The FastDay Forum

So I am two and ahalf months in on this diet I am down 15 pounds and finding it great this last week I've started going to the gym three times doing Zumba class and oh my goodness I am so hungry! I don't know if it's because of the gym or what it is but I finish breakfast and my stomachs growling to eat more Rightaway I couldn't even finish my fast day yesterday I had To eat. I don't know what's going on but I'm famished. and of course I didn't lose any weight last week because I'm eating so much I don't know what to do? Or why this is happening?

Well done on the weight loss so far. Your body may be asking for more food because of the increase in your activity level. If you are hungry again immediately after eating you need to consider what you are eating, and switch to things that keep you fuller for longer, whole grain cereals, porridge, protein like eggs. I'm sure you will be inundated with sugestions.

Have you much to lose? If you haven't much left to lose your body could be rebelling against the increased activity. Maybe if you allowed yourself a bit more on fast days and then gradually reduce back to 500 as you adapt to the exercise? It would let you remain in control rather than getting so hungry you lose the plot.

I have this problem too, my body is really fighting the weight loss by giving me intense cravings i can not control myself around food. I have plenty to lose, i am still considered obese, but after losing only 8 pounds now it is a struggle just to maintain that loss. I've been experimenting with 16:8 but it is only making it worse so I think I'm going back to regular 5:2 next week in hopes i can control my appetite better by eating breakfast on the other days. We are really fighting nature here and it is a struggle.

Thanks everyone I am on my fast today again and I'm really hoping I get through this day but I'm already finding it hard. It's just strange that I've been so good up until now I don't really know how to cope again. I still have probably 80 pounds to lose so along ways to go and I'm hoping that I can get through this little bump

Keep going You know you can!
I would suggest keeping busy on fast days - even wandering around the shops keeps you away from the fridge or bread bin!
Also, I try and have a really late breakfast (11am is possible) so that I am not triggering the food cravings too early.
Large cups of tea or coffee help as well.
Remind yourself of the pleasure when the scales show you have lost weight - now that feels GOOD!

You can do it!

It may well be your body adjusting to the exercise. I exercise a lot (and I'm a healthy bmi so not actually doing this to lose weight per se). I struggle with hunger on fast days too, but here are some things that have helped me:

- Delaying eating as long as possible on fast days. I have stopped bothering with breakfast at all and have just been waiting till lunchtime. Today I went till 3pm without eating and actually that wasn't too hard (that's a record, up till now the best I had managed was 1pm)
- Lots of hot drinks, especially in the morning.
- Sparkling water (someone on here suggested that to me last week and it has REALLY helped today! - thank you!)
- If I'm struggling, snacks of raw carrot/cucumber/celery - low in calories but take a long time to munch, so convincing my brain that I've had enough to eat for a while.
- keeping busy, especially doing things that make snacking at the same time difficult. My cooker and bathroom are lovely and clean, and I've done lots of knitting and other crafts

Maybe it would be a good idea to look at what you eat on normal days too, to make sure that you're getting the best sort of nutrition to support your exercise regime? I'm not suggesting eating more, but avoiding empty calories might help? Or more protein?

I am definitely still in the stage of getting used to the 5:2 way, but I have managed every fast day. Which makes me proof that it is possible to do exercise and 5:2! I don't train hard on fast days, and I do feel hungry on fast days, but I do think it's getting easier, and I have worked out that it's more of a battle with my brain that my body really!

Good luck and don't lose heart

I find I have much more trouble fasting if I eat early in the day. As soon as I eat anything, I've turned on my body's appetite and all I want to do is eat, eat, eat. I agree with what others have said here - try experimenting with not eating at all for as long as possible in the day.

I'd like to lose another 20 pounds at least; 30 if I can swing it. I'm doing a "Couch to 5K" program and some weight lifting and do not find that it's increased my appetite much. But again, I don't eat until supper time on my fast days and I do my exercise for the day before I eat.

You'd be surprised at how huge of a volume of salad greens you can have for less than 50 calories! Another 100 calories for a yummy dressing of choice - if you make it in a bowl with a lid, you can shake the heck out of it to evenly disperse the dressing. Then 300-350 calories of some high quality protein - steak, pork chop, chicken breast, cottage cheese, anything. The salad gives so much bulk I'm not the least bit hungry when I tuck into bed for the night.

When you are working hard and building muscle, you do have to be more aware of protein intake, though. On your non-fast days, you should pay attention to your protein intake. 'Eat normally', yes, but don't neglect your healthy stuff!

I used the tip of one egg to two egg whites when making an omelette and actually like the omelette better, also very filling for a few calories, not sure and somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but could eat maybe 3 or 4 of these on a fast day, and keep in your limit, although Im not sure I could