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Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:41
I'm wrapping up the end of my fast day, but I am really hungry!!! I keep fantasizing about food and imagining what it is going to be like to eat again.

Today I made it till 5 o'clock before having a small meal. I had six egg whites scrambled (100 calories) and a salad of tossed greens (spinach and lettuce) with two sliced radishes and three cherry tomatoes and a smidge of low-cal dressing. (What is that? Maybe 100 calories?)

That is all I ate for the entire day! It took away some of my light headedness but did nothing to relieve the hunger.

Sometimes I hardly see the point in eating anything at all on fast days.

But today is particularly tough. Will this ever get any easier? Help!
Re: Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:44
That doesn't sound like 500 calories. . are you done for the day?
Re: Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:46
Yes, I am done for the day. Maybe I am not eating enough.
Re: Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:52
Hi Rufus

Yes it gets much easier. I found the first fast really hard, but it quickly improved.

I have to say that it sounds like you could have had more for dinner?

I usually have nothing until around 6.30-7.30 when I will have a small portion of, say, salmon steak (about 120g) baked with either stir fried or oven roasted veg. I'll have maybe half a red onion, quarter of a fennel bulb, a small carrot, a stick of celery, half a courgette, some cherry tomatoes, a little broccoli and a few peas, stir fried in a tsp oil with a tsp soy sauce and a squeeze lemon juice. It makes a huge plateful, I can't always finish it all. Comes in at around 450 cals. I don't feel hungry again until late next morning.
Re: Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:53
You could have a small glass of milk to help you sleep now...
Re: Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:55
Rufus that's way under the 500 calories allowed. Try eating a bit more at dinner time. I found sparkling mineral water a big help. Some fast days are a breeze and some are horrendous and I'm ready to chew the leg off a table but I just focus on the fact that tomorrow I can eat.
Re: Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:57
Sleeping is not a problem. I sleep well on fast days. In fact, better than ever. But maybe if I eat more on fast days, they will be easier to tolerate. I will not eat more today but on Monday when I fast again, I will try eating a larger meal and see if that helps me any.

I think 500 calories is a lot for me to eat. 400 is probably more appropriate for my size. I am only 5'3" and about 119 pounds.
Re: Does it get any easier?
14 Mar 2013, 23:59
Yes, Wineoclock, I will try to eat more.

I don't know why I restrict myself so much. For some reason I fear over eating, so I under eat.
Re: Does it get any easier?
15 Mar 2013, 00:15
I agree with Carorees and Wineoclock. Why are you limiting yourself to such a low calorie fasting day? Like you I didn't eat anything all day but this evening I had a huge plateful of chopped vegetables (carrots, squash, celery, red pepper, leek, green beans, peas, sweetcorn, courgette), braised in water with a vegetable stock cube and a small amount of wholegrain rice. I then reduced the stock and stirred into it two raw eggs, (I have added prawns, chicken, fish etc on other occasions). By the time they had cooked through, I had a delicious meal ready to be enjoyed. Nearly five hours later, I am just thinking about going to bed and haven't felt hungry at all, although I am sipping a Cadbury's Options drink as I write because I fancied something sweet.

Do yourself a favour and make the most of your 500c allowance. This is supposed to be a long lasting WOE (Way Of Eating), not a sprint! There are no prizes for cutting back too hard on calories and you may find that if you do so, you will be tempted to overeat tomorrow. Alternatively, there is some anecdotal evidence on this forum that people who cut back their calories every day may have a good weight loss initially but then their body goes into 'starvation mode' and, thinking that it is in a famine situation, slows the metabolism right down, leading to a very slow loss - if any.

Forgive me if you are aware of all this but I think that this is a wonderful WOE and I really want everyone to gain the maximum benefit from it. I didn't want you to struggle with it and it seemed to me that a bit of advice would be helpful.

I have finished preaching to you now and wish you a very good night!
Re: Does it get any easier?
15 Mar 2013, 00:34
Are you doing 5/2 because I wonder if you shouldn't be on 6/1 because I can only dream about being 5'3 and only 119 pounds. I have a long way to go but this is the best thing I have ever found !
Re: Does it get any easier?
15 Mar 2013, 08:45
Dsmith30 wrote: Are you doing 5/2 because I wonder if you shouldn't be on 6/1 because I can only dream about being 5'3 and only 119 pounds. I have a long way to go but this is the best thing I have ever found !

How tall are you now then? :lol: I know fasting releases growth hormone but I doubt we'll get any taller! Of course, if you're 5'8" you could cut 5"off your legs and that would drop you a few lbs!
Sorry...couldn't resist!
Re: Does it get any easier?
15 Mar 2013, 10:30
Yes one of the groups that are on the "shouldn't be fasting" list are those who are already lean, which it sounds like you are. So why are you trying the 5:2 approach?
Re: Does it get any easier?
16 Mar 2013, 10:29
Rufus- your bmi is 21- and as I am the same height as you I can honestly say that at 119 lbs people become concerned I am becoming underweight. ( I am currently 125lbs and want to get to about 120 or 121, but even at 125 no-one would consider me overweight). Please reconsider why you are doing this and if you believe that it is absolutely necessary -then do 6:1 and eat 500 calories. If you ask Dr Mosley he will tell you this- if you look on this diets Facebook page -replies to someone who asks if they should go below 500 calories ( based on the same logic you are using) and he says definitely NO. No ifs ands or buts - 500 is the minimum for any female regardless of size or usual intake. Love love, Juliet :grin:
Re: Does it get any easier?
16 Mar 2013, 10:30
Sorry for my grammar and typos- using iPhone!
Re: Does it get any easier?
17 Mar 2013, 15:12
I can honestly say I get a little irritated when people give me a hard time for dieting.

Why am I doing this diet? Because I feel more comfortable when I weigh 115. Because I like to fit in my pants. Because I am not real fond of having a muffin top. Because my doctor told me I was gaining weight and to watch it. "Don't let it become a trend," he said.

Do I need to be 30 or 50 pounds overweight before I go on a diet? The reason I am relatively thin is because I am conscious of my weight and because I don't let it get too far. This PLUS fasting has health benefits for all people, and I am interested in those benefits as well. Dr. Mosley does 6:1 to maintain his weight, not to loose.

The 500 calories is an upper limit for woman. You should ideally take in ZERO to a MAX of 1/4 of your normal calories. The food you eat on a fasting day is basically to make the fasting easier. A complete water-fast is very difficult for most people and therefore, difficult to maintain.
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