The FastDay Forum

I binged on Thurs and Fri (chocolate bars/packs of sweets in the evenings etc) then i fasted yesterday totaling between 500-550 cals.

Today, i woke up and didnt feel hungry so thought i'd fast again today. It got to around 2:30pm and i started feeling hungry so had a yogurt then that splurged out of control and i totally lost it and eat everything in sight - i mean everything - cold sausages, yogurts, magnum, 3 club bars, bag of liqorice, 3 bowls of oats-so-simple with a load of honey in and jam, 2 hot chocolates, bag of hula hoops, bag of mini cheddars, whole cake (yes a whole cake loaf) .... i've probably missed something off the list! I stopped at around 4:30pm as i felt so sick...i actually had to sit next to the loo as i felt that sick and even now i still feel sick and am in bed lying down.

I now obviously feel upset with myself, i dont know why i do it and wonder if i have a problem? It is not just as easy as saying 'get a grip, don't do it' .... i cant help it! I am at my worst when in the house on my own which i was earlier. I do binge sometimes but i think this is the WORST EVER.

I was so pleased this morning when i stepped on the scales and i'd lost 3 Ibs from my fast yesterday and my stomach was way flatter and now i know that when i get on the scales in the morning i will be 1/2 stone plus what i was this morning.

I've tried to walk to work in the mornings totally 6.2 miles altogether but what's the point if all i'm going to do is binge! Why do i do it ...!!

Sorry, just needed to talk...

We all go off the deep end and binge every now and then, and then feel guilty. The thing is though, is to draw a line underneath, recognise it was a blip and start afresh tomorrow. I would advise not to get on the scales tomorrow as it will deflate when you see the numbers on your scales have risen. When I see mine have risen I always seem to go off and binge again because I think "what's the point". Sound familiar?? But the point is a long term, healthy lifestyle.
Get a good nights sleep and wake up tomorrow with a new 'can do' attitude. YOU CAN DO. Don't let that little devil on your shoulder beat you.

I agree with the previous comment!!
DONT get on the scales in the morning, just have 2 more fast days this week and then get in on them xxxx

would you fast tomorrow? and still walk to and from work? (6.2 miles in total) how do you guys cope at lunch time during work?

[wildmissus]

Wow, I really admire you for being so honest. I've done all that before and been sick but never admitted to it. Looking back I had to sabotage any good to prove that there wasn't any point to doing something good to myself because I wasn't good. I was brought up on fear - my father told me that he and my mother 'chose' to bring us up on fear! Needless to say positivity and praise were not a part of my childhood. It look me until I was in my early 40's, just a few years ago, to actually take control of me and the person I am and I am a good person who deserves good things.

You are also good and want to do good for yourself. The little changes you are making will take time but you need to take full responsibility for yourself. Ok you didn't do good today, accept that, but you can change that tomorrow. How long have you been 5:2ing? Once you've been doing it for 4/6 weeks you'll feel more in control and not just of food. This is a really empowering feeling. Keep going, forget today because it's done, you can't change it. Good luck.

PS. I lost 4lbs last week and grazed all day on cake and chocolate today and don't feel great. Tomorrow I'll be fine but I'll wait until next week to weigh myself so as not to disappoint.

I'm guessing that the yoghurt which started the trouble was sweetened? Those simple carbs are the villains! When you feel those under pangs try to stick to sugar-free liquids or food with low GL.

[wildmissus]

If you were planning a fast tomorrow then just do it. Yes walk to work. I also walk to work which is just under a mile so at lunch time I walk home and then back to work. If I was in my previous job I think I'd get out for a while and come back in and have a cup a soup so that it made me look like that was all I had time for. Currently I don't eat until tea time.

Perhaps planning something a head of time would help with fast days. I know first-hand that when I don't plan ahead I tend to become peckish, i.e. I eat a little bit of this and a little bit of that which then eventually leads to a normal eating day.

If your prone to feeling hunger often, spread out your 500 in 2-3 mini meals.

Also since it seems like you did a fast yesterday, i think the consecutive fasting might have triggered a need for feeding and you just went with it. No harm in that, you've learned something, and tomorrow's another day...just don't beat yourself up hun!

