The FastDay Forum

Quoting Katherine " About me, they know that I have suffered years of frustration with many diet regimes" oh Katherine just had to say so well said
Thank you so much green monster ( very cute monster - if I may say so) for this post.
Julianna lol I am like you i'm telling the world as its fantastic and I am hooked
My penny's worth
1. I am addicted to this WOE, it's helping my stick to it ness so don't care. Loving it
2. Yesterday I had the best day fasting thought wow easy day, not hungry, 2 little. Meals, zenlike & full of energy. but have had some beastlies so it is unpredictable.
3, Admit might not be the best with the fluid replacement but working on it.
4.The headaches get me eating usually shifts them but you can't tell a paracetamol insensitive non caffeine headaches - go away I am fasting. Today's was a cracker which went after the gym. Now that seems weird to me
5 love all the science and nerdy help and Moogie and the mods
6. My skin is very happy just have itchy hands
7. Forum community such a great bunch only the odd moment but we are human & hence sensitive
Thanks for this

this is my 2nd completed week I have noticed my clothes are less snug and have heard from a few people they can tell Im losing weight!! but why does the scale not back that up. Everyone wants to know how many pounds I have lost...well its very little. WHAT am I doing wrong?

I fast from 2pm til 2pm on Mondays and Thursday.

Brilliant thread. Isn't it funny how differently we react to this WOL?!

On a fast day -

- I'm not cold (always too hot anyway)

- Very productive & focused - get huge amounts done because I'm not stopping to eat

- Get hungry sometimes but find it goes away soon

- Not grumpy (I don't think!) - usually glowing with virtue for not eating

- Am drinking a lot of water - get rather nervous about dehydration

On a feed day -

- Am way over-compensating for not eating the previous dsy. Still waiting for the effect others describe of not wanting to eat as much. Weirdly, am still losing weight, though slowly.

All in all, very positive experience so far. And this forum really helps!

I have noticed that:
1. I do not die or faint on a fast day.
2. I haven't been admitted to a looney bin due to my sugar cravings. Why? Because the cravings have gone now that there is zero sugar every day, fast or not.
3. Have lost 5 yes that is 5 cms off my waist whereas my scales have been lying to me and saying that I have plateaued. Liars!
4. I WANT to eat veggies!!!!
Am living proof that you can change brain chemistry and increase serotonin through the 5:2 diet with slight tweaking here and there.
Love to all xx

I am noticing that my appetite is decreasing- after 7 fasts I can no longer eat the volume of food I used to and it's incredibly uncomfortable when I do . . This is soooo good!

Noticing most of the above,
Cold on fasting days, but it is winter here
Hungers easy to ignore when you can eat normally the next day
People are interested, im happy to share
As well as
Im buying too much food!! Have not adjusted my shopping habits to my reduced food intake, particulary bread which I have reduced, not because Im afraid of carbs, but because on a fast day it doesnt seem worth it, and on 16/8 Im not eating breakfast. DH has nicely asked me to not supermarket shop.

He'd also like it if I stopped dishing him up my food ......Im trying to make an effort to reduce my portion sizes and not match his, but it would seem that I am giving him some of my share

Hi

This is my first post. I was looking through for posts about having lost a fair amount of weight but not being able to see where from! Because I've lost half a stone in four weeks, which I'm happy about - but my waits measurement is the same as before and my trousers feel the same as before! I HOPE I haven't lost it from my face, as that is the last thing I wanted...but anyway, you couldn't lose 7lbs off your face, could you?! So does anyone have any thoughts on this or similar experience?

I feel the same as Greenmonster in that I'm hungry more on my eating days than my fast days - what's that about? Having said that, I've had two three course meals since I started and have felt bloated and stomach-achey afterwards, so my appetite seems to have decreased!

I have also been feeling tired and sleeping heavily, but all the time. I put it down to a cold virus I had a few weeks back, but not so sure now....

Having said all this, I think the 5:2 is great and intend to keep going!

Hi Susie

Feel honoured that you chose my thread as a place to start your 5:2 forum journey - hope it's a long and happy one! I can't imagine anyone having a face big enough to lose half a stone off, but I guess it must happen! No other more sensible suggestions though - maybe your arms are slimmer?

I think eating on your eating days can trigger hunger - once you've broken your fast, your body wants to make up for what you've not had and makes you want to eat more. This is why I prefer to have my 'normal' days at work, so I'm not constantly hunting for my next snack. My appetite is getting more back to normal though.

I have noticed I'm grinding/clenching my teeth a bit on fast days (or maybe just noticing it) - maybe I want food so much I'm pretending to eat it?!

I thought I would be ok today in a supermarket but I wandered about like a fool, picked up (and thankfully put back) quite a few 'treat' things like belgian chocolate salted caramel ice cream (although i did get 2 packets of pesto & mozzarella kettle chips...they were 99p!) and I really felt quite irritated with lots of people and felt I was going to say rude things to them (not like me at all!). So perhaps going in the throes of hunger is not a good idea.

