The FastDay Forum

Just wanted to bump this post. I found it really informative for easing into my first liquid fast since Feb (when I originally joined). I've done 2 weeks of 5:2, then went on hols and then did another 2weeks of 5:2. I don't struggle on fast days (struggle on feed days) so trying to kickstart metabolsim and also decrease my appetite.

Anyone thinking of doing 36hour should have a look at this thread first

Hi when I first started the 5:2 I did have a meal totalling 500 cals and less on each of my fast days. This would trigger my hunger though. I did this for about 2 weeks and then I switched to liquid fasting and incorporated 16/8. I feel really good after, I've achieved the liquid fasting and also you know if you cannot get through the liquid fast you have your 500 cals has back up!
It's about experimenting with your WoE and also your body will soon tell you what it wants.

I also agree doing it slowly but surely! Weight gain is insideous so taking it slowly will ensure it will stay off! Best of luck though with whatever method you choose x

Thanks for bumping this jmousey. I had not seen it before and it's super helpful. I'm still new to it but have found it liberating as I don't have to think about what to eat. Also feel fabulous the next day (and smug too). Too early to say whether it has made a difference to pace of weight loss

Wow the will power you lot have is amazing. The one thing that keeps me going on a fast day is knowing tomorrow I can eat

Just wanted to bump this post. I found it really informative for easing into my first liquid fast since Feb (when I originally joined). I've done 2 weeks of 5:2, then went on hols and then did another 2weeks of 5:2. I don't struggle on fast days (struggle on feed days) so trying to kickstart metabolsim and also decrease my appetite.

Anyone thinking of doing 36hour should have a look at this thread first

Thank you mousey for bumping..so much valuable info for someone like myself who has just started looking into 36 hr fasts x

no probs guys. I used it as inspiration yesterday to do my first 36hour. Kept very busy was a bit hungry going to bed but I did it with no real problem and delighted with myself. Hope everyone else got on well and if I can tiops it would be have a pot of homemade soup at the ready for the evening and you might get away with not having your 500cals if you do need to take in some nutrition - thats what I did

I did a 36 hour fast on Sunday. Couldnt wait to weigh in on Monday to see how much I lost. But weight was still the same. Maybe it takes a day or so to show. Hope so. I am fasting today and Thursday this week. Might have a sneaky weigh in tomorrow just to see if there is any movement on the scales. Have lost 7lbs so far in three weeks. But had lost that the first two weeks. Prefer fasting days to non fasting days. I just have coffee with semi skimmed milk during the day at work. Then about 400 calorie meal at about 6.00pm. Non fast days i am now actually conscious about what I eat.

Great to read this again - my comment was from when I'd done 4x36 hour fasts, and the majority of my fasts since, months later, have been 36 hour fasts. It still suits me, but I'm also proof that is doesn't mean you'll lose weight fast - I've always had a very gradual downward trajectory.

I normally do a 24 hour fast and then 15 hours till breakfast! I prefer not eating during the fasting day as it makes me feel funny and hungry I'm only on my second week of fasting but I've lost around 2 pounds - not much but at least it's going now. Start fasting after tea tonight and then weigh in on Sunday

[Debs]

Interesting thread! I did my first complete fast on Tuesday and found it no trouble at all. Wednesday, I really wasn't very hungry and only had maybe 600 cals, but I noticed I was fairly tetchy, just as well I was on my own!

Today, I didn't have much to eat again as I really wasn't hungry which isn't very good as I ended up having to force myself to eat. I honestly thought I'd want to stuff my face but interestingly had no urge for any cake, biccies etc. which is a first for me!

I would definitely do a few more of these in the future as it is just more convenient and I don't have to worry about what to eat within the calorie range. I had a big weekend which is what prompted me to do it; I will do my normal weigh in next Tues with interest, having avoided this week's as I knew it would be scary!!
Good luck all!

I have 2 liquid fasts back to back on mondays and tuesdays so I don't eat anything from Sundays 7:00PM until the light soup I have for dinner at 7:00PM on Mondays (80 to 100cal) and again nothing until the same light soup for dinner on Tuesdays.

It's not as hard as it sounds. As some said, it's even easier than with a "normal" meal on fast days as there's no chewing and no "hunger switched on" and the soup is really filling, even with so few calories.

I believe it helped the weight loss. I love doing it, I find it even easier than a "normal" fast.

I started liquid fasting early on and haven't experienced any of the problems others have reported, and I guess it has been worth it since I've lost weight rather quickly, and more importantly, body fat, although at a slower pace. I haven't felt any special need for will power, no real cravings, it was easier than eating my 600 kcal.

I suspect it's harder for those who are not used to endurance cardio with low blood sugar, like running in the morning, also eating a lot of carbs should give you problems since the body gets used to running only on glycogen.

I figure the longer fast is good especially for fat loss, since the body won't switch to fat burning until glycogen stores are used up. Exercise the morning of fast days should speed up the process and make you feel less miserable the rest of the day. After a while I suspect the body gets used to switching between fuels, it should get easier for most people, but who knows?

For the past five months, I've been fasting roughly 36 hours from Sunday night until Tuesday morning f, then having a "light" day generally on Wednesday, each week. Like lauren.m, I actually find it easier to abstain, rather than to have a 600 calorie day. I've broken a couple of "light" days, but found my fast days easy to stick to.

I had already lost about 15kg before adopting the fast diet and I've lost about another 4kg since June and am now pretty happy with my weight. I am at the top end of my "healthy BMI weight range, I was originally at the top end of "overweight".

I find that telling myself "I can eat tomorrow" is a very effective mental strategy. I often have a big meal on Sunday evening with the family and find that having a day "off" on Monday is actually quite a relief.

My wife is now quite used to Monday being my fast day and it's just become part of our family routine. I am quite happy to sit down with my wife and kids whilst they tuck into a meal in front of me on a Monday night.

I too find it much easier to do a 36hr liquid only fast than to have the 500 cals and that naughty hunger switch turned on - that's a killer for me!! For the first few times I tried this I too had legs like jelly the following morning and feeling very lightheaded, but that's all gone away now and I seem to have adjusted to it. Even after nearly 3 months away from 5:2 and simply maintaining, I have now gone back easily into 36ers liquid only... so my body obviously remembers what it had learnt earlier in the year. Have absolutely amazed myself (and family and friends) that I can go this long without food and without dying !!! I'm back on track now (ooops to that bloomin' curry I had last week and undid all my good work on my 2x 36ers) better luck this week I hope. Anyone that's been doing 5:2 for a while and fancys giving a 36hr liquid only fast a go, I would definitely recommend it. Go on - you may surprise yourself

Sorry to sound stupid on this subject - But when everyone talks about a 36 hour liquid fast, is that just with water (i.e. zero calories in 36 hours) or with miso and stock cubes and tea etc (i.e. not zero calories in 36 hours)?

Because if it is with miso and other hot drinks to keep it as a 'liquid fast' then you are having your calories and in theory as long as it was a liquid you could have your 500 calories.