The FastDay Forum

Are there any other Vegans/Vegetarians experimenting with 5:2 on this site? I'm Vegan with the sole exception that I eat a small amount of honey.

As I'm interested in the potential health gains of the IF way of life, I've been fasting for 24 hours (without any kCalorie intake apart from the minuscule amount there may be in, say, black coffee and similar drinks) twice every week since early January.

The possible health benefits are difficult to measure without professional help, but I'm finding this system very easy to follow. My one small worry is that I'm not getting enough B12, as I'm now only taking my "daily" B12 supplement on five days out of seven.

I'd be interested in hearing how other Vegans/Vegetarians are finding IF, and whether they have encountered any particular challenges.

[janeg]

Hello Phoenix, there are a number of veggis and vegans on the board. I believe Breadandwine is veggie or perhaps vegan and kindly shares recipes and tips regularly.
I've been 5:2ing seriously since January and had a spell October/November last year. I'm veggie. I find it very easy, it fits in with my lifestyle and I really don't think I'm depriving myself of any nutrients. If anything, and this seems to be quite common, I'm even more aware of the type of food I'm eating as well as the quantities. Better quality, a need for more veg, desire for unprocessed and unadulterated food etc.
This WOE seems to do something to us to make us more mindful of what and how we eat. Has to be a good thing!
No doubt the veggie/vegans on the forum can help with their experiences too and share anything helpful.
Is there any reason why you don't take your B12 supplement on a fast day?

[carorees]

Hi Phoenix
Have a look at this thread, viewtopic.php?f=6&t=515&view=unread#unread I'm sure you will find it interesting
Pat

I'm veggie too and not finding the choices that limiting. The diet certainly advocates lots of veg!

janeg, thanks for that information - and I do agree that IF seems to help (at least some) people to focus on just exactly what they ARE eating on non-fast days! I've been not taking my B12 supplement on fast days because I don't eat anything during each 24-hour fast, I just take calorie-free (or effectively calorie-free) drinks such as water with a squeeze of orange in it. I can't quite get my head around a 'fast day' which includes 500-600 kCalories, especially as the as-yet-unconfirmed benefits of 'cell repair' are thought to cut in only after 16 hours - it seems to me that consuming 500+ kCalories might prevent the 'cell repair' work. I guess we'll have to wait and see the eventual research on that one. And meanwhile I might have to start taking 1½ B12 tablets on non-fast days, or something!

pat76 (and carorees), thank you for the link to another thread, which I hadn't found (I guess it must have slipped off the front page). It's good to know there are a number of vegans/vegetarians trying 5:2 and its many variations.

RooRoo, I couldn't agree more. A great many non-veggies on 5:2 seem to be discovering almost by accident how filling and low-calorie many vegetables are! Isn't that great?

Hi there, I am vegan and coeliac. I am finding this a excellent way to lose weight. I work out at the gym most days and have done for many years, so have been healthy and fit but overweight. have been vegan for 10 months after a lifetime of being vegetarian, since age 14. We eat no rubbish at all and have fresh vege juice every morning and i could not shift the extra 15 or so kilos I was carrying since the coeliac health crisis i had a few years ago, until the 5:2 came along. Once I get to my goal weight (about another 10 kg to go) i might consider doing a proper full fast one day a week, as I agree i think the cell repair benefits may be better that way. But at the moment my main priority is to shift the other kilos. I feel great on fast days. I work full time at a stressful management job mostly desk bound, but. I find I can work really well and work hard in a gym class on fast days, no problem.
Good luck with it everyone!
Elayne

Hi Phoenix,
Eat mostly vegan (am macrobiotic). Continue a swimming program even on fasting days (1 each week with 500 cal and 1 with teas/coffee only). Haven't experienced any problems. Get my B12 from tempeh, miso and fermented foods. Always looking for new, tasty recipes.

I've found a few places with veggie food on the internet that's 5:2 friendly. I love the tinned tomatoes blog.

I've also been inspired to start up my own and plan to include a mix of recipes for feast and fast days. Only 3 so far but it's growing.

I've been tinkering with the settings (and learning a lot) for the last week and a half and would love some feedback on it either as a comment on the blog or a reply here.

http://bigcooktinykitchen.blogspot.co.uk/

You're body stores up B12. As long as you have enough in stores and get enough on your feed days, it shouldn't be a problem.

I'm a vegetarian of about 20years and loving this WoE. I find the fasting itself pretty easy although I do eat up to 500kCals on those days. For protein on a fast day, I eat beans...usually in a soup...and they fill me up.

You might consider getting a blood test for your B12 and repeat it about once a year (or as often as your physician recommends it) that way you can see the long term trend. It can take years and years for B12 deficiency to become apparent so a yearly test will keep an eye on things for you.