The FastDay Forum

Hi all

Many of you seem to prefer to keep all your calories until the end of the day so I have decided to try to do this myself.

Having started on 5:2 this is my third week of 4:3, Mon, Wed, Fri, although on the Fridays I have weakened a bit an been consuming about 800 cals.

My problem is that despite doing this for a month now I still feel really hungry both on fast days and feed days. I am hoping this will help.

Worth a try anyway

Good luck and I hope it works better for you. I prefer it, and there is evidence that it might be healthier to fast absolutely for a period within the 'repair' day.

But as you may have seen from a recent posting http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=415, new evidence suggests it might be better to eat your calories earlier in the day. Confusing! Anyway I know I couldn't do this and then survive the evening...

I find I do better if I eat a large breakfast and then a small dinner. Not tried it on a fast day yet, but that's what I normally do.

I think we each have our own way that works for us - I've still playing about with how I have my calories - only done 3 fast days so far! - but so far the saving everything to the evening seems to be easiest for me.

I think once I start to eat my body just expects more and is waiting for the next does of energy

Failed - four satsumas down already and thinking of abandonning today as a 600 calorie day altogether

Sometimes the pressure just gets to you

Funny isn't it? Today was my 4th fast day, and the second one where i've saved all my calories up for an evening meal. This seems to suit me better, but now wondering if it wouldn't be easier to scrap eating altogether on fast days so i don't sit and daydream about my evening meal all day. Anyone know if this is allowed, or are we supposed to have a minimum of x calories for a specific reason?

[carorees]

If you can manage with a full fast you're allowed to!

Thanks Caroline, might give it a try next week then. I'm fine all day, but I seem to just want to keep on scoffing and shovelling food into my face once i've broken the fast, so not breaking it would seem to be a solution to that. Well, not breaking it til the next day anyway!

Hi Mandyflyme

I am in my 3rd week and on my 6th fast day. I usually fast for 18 hours and break it with a 250cal lunch followed by a 250cal dinner.

On Monday and again today i decided to save up my calories until dinner time just to see how i got on.

I ate at 10pm last night and fasted for 18hrs, eating all 500 cals in one go tonight. I felt it was easier than having two piddly little meals and didn't really feel any hungrier at dinner time than usual.

I guess blood sugar levels (and whatever else) spikes after a meal and opens a feeding gate - it does with me anyway. After eating two small meals i am always left disappointed and still hungry.

On Monday i had a grilled steak, jacket potato and grilled vegetables - it was delicious! Tonight i had spaghetti and homemade meatballs with a little low fat grated cheese - equally delicious and in my opinion worth the wait.

I think this suits me too. I might try one fast day where it is split into 3 tiny meals just so i have tried all three ways however i'm not in a rush to try that one!!

Failed - four satsumas down already and thinking of abandonning today as a 600 calorie day altogether

Sometimes the pressure just gets to you

When you haven't eaten for a while, your 'hunger switch' is in the off position. When you eat something, your hunger switch kicks in - and prompts you to eat some more. When you don't eat, your appetite remains dormant - so, for me and many others on this WOL, not eating for as long as possible is the way to go.

Your occasional satsuma, instead of satisfying your hunger, only serves to prolong it.

Cheers, B&W

[carorees]

Yes, I agree.

I was reading a paper today about stomach size and hunger and it was explaining how satiety is created from the filling of the stomach and entry of the food into the intestine, so that hunger does not dissipate until food reaches the intestine AND the stomach fills up, so three satsumas were never going to have any effect!

Breadandwine - I am sure you are right which is why I was trying the experiment but unfortunately I cracked.

Never mind I have still managed a 600 cal day so no real harm done.

I will give it another shot sometime.

...now wondering if it wouldn't be easier to scrap eating altogether on fast days so i don't sit and daydream about my evening meal all day. Anyone know if this is allowed, or are we supposed to have a minimum of x calories for a specific reason?

Dr Mark P Mattson would approve, if you saw the original Horizon programme he was the last expert that Dr Mosley consulted (the jogger!):

1. A complete fast (no food) with hydration maintained with non-caloric beverages will be superior to consuming 600 calories on the fasting days.
2. Eating the 600 calories at one meal will be superior to eating several smaller meals spread throughout the day. By eating only one meal, the body goes essentially 24 hours with no food. This results in adaptive cellular stress responses which we believe is particularly good for the brain.
3. In the case of the 5:2 diet, we do not know whether better health benefits are realized with two consecutive days of fasting versus any two days of fasting during the week.

It would be much better if you could just get through a fast day without eating at all. Obviously, very few people are able to do that, so if you are going to eat a (600 for a man, 500 for a woman) calorie reduced meal, you are much better to consume that as one meal than to spread those calories throughout the day. This is because the stress that going for 24 hours without food places on your brain actually has produced identifiable positive brain responses such as the growth of new brain cells. It’s like a workout for the brain...

(quote from http://crabsalloverhealth.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/mark-butcher-emails-michael-mosleys.html)

Of course this is just his view and although interesting it doesn't invalidate a 5:2 diet with balanced 'grazing' over the course of a fast day. After all he was the guy who suggested 5:2 to Dr M - presumably without imposing the one-meal requirement.

Thanks Dominic, spot on.

That's answered a few questions I had buzzing around in my brain!

Cheers Dominic, i'm going to go for it next Monday, will report back on how it goes! I didn't see the original programme so that was really helpful.