The FastDay Forum

emsy - my name greenmonster is a reference to my love of green smoothies (smoothies with spinach & other good things in) and also my work in environmental education. Only the other day I realised it could be seen as a jealousy thing - it isn't!

It didnt cross my mind about the jealousy thing. However now you have explained its origins i like your name even more.

On the cramps - try some pickle juice.

I don't get cold, or constipated (actually very regular day after fast day), but I am HUNGRY all day. And I wake up with a "hangover" the day after a fast day too. No difference with how my clothes fit, but it's only been 3 weeks.

And I love green smoothies. Have one every morning (except fast days).

[Betsysgr8]

Lol, when I was a kid, we were told to not waste food and to finish everything on our plate. I noticed that I sometimes revert to some childhood eating 'methods' I employed to 'clean my plate'. I found myself eating the 'less appealing' foods first because I knew that I would finish the most tasty ones! So, I'm relearning that I DON'T have to finish everything and I can even put it aside to finish later or at another meal.

4. I like the way my stomach feels flat the morning after a fast day, although when I eat again I notice my tummy suddenly feels & looks very rounded and huge. Didn't notice it doing this before starting 5:2.

9. I want to tell people about this way of eating but am weirdly reluctant. I think they will think I'm following another fad, or am developing an eating disorder, or I'll hear the phrase 'but you don't need to lose weight' again.

What a great post Greenmonster

re 4.. i feel the same.. the flat stomach is so so good. i can see my toes for once and my undies looking down. lol side on view is such a diff. i haent measured myself yet since first measurements but it must be at least 2 inches in stomach area

re 9. im the opposite. i will tell everyone and have.

strangers in the street i strike up a conversation with
clients
friends - near and distant
family
friends of friends
the man in the corner shop
the butcher
the baker
people i talk to on the phone
clothes shop assistant

you name it.. have told at least of all categories above.

cant help myself. i feel a bit like im evangalising about some religious salvation sometimes. if they dont sound interested i stop .

have converted 2 so far !!! if only this was multi level marketing and a dollar in it (kidding!)

Ha ha I do feel abit evangelical about it myself - I think I'm a bit reluctant to tell people because I've done weight watchers before & I don't want people to think I'm a diet-obsessed bore, and also because I'm already at a healthy weight and I don't want the 'oh but you don't need to lose weight' comments. Yes I'm at a healthy weight and don't look fat. It's just a few extra 'vanity pounds' I want to shed, and also to feel more free enjoying all the food I love without thinking 'oh I shouldn't have that I already had some peanut butter today'. I think until I know I'm going to be sticking to this for the long term I want to keep it under wraps. So far it's looking good!

And the constipation? Never got it at all until yesterday! Usually things have been very free=moving (!) 'Went' this morning for the first time since wednesday - joy! COuld explain why I didn't feel so hungry yesterday - had all of wednesdays food still stuck inside me!

And today I have felt slightly less snacky than usual day-after-fast-days. Hasn't stopped me already chowing some crisps AND chocolate, AND ice cream! Although the ice cream was made out of frozen bananas, so semi-healthy...

The jealousy thing was green-eyed monster, green monsters with black eyes need not worry!

Hi all,

This is my first post! I've now done four fast days and had one weigh in after the first 9 days (last Tuesday). I'm fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. On my first weigh in (after 3 fast days) I'd lost 4lb - but I started this diet after a week in Cornwall with my sister for her 50th birthday, where we ate so much I thought I'd explode - so I think I started off with the worst possible scenario!

The things I have noticed so far are as follows:

1. You DO feel thinner after a fast day - to the extent that I don't head straight for the fridge the next morning as I want to enjoy the feeling as long as possible!
2. The 1% fat milk you can buy in supermarkets (in the orange carton) shaves a few extra calories off a cup of tea (and I drink loads) but tastes just as good as semi skimmed.
3. I'm actually starting to like V8 - a good, healthy and low calorie drink!
4. Cherry tomatoes are your friend.
5. Keeping a bag of giant Cadbury's chocolate buttons in the fridge takes the edge of pudding cravings. One is just 12 calories - if you can manage to eat just one at a time, which so far I have.
6. Opting for protein instead of carbs definitely makes you feel fuller longer - I'm sure most people know this already!
7. Waitrose roasted salmon slices with a honey and mustard seed crust is one of the nicest things on the planet.
8. I totally don't feel guilty about eating normally on 'five days' - I call them that rather than 'feed days' as it makes me feel less like I should stuff my face just because I can!
9. I'm not sure I feel any thinner yet, but seeing the 10 on the left hand side of the scales, for the first time in a while, was nice!
10. I'm seriously inspired by everyone else's stories - thank you

well done TMDB.

I grow cherry tomatoes so yeah its a good idea. i think one cherry tomato is not many calories. my scales is on the blink so not sure how many grams/ounces one is.

I feel thinner after a fast day definitely and fatter after a feast day lol

love it when those old fashioned scales are used. somehow more satisfying that digital numbers on a screen!

