The FastDay Forum

I am having a terrible time. I eat too many bad things on my feast days and I am also feeling continually guilty and frightened of eating.

So I start my day and do not want to eat breakfast because it feels like i am sinning. Then I am spending my days still obssessing with chocolate and consequently feeling bad. Today I decided not to eat anything after 5 because I felt so bad.

I also am stressed as I thought this diet meant no more counting cals on off days, yet so many people are talking about cals that I just feel I am going wrong. If I have to count cals on my days off then it just feels like another cal diet. I am very confused and have not found that I make better food choices yet. Is it perhaps still early days?

Tomorrow is my 4th fast day.

I think this anxiety is fairly common-probably a combination of your personality type and the fact that it seems odd to be so regimented two days a week and so
"free" the others.

All I can say is that in my experience, the obsessiveness/anxiety/fear diminishes as you become more accustomed to eating like this. But you should be eating normally on your non-fast days. If you restrict yourself too much it is going to end up like any other diet and you may have less loss than if you were eating regularly. So eat breakfast and eat goodies in moderation. Is one of your fears that you will binge? I think we may need to hear more about your regular eating (historical) to offer really specific advice.

The other thing you can try is to just be more aware of your portion size on non-fast days but don't have hard and fast rules about what you can't eat (or when), unless of course you tend to load up on carbs/sugar and completely overdo it.

For me, the whole reason for doing this was so that I didn't have to count calories every day. There's nothing that saps your joy than worrying whether you've had too much rice for your quota or feeling you can't enjoy a bit of peanut butter because of the calories. I lost weight with weight watchers a few years ago and got really obsessed with 'points' - I hated feeling guilty about food.

Before I did this (I only started about 5 weeks ago) I ate a very healthy balanced diet but found that my weight was gradually creeping up. I think that I never had 'low days' to balance out the 'high days' or if I did they were never low enough!

I actually now eat more chocolate, crisps, bread etc than I did before and yet I am losing weight. I have not counted a single calorie that has passed my lips on a non-fasting day. If I had to do that I probably wouldn't bother. However, some folks have found they are not able to lose weight and eat lots (I may find this too, in time) without having some idea of calories - it's this thing called total daily energy expenditure (calories you burn in a day). I do eat quite heartily but most of what I eat is good wholesome food. I imagine that once my body gets used to it, I will feel less and less like cramming in chocolate - I guess when you're in a calorie deficit, your body craves high-calorie foods like chocolate as a quick way to redress the balance. And currently I'm not going to argue with it!

Have you lost weight so far? If so, you are clearly on the right track! Relax and enjoy the fact that you can eat what you like and you will probably find you obsess less over food - and might even find yourself not wanting the chocolate, or just having a bit. Food is not either 'good' or 'evil' - it's just food. So eating a bit of something that is slightly higher in calories or fat won't make you a bad person, or won't ruin your diet. In fact it's what makes this way of life more pleasurable and gives you something to look forward to on fast days - I always plan a really yummy breakfast the day after a fast and usually make it, too, enjoying every last mouthful. If this is to be a sustainable way of life, then food guilt no longer has a place in my life.

Sorry this is a bit long - my heart goes out to you as I have been in this position in the past and one of the joys I am finding with this way of eating (note - not a diet) is that it allows me to enjoy the food I love but without my weight nudging upwards all the time.

You'll get there xx

Is one of your fears that you will binge? I think we may need to hear more about your regular eating (historical) to offer really specific advice.

Unfortunately my normal is binge yes!! I almost always eat home cooked food made with good ingredients but then I go for chocs, biscuits and naughties. I am hoping that you are right about the anxieties and that with time they will go away. I certainly do not want to give up. I must say though that the idea of only losing a pound a week freaks me out as I feel like if the weight doesnt shoot off I will lose faith and give up. I am an Aries so fire and impatience are my middle names!!!

Thanks greenmonster! I will try not to think too much about those feast days.

There are people ho track cals on non-fast days but also many who don't. I won't track cals on non-fast days because I don't want it to turn into just another calorie restricted diet either. I eat what I like, when I like within reason. And that's quite a lot really. For example today:
2 x small bananas and a small handful of grapes early before leaving for work.
Large bowl of fruit and fibre with a minimal amount of skimmed milk, and a ham and tomato bagel for breakfast.
2 starburst chewy sweets mid-morning
Another ham and tomato bagel, an apple and a crunchie for lunch
3 starburst chewy sweets mid-afternoon
2 small savoury biscuits when I got home from work
Dinner is prawn-fried rice with lots of veggies followed by sharing a large bar of cadbury caramel, which hubby will probably have most of.

There are probably some 5:2ers thinking Oh My God that's LOADS of food.
I do 4:3 and with regular exercise as well (Jillian Michaels) I am losing approx one pound a week. But the most important thing to me is I am happy and relaxed on fast days because I know I am taking positive action to lose weight, and I'm also happy and relaxed on non-fasting days too.

A pound a week is good. I'm proud to say I'm losing at that rate.
Think about it this way. A pound a week is close to four stone in a year!!

I wouldn't say that I feel guilty, anxious or frightened, but I do have to remind myself that I am no longer dieting.

I catch myself checking (restricting) how much I put on my plate, worrying about having a "large" portion, when it is really a normal portion.
I really have to make myself accept that I can have this or that, without thinking about it.

It's a work in progress!

I sometimes get scared too. I love those cakes, cookies etc. Sugar and carbs are most certainly addictive and if that is what your body is used to than it is going to cry out for it just as a drug addict. I use splenda in my coffee or a good sprinkle of cinnamon so that helps. Angel food cake is better than most. Replace the oil in cakes with applesauce/pumpkin puree.I allow myself one square 70%cacoa on my feast days at night and savor its goodness. I pretty much look for high fiber type breadstuff too. Hope this helps.

