The FastDay Forum

Yesterday I ate chocolate and today I feel terrible. Am hoping a fast day will fix me. I agree that "treats" don't taste as good as they used to and I'm finding simple foods such as vegetable soup or a salad taste amazing when eaten on a fast day and you are really hungry.

2 changes: I eat smaller portions and only if I feel hungry (I used to eat every 3-4 hours in order not to get "ravenous"). So the total volume has gone down.

On the other hand, I eat MORE cheese, I am more relaxed about fat, and I eat a bit more chocolate and ice cream. So a (slight??) increase of total (saturated) fat and glucose. My weight is going down regardless, and I'll have my blood lipids and long-term blood sugar checked in a months time. Curious to know how they will develop. However, I have never had seriously raised levels or risk factors, and my diet is still quite healthy, that's why I feel I can be relaxed about food choices for the moment.

I have never had a particularly sweet tooth but I did love Jaffa cakes occasionally but now I can't eat them - way too sweet but the Jaffa sacrifice is worth it

Very interesting question (also, very interesting replies). I am much less likely to gorge myself now and I have been on this WOL for just over 4 weeks. I feel satisfied with for example just one bowl of soup for lunch even without bread, whereas before I could easily have had at least two!! Yeterday, went to Balmaha by Loch Lomond to drop off daughter and boyfriend, who are walking the West Highland Way (brrr!) this Easter. My "reward" for the lift was being treated to a pub lunch so decided to order something i wouldn't make at home - burger and chips (limited pub menu!) Chips are a bit of a treat for me as very rarely eat them, ended up by being eaten by DD's boyfriend. Usually I am ready to defend my plate of chips to the death...So, are appetites being "reset", have I seen the error of my ways? Only time will tell, it will be interesting to see how many of us stick around long enough to acheive our target weights on this WOL.

I think I tend to make healthier choices for meals but then the reverse of that is that I tend to eat more chocolate ' because I can'!

One good thing is that I am not afraid of feeling hungry. Before 5:2 I would have eaten something at the first sign of hunger - now I know that I can wait until dinner or whenever and I will be fine and won't keel over!! Also I am happy to go without breakfast or lunch if I am not particularly hungry and don't force myself to eat just because it is a meal time.

It is interesting to see how we have all changed our attitudes towards food and eating - definitely for the better.

One big change for me is that on feed days I am not relying on the clock to tell me that it is time to eat and I am relying more on hunger. I am working on using conscious awareness of my food choices, stopping for a minute to think and not mindless snacking. The thing I am intentionally not doing on 5-2 is counting calories! Ugh! Only on fast days. The point I need to internalize is lifestyle, not short term start,stop, loose, gain,etc. Seems quite possible with 5-2.

Yep deffinatley have a relaxed attitude around food now.

My eating has changed, on feast days I thought I would wake up hungry but I don't.. and I don't eat until much later sometimes not till evening, and I tend to eat smaller portions and healthier food but have a treat maybe some chocolate or cheese or packet of crisps...I find my cal intake is below what the TDEE calculator says I should eat.... haven't been weighed yet might this week...it will be the third week or I may wait till week after and get weighed monthly

Unfortunately for me at the moment, I seem to have fallen off the wagon a bit
I think it's because I was on a calorie restricted diet before I started 5:2 (just a month ago) and I think the freedom is making me a bit giddy!
It's actually making me very angry with myself at the moment - my lack of willpower, so I am making a very big effort this week to not go crazy on feed days. Starting today with fast number 9.

Peapod, just go with the flow. If you fight it, you'll end up eating more out of frustration. It's a phase, it'll pass. Observe it, acknowledge it and move on.

Don't beat yourself up peapod! It's entirely normal to have a blow out after you come off a calorie restricted diet - that's how yo-yo dieting works.

But, at least now you know that you will be able to overcome this when your eating settles down and that you have found a much more sustainable way of life and of losing weight.

I pay much more attention to what I am eating. Making better choices. When I want a treat I plan for it.
Eating smaller, healthier meals all the time, not just fast days. I fill like exercising more. Stopped snacking, unless I am really hungry and be sure to have small snacks here that I and my husband like. More veggies and fruits.

I find quite weird the "treats/chocolate/food doesn't taste as good as it used to" statement.
Personally, I find that everything tastes better after a fast day.

I did go a bit over the top with chocolate and carbs simply because I could. After months of low carb it was novelty value! I have found that I don't like things like potatoes, rice and pasta anymore so they will be off the menu for me now. I also realised that in the past I have eaten gluten free bread, which is pretty horrid, simply because other people have bread! In general my capacity portion-wise is much less. If I could just get the chocolate thing in control I'd have cracked it! I'm hoping that I will get to grips with that now that its lost its forbidden status.

I do seem to get sickened by food much faster and I don't dislike feeling empty anymore.

I've changed my WOE a couple of times before: became vegetarian and made a good stab at eating healthier for a few years until falling off the wagon. I know from those experiences that I do best with changing one thing at a time, the smaller the better. So I made the choice before trying 5:2 that I would only change to restricting calories for 2 days. The other 5 days I'd eat whatever and however much I wanted...and I've wanted a lot on a few of my feed days!

2 weeks in, I find it easier to not snack and to turn down treats on feed days. I consider it extra on top of fasting. If I give in and snack or have sweets, I refuse to feel bad for it. I'm hoping that once I'm comfortable with 5:2 I'll get to a point where I can cut snacks out completely except for the occasional treat.