The FastDay Forum

@peebles you made me laugh out loud about west coast food, and you made me feel better too . I'm glad I'm not in SoCal as @lovemyparrot will confirm it is totally weird from a British perspective . However I recently found an authentic French bistro in San Francisco and nearly cried with relief to eat real food, simply prepared, appropriate portion size and delicious. @Manderley would have been impressed. It was just like being in France. So preparing food at home is the best thing for me to do.

Peebles
I totally agree with you that blood tests do not give us a true reading
In fact my hairdresser insists that he can tell from my hair that my thyroid is not right
I don't get hungry much and in fact eat very little compared to others around me which again points to thyroid problems
Oh well,nothing I can do about it,just keep fasting
Thanks for your thoughts .

Hi, @peebles and @rawkaren - and everyone else contributing to this - I'm following with interest and agree with everything already said. I actually think you can find some good food in SoCal - but lots of junk too. I, too, prepare most of my food at home. Karen, I think if I could totally give up alcohol, I would really be in control but, so far, I am only able to give up alcohol on fast days - better than nothing, but not good enough.

Ok, finally found this topic again. Posted and lost it the other day. I have a lot to say
LOL. Firstly @rawkaren Greens restaurant in San Francisco is fabulous and healthy! @Sarahg thyroid: I go to avant garde doctors 're thyroid, plus I once read an amazing book by an old Ameican Dr, Dr Broda Barnes I think. They say best way to check thyroid is basal metabolic rate. Take your temperature first thing before getting up, drinking water etc, for a week, if it's consistently under 36.5 underactive thyroid. Blood tests don't work I know that from personal experience. Have a look at my thyroid Drs website drludkaberkowski.com quite a lot of info. Next: putting the weight back on

I lost 9kg last year doing mostly 4:3. Took about 7 months. I went below goal on purpose so I could have leeway to put on a couple of kegs. I put on that, tried getting back to fasting, would have a few successful fasts, a few fails but mostly I was eating high calorie food on non fast days. The original premise of 5:2 was fast 2 days, 5 days as you usually eat. I didn't do that. I fasted 3 days and on 4 days ate all the food I had banned (pretty much) for years. Great chunks of butter on delicious gourmet bread, cinnamon scrolls (became my addiction), wine whenever I felt like it. I went overboard AND lost weight. It was like a miracle! Then I got slack on the fasting and kept up the previously banned food. 7kg weight gain! Eek! Also I have been fiddling with thyroid meds thanks to a 'normal' Dr close to home, who believes the only thing to look for is TSH level in blood. Back on thyroid extract from last week, so hopefully soon, I will start losing weight. Also as @peebles has alluded to, the mind plays a large part. I previously successfully lost a lot of weight by reading Dr Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution. Top book, you do a lot of quizzes to find out why you are fat, why you revert back, whether you have an internal or external locus of control I.e either 'if it's to be it's up to me', flipside I'm a failure or 'all my family are big boned' type scenario. It gives you a great insight into your weight. E.g. some people aren't ready to let go of the fat (some don't want undesired attention that looking good would bring, if they have had for example, been sexually abused, or life is just too tough at the moment). One of his sayings is: best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. We need to change that.

Thanks GMH
Gonna do that to check my thyroid.i have been fasting for about three weeks now and lost nothing.will give it a few more weeks and then may have to give up
Trying low carb at the moment but I actually wasn't even eating that much carbs anyway
How are you going now?

@sarahg doing 3 fasts a week, sometimes, I fail in the middle of the night if I have insomnia and gnawing hunger, some work. Been at it a few weeks, 3 or 4 maybe? Will weigh tomorrow, maybe 1.5kg off if I'm lucky. I'm not enjoying it, feels like a diet, but I'm telling myself : DONT GIVE UP! If I can get to 61kg (lowest was 58.2), I'll start doing 2x 500 1x1000 cals, when I get to 60kg 1x500 and 2x1000, then if I get to 59, 3x1000. I quite like the discipline of not going crazy 3 days a week, but 500 calls is, well after 100 calls of milk/8 cal hot choc, a soup if 70 calls, mini protein bar 100 calls, some veg for 200 calls, well I'm starving! Double that and I'd be fine. I have also cut back a lot of carbs/wine/bread/cinnamon scrolls, tho not all on feed days. I plan to get back to cooking/freezing curries etc on weekends, so when I'm tired mid week, I won't eat whatever is easy...and high cal good luck!

[janeg]

@Sarahg good luck and hang in there! Have you measured? You maybe redistributing...

