The FastDay Forum

and I can't.

I have these great plans for 5:2 to become my new way of eating but each week something always keeps getting in the way of a fast day.
I joined up to the forum early April and had the book well before that.

Last night I was carrying my youngest and with his legs wrapped around me, I had a layer of fat pushing out over my already stretched jeans. I spent the day walking aroung the city feeling really uncomfortable in what I was wearing. With relatives visiting we have had a lot more entertaining and nights out and with the way I felt last night I thought I would make today a fast day. I last until midday and then I've been gorging ever since!

I know I need to do something about my eating and my weight but nothing seems to 'click'.


What made things change for you? How can I get out of this rut?

How about trying to get 1 or 2 hours later before you eat on each fast day? Once you achieve one fast it does get easier.
Also I find it easier to eat a small meal in the evening rather than spread the calories throughout the day.
Your BMI is nearly in the healthy zone so don't be too tough on yourself.

Sometimes you need a moment in which you make that commitment. I had my second and last baby and put on another stone during pregnancy, I knew I should really buy size 22 trousers as my size 20's were becoming a squeeze. I felt like with my baby making days over I could focus on my weight loss knowing it wouldn't all be undone with another pregnancy, I also wanted to be able to play properly with them and not feel self conscious about trying new things because of my weight. Another motivating factor for me was realising that I had found myself eyeing up chairs with arms and perching on the front of them in case I got wedged or not sitting on certain chairs in case I broke them! That was quite shameful for me and already it is no longer a problem, I fit in all chairs! Yey! I think you need to find those little things that will spur you on. When I heard of 5:2 and watched the horizon programme I knew it was sustainable for me and I committed to giving it a month before I assessed whether it was the way forward for me. It proved perfect and has changed my habits gradually which is amazing. I love it and I now have become a 5:2 bore for anyone who will listen! Maybe now you're not ready to lose the weight, but when you are you have a great tool to do so! Do you have an event to work towards or a small short term weight goal that you could give yourself over a 3 month period, could you delay that lunch by an hour and then another and then have a normal dinner before progressing onto 500 calorie 5:2? I found the whole learning to fast a gradual business and over time have fine tuned it to suit me, you don't have to leap in and go without all day.
Maybe posting your lack of motivation will be your motivation! Ha, ha! Have you tried posting on a 'fasting today' post? It feels like a commitment then and like you're part of a group fast, much more motivating than going it alone! Anyway, good luck and let us know when you have success!

In my experience you need that inner click. It can be anything from a chance remark, seeing yourself in a window or even a life threatening event but whatever it is will be individual to you. Once your mind is in the right place you will make it happen regardless of obstacles. For me it was a photo. For hubby it was 5 days in intensive care!

I didn't manage full 500C fasts straight off. I did the best I could and it got easier. I still get up on a fast day with the idea that just making it as far as 2pm will give me a 16/8day. Mostly I make it right through but I find it easier to give myself permission to eat if I want.

Don't beat yourself up. That seems to make things worse. The click will come when you are mentally ready for it.

It took me 7 years to click again! I found that I was ready to do something about it, and committed to starting on a low carb diet (montignac method) on the Monday, which is pretty easy to follow and then watched the Dr M documentary on the Tuesday night, and started my first fast the next day. He was very motivating for me.

You may need to think fairly carefully about what you are eating the night before the fast, and if you are not at home then you cannot get access to the fridge. Fasting at work is definitely easier for me, and I go to the gym at lunch time to fill the time and avoid the communal lunch table at work.

The bonus is lots of extra time - at least an hour and a half a day.

I have found it surprisingly easy, and getting easier every time, and while I am grumpy at home, I am sweetness at work!

[Betsysgr8]

I thought I would make today a fast day. I last until midday and then I've been gorging ever since!

What goes through your mind when this happens? Did you think you failed because you had to eat something? You didn't fail by eating, you are entitled to eat, even on a fast day. As Miffy and Mariposa posted, their 500 cal fast days didn't happen right away, they eased in to it. For a few days, just start by skipping breakfast or lunch. Make a plan and plan what you intend to do/eat. At the very least you can start by planning some lower calorie days, maybe 1000 or 800 but don't beat yourself up if you went over goal a bit. Be kind to yourself.

