The FastDay Forum

How are you doing your fast day? Three small meals, two medium or one bigger? If you work at cutting the carbs it will get easier. Same with sugar. I started on three small meals as always convinced I could not last more than three hours without food. Had a carb breakfast, carbs with lunch and dinner. Now I have one meal around 7pm which works. Yes I have periods in the day of hunger but it goes. I drink water, coffee and at lunchtime have a hot oxo drink which is enough. This will be my third all day fast and although hungry today I know I can manage without food. I will not faint or have blood sugar problems. Yes I will be hungry but will look forward to a tasty home cooked meal this evening. Then tomorrow I will eat whatever I want! It has to be your decision to do this or not but it is a journey that becomes familiar and therefore easier as you go.

Dear Izzy, I think that you may be over-thinking your whole approach to your diet. I have re-read your posts over the last few weeks and understand that you are on steroids, which you feel are responsible for your craving for carbs. I don't know if there is any basis for this, scientifically, but if there is, then it is still not insurmountable.

It seems that you already have a healthy diet but if you enjoy carbs, then why not have them? If you are trying to cut them out, then it is not surprising that they then become the object of your heart's desire!

Could I suggest that you limit the number of high carb foods that you have in the house - just for a few weeks? (I had to exclude chocolate, cake and biscuits for four weeks because I couldn't resist them, although they are back now) That would mean that you couldn't 'fill your face with them'. At the same time, build into your diet a limited amount of your favourite carbs, every day, so that you don't feel deprived. After all this WOE is not about deprivation; it's about listening to your body.

I hope this is helpful to you. However, if you genuinely feel that this is not the right time for you, then I hope that your health improves and that you feel up to trying again at some time in the future.

Hi izzy...first big hug xxxxx
Im not sure of your health probs...but I know if you are struggling with health a 'diet' can seem just another burden?
Im struggling with my health at the moment and to top it all had major knee surgery last Oct (still on crutches) cannt exercise and waiting for hip surgery...If I was a horse Im sure someone would have put me done!! lol
My prob after smashing my knee was comfort eating...oh poor me syndrome!...Im now on week 6 of 5:2 and averaging 1 1/2 lbs loss per week...which for me is great...If not for 5:2 I would still be piling it on!!
I know its hard...Im not a the stage of looking forward to my fast days...dont think I ever will be...but I know I will survive them and they are getting easier...
On a practical side....could you start my upping your cals slightly on a fast day say to 600? just for a few fasts? Your weight loss mightened be as quick...but it might ease you into it?
Have you support at home?...
when you feel like going for the carbs at night could you have a hot bath and an early night instead?
Ill health can be so depressing and my heart lurched when you wrote'or maybe I'm just a waste of space'...you soooo are not!!!
My ill health(my smashed knee was just the icing on the cake!) was pulling me down too...constant pain and high meds...but being over weight was not helping me on any front...5:2 has helped me gain control of a part of it!
Please Izzy try and stay positive...and no matter wot you decide.. best of luck xxxxxx

[carorees]

Hi izzy

You are definitely NOT "a waste of space"! If you are keen to carry on with the idea of fasting then I think you can certainly allow yourself more calories. If you find going all day without anything relatively easy, then I'd say why not adopt the 24hour fast idea where you eat nothing from after dinner the night before until dinner on your fast day and then allow yourself a good dinner of maybe 700 cals or even more if you find it necessary. Include some carbs with your evening meal too (but not sugar of course). I think that you will either keep steady or even lose weight doing this and the extra cals will help prevent evening cravings. Having a normal-sized dinner will allow you to sleep at night. I think that this way you will prevent further weight gain due to the steroids and possibly even reverse it. Plus you will get the benefits of improved glucose responsiveness from fasting. Then, when/if you feel ready you can reduce the fast day calories.

You are not on your own, we are all here for you. Feel free to pm me if you like!

Hi Izzy,
I was so sad reading this post. You are so brilliant at encouraging everyone else and your posts always make me smile, (even the gentle kick up the backside you gave me about the treadmill )
I just hope we can offer some of that support back to you at a time when you're, not surprisingly, really struggling.
Caroline, as always gives brilliant advice, so definitely worth trying to follow that if you can.
All I would say is, don't be too hard on yourself, we all struggle even without having the health and steroid issues that you're having to deal with. I take my hat off to you for even starting this WOE.
Perhaps, if you can't face the actual diet right now, you could still just 'hang around' the forum and keep up to date with everything, until you do feel like getting back into it. Maybe when the weather warms up a little, it will be a bit easier too, as I definitely crave more carbs in the winter.
I do hope you'll stick around Izzy, I for one will definitely miss you if you don't.
Evie x

Hi Izzy - before I started this date - I had rapidly gained weight due to various medications and menopause after hysterectomy. I had got to the point where I was eating through the night as well as the day... In fact some nights I ate as many calories through the night as I did during the day! Mainly galaxy and sometimes crisps!! Since starting this - that has stopped! You can imagine the difference it has made. My fast days so far have been around 6-700 calories rather than the 500 suggested but it is working for me, it is manageable and I have lost 12lbs so it is definitely working... Don't obsess on the number, just try to go with the principle of 5 days normal eating (not diet restricted but normal eating) and 2 restricted days...

Best of luck whatever you decide!

My first fasting day was brilliant, and went without a hitch, but it's gone down hill since. I just can't get to the end of the day without filling my face full of carbs. I'm putting it down to the steroids, or maybe I'm just a waste of space, so I'm going to admit defeat for now. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. When I come off the steroids, whenever that might be, I'll try again. All I'm doing is stressing constantly about food. I really wanted to be able to do this. Just feel so cheesed off with it all.

Best of luck to everyone.

If you are on steroids, any type of diet is going to be really tough. I'm sorry it's been so hard for you. Hope you get off those steroids asap.

Hi Izzy - hope you find a strategy that works for you... Let us know how you get on

Hiya!
2 things:
1. I don't know which kind of steroids you're on but if it's cortisone then it increases your appetite in general but you should not overdo it with carbs.
2. I have a very sensitive stomach. Medication in the past put me in a very bad trip of not digesting anything but porridge and rice. I've done a long way since but I still have to listen to my stomach before I listen to any diet. So I do the 500 calories fasts and eat mainly carbs. I know that it might not be right but that's the only way for me to do it. I tried to eat fruit for lunch today and my stomach is still protesting. I now regret it because I knew that I shouldn't do it and yet I tried it for no serious reason. I also do at least 3 meals on my fasting days. Many people do one, I know that I won't make it no matter what.
What I'm trying to say is that this WOL is so easy that it adjusts in your WOL and it doesn't expect you to change all your habits and/or risk your health like many diets do.
If you can stay within the 500 calories and eat just carbs, IMO, it's better to do that than not do it at all.

TML - yes, it's prednisolone, which is the same type of steroid as cortisone, I think. Thankfully my stomach lets me eat anything, but the steroids just make me crave carbs, and I've gained so much weight. How are you getting on with your fasting?

When I read your post, I immediately thought prednisone. It is a horrible, horrible drug. Weight gain is a common, almost unavoidable side effect. I don't know how you could be successful on any diet while taking that drug.

I don't like that drug at all. Please do a lot of research on the drug, and hopefully get off it as soon as possible. You will never tackle your weight problem while taking that drug.