Hi Greenmonster!

Sadly, my arms and face (and chest) are the places I could do without losing anything off - I'm hoping it's come off my hips or thighs (which I didn't measure before starting)!

The 5:2 book did say that you shouldn't crave too many extra calories on eating days to make up for your fasting days...I think it's probably all in my head!

I definitely think it's a bad idea to go to the supermarket on a fast day! Mind you, I'm finding I'm buying 'treats' I wouldn't have bought before on eating days when I go, too

Here are some of the things I am noticing

I can go to do the shopping on my fast days. In fact, as I don't have to eat, I find it to be time saving. Weird, I know... On the other hand, I am not used to shop so little so know, except for my girls, I have enough to eat until july....

I lose weight on my face, which is really really weird.

Everything taste different as before and I can't stand fat in my food, except for a little olive oil

I am feeling hungry for the first time in my life. Before I never felt hungry, I even, sometimes forgot to eat

That's all for now

Really interesting points everyone. I haven't told anyone about 5 2. All I have said is that we are having a healthy family meal both on Monday and Thursday now. I think I feel quietly smug that I am doing this but don't have the pressure of friends asking me how it is going etc.
I weigh myself on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - it is interesting how my weight varies through the week ie. before a fast day,after one etc.
I only record it weekly on a Monday here (incidentally when I am at my heaviest after the weekend)
Any thoughts on reducing waist measurement? - after 6 fasts, my waist is the same! Oh dear!
I probably need to exercise.... Will have to dust off some old fitness DVDs!

I also get very crabby on fast days, especially in the evening. I hope this will pass/improve as I get used to it - my husband is getting quite worried that this doesn't suit me! I am planning to slightly rejig my eating on fast days to try and help with the evening irritability.

I also love the flat stomach feeling, but I also find that I can be more keen than normal to eat often the day after a fast. I have always been a bit of a grazer so this isn't too weird for me, but I do notice it anyway. I am again hoping that as I settle more into it, I will find it's less of an issue and my routine goes a bit more back to normal and I'm less inclined to feel the need for constant cake and biscuits the day after a fast!

I'm quite lucky that I have a number of friends who are already doing it (and who told me about it) so I've just joined in really, and have people to talk to who already understand it. They've found it really beneficial so that's good. I don't plan to tell my mum (who won't understand) or my younger sister (who had an eating disorder and I'm just not sure about what effect it could have) but other than that I've not had a massive issue telling people. Although I do make it clear that it's not (for me) a diet to lose weight, but for other health benefits - I am already slim and I would worry that people would think I was suffering with an eating disorder. That said, it hasn't come up in conversation that much - I never really talk about diets!

Greenmonster - re. the teethgrinding/clenching, I've definately been doing it too! Wondered if it was a 5:2 thing. But why?!

Dunach Delight - What tweaks did you do to improve seratonin? I have naughty seratonin

Really interesting points everyone. I haven't told anyone about 5 2. All I have said is that we are having a healthy family meal both on Monday and Thursday now. I think I feel quietly smug that I am doing this but don't have the pressure of friends asking me how it is going etc.
I weigh myself on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - it is interesting how my weight varies through the week ie. before a fast day,after one etc.
I only record it weekly on a Monday here (incidentally when I am at my heaviest after the weekend)
Any thoughts on reducing waist measurement? - after 6 fasts, my waist is the same! Oh dear!
I probably need to exercise.... Will have to dust off some old fitness DVDs!

Exercise is bound to help with the waist reduction. Anecdotal, but makes perfect sense - was chatting to my sister about yoga and karate recently. She started regular yoga probably about a year ago, and she has noticed a huge difference to her figure. Her weight is about the same, but her waist is much more defined. Karate has had a similar effect on my waist. Both types of exercise improve core strength enormously, and since your core muscles are all in your torso, it makes perfect sense that if you choose a type of exercise that works your core muscles really hard and improves core strength, then it should have an effect on your waist.

Yoga or pilates are both brilliant for this, as are martial arts. And a class environment (which you'll get from any of these) are good for motivation and keeping you pushing yourself. I always find DVDs give me too much temptation to give up if it's getting to feel like hard work!

Yes, my concentration issues are diminishing as well! I'm not as spacey as I was at the beginning!

I notice that the back fat, upper arm fat are diminishing too!

I notice the softer skin.

I notice I avoid looking in the fridge or pantry on fast days, I have to walk away!

I drink loads of tea on fast days even with the warm weather, tea is awesome! Herbal tea is super for me because it feels like something- taste and body are full without any calories or caffeine.

I notice I do get a little grumpy now and then, the 2nd fast day evening for me.