that this 5:2 WOE is rubbish and give up entirely! You could settle for a fairly low cal dinner this evening to help counteract what you have already eaten. You could count up the number of calories in what you have eaten and realise that this isn't the end of the world. You could put it behind you and fast tomorrow. Only you know which of these will be your choice on this occasion and, as you said in your second post, at least you are aware of what you have done and feel better for acknowledging it.

You have lots of support available in this forum and good luck with whatever choices you make!

Dear Pilchards,

I did the exact same thing last week, but I wasn't as honest as you've been, your post has really inspired me to be more honest if I do 'give up' on a fast day. So lovely to read all the wonderful supportive comments on this thread. Don't beat yourself up, try again another day. And remember that you are definitely not alone in sometimes mucking up fasting days! Now, I focus on how great I'm going to feel when I do manage a fast day, and give myself a pat on the back for all the days I have been successful.

Good luck!

Hi All,

I am new to this and today is to be my first day. I have set it up in my mind to try to actually make myself "like" the feeling of going hungry all day because it will be burning away some of this weight I have accumulated over the past 4 years. I have about 20 pounds I'd like to lose but am unsure of what everyone else does on these fast days. I was thinking of only having a grapefruit if it becomes unbearable during the day and then eating a protein packed little bit for my dinner tonight. Beans and veggies perhaps? Does anyone have any great ways dinner ideas? I can't wait to get started feeling better about myself!

~jjmay~

As I've mentioned on another couple of posts today I feel as bad as you do! I've gained 2lbs this week despite being "good" and fasting x2 500 cal days last week. So disheartening. Today was fasting then Cadbury's creme eggs begged me to buy then (2 for £1 - disaster!). That led to me eating both, then salad for lunch. Then trip to supermarket and saw those new Werther's fudge so told myself another 450 cals wouldn't kill me just this time! Then I had few of kids mini eggs so even though dinner tonight is relatively low fat and prob only about 400 cals - I've totally scuppered today. Am unsure if reasons are anything to do with what carorees says but like you I've found writing down and admitting failure is helpful.

I was supposed to do a fast day yesterday and by 7pm I'd only had 400 calories. However by 7.30 I'd eaten a tin of spaghetti and three bowls of porridge - I was just on an eating binge! Still, got back on the wagon and I'm here today, successfully fasting and determined to see the day out. Keep on keeping on - it's not over till the fat lady sings and I haven't started singing yet!

Well done to everyone who has faced their 'failures', put them behind them and moved on. None of us are perfect, that is why most of us are using 5:2, so cut yourselves some slack and enjoy your food. If you eat too much, it is only going to slow your weight loss down slightly - just don't let yourselves give up!

I saw a good tip somewhere on here to help avoid binges (although I accept that sometimes only a binge will do!. It said when you feel a binge coming on - wait twenty minutes before you eat and, in the meantime have a non-alcoholic drink. If after that time you still want to eat it, then do so but in a controlled way, savouring and enjoying every molecule of it. Then wait twenty minutes before you eat the next thing. Keep repeating this for as long as you need!

I believe the theory behind it is that it takes twenty minutes for your body to register any food intake, so you may be eating even when your body doesn't need it. Also hunger pangs do pass, as you all will know from fasting, so that may also give you time to reflect on whether you need that food,or not.

jjMay - there are recipes on this forum and loads online. The Hairy Dieters Cookbook seems to be heavily recommended. I have no recipes to offer, I'm afraid. as I don't use them. I just throw a variety of things into a pan and season to taste!

Wow, I am glad to hear that others out there sometimes 'sabotage' their fast days - I thought I was the only one, and was feeling super guilty and terrible about it. Thanks for the boost! I'm going to have a real 500 cal day on Thursday (not a cheater one like usual!)

Had a really good 500 day yesterday so back on track. It really helps to be able to come to the confessional here and share our experiences both good and bad!