The FastDay Forum

Hello,

It was my first fast day today and I use the website of FitBit (www.fitbit.com) to track my calories.
I had 3 "meals" and the main thing I focused on was staying under the 500 kcal.
Now I noticed that I had a lot of carbs.

Calories = 496
Daily Calorie Composition: 71% from carbs, 13% from fat and 16% from protein.

Is this ok or should I try to get more fat and/or protein?

Thanks

Sandy

Carbs are usually big calorie hitters - I find keeping them low on fast days is a big help.

There's a debate about getting too much protein on a fast day - try to keep it under 50g (that's pretty easy when you're working with only 500 calories!)

Fat will be another one that is easy to mount up calories with - BUT, good fats are essential for good health, so it can be counter-productive to go for a low-fat approach.

For your first fast - if you stayed under 500, well done!

Hi Sandy,
You can spend your cals on what you like, a lot of people on here find a load of veggies & a little protein keep the hunger pangs at bay better than carbohydrates but its a matter of personal preference as long as you keep within your 500 limit then that's okay.

Well done on getting through your 1st fast.

[carorees]

Just worked out my fast day balance for yesterday:
16g of fat = 150 cals
32g of carbs = 130 cal
36g of protein = 150 cal
(approximate values as I don't use mfp)
So roughly a third from each.

We think that protein should be kept down to around 60g on fast days to gain a reduction in IGF1 and hopefully a reduced risk of cancer. How much protein should be eaten on fast days is uncertain. Big debate about this though in the nerdy stuff section!

16g of fat = 150 cals
32g of carbs = 130 cal
36g of protein = 150 cal
(approximate values as I don't use mfp)
So roughly a third from each.

A balanced diet then

Calories = 496
Daily Calorie Composition: 71% from carbs, 13% from fat and 16% from protein.

16% protein is pretty close to that used in several clinical studies of fasting, so it's hard to argue with that.

I doubt 7g of fat is giving you all you need, so I would try to get that up a bit at the expense of carbs to ensure you have the omega-3s and the like.