The FastDay Forum

You have really covered both the pros and cons here everyone. Consensus seems to be that it is not for everyone but for those who do it regularly, it seems to work.
Thanks for your thoughts -just have to give it a go myself!

Lucy you have exactly the right idea. Ease into it. Thats exactly what I did, had 2 meals a day at first, then graduated to one, and now I have done 3 36 hr fasts and found them relatively easy. I know I wouldnt of if I had done a 36er first.

I think it has sped up my weight loss, had a little plateau, but have lost 2 kgs in the last 2 weeks. Good luck.
J

I have just completed my 3rd, 36hr fast and have found it quite liberating! I used to find that after my evening meal on a fast day, I was inclined to search for tasty nibbles and then feel frustrated as I knew that it would be against the 500 calorie principle. For the past 3 fasts, that hasn't been a problem and so far........ I feel flipping great! Oh and it has slightly increased my weight loss speed ( but not massively). I agree with some of the other posters on here and advise you to Ease into it gently before embarking on the "challenge", listen to your body and if it's not right for you, slide back to 5:2. Good luck!

Interesting mix of replies - it looks as though it works best for people when it evolves organically and the body has adapted to 5.2 I am not against the 36 hour fast per se but I think it is very important that people don't think it is a quick fix to either better health or weight loss. If something works then it is a natural reaction to suppose that more of the same works better but so far there have not been enough published studies, particularly on the long term effects of extended fasting. There are many benefits re. weight loss, which most of us on the forum are trying to attain, but there are some potential downsides to frequent fasting too, particularly for women. It is a question of balance and as several people have said, knowing and listening to your own body. Doodlepuppet, I'm sorry to hear you've been so unwell and hope you feel a lot better soon, What I am really looking forward to is seeing a lot more published papers on the effects of IF which I'm pretty sure we will do as this WOE seems to be building world-wide.

Hi Dhana

Totally agree. I've done over 3 months of 5:2 with a 500 cal evening meal before I tried this - and I wouldn't have tried it any earlier. I'm not sure I will do this twice a week longer term, but I think it does have value, for weight loss, and it has helped reduce my appetite, which is still too high. I'm watching myself closely though, for any signs this isnt good for me.

For someone who got off to an eye wateringly slow start on 5:2 I can honestly say that it can take a while for your body to get the message. Although I finally reached my target weight I still feel quite jealous of the folk who get instant results from this wol. Doing a 36er, as we call it in the trade, is not for the faint hearted but, I agree with Wildmissus, if you WANT to do it, then go for it, you will feel fabulous afterwards. Like everything else on here, only do what you are comfortable with, don't push yourself, just enjoy the journey. We are all different and have differing responses. For me the 5:2 golden rule is, EXPERIMENT! You will find your own way and what works best FOR YOU!

Ballerina x

[wildmissus]

Reporting back from my previous post - I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 2lb. Well pleased with that as it brings my weight loss to the magic 1st 7lb. Lets remember that but doing 2 x 36 liquid fasts we are only reducing our weekly calorie intake by 1000 a week which is less than a third of a pound in weight loss, so in a way it doesn't make sense losing more than the expect pound a week, maybe something else is going on!

Lucy, if you are considering doing a 36 then definitely go to one meal first. Also the danger point for me is breaking the fast (I had urgent toilet needs a couple of times). I'm still adjusting the fast breaking bit but suggest first meal to be small and very low or no refined carbs and importantly for me also the second meal to be not quite so small and low carb.

I started liquid fasting to shake up my weight loss and it has certainly done that but also Dr MM suggests that we get better health benefits from doing it this way but he knew that to sustain it he needed to eat two small meals a day and thought that the majority of folk would also stick with it by eating something. I never thought I'd be able to do it but it has made me more aware of my body and mind as separate entities. My body copes remarkably well (and if it didn't I would feed it), however, my mind likes to play games or perhaps it's just a lifetime of what is ingrained into it. I still 'feel' I should be eating at lunch time and dinner time but I'm not hungry. I still feel naughty when I don't eat. Overall I feel I am much more able to listen to my body and that I can control food more instead of it controlling me. I've been 5:2ing since the beginning of the year and I continue to learn new things about myself and continue to adjust how I 5:2. I know some people do a liquid fast for more than 36 hours and some much more than 36 but there is no way I could do that or would do that - my body needs fed at breakfast time and my personal opinion is that 36 is optimum time for me. I think that with the little experiments that have been done on humans that we are all guinea pigs. Lets hope that this way of losing weight and improving our health is here to stay and is not just another flash in the pan.

I agree with most if not all of the points made.

In my view, it's essential that you are able to easily cope with only one meal before trying a 36 liquid fast.

