The FastDay Forum

Does anyone else struggle with being to hard on themselves? I am back trying 5:2 for the third time, today was meant to be fast #3, but I got to 9.30am and just knew I couldn't do it today. I will fast Sunday instead, still 5:2, but I struggle with being too hard on myself. Even though I know it is still 5:2 whether I fast today or Sunday, I start to get negative, and that I've failed because I couldn't fast today, what will stop me from failing again and again until I give up again?

Well, first it takes a little time to get used to. So maybe ease into it. Even if you go over the calories, it's still less than usual. So maybe start with 100 0 calories and work your way down to 500.

I know many people on here fast all day and have all their 500 calories for dinner. I've tried that and it just doesn't work for me. So, I have a high protein breakfast for around 100-150 calories and then the rest of my calories for dinner and it works great for me! Sometimes I do go over my calories a bit at night, but I am still losing weight!

[Tracieknits]

You have to find what works for you. Fasting is NOT easy. But it is worth it!!

Only you can find that balance between being too hard on yourself and being too easy. As cblasz says, different people fast different ways. Michael Mosley has to have two meals a day, including breakfast. If I ate breakfast, I'd be famished by noon and eating my way through the pantry by 3. I know this, because I've DONE it! You need to find the way that works for you, and that may involve some trial and error. And that's ok.

As Tracie said there's a balance between being too hard and too easy. Firstly fasting does get easier with time, so maybe you need to be a bit hard on yourself for a while.
Also spending time on here is a great way to stop yourself from eating

Thanks guys,
Wineoclock I know from experience that being too hard on myself always leads to failure. I am a perfectionist, so me being hard in myself is usually unhealthy so. Like, approaching an eating disorder. Which I've never had, but definitely recognise some of the tendencies within myself.

I think I just have to learn that it is OK to not fast sometimes, even though it was planned. If I fast Sunday, which I fully intend to, it's still 5:2. There's nothing wrong with that. I am not 'just making excuses' - it's legitimately within the diet. Perhaps look at the occasional aborted fast as practice in flexibility and adaptability and learning to roll with the punches, so to speak. In which case today becomes a perfect opportunity for growth. To learn that it IS ok to trust what my body is saying sometimes. And trust my future self to fast on Sunday instead. Just the act of thinking it through is cheering me up.

I think it also helps to remind myself that I can be OK with my current weight, and still want to lose a few kilos as well. This helps takes some of the urgency away from the diet...like, I am not hating myself so much now that I just HAVE to lose weight so I can like myself. I am actually fairly happy with my current weight (68kg, for 172.5cm), I just have gained a few kilos, and would like to feel a bit more comfortable in my clothes etc. And reverse the creep before a few kilos become many.

[Debs]

Hello, you could have been talking about me!!! Many of us who have bad fasting days are too hard on themselves in other areas of their lives, me included! If I can't succeed in what I am doing I get very angry with myself.
So, I can tell you to relax and be a bit easier on yourself but I struggle to do the same thing! You are lucky that you are at a weight that you are technically happy with, whereas I am still struggling to get rid of mine.
Just take a deep brath and have a bullet proof coffee, like I am about to!

Have you considered 4:3. Even if you are struggling with 2 days fasting if you set aside 3 days every week to be ultra careful and even if you go over the prescribed 500 by lots. even to as much as 1000 calories at the beginning it means you have 3 days to give it a go.

if you fail one you still have 2 more.

just a thought

Debs - definitely learning to be more relaxed is key! I just need to remember...doesn't matter how slow it goes, so long as I am making progress. Sometimes I see people who have taken a year to lose 15kg and reach goal...and when I think about it, that only like 300g...week to week I might get disappointed, some weeks see no loss, other weeks bigger losses...some weeks would be two perfect fasts, other weeks not so good...but still, after a year, I'd be pretty happy that I stuck with it and was at goal.

When youre finding it too hard,its always good to employ some damage limitation..and like others have said here,mybe eat more than 500 cals but still be low cal. Its better than doing nothing or beating yrself up on days you find fasting too difficult.
I have always had an all or nothing mentality when it comes to dieting..now in my sixties, i am just about getting out of that mindframe. All it has led to is yoyo dieting and ending up fatter than i wd ever have been if i had taken a more relaxed approach x

When youre finding it too hard,its always good to employ some damage limitation..and like others have said here,mybe eat more than 500 cals but still be low cal. Its better than doing nothing or beating yrself up on days you find fasting too difficult.
I have always had an all or nothing mentality when it comes to dieting..now in my sixties, i am just about getting out of that mindframe. All it has led to is yoyo dieting and ending up fatter than i wd ever have been if i had taken a more relaxed approach x

If our TDEE is say 2000 calories then i wonder if say 1000, being half is still really good for a fast day. 50% is a significant drop for 2 (or 3) days for those on tradional fast day approaches

By enough i mean that yes, we will reduce our weight albeit more slowly

So as you say.. not "all" not "nothing" but "something"

and theres a lot of good food to be consumed in 1000 calories and probably no need to skip both breakfast as lunch just as MM doesnt

I think it is just a phase, so I'd give yourself a break until you are ready to go back to it. Personally I'm better if I have the discipline of 4:3. Somehow 5:2 is harder.

Hi, sorry "being hard on yourself" was probably the wrong way to phrase what I was saying. I really meant if you can persevere with 5:2 it should get easier as you go. However you have to do what suits you. Hope I didn't offend, I didn't mean too.

Not at all
I think persevering through the bad moments (i.e. aborting, or not quite getting down to 500), until I come through the other side to good moments, is important.

I think it is just a phase, so I'd give yourself a break until you are ready to go back to it. Personally I'm better if I have the discipline of 4:3. Somehow 5:2 is harder.

I would agree.. with 4:3 the longest time between fasts is 2 days.. i think if i had say 4 days i wouldnt be so focussed as there is always a fast just round the corner

I think it depends on the person.
I tried 4:3 last time around and it was too overwhelming. I felt like I was always dieting.