My personal findings

1) my willpower stinks. I think I do well on 4:3 WOE, but not because I have enormous will power. It is more a matter of keeping distracted and avoiding temptation.
I am one of those fasters who avoids eating during the day, saving my calories for dinner. This allows for a better evening meal and gives e a full belly to go to sleep with. I have found that if I eat during the day, I am constantly craving more food and find myself distracted by the thought of eating.

2) to be honest, I do not feel that bad with regards to lethargy or exhaustion. I try to keep busy during the day and avoid thoughts of food or dieting. What I do feel about 4pm'ish, after no food apart from a mug of coffee since dinner the previous night, is a feeling of anxiety or a sense of
'Twitchiness'. I can't seem to sit still and can be a little fidgety. Almost like the 'fight or flight' reflex has been triggered in me.

3) I have never been one that has felt the cold all that badly, but in the last few weeks, I have really bed suffering the cold.

4) the looser clothes are a great feeling and I incentive to continue

5) like others, I am extremely reluctant to share this diet with others. With the prevalent idea that skipping meals is bad for you, I have difficulty admitting this diet to anyone. I suspect this is going to bite me big time as my folks are coming to stay for a couple of weeks soon. I suspect this WOE will go out the window then, or I admit and get a massive lecture on it,

This may be TMI so I do apologise. But I have noticed that on my fast days (and today on a normal day) that I can often get quite sweaty and it can smell quite potent. My hands can often feel a bit clammy and my armpits are going mad, even though the rest of me feels rather chilly, or not overheated at least. I googled this and there was a few sites talking about 'toxins' leaving the body but I always take these things with a pinch of salt.

I know it's suddenly got a lot warmer here but I was quite ashamed of myself in the office today!

Anyone else finding this? Or perhaps I can't blame the fasting!

[Betsysgr8]

Greenmonster, have you had your thyroid checked? Sweating is a symptom of an overactive thyroid. You might want to see your doctor because sweating can be a symptom of several different medical conditions.

And back to the topic ...
I've noticed that I cross my legs easily now.

My personal findings



2) to be honest, I do not feel that bad with regards to lethargy or exhaustion. I try to keep busy during the day and avoid thoughts of food or dieting. What I do feel about 4pm'ish, after no food apart from a mug of coffee since dinner the previous night, is a feeling of anxiety or a sense of
'Twitchiness'. I can't seem to sit still and can be a little fidgety. Almost like the 'fight or flight' reflex has been triggered in me.

I have this too! but not as early as 4pm usually, a little bit later. I wonder what that's about..

The first thing I noticed was that I don't need to be scared of hunger! It doesn't keep getting worse as the day goes on, it just comes and goes, in waves, and isn't really that bad at all! And even on normal days, if I have to go without food for several hours, its not a problem as I am no longer afraid of starving to death, or fainting, or getting a headache etc.

I am loving the feeling of my jeans being a lot looser, and can't wait to buy new ones, I will give it a couple more weeks though.

I love hearing all the different experiences and feelings everyone have on their fast days, thank you greenmonster for starting this thread. It makes me realise that we are not all the same. I suppose a lot will depend on your previous eating/drinking habits as much as anything. I have been a yo-yo dieter all my adult life and really feel that this is the way forward for me. The biggest change for me has been my mental attitude. Prior to starting the 5:2 I had never knowingly missed a meal in my life. I ate 'just in case' I might get hungry later! How stupid is that?
I find each fast easier than the one before and have now tried going all day and then having a decent meal in the evening which seems to work better for me, but I do start to get the anxiety & twitchiness just before I eat. As long as I make sure I keep my fibre contents & liquids up on non fast days constipation is only a minor temporary effect, rather than a problem.
I do agree that the weight loss is slower than on other diets, but the loss of food guilt is my biggest bonus of all.

Other people's reactions to my obvious weight loss are interesting.
Just had a finger-wagging" now don't lose any more weight, you'll look haggard." When I asked if I was already haggard, I was told that I looked well, just now.
I have to say I was really laughing inside because that individual could really do with a spot of 5:2!
Friends and family are very pleased with my and my OH' s visible success. About me, they know that I have suffered years of frustration with many diet regimes and about my OH because previously he had been totally opposed to diet of any kind. Now he's a driving force! So it's all a turn-around now.
Hooray!!!!

BetsyGr8 - I'm fairly sure it's related to 5:2, or not thyroid anyway (I have no other symptoms and am generally pretty healthy). I mentioned this to my husband and he immediately said it was the body producing ammonia due to using its own energy stores. It's the sort of thing people who do lots of exercise have to be watchful of (especially my husband who has very low body fat and lots of muscle). Neither of us are experts so we may be wrong but it made sense to me. Interestingly today, having had a reasonable food intake for the last 24 hours, the smelly sweat has stopped. This is what makes me think it is certainly due to 5:2. We shall see though!

Another thing - I am finally conquering my appetite on food days! I used to be ravenous shortly after my first meal but yesterday my porridge kept me going all morning, even though I'd had two fast days in a row. It's helped confirm to me that I am most definitely a breakfast person, especially on work days. When I'd had my porridge I felt amazing all morning, much more alert and productive than on fast days.