The FastDay Forum

Start an herb garden. Gardening keeps you busy on fast days and herbs are tasty and low cal.

My top tip is to eat egg whites on fast days. One egg white is 17 calories. You can hard boil eggs and toss the yolks or crack a fresh egg or two and use the whites to make a "crepe" like omelet or dessert, add a little sweetener and cinnamon. Delicious!

If I am falling over with hunger I drink a cup on miso soup.... on 35 calories and very filling. For dinner I have delicious fresh steamed green veggies such as green beans or brussels sprouts with a 110 calorie veggie burger such as Morningstar Farms Med. Chick Pea burger. The warm food is so filling and satisfying.

Stay busy! It really is easier than you think and the results are GREAT!

Oh, I give some of the yolks to my dog--he loves them!

I have a boiled egg about 11am, then snack on celery for the rest of the day - its surprisingly filling! Then I have a tin of soup (280 cals) for dinner and a small bowl of diet yoghurt. Easy and no fuss. Also avoid the shops at all cost on fast days -why tempt yourself?

I found out today that eating after 1pm helped my day go very well without the hunger pangs. I also upped my water intake, drank a cup of miso soup this evening and this will be the first fast that I won't go to bed with my stomach growling. So it does get easier. On all fast days I have felt great. And yes I have put my timer on too to wait 20 min before I get more. Rid the house of junk food so on feed days you aren't tempted.

The other day I took the kids to the restaurant on a fast day and I spent the whole time drawing! I never draw but it really kept me busy and kept my mind away from the food (polishing kids' left overs is one of my sins). I found it relaxing and did not feel frustrated at all!

Great ideas everyone, I will definitely be using your Nanou as I also am a great eat the kids leftovers type.
Planning is key I've learnt in a short time. I fasted yesterday only semi planned and found it was a struggle by evening so plan, plan, and plan some more will be the way for me going forward as when your really hungry that not the time to be weighing and working out calorie for your meal.

For me it works best to have just an evening meal. If I eat in the morning I am hungry all day. And drink loads of tea and 1 or 2 coffees.
I fast on office days, fasting at home I find more difficult. And in stead of eating lunch I go out for a walk at lunchtime.
At first I was not loosing a lot of weight, and the weight that I lost came back after 2 weeks. Now I have started the 30 days shred from Jillian Michaels and it works like a charm.

Plan meals. Log what you eat--every calorie. Drink water. Stay busy. Stay away from carbs, eat lots of veggies. AND DON'T THINK YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY PIG OUT OF NON-FAST DAYS. Pigging out won't get you anywhere. (An occasional pig out is fine, and probably good because you won't feel deprived--but all the time is too much, you won't lose weight or be eating healthily.) I try to eat clean on non-fast days and have an occasional free meal (usually when I am getting together with friends.)

Lots of fizzy water works well. The bubbles fill your tummy and leave you more satisfied . Add a squeeze of lemon or a occasionally a dash of elderflower cordial and lots of ice into o long tall glass and sip slowly .

I prefer not to wait until the evening on fast days. I still eat three times a day (keeping to my 500 cals total) and drink lots of sparkling water. I find it works for me with a slow but sure drop in weight over the time I've been doing this (beginning of March).

It helps that my husband is following this WOE too, so if you can persuade your other half to do it with you, you can help each other.

If things get tough, I just tell myself that it's back to normal tomorrow - keep busy and focus on the end goal!

Hi:

All of the tips are good. I'd like to focus on mindset.

1. 5:2 is not a quick weight loss diet. The average loss is only 1 lb. a week. Do not think you will be slim next month.

2. Your down weight trend line will not be steady. You will lose 2 or 3 lbs., gain 1 or 2 back, and stay the same for a week or two. Do not lose faith! You will lose all of the weight you want to lose over time.

3. Eat foods you enjoy eating! Eat 500 cal. or less of foods you enjoy on 'fasting' days, and your TDEE or less on 'feast' days. There is no need to eat foods you do not enjoy.

Trust the WOE an be patient!

All excellent tips. Thank you for sharing. What works for me so far:

1. Use a fitness/calorie tracking app like lose it or myfitness pal, and get a kitchen/food scale to measure portions - at least for the first few fast days until you can eyeball 100g of fish fillet
2. Drink lots of water and tea. Alternate tea with bovril/miso for variety.
3. For convenience on those crazy days when you have no energy or time to prepare meals, try canned soup - some like campbell's or baxter's have only 100 calories for half a can, and can be very satisfying as a meal. Add some water to it.
4. Try Shirataki noodles. With some proper preparation, they can taste yummy and are VERY filling ( I learned that I should have split a packet into two meals). They are zero calories, unless you have the tofu version that comes with 20-40 calories. Good for Asian recipes, not so much pasta equivalents. They don't soak up sauce, and a good way is to stirfry them with a bit of nonstick cooking spray or a tiny bit of sesame oil.
5. Figure out what works for you on a fast day. If you're not really a breakfast person, you can put off the meals until evenings and use up all the calories in one meal. Others may prefer two or three meals over the day.
6. Try to sleep early if possible on a fast day.
7. Draw on your willpower & plenty of support from family, friends and forummers

Great posts! Since all the posts are referencing the "fast" day, my comment is concerning the "feast" day. Don't overdo it. I made the mistake of allowing myself to go above and beyond on the weekends. I GAINED 3 lbs. And, it was 1 more lb. than when I started (lost 2 lbs. initially)! So be mindful and eat on your "feast" day but don't over eat.

Inspired by my willpower on fasting days - when I'm fully 'In the zone', I declare that I'm 'In the zone' every evening after dinner (previously my danger time). I call this NES - No Evening Snacking!

After a month of this, my desire to eat in the evening has disappeared - hopefully for good.

Another tip is to declare - in a loud voice, after every meal:

"The kitchen is now closed!"

Make the diet fit your life style. Not you fitting around the diet.

If you know there is a celebration coming up and its a fast day, shift the fast day. Don't be the party pooper saying 'sorry, I'm on a diet, I can't have that, or that or that'. It makes people wonder why you went to the party (though you know and I know it was for the conversation not the food or drink).

If you can't shift the fast day, cancel all together and be prepared for a slower or lesser weight loss that week. No guilt, you are in this life to enjoy it, not make yourself a martyr to yet another diet. Next week you will be back on track again.

Avoid carbs of all kinds on fast days, they don't give enough food quantity bang for the calorie buck. Lean proteins and vegetables, all the way.

Sell your old clothes on ebay, use the money to offset the new clothes you will need. If you are very obese, watch out for your feet shrinking too, as even feet can get fat at the heels as well as the width.