Janeg.i sort of measure but not properly but the odd thing is I feel thinner. And .my clothes are looser
I have a thought which some will agree with so me won't
I have been doing ashtanga yoga 6 or more days a week for a few months now
I am stronger and more flexible and weigh more
Until now I haven't believed that muscle weighs more than fat but maybe.....
GMH I try three fasts a week but don't weigh and measure my food like I did last time
Just so,sick of it. I guesstimate and feel after dieting all my life I know
But maybe I am wrong so tht is why I do three fasts a week to cover me in case it's more than 500
I like your plan and hope you have lost.

Hi, it's not that muscle weighs more than fat, it is denser than fat so it takes up less space. So if you burn off 2 lbs of fat, but build 3 pounds of muscle through exercise, you will weigh one pound more but be thinner (and healthier!)

@sarahg 3x1000 cals is Dr Varadys maintenance, so I reckon if you get sick of 500, do 3x1000 if u can stomach that, rather than go right off it and gain and feel worse. You may then feel able to do the odd 500 cal fast. I also guesstimate cals. I check those I don't know. I think I OVER estimate the cals. I'm not feeling too stressed about it all ....this week. Let me know how u get on.

Thanks GMH
I like the sound of that cos I may be eating more than 500 a day
My husband is also fasting and estimates way less than I do
Barbarita,I have written two replies to you and both have disappeared
Both times I said,I like the sound of what u said
Let's say I lost two pounds of fat and gained two pounds of muscle from yoga
Especially as I am getting a bit fed up as I think I am eating so well and the scales stay the same
Keep in touch GMH

19 months today I began losing weight and nearly 8 months since I reached my goal. For now, everything is fine. Funny thing, stress used to make me gain weight (even without binging), now stress makes me lose weight. Something seemed to have switched in my body, don't know how or why.

5:2 is so much part of my routine that I couldn't do without it now, I would feel lost in a way. I had to stop fasting for a while and it didn't feel right. It's difficult to explain but I was missing it. That's why I think I would have no issues doing it for years to come.

I only eat out in a restaurant with OH once every 2 weeks and we go eat a pizza. It's a tradition between us, and we even did when I was in the weight loss process. Here's how I deal with it, that day I don't eat until dinner (not a problem at all) and, as I only eat half the pizza anyway, I go back home with the other half for another day. That way I compensate for the carbs and calories. Same thing when I know I will eat a big lunch, it becomes the only meal of the day, or I will have a low calories soup for dinner. That way I feel no guilt whatsoever.

OH is very supportive but I guess it's because he fasts as well, for years actually, so he understands the process which makes things easier for me

I found 5:2 very easy. After just a few weeks I got used to the fast days and my appetite adjusted so that I didn't want to overeat on the feast days. I lost 30lbs in six months and reached target one year ago. I then maintained without fasting for five months, gaining only a few pounds at Christmas which I lost with one week's fasting in the New Year. I thought I had cracked it.

Then life got in the way. I had a new job that I enjoyed but encountered a series of unexpected major problems that sent my stress levels through the roof. I was regularly having panic attacks. I started comfort eating and drinking and had very little exercise as I was working long hours every day including the weekend. I regained 14lbs in just a few months. Thankfully things have now settled down and I have been able to maintain my (higher) weight for a month or so. I have started 5:2 again this week and feel better already.

I truly believe that 5:2 is a great way to live and am confident that I will get back to target. Without my problems at work I am sure that I would have maintained my weight.

I've been doing 4:3 since I started at the end of January 2013. I reached my target just before Christmas 2013. I found that when I go on holiday and don't do any fasting, the weight piles on. Fortunately, it also comes off reasonably fast when I go back to fasting.

I'm below my target weight and sort of maintaining. I've been trying to get another half stone off to give me that leeway for holidays, but have still not got back to my lowest weight. My trouble is that my appetite has never diminished, so I've not felt I've been able to drop the third fast day.

I know this might sound strange to some people who are struggling to get the weight off in the first place, but I'm scared that I'll put it all back on, which is another reason why I don't feel able to drop the third day. I also count calories every day, which I'd also like to get away from eventually. I'm finally the weight I want to be and look and feel better than I have in about 20 years and I intend to continue fasting for the rest of my life as I find it almost enjoyable and it makes me feel so much better when I do. My husband has done nothing but support me through this.

I guess I just wish I could lighten up a bit about it. My husband tells me I'm paranoid.

I started the 5:2 in November 2013 after watching the documentary, Eat, Fast, Live longer. I did it for five weeks and lost 5kg. I was so happy and felt fantastic. I actually managed to control my cravings on non fast days and was eating really well. Then Christmas came! I told myself that I would take a couple of weeks off to 'celebrate'. Now it is August 2014 and I have only just started back this week For some reason I just couldn't discipline myself to get back on track. I have become a Pescatarian this year and no longer eat dairy but haven't had any weight loss (just health benefits!) so am really hoping that I can stick to this and see some much needed weight loss.