The FastDay Forum

Hi All. Is anyone else out there trying to do this diet - with little children around?! Today is my fast day, and I have spent almost all day in the kitchen cooking, clearing up etc. i.e.. near food! It is SO difficult when surrounded by delicious smells and sounds that I do long to be working in an environment where a lot less distraction exists. My children love me cooking with them (hot cross buns today) and I certainly do not want to stop doing that. Ah well: character building etc!

Hiya!
Don't know how you do it but after 2 years I ate what my parents ate (and vice versa). Assuming that you are one of those who eat a big(ish) dinner on fasting days, why don't you cook the same thing for all your family? And perhaps add something that you shouldn't eat and they should?

Me, it's ok term time as they are out all day but it's hard when they are on holidays.
Term time I'm 5.2. Holidays it's 6.1. Can't manage any less in the hols, not enough patience.

I regularly cook and shop when I fast. Once I go into my fasting "zone," I'm not tempted by food. Admittedly, I may spend a lot on groceries (as part of my food fantasies), but I don't eat the food until the following day.

Do you snack during the day? How often do you eat when fasting? I only ask because snacking only turns on that hunger button and makes things worse.

I've got three little girls and fast all the same. It is hard. I just have to get through it. Last week I baked two birthday cakes on a fast day as well. Breakfast isn't too bad they eat, i dont. and then I tend to just make earlier lunch so I can join them and we all have dinner together even though mine is very different. I try to make simple meals for them, but have ended up drooling over cooking bratwurst and things. I just feel how much thinner my thighs are and use that for encouragement. Just remember, it is worth it, and you want to be a healthy example for your kids!

I've got 2 little ones too; today we made banana bread! I just think I'm a glutton for punishment!

The first day I did a fast with my oldest daughter around most of the day (she's 6) she kept offering me food! She's learnt quite quickly that on some days mummy isn't eating and rarely offers me anything now!

I'm a SAHM (1 yr old and 2yr old). It is hard having to prepare food for them. Sometimes I even find myself mid-prep sniffing a lump of cheese like some kind of cheese addict!

Also running around after toddlers is hard on a fast day, when I'm already feeling tired and irritable.

I also hope that 5:2 won't send disordered messages about food to my little ones. I have to keep reminding myself that it's western ways of eating that are disordered, not this WOE.

I have almost 3 yo twins and I find fasting 2 days a week very challenging. I try to plan my fasts for the 2 mornings a week when they are at preschool for 2 1/2 hours. Still it is hard to feed them snacks and meals when I'm not eating. I do eat dinner with them but by that point they have eaten several times. Last week, I actually skipped fasting because they were getting over a stomach virus and were not in good moods. Me being hungry and the boys being crabby did not sound like a smart idea! Today, I'm back at it. I think once a week for maintenance will be much more manageable for me.

I don't have little kids anymore but I food shop, cook and plan meals on fast days. That's all ok, what wasn't ok was my son making toast at 11.00 last night after I had fasted that day. Why does toast smell so good?

In the same boat! I have 4 and 2 year old boys who I'm educating at home, so they are with me 24/7! It can be hard cooking for them while fasting, just yesterday I was drooling while helping my younger one to eat his lunch.

One thing fasting days have made me realize is I was getting a substantial portion daily of calories from THEIR food! Nibbling bites here and there, finishing leftovers, etc. I thought I was being careful with my own diet before, but if you include what I ate from their plates, it really adds up and explains why the scale was slowly creeping up.

One benefit of having the kids around is that hopefully they will learn about healthier food choices from us at a young age. Even on non fast days, I'm trying to cut out the junk, eat more fruits and veggies, an ounce or two of almonds for snacks, drink more water, etc. They are aware of all of this, even if they're not eating exactly what I eat yet.

So hopefully the extra struggle for us will be beneficial for our little ones in the long run!

Also, there's no reason why we can't still cook with them-- but healthier choices too! Roasting spicy ginger almonds or whipping up a green smoothie can be just as fun for the kids as baking brownies (although we still do that, of course!)

Roasting spicy ginger almonds

Sounds delicious! Details please?

Yes! There is a food tv personality here named Alton Brown who lost a lot of weight and got in shape. He said he used to snack on these almonds instead of reaching for less healthy food and it helped kill the munchies. These are so tasty and I make them just spicy enough so that I don't overeat them. Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alto ... index.html

I don't have chipotle peppers, so I just add some cayenne pepper and chili powder in with the ginger and salt mixture. Yum and very filling.

It comes out to about 177 or so calories for one ounce (28 grams) of almonds (about 24 whole kernels). It seems like a lot but there is some evidence that the fat from almonds isn't completely digested, and, pardon the reference, comes out the other end. . . Also, almonds swell in the stomach, contributing to a feeling of satiety. I usually won't have more than 1-2 ounces of almonds in one day.

One benefit of having the kids around is that hopefully they will learn about healthier food choices from us at a young age.

Question: How do you explain fasting to very young children?

I don't. Mine don't even notice I haven't eaten as I eat with my husband and always have unless it's the weekend where we eat together but I never fast at the weekend.

When they have tea I just sit and have a cuppa with them.

I guess as they get older they may notice more but hopefully by the then I will be on maintainance for years and I can explain I do it for health reasons not weight loss.