The FastDay Forum

Thanks for the welcome everybody !
My headache is gone. So today I didn't eat until 12..so I fast for 17hours and I had the big salad with chicken. (300ca but I could't finished it), for dinner it's chicken with butternut squash, and lentils...they say it' s 250 ca....so 550 ca max today, no too bad !
I can't wait tomorrow to eat what I want.

Hi, I' m new. I just started the 5:2 diet Monday.
I'm fasting on Mondays on Thursdays.
I don't have a lot of weight to loose, but it seems that I have a lot of fat. I have an underactive thyroid which is no helping.
I hope to loose 4/5 kilos for my wedding the 8 ok August.
Monday was all right, just had a little headache Tuesday, and today it's just getting worst....my head is just killing me.
I don't know how to add a signature.....
PS : sorry for my English..I'm French so tough tough !!

Welcome to the Forum! I just realized I meant to welcome you, got distracted and forgot >.< Bienvenue au forum! Votre anglais est tellement mieux que mon francais. Vous ecrivez tres bien Je regrette, mais je ne sais pas comment on ustiliser les accents sur un clavier americain Et aussi, j'abbats votre belle langue. Peut etre c'est meillure que nous parlons en anglais

Most people find the headaches go away after the first week or two of fasting. It helps me if I drink more water and more espresso.

Your french is good !!! Well done, thanks for the welcome.

Welcome @Soophie ..i think others have already told you what you need to know as a beginner,so i' ll just add that i too have an underactive thyroid but have found i lose quite well..as long as youre on enough medication,there 's no reason why you shouldnt really..tho i think many of us arent on the correct dosage as the blood tests ( in the uk anyway) arent accurate enough.
Have a good look around the forum for tips,advice and support - you'll find them in abundance here!
And well done on yr grasp of English..i would struggle with my Schoolgirl French to keep up a dialogue on here! X

Thanks for the welcome.
I think I use for thyroid problem as an excuse...but I eat a lot of crap. I love chocolate and sweets.

Welcome Soophie! May your journey be successful and smooth. My best tip is a salty drink around mid afternoon. I make homemade chicken broth in the slow cooker over many hours then freeze in 1 cup jam jars and re heat when you are craving something. It really makes you feel satisfied but is super good for you and only around 30 calories.If interested please google ' the benefits of bone broth- wellness mamma'
Xxx julianna

During my first year of fasting I was on this forum all the time, either seeking help, reading (blogs and success stories), checking out photos, commenting, etc. I also found the 'fasting today' thread useful because once I had 'committed to the forum' I didn't falter fasting that day. These days I am maintaining by skipping the odd breakfast and/or dinner, based on my daily weigh in. Just before reaching my goal weight I had become quite obsessive about weighing and even went on the scale at the end of a fast day, before going to bed. I no longer undress to get on the scales, except on Fridays when I enter my weight on the forum tracker. I exercise regularly, drink lots of water and herbal teas but also enjoy my dinners and wine, just less of it. Fewer shop bought biscuits, muffins and cake but I enjoy making my own. I use less sugar but eat more fats. Some of my colleagues are also fasting so we support each other. Not yet menopausal but I am hoping that it won't affect it too much. I think I've lost about 12-13% with 5:2 but another 4-5% the previous year through regular exercise and reducing carbs.

[Moogie]

Barbara Berkley in her Refuse to Regain blog/site (http://www.refusetoregain.com/2015/02/s ... tions.html) says

If you have lost weight and are maintaining a weight of around 15% less than what you originally weighed, you are a superstar. This is true even if you originally lost 20% or more of your heaviest weight. Perfect maintenance is tough and rare. But excellent maintenance is something to be very much celebrated.

So it would be interesting to know how many 5:2ers are maintaining (say) a 15% lower body weight than they started after previously having originally lost (say) 20%?

Thanks so much for that quote Caro, it's really encouraging
Do we have a topic yet for original loss % vs maintenance? I originally lost 25% (didn't quite hit my ultimate goal, but was in the normal BMI range at least) but since my regain I am maintaining around 13% loss with 2 days of fasting and something like 16:8 on my other days (aside from an occasional small glass of milk or spoon of honey at bedtime).


It's lovely to see how many people are still around even if they're only really reading. I should think of some cunning way to force you all to post more often, lol ... but the I'd have to do the same myself.

Hi, I used to be a regular, but I drifted away from posting, although I have been continuing to use the tracker each week.
It has been fascinating to read this thread and see how many people are in the same boat as me; into the third year of fasting and the weight is creeping back on. I'm still fasting twice a week, and find it pretty easy compared with the early days, but the weight is slowly going on. If I maintained at this weight (BMI 24) I would be OK with it, but I just don't see myself maintaining right now, at least not until I get back into running.
I'm 50, so I guess hormones don't help, but if I'm entirely honest, I know that a switch flicked in my head when I reached target, and I then thought it was OK to be eating just a little more, the odd treat etc on fast days. You can guess the rest!
So here we are, what are we going to do about it? I'm not sure, because I refuse to get into calorie counting on feast days, (I know this works for many people, but it just makes me rebel and eat more...)
I'm also not sure my mind is in the right frame to go for this, so think I will continue fasting twice a week, and concentrating on being active. And hope it sorts itself out magically.... (!)

Hi @annurca good to see you here x
It IS a bit troubling to see you long time maintainers starting to gain,and i dont know what the answer is,i only have questions...
Such as " why cant we all be born with greyhound metabolisms,so we can just enjoy all the lovely food we're fortunate enough to have access to? "
All i can say is,just do anything to not let the gain go over 3-5 lbs..so much easier to deal with that than stones ( speaking as somebody who has lost and gained back a few stone several times over the last thirty years...each time getting a bit bigger - its soul destroying)
However,never firget how well youve done to get to goal and to maintain it! High five! X

Thank you @CandiceMarie!
I always feel a bit sorry for greyhounds, they look so cold all the time. But VERY slim!

[carorees]

I'm 50, so I guess hormones don't help, but if I'm entirely honest, I know that a switch flicked in my head when I reached target, and I then thought it was OK to be eating just a little more, the odd treat etc on fast days. You can guess the rest!
So here we are, what are we going to do about it? I'm not sure, because I refuse to get into calorie counting on feast days, (I know this works for many people, but it just makes me rebel and eat more...)

Hi @Annurca
According to Gary Taubes, insulin resistance worsens as we go through menopause and continues to worsen with age and this together with the continual drop in TDEE that occurs with age, would explain how gradual weight gain is normal with age. Having lost weight we have this to deal with alongside all the efforts the body makes to try to get us to regain. If insulin resistance worsens, it suggests that we have to restrict carbs progressively more as we age to counteract the effect. Fasting should improve insulin resistance but too much can cause cortisol release which worsens it, so it is a fine balance.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no data out there on what regain is normal if a person loses weight and maintains their way of eating exactly the same as during the weight loss process, so I can't find out whether a slight regain is normal even if there is no relaxation of the eating rules or whether all regain can be put down to the effects of letting a few more treats in. Maybe @SSure or @peebles might know?

Re your BMI of 24, that is a healthy BMI for your age and in fact the statistics say that the BMI associated with the lowest risk of death rises with age, being around 24 at age 50, 26 at age 60 and 27 at age 70. Thus if the regain were very gradual, it might be a good thing!

However, we know that fasting is good for our health and so as long as we continue to fast, even if the weight creeps up, we are still in a better place than we once were.

All we can do is to keep on keeping on.