The FastDay Forum

And I feel terrible. Heart is racing and feel shaky. Is this normal? Did I not eat enough? I had approx 450 cals yesterday and last meal before that was Saturday evening around 2030. Just eaten a muffin and hoping I feel better soon as this is horrible. Should I eat more as I am breastfeeding my 7 month old?

Hi Teb1976 and welcome to the forum,

Really sorry to hear you are feeling terrible after your first fast day. I think that 5:2 fasting is not recommended while breastfeeding, your energy and nutrient requirements are so much higher as you are feeding for two.

Dr Michael Mosley is the guy who came up with the 5:2 that most of us do here, and he said here:

Q. LouiseMarie: How many extra calories would be recommended on fast days for breastfeeding mums? I have completed two days over the past week but am really hungry and feel I make up for it by eating loads the next day! Is that normal?

A. MichaelMosley: I am conservative about these things and would not actually recommend breastfeeding mums do fasting. I think you have enough to cope with anyway and the energy demands are high. Not aware of anyone who has studied this in humans.

I would definitely think you should eat more if breast feeding. Don't think 5:2 is recommended in this instance, but think some people do as have seen some posts. Maybe start a post with that subject line or try the search box. Hope you find a solution and sorry you are feeling rubbish

[janeg]

Morning Teb, sorry you are feeling so awful. Are you fully breastfeeding your wee one? He's still little and you will need extra calories to maintain your milk quality and supply. It is still early for you to be thinking of shifting a lot of weight with a small child. Maybe look at increasing your fast allowance. I don;t know what the calorie requirement of a breastfeeding mum is, but if you find that and quarter it , that'll give you the approx allowance for fast days.
And maybe eating something low GI or protein based after a fast will help too and not cause a spike.
And also what Dom and mariposa say ...
Hope you feel better

As dominic says, 5:2 is contra-indicated when breastfeeding. I think you should listen to what your body is telling you today and think about doing IF at a later time when you're not feeding your little one. No, it's not 'normal' that you're shaky with a racing heart after a fast day - let that be your guide.

Many thanks! I was obviously suffering from very low blood sugars yesterday morning as after a couple of hours of eating breakfast. Before starting the fast i had read the various posts from people who are breastfeeding on here. As my son increases his solid intake I will come back to try again, but in the meantime to get the idea of this, I will continue but use my fast days as 'healthy eating' days and not eat chocolate or any other junk!

That sounds like a good plan. I hope you're feeling better!

Hi Teb,
Just wanted to say that I am breastfeeding and fasting, but my 'baby' is 18 months and eats a lot of solid food, at 7 months your baby probably still has mostly milk? In any case I don't count calories too strictly on fast days, I skip a meal or two depending on how I feel and have a healthy dinner of mostly vegetables and protein, and that seems to be working for me. I think your idea of healthy eating fast days is a good one, and you can reduce quantities as your baby gets bigger!