The FastDay Forum

I only need to lose one and a half stone and have already lost one stone since October mainly by eating less processed food.

My husband and me decided to try 5:2 and he is doing really well and feels great on it. I find it fairly easy to eat 500 cals on our fast days but I always get cold symptoms afterwards which is a real pain! Will this get better over time? I have tried eating 700 cals on fast days and then this doesn't happen.

Any thoughts?
I found this paragraph which is me on 500 cals but not 700 cals.

"Different people may experience varying degrees of headaches, irritability, fatigue and aches during detox,and may even experience cold-like symptoms as the body's immune system reacts a load of toxins in the bloodstream"

What foods are you eating as your 500 calories? Perhaps you have a food intolerance to something you are eating which is exacerbated by the fact that you are not eating much on fast days? I am thinking dairy, wheat etc. so maybe stick with 700 calories for a couple of weeks and then cut down a bit a week as your body gets used to it. Let us know how you get on.

do you cut out coffee etc on fast days? just wondering if its withdrawal symptoms from something. i have no idea how quick caffeine withdrawal starts just an idea?

This is my diary pay so Hello to you. I notice that Michael Mosely in his book says that he ate a QUARTER of his usual amount of calories and for him that was about 600. To be consistent with his experiment I guess we ought to work out what our normal amount is. I know some people who eat like horses and don't put on weight and some just get fat looking at food. And as to the bio chemical health well I don't know how to check that. Does any one have any suggestions.

Why not just do 700 then?

Seems like a plan! Try and max the fasting period to get other health benefits?

[carorees]

It might get better. Unfortunately apart from headaches I haven't come across this problem. The headaches definitely improve so the other symptoms may well do so. If you carry on fasting twice a week with 700 cal you might not lose much weight depending on your TDEE and how much you eat on feast days. You could do three days on 700 if you aren't losing weight. You will likely gain health benefits from fasting if you continue this WOL.

Thanks for replies
I'll try on 700 for a bit longer then I might to 3 days on that to lose the last 7 pounds. I was also going for the health benefits of fasting so I hope 700 cals will still do this

Hi Carolyn - how is it going? Are you still with us? I see you are due to get your parkrun 50 shirt very soon - we have lots of new parkrunners now with stories to tell...

Have you tried having green tea with fresh grated root ginger? I used to get really cold fingers and toes and started making the green tea with grated ginger and it really helped. My friend tells me that ginger is very good for circulation but I don't know if this is a myth.

From what I've read, the body protects itself from toxins by surrounding them with fat. As you're burning fat, the toxins are released back into your body until they get flushed out. Drinking more liquids may help.

Cal_Ife I had those symptoms too, it lasted at least 3 weeks I believe but I am in my 7th week now and the side effects are all behind me. Feeling great now and losing over a pound a week. I took sudafed and ibuprofen for the symptoms until they went away.

[carorees]

From what I've read, the body protects itself from toxins by surrounding them with fat. As you're burning fat, the toxins are released back into your body until they get flushed out. Drinking more liquids may help.

I've never seen any scientific evidence to confirm this! I think certain chemicals and hormones do accumulate in fat, though probably it's to do with their structure rather than the body actively protecting itself that way.

I agree with Carorees. I'm a pharmaceutical research chemist, so dealing with how medicines/toxins interact with the body is my day job. Some toxins are highly lipophilic (fat soluble) and naturally accumulate in fatty tissues. The body is not actively trying to 'hide' toxins in fat cells, it would much rather metabolise them to more hydrophilic (water soluble) molecules and flush them out of the body.

Hi Carolyn - how is it going? Are you still with us? I see you are due to get your parkrun 50 shirt very soon - we have lots of new parkrunners now with stories to tell...

Yes I'm still here Do my 50th parkrun this weekend! I'm pushing my 3 year old round in her buggy so that'll slow me down a bit.

As for the 5:2, I'm doing 6:1 now (as is my husband) as we have both upped our exercise considerably. He's lost 2 stone and I've lost 1 stone. I only need to go another 6lbs and then I will be at my target weight (and health)