Let yourself be guided by your body as to when (IF) you are ready. I've found it very easy to only have one meal in the evenings on fast days, so I felt ready to try the 36 early on. The first time was a breeze, the second time I didn't feel up to it and ended up doing a normal 500 calorie evening meal fast day instead. The third time was easy again. I don't feel any compulsion to do a 36er every fast; I'm just taking a view each time As I have a young family and a husband to feed, I never have a situation where there isn't healthy food available for me to eat on a fast day, so I don't generally feel the need to plan what I'm eating, and that probably helps. I like how someone put it about having a 500 calorie buffer. The food is there if I need or want it.

The feeling of lightness after a 36er is wonderful, and I really feel like I have rested my system those days.

I haven't found I've lost more after a 36er than a normal fast, but I do feel strongly that the mixing it up calorie and meal wise that is working, and overall I'm very happy with my loss to date.

For me, I started this 5:2 plan hoping that I never needed to feel miserable about food choices again. If I started a fast day and halfway through seriously deprived of something, I would quite that fast there and then, knowing I can pick it up tomorrow. Doing the odd 36er makes me feel psychologically that anything is possible

I started liquid fasting to shake up my weight loss and it has certainly done that but also Dr MM suggests that we get better health benefits from doing it this way but he knew that to sustain it he needed to eat two small meals a day and thought that the majority of folk would also stick with it by eating something. I never thought I'd be able to do it but it has made me more aware of my body and mind as separate entities. My body copes remarkably well (and if it didn't I would feed it), however, my mind likes to play games or perhaps it's just a lifetime of what is ingrained into it. I still 'feel' I should be eating at lunch time and dinner time but I'm not hungry. I still feel naughty when I don't eat. Overall I feel I am much more able to listen to my body and that I can control food more instead of it controlling me. I've been 5:2ing since the beginning of the year and I continue to learn new things about myself and continue to adjust how I 5:2. I know some people do a liquid fast for more than 36 hours and some much more than 36 but there is no way I could do that or would do that - my body needs fed at breakfast time and my personal opinion is that 36 is optimum time for me. I think that with the little experiments that have been done on humans that we are all guinea pigs. Lets hope that this way of losing weight and improving our health is here to stay and is not just another flash in the pan.

Well said, and pretty much ditto!

Great posts on this thread. I particularly like Wildmisses' point about the separate body and mind. Totally agree with that. And the fact that water/ liquid fasting cant and shouldn't be seen as an alternative to 5:2 for beginners. If it's right for you, you'll know it after a while doing 5:2 with 500cals. Trying to force yourself to do 36 hours will be too hard and ultimately unsustainable.

Thought it would be a good idea to post this thread again as there are so many newbies joining (hooray!) and it makes interesting reading for people who are thinking of doing a 36er. Can I, should I, is it right for me? etc.

Thanks for bringing this to the top of the pile again dhana - I somehow managed to miss it the first time round (so many new threads daily that things can get missed now can't they ) Really great posts on here - and I'd agree with them so am not going to repeat it again! I'd would just precis my thoughts though as, for me, I find 36hrs fast easier than 500 cals (all to do with that hunger switch) and I would say that it has increased my loss slightly but this must be seen as a WOL not a quick fix. My advice to anyone thinking of 36hr fast would be to give it a try - you may surprise yourself at how easy it is (once you've adapted to 5:2 in general). I amazed myself at being able to accomplish it.

I'm interested, but right now I'd rather stick with 5:2. I enjoy my evening meal on a fast day and dont think I could cope with being at home and not having anything to eat (especially if the kids are tucking in).

Like others, I gradually got into doing 36 hour / 40 hour liquid fasts (40 hour when I ate later on the evening before the fast and broke my fast at lunchtime on the day after.)I had been doing 5:2 since January and have only been doing 36 hour for the last 4 weeks.
Weight loss has been really good (although I have a lot to lose) about 10lbs in the four weeks. I unexpectedly put on one week despite being good but I think that was the retention of food! TMI I know If anything I find that doing 36 hours can leave me more constipated but that has always been an issue for me.
I also feel that I have more energy.

I think it might be worth remembering that to do a 36er involves doing without food for just ONE day, that fact does not make it any easier but it just highlights how small a time frame it is. You are not going to die, unlikely to do yourself any short or long term harm but if you want to do it you will feel good afterwards. If you don't want to do it, guess what? Just don't do it, it is not a compulsory element of this programme. I did it because I wanted the mental challenge and enjoyed achieving something which I would previously have considered impossible for me.

This debate just confirms, for me, how versatile 5:2 is, everyone can tweak away till they get a tailor made way of life for themselves. How good is that?

Ballerina x