The FastDay Forum

Does anyone else find it easier to fast than to eat normal? On fast days I know exactly what to eat for my 500 calories. On normal days I have a harder time eating my 1500 calories...I tend to eat too much and have not yet lost weight. Any advice? Do I have to write out a plan the night before for my normal days, like I do for my fast days? Started on April 5th. Weight is 165 lbs. Age 48. Hypothyroidism. I have never had a problem on my fast days... Thanks for any advice you can give.

[Betsysgr8]

I don't have any advice but alot of people find it a bit difficult to eat 'normal' at first but the fasts usually help your body and mind change your eating habits to a more healthy diet. With hypothyroid you may find that your weight loss may be a bit slower than the average on the forum. There are many threads posting about thyroid, just input it in the search box on the upper left panel.

I have lots of family in South Dakota, mostly south central part of the state. Love to visit the ranch every chance I get.

Not easier, but simpler for sure!!!

Absolutely, I don't want to eat on my non-fast days because I think I'll screw up!

After the first couple of weeks I went mad over eating partly because I thought perhaps I would get away with it weight wise (wrong) and partly because I was adjusting to fasting i think. It's more of a journey than some diets because you have to adapt to it. keep plugging away as what it lacks in 'quick fix' it makes up for in the long terms changes it offers. Don't make food the enemy though, for me 5:2 is all about enjoying food!

Thanks everyone... I won't give up. .today is a normal eating day.. so far so good. Just need to be patient.

I'm finding that I spend the whole time on my 'normal' days full because I haven't got into the habit of eating less yet even though my appetite is smaller. I've only been doing the diet for a couple of weeks so I'll get it eventually I expect. I suspect I'd be best not eating breakfast and having an earlyish lunch. Today I got up and had a couple of slices of toast. At lunchtime I was still full but, out of habit, I ate the noodles leftover from last night's dinner because that's what I'd decided last night I would do. I didn't need it so why did I eat it? Now I'm just off to meet my brother for dinner but I'm not hungry at all. Stupid. New resolution... 2 meals a day.

Good luck chubbyrunner. You'll get there.

I certainly find fasting easier than eating normally. On fasting days I know what I can and can't eat and know every single bite is part of a plan. The hours of 12-4 are the hardest. That's when my stomach insists on making loud noises and makes me think of food, but since I am at work I just get busy and it passes. I don't even get that hungry in the evening and the next morning. Last week I extended my fast to a second day because I wasn't hungry.
On the feed days it is another story. I get obsessed with food! I feel like I HAVE to eat all I can see! I think of nothing but food and usually massively overeat, mostly on the first day after the fast. And what I eat then is not healthy. I don't crave steak, chicken, fish,fruit... I want cookies, pie, candy bars..... It's been a month and there are no signs of it becoming better.

I love the fast days because I focus on all sorts of activities, (including cooking!) And I know I'll enjoy whatever comes my way to eat on other days. Food becomes a source of future pleasure again in the back of my mind.
I sing with 2 choirs on 2 different nights of the week and love the sociability.
So I eat relatively cheap pub and pizza dinners on my 2 nights out without being conflicted about food at all. (Cheap bubbly too, my life's too too hard, isn't it!!!)

I definitely find fast days easier. I've had a problem with overeating on feed days. So much so that I put on 8lbs in my first two months on the diet. I'm counting calories on my feed days now and finding them much easier. I'm also losing well now (6.5lbs off in 2 weeks). Hopefully once I get used to what is a sensible portion I can stop calorie counting.

I put on 8lbs in my first two months on the diet.

Ouch! That must be (I hope) some kind of record for 5:2. Anyway, I'm very pleased to hear you are doing better now.

Esmeralda, as it is a common heard-refrain from some newbies that "this diet isn't working for me, I'm not losing" can I ask what, during that initial period when it clearly wasn't working for you, would have most helped you (or did in the end) to fix the problem.

Were you under the misapprehension that you could eat as much as you liked on feed days, or that you weren't calorie-counting so you had the wrong idea of 'normal eating', or just that hunger overcame all the best intentions? Or...?

Know what you mean, the first week the normal days were a big binge fest - had ice cream, crisps, chocolate, just a ton of carbs/sugar, think it was mostly psychological and felt rubbish for it.
This second week I've started using my fitness pal to log everything with my tdee as my limit on my normal days (can eat quite nicely on that), and although it helps keep a track, only in the second week but am finding my appetite is changing quite dramatically anyway. Not bothered by food at the moment and get fuller more quickly.
Hope it stays like this cos I don't miss waking up with food hangovers one little bit!

I put on 8lbs in my first two months on the diet.

Ouch! That must be (I hope) some kind of record for 5:2. Anyway, I'm very pleased to hear you are doing better now.

Esmeralda, as it is a common heard-refrain from some newbies that "this diet isn't working for me, I'm not losing" can I ask what, during that initial period when it clearly wasn't working for you, would have most helped you (or did in the end) to fix the problem.

Were you under the misapprehension that you could eat as much as you liked on feed days, or that you weren't calorie-counting so you had the wrong idea of 'normal eating', or just that hunger overcame all the best intentions? Or...?

Hi Dominic, I think it was a combination of factors. Thinking i could eat 'normally' when that's what made me overweight in the first place plus thinking I could eat what I liked and feeling deprived after my fast days so overdoing it afterwards. I'm logging everything on My Fitness Pal at the mo till I establish a routine but thankfully it's working really well for me now.

Hi Dominic, I think it was a combination of factors. Thinking i could eat 'normally' when that's what made me overweight in the first place plus thinking I could eat what I liked and feeling deprived after my fast days so overdoing it afterwards. I'm logging everything on My Fitness Pal at the mo till I establish a routine but thankfully it's working really well for me now.

Exactly... I read about fasters saying that they don't worry about what they eat on "feast" days clearly this won't work for me. Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this. I will be more diligent on my normal days!!

Hi All
I'm just finishing my first week on 5:2, and after reading the book I really thought that you could eat what you wanted on non fast days. Luckily I didn't because didn't really think that would work for me and also haven't really wanted to eat loads of junk food.
I can't really see that this is any different from ordinary dieting it is just calorie restriction overall on the whole week and still means can't eat all the things that have made me obese.
Found fast days really quite easy.
I'm really hoping though that 5:2 will banish the cravings and teach me portion control. I'm a long term yo yo dieter and nothing else has done it yet, so here's hoping.