I agree with the others, you need to have the click for anything to work, before April I had spent the last 4 years wanting to lose weight but not quite able to commit to it, it was one good week followed by a bad one at best, and one good day followed by a bad month at worst, and basically the same 5 kilos up and down. I don't know what clicked, nothing special happened, but I stumbled across the documentary and decided then and there to do this, and I don't know why but from the beginning I felt different, like this was finally going to work.
Otherwise I agree with the others about planning and easing into fasting, I started with skipping breakfast and having a planned lunch and dinner, and now I tend to do dinner only and I don't plan so much, but I adapt according to how I feel. Stick with it, it will get better!

Thanks for all your replies.
I am at home with children on school holidays so can't avoid the home at the moment. I might try tomorrow to skip the breakfast, plan my lunch and dinner and then I won't have to feel a failure. I do like the idea of aiming for 1000 or 800 too.
I have my fitness pal on my phone, so will start that tomorrow.
Will also aim for drinking more water. Cutting down on alcohol also has to happen if I'm going to succeed at this.
Having guests here we have an abundance of food which I can't seem to avoid and they are away for a few days and I ate because it would be wasted. Need to get past that thinking.

I do have a big trip coming up later in the year and I know that would be a great goal to work to. I have also packed away my summer clothes into 'small' and 'large' (for me) sizes and I would really like to be able to wear everything. Maybe I need to find one particular item has hang that in a prominent place in my room - a daily reminder of what I'm working towards.

I have been away with family for an indoor holiday and had no choice to be walking around in a costume, chasing two small children, it was torture knowing all my wobbly bits were on display but family were very kind and didn't say anything, but I felt awful. Wouldn't it be nice to just feel confident and comfortable walking in a bikini - ok not expecting to look like a model but I want to be happy.

I saw Mimi's photograph on the beach in the paper last week too - doesnt she look great, would love love love to feel like that.

Just to reassure you, I'm at home with kids too, it can still work! If you find your resolve wavering just get busy doing something with them or take them out, I find my children are a great distraction!

Hi rix just do the best you can each day and look at my blog & posts you realty don't want to be in my situation 30yrs or so down the line.
I found starting very easy but played around with day's etc but one very Big surprise to me is the fact that I can skip breakfast & lunch. At most slimming clubs you're told breakfast is the most important meal of the day so I started eating it 30yrs later & no meals 'skipped' I believe I'm in the morbidly obese!!! Lost my first stone in 5weeks.
So if I can do it so can you, either cut out one meal per day or try less calories as advised. Good Luck. Sue

You just have to make the decision. Not think of making it, make it! Plan ahead what you will eat, you don't have to starve yourself till dinner, I eat 4 times when I'm fasting.
Aiming for less than you eat now, before you reach 500 is also a great advice.

Yup, I'm home all day, every day too. Believe me, I do a lot of hoovering on fast days!

I hate waste but its also a waste to eat stuff you don't actually need to eat rather than chuck it. Could you freeze it? If its short on date maybe you could make it into something that could be frozen and will make a meal on a day when you don't feel like cooking. There's several sites that give recipe info to save wasting foods. Can't remember any names right now though. Maybe someone else will know.

Try giving skipping breakfast a shot. I found it easier than I thought.

I am a good source of recipes for leftovers, feel free to consult me, all my friends and family do!!!

I'm home with food too when I fast, (working from home has loads of advantages, gorging on chocolate where no one can see is not one of them!) and what I do is tell myself I can have it the next day. See tat cake you want? You can eat it for breakfast! It really works well for me (and even though I have sometimes ten eaten t cake for breakfast, mostly I don't).
If you're eating from hunger on your attempted fast days, cutting calories but not being hard on yourself is a good idea. If you're eating for other reasons (food is there, non wastage, bored, habit) try putting off eating anything at all for as long as possible. Just go a little longer for each fast day. I found eating triggered hunger for me. If I just rode the waves of hunger, and didn't eat, try passed. But it's different for everyone, you need to find the best way for you.

I freeze a lot of food if it looks like its getting wasted, plus I have a food dehydrator and a juicer which I use to preserve food. (Frozen cut up fruit perfect to throw in smoothies for the kids, I store in zip lick bags in freezer and break off as much as I need). Frozen little bags of ready sliced meat, frozen little bags of meals, all in portion sized zip lock bags - means there is always an easy meal, and the food isn't wasted. Also, it's frozen, so can't just be eaten on a whim.

Give yourself a pat on the back for sorting this at BMI 25, not 4 st later at 35+. Having little ones is hard. Freezer is your friend...