The FastDay Forum

The reason we pee so much has to do not only with what we drink but the fact that when we eat less carbohydrate than we need to provide glucose for our blood sugar our body releases stored carbohydrate from our livers. This stored form of carbohydrate, glycogen, turns into glucose and water when it is released. There is a lot more water than glucose in the glycogen, so it is that water that you are peeing away late on a fast day.

Were you to keep fasting (or to eat a very low carbohydrate diet) you would burn off all the stored glycogen that can be released and the peeing would stop. At that point, your body would switch over to burning first ketones and then, after a few weeks, free fatty acids. But since with intermittant fasting we mostly go back to eating carbs the day after a fast, our glycogen stores get recharged and we put back on the weight that is due to the glucose bonding with that extra water as glycogen is formed.

This cycling back and forth through glycogen burning and storing is the one thing I don't like about intermittant fasting. With low carb dieting you get past it for a few days and then that's that. No more wearing a path to the bathroom!

I'm having serious tummy problems today, the day after a fast. It happens sometimes, but I haven't had it this bad in awhile. I might have to go home from work. I woke up with a splitting headache this morning, too. This has been happening a lot lately after a fast. It's hard to believe it's dehydration with all the water I drink...

[janeg]

too many salts and minerals washed out @MaryAnn?
Hope you feel better soon

I agree with janeg. Have some miso soup.

I hope the suggestions clear this up for you @MaryAnn coz its hard enough without feeling awful next day x
Let us know how you get on x

I've only been on the 5:2 Fast Diet for 10 days but I have noticed HEADACHES every single fast day and even the day after. They are not awful at all, but I never get headaches normally so this dull pain is annoying. Other than that and getting hAngry, I feel fine. I haven't been sleeping well either, but that's nothing new for me. I supposed that could be contributing to the headaches as well.

@SammyIAm, some thoughts: Are you having your usual dosage of caffeine on fast days? Less caffeine can cause headaches. I am fortunate that I like my coffee & tea without additives (good with too, but I don't need them). But as I'm not really headache prone (good thing, as I'm a big baby about them!), I don't have a lot of experience. Another issue that might be relevant is "low blood sugar"; you might look into the whole issue of sugar vs fat burners. I clearly used to be a sugar burner, ate frequently and thought I'd expire if I went more than 4 hours without eating! For several years before 5:2 (my first fastiversary is this April), I had switched to fat burner; could eat or not early in the day, then not eat for several hours without a problem. It was quite obvious when out running around with my (male) friend, who "needs" to eat frequently (and who is both prone to headaches and has a BMI of 35+).

I too often have troubles sleeping; I make sure to eat very late (yes, I know that's counter to all the "don't eat late" beliefs, but those guys also say "breakfast is the most important meal," so there you go) so I can sleep. Ironically, I find that sometimes I sleep better following a light day, probably related to not having alcohol on those days....

Thanks everyone. I usually do have a miso soup every fast day, but interestingly I've been skipping it recently. However, on Tuesday, I did have a different kind of soup that seemed pretty salty to me. I'll go back to having miso and see what happens.

@ferretgal I don't think it's a caffeine issue for me. I don't indulge in much caffeine. I hardly drink soda and I only drink coffee once in a while. I'm fasting today and am currently not experiencing any issues. I think I just need time to adapt to going days with limited calories. Thanks for the suggestions though.


@MaryAnn You're not alone! I was fine for the first few fasts, but the day after my last one, I had stomach cramps and went to the bathroom 4 times in 1 day. I was fine the following day. I think our digestive systems just go a little crazy after being introduced to full meals again after basically not doing anything the day before? Who knows

@SammyIAm, thankfully it doesn't happen after every fast day!

It was great collection you have listed. I would like to apply in my daily life.

Hi everyone

I am not sure if this is the right place to discuss this, but here goes. Since I began my weight loss journey, I've been sleeping less (about 4-5 hours per night, at most 6 hours), but not feeling tired at all when I wake. In fact, I feel more energized and sharper than before I started dieting. I don't get tired during the day and don't need naps. I drink coffee and tea on a daily basis, about 4-5 cups of coffee (at most), and 2 tsp of loose leaf green tea/black tea per day. I am currently not exercising, and just focusing on my nutrition. I've never had problems sleeping before prior to my weight loss regime, but I am concern that health problems may arise. I've been having this problem for about 2-3 weeks now. I am not on any medication nor medically diagnosed with any sleeping problems. Hope this helps.

Btw it's 5AM right now on the west coast, got up at 3:30AM, went to bed at around 10PM.

Hi, I'm new. I've done the 5:2 for 3 weeks now, and though I love the concept—and, of course, the weight loss—headaches have not gone away & neither have the feelings of nausea. I'm really sad at the thought of quitting the program, but both side effects happen every time. I have no problems whatsoever on no-fast days. Any advice? I think I could hang on if I thought it would stop, but 3 weeks (6 fast days) seems like I've given it a reasonable amount of time.
Thanks, Mary-L

Sorry to hear you are having problems @mlc. Have you been following the advice to drink plenty of water on your fast days, and to have one salty drink or a miso soup to keep your electrolytes topped up? Other common reasons for headaches are not drinking coffee or coke on a fast day if you usually drink a fair amount, and therefore having a caffeine withdrawal, or if you have a sweet tooth it could be sugar related.

@MLC, if you could tell us what and when you eat on fast days, we could make better suggestions. Before 5.2, did you eat frequently? That can indicate being a sugar burner, rather than a fat burner, which means your body expects small frequent doses of sugar/carbs to feel right.