Lastly if it might help, you should keep high calorie/sugary foods to a minimum to avoid scenarios like this, particularly if they happen often.

Good luck!

The short answer is just start again. Reset, get your mind in gear. The long answer is that you need to find the triggers for your behaviour and do something to distract yourself when it happens again. I'm no expert but I have recognised such moments in my life. It used to be getting in the car to drive home after a day at work, usually a stressful day. Well I work from home now so that one is gone. Another danger time would be when everyone goes out and I'm alone in the house. Recognising these times helps to tame them. Love yourself, you can beat this and be in control.Keep posting and we will all support you.

[carorees]

I agree that trying to do a second unplanned fast was a mistake. Because it wasn't planned once you had some "forbidden" food it opened the floodgates. I think you have to have the right mindset at the start and plan your fasts in advance. Then next day you know you will be eating normally so your body recovers with normal food.

Like others have said, put it behind you. I would plan what days next week you are going to fast and stick to them and stick to the normal eating days too!

Thanks for the lovely supportive replies. My tummy is so bloated and i have a major headache but today i am fasting so currently sat with my peppermint tea and have packed some for lunch time which i think will be the hardest when at work.

I'm going to fast until tomorrow morning to try and weigh out yesterday!

Nothing else to add to all the other comments on here jackdaniels, but I recognise myself in what you've said in your original post (I admire your true honesty). About 1 year or so ago I never dreamt that I would have lost so much weight and so relatively easily, so please, please stick with 5:2 - once that weight starts to come off, slowly but surely, hopefully that'll spur you on and give you more strength to resit your binge sessions. There's so much support on this forum - I truly wish you well. Let us know how this week goes.

That was me last Monday but I took heed of all the support and good advice I received on here and just wrote it off as a bad day and got back on the horse the next day. I found it very cathartic "confessing" on here as previously I have been a secret binger. I hope you stick with it and gain comfort in the knowledge that you are not alone.

Thanks for the lovely supportive replies. My tummy is so bloated and i have a major headache but today i am fasting so currently sat with my peppermint tea and have packed some for lunch time which i think will be the hardest when at work.

I'm going to fast until tomorrow morning to try and weigh out yesterday!

Bless your heart! It's the cycle of binge/fast/binge that's defeating you, in my opinion. You say in your first post - "I binged on Thurs and Fri (chocolate bars/packs of sweets in the evenings etc) then i fasted yesterday totaling between 500-550 cals." You were so pleased with yourself for having fasted that you decided (subconciously - that little demon!) you deserved a reward for being so good, in direct contradiction to your stated intention (fasting again) and it set you off into a full blown binge.

And now, today, you feel awful physically and psychologically and are gritting your teeth to get through another fast day. This is the classic reward/punishment/reward scenario and it's so painful.

The key to changing faulty behaviour is to understand it, to watch it and observe the patterns that appear (there are always patterns). Use yourself as a scientific laboratory - recognise what you are doing and therein lies the key to overcoming it. Don't despair or blame yourself - that's counter-productive and just reinforces the reward/punishment cycle. Simply acknowledge what has happened, make a note of the steps leading up to it and realise you need a different mental approach to enable you to be successful in changing your eating habits.

Preparation is key if you have a tendency to binge. Don't fast on impulse - plan everything, like a military campaign - what you're going to eat, when you're going to eat it etc., whether you will walk to work - plan everything for your fast day down to the smallest detail, and also factor in any binge triggers that are likely to occur on your fast day, e.g. home alone, going food shopping etc. (I never go food shopping now on a fast day - had a really bad experience in Asda car park, out of control!). Don't worry about non-fast days, let them take care of themselves, allow yourself rewards and treats on those days, but commit to controlling your eat for two days a week - 500 calories - and stick to it. Give yourself realistic goals. Don't weigh yourself for at least a month, is my advice. In six weeks this new way of eating will have become habitual and you can take a look, again, at your progress.

You may still fall off the wagon - we all do - you are human and real life intervenes in all things, upsetting the best laid plans. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and start all over again. Above all else, be kind to yourself.

Good luck on your journey, because that's what life is - a journey. xx

[carorees]

Listen to what Marl says...she has the qualifications!