Thank you for all your replies. Particularly describing a daily food intake. That really helps to see other people's "normal". I am going to wait until Monday and see how I am getting on with what I am doing. I am also going to chill out which is the reason that I was actually drawn to this diet in the first place.

Sky kitty I'm glad you're not counting calories either. I think feeling pressure to count calories on non fast days is just going to make you have negative associations with food, especially if you're prone to feeling that way.

OP, I've been eating what I like, when I like on non fast days! You have to find the best way for you and not worry about what other people are doing. If CC causes you to feel worse about food - don't do it! I'm like you and suffer with feelings of guilt and shame about food. These beliefs need to be tackled separately from this diet so that you don't start feeling bad and not enjoying the experience. I read Paul Mckenna's 'I can make you thin' and 'losing your pounds of pain' by Doreen Virtue, which helped me a lot with learning how to tell the difference between real hunger and emotional hunger and also how to release negative beliefs about myself, picked up from life that were contributing to my unhealthy relationship with food. XX

Me, I am. I have never dieted before, nor counted calories so I don't really know what I'm doing. I am enjoying the fast days but afraid of wrecking any progress by over eating on the non fast days.

Trying 16:8 this week due to time constraints but am thinking of trying a combination of 5:2 and 16:8 for the next few weeks. Previously I was doing 5:2 on non consecutive days, eating carefully for the other two weekdays then anything goes Friday to Sunday. I lost 1lb per week doing that for 7 weeks then I stayed the same for a week and gained 2lb last week. So far this week have lost 1 of those 2lbs but it has made me nervous. I think it's early days yet and until we are established it will be a bit scary whilst we change our eating habits.

I think it's a case of 'suck it and see' and experiment with different things until we find our personal ideal WoE.

Good luck try to relax and enjoy food whilst being mindful and not throwing caution to the wind. I have to say that I have surprised myself by enjoying snacking on fruit on a non fast day instead of chocolate bars. Am saving those as a weekend treat which is just as it should be and was when I was young. We just didn't have sweets nor snacks during the week.

It's so good to be able to ask these questions and have feedback to consider, we can all learn from each other

Yes, I am also nervous about eating on feast/normal days because I'm worried about 'getting out of control'.

But I am also conscious of my 'trigger' foods (I posted about them on another thread) so I know that if I avoid the foods that make me crave more food (refined carbs in the form of crusty French bread, cakes, ice-cream, Kettle crisps) then I am less likely to lose control.

This way of eating has also made me more conscious of what I put in my mouth. When I'm really hungry at the end of a fast day, I'm not going to waste my 500 cals on chocolate, ice-cream or crisps! I want food that will leave me feeling full and which will provide protein, vitamins and minerals. This makes me less likely to 'waste' calories on chocolate, ice-cream or crisps on non-fast days. I am also more conscious of when I am really hungry, rather than eating from boredom, sadness or habit.

Having said all that, I won't beat myself up for the odd 'unhealthy' food item but it's about proportion. If most of the calories I consume on feast days end up as just fat or sugar, it undermines all of my hard work on the fast days - so I'll have gone hungry for nothing.

We can't kid ourselves that fasting for two days a week means we can 'fill our boots' when it comes to calorie-rich & nutritionally-poor food. If I want a cake or ice-cream, I now arrange to meet a friend at a lovely Italian patisserie and enjoy the food and the company - that makes it a real treat!

Hi emsy, when I first starting 5:2 I over ate on feast days. 3 months in, although I find the fasting hard (still!) I think my appetite has reduced so I do eat less than I used to on feast days. I haven't given anything up, I drink wine and eat choccy but I am definitely eating smaller portions and eat more healthy food on the whole. Others have reported this effect of 5:2 so once you have adjusted to this method of eating, hopefully you will experience this too and it will be an upward (or is that downward?) spiral. Good luck, don't be anxious just give it time.

I agree Mrs H-R this WOE/L is about adjusting and time as you get into the swing of how 5:2 works best for you. I was a bit at sea on my non fast days at the beginning and now I relish my days when not doing a fast. I found as others have that I actually lose more weight when I do eat on the non fast days.
Ems44 so no need to feel guilty or that some foods are bad on non fast days. Your body needs to have a rest from the fasting and receive a range of nutrients. so you were doing it a favour I think All the best

It's important, I think, to recognise that when we eat, we tell the body there is food available - so the appetite kicks in. That snack you fancy won't stop you feeling hungry - it'll only make you hungrier.

So when you do eat something, you have to reset the appetite - and the longer you go without food, the more the hunger switch remains off.

I've been maintaining for over 6 months, but I still have to watch what I eat. (One of) The danger time(s) for me is late evening - I always used to eat supper. I'd idly have a spoonful of what was on the stove (curried lentils, or something), and before I knew it, I'd have the wine out and I'd have a bowlful of whatever it was with at least one glass of wine.

Now I know that I can't just have one spoonful - because it throws the hunger switch and I need more. So I don't have that first spoonful. I've instituted a regime I call NES - No Evening Snacking, and it's working well so far. I reasoned that, when I was fasting, I was in the zone and wasn't tempted. Now, I just declare myself 'in the zone' after my evening meal (which may include a pud), and that's it!

But don't beat yourself up for succumbing to temptation - you're only doing what nature intended, in that you're laying down fat for when the next famine comes. Trouble is, in this day and age, in this society (generally), winter never comes!

Cheers, B&W