The FastDay Forum

I've got a fortnight coming up where I can see that it's going to be practically impossible to fast as I have been in the habit of doing (i.e. just a 500 cal intake in the evening) - but I could do from evening meal to evening meal

Is that any use ???

I'm so upset, I've got into a lovely routine with fasting & am very comfortable both with the style of life, the weight loss & the way I feel

Any thoughts?

Hi AnnieD, why don't you just use this 14 days a test on yourself on how good you have become on controlling what you eat? Just eat as you feel, but good stuff in the rigth amount. You know what is good and what isn't. ciao, J

[carorees]

Hi Annie, yes a 22 hour fast will do a lot of good. I usually do this and then have my 500 cals but on occasion I have also eaten a full meal after the 22 hours...over xmas for example. It worked really well because I didn't over eat at the big family xmas eve dinner or new year either. I also intend to do this when I reach my target weight.

So, don't be upset...be thankful that you have found a WOL that enables you to attend social engagements without feeling guilty/refusing food! Even if you don't lose weight for a week, think how great it is that you will have given your body time to repair, not put weight on AND been out socialising!

Help. That's what I've been doing all along.
I have my dinner around 5.30 pre fast day, then have my 400 calories at 5.30 the next evening.
I thought that's what we were supposed to be doing.
Caroline I hope you are around!

[Debs]

That's right if you only want one meal a day, that way you fast for 24 hours. The idea is to have your allocated calories over the 24 hour period so if you prefer you can have your pre fast meal at 5.30pm and then spread your 400 calories through the following day as some people prefer to do. It isn't a true fast in the sense that you avoid all food, but more a calorie restriction for a period. I have my meal at 6.30pm and then my fast day calories all at once about 6pm the following day. Not quite 24 hours but I can't always wait that long!

[carorees]

Yes, Bellalou, that's fine, and what probably over half of us do according to my little poll.

The good Dr M decided he could cope without breakfast so has two small meals. So do a lot of others here.

Although there's no proof, some of his experts he spoke to in the documentary felt that a longer fast..around 24 hours might result in slightly better repair activity by the body. However, it's more important to incorporate some fasting and to lose weight than to worry about whether the one meal approach has marginal benefits. I do it because it fits in with my life better and I don't feel hungry at breakfast time anyway.

You carry on with what you are doing...and everyone else: don't worry, just make fast days work for you...you can do it differently every time if you like! Be flexible!

Oh thank you Caroline. I was thinking I wasn't fasting long enough, and thinking it might become a bit of a struggle if I had to fast longer now that I'm so used to doing this way and finding it not too much of a challenge on fast days.

Oh dear, I possibly didn't explain myself properly (although I think Juliusi & Carorees may have understood me at first )

My fasting is always after the last meal on one day until breakfast the day after next, with only 500 cals in between, which I choose to have in 1 meal in the evening
(I think that's how most of us do it, with just the question of whether it's in 1 meal or 3) - so Bellalou, no problems there!

So:

Monday - eat normally until evening meal
Tuesday - 500 cals in the evening
Wednesday - eat normally from breakfast

The problem for the next fortnight is that it is defintely going to be impossible to do even 1 proper fast day (ie only 500 cals in the evening) - well I MIGHT manage it 1 day
SO, the only thing that I can really hope to do is eat a standard evening meal and then fast until the next evening meal - which is 22 (or 23) hours
Although I can clearly choose as sensibly as possible for my evening meals, it's going to be all entertaining so it's NOT going to be low cal!!

So my question was (I think) is it of any use fasting 22 hours in between goodly-sized meals like that or will I be punishing myself for no good reason!?

Such a shame, I've been SO proud of myself & getting into quite a good rhythm !

[carorees]

Yes! That's what I thought you meant and my answer still stands...a 20-22 hour fast will do lots of good...you still get the reduction in insulin levels and repair function plus the appetite reduction will help prevent over indulgence . It worked for me at xmas. Also, I read somewhere that if you don't fast for a couple of weeks your body will again be slow to adjust to going without food so the first day back might be hard! Definitely try to carry on as you planned!

Ok, I am fasting so maybe have slow brain, but surely after your 24 hour fast,then a meal, you will not eat again till the next morning? The only difference being you will entertain so it will not be just 500 cal?

Let me see if I got this:
I fast on Tuesdays and Fridays.
What I do today is:
I had my standard dinner at 9pm yesterday. I had a 70 calories breaky today at noon, then I'll eat my 150 calories lunch around 2pm and my 150 calories dinner around 8pm and I'll have 70 calories to spare in case I get hungry. Tomorrow around noon I'll have my regular breaky.
Am I doing this right?

[carorees]

TML13: Yes, that's fine...you will have had a 15 hour fast since yesterday and another 12 hours maybe tonight depending if you use the spare cals. With time you will probably find you can cut out the lunch and/or breakfast.

OK, now I'm sure I do it right!
I used to be a-meal-a-day person but then my stomach problems kicked in and I'm now eating 4 or 5 (smaller) meals per day.
I could skip breaky if I wake up at lunchtime though!

AnnieD: If you can manage on just one evening meal a day, for a fortnight, then you will be reducing your calorie intake far more than if you were also eating breakfast and lunch too, so you should see maintenance of your present weight or some weight loss. If you restrict your alcohol intake that will also help.
I would find one meal a day for a fortnight completely impossible to stick to and when I go away for a fortnights cruise, in a few weeks time, I am going to put my new-found awareness of eating what my body needs, rather than wants, to the test! With all that delicious food available 24/7, I don't know how well I will cope.
Good luck with whatever you manage and at least we know that we can get back to 5:2 when our lives get back to normal!

[carorees]

Surely Annie didn't mean every day? I assumed she meant 2 days a week? In fact I did a 4:3 week like that (fast all day then a normal evening meal). I think I lost weight ok that week.