The FastDay Forum

I do karate. I used to train several times a week - now only usually once. Since starting the 5:2 diet I have loads more energy and am sure that my speed and stamina have improved. I have not yet trained on a fast day but feel that I could do and plan to try.

Well I certainly feel more energised for training now although I do avoid fasting on training days. By the evening I am usually feeling quite tired and empty, even after dinner. Will be interesting to see whether that feeling wanes once I get used to it though

I did my first training on a fasting day and it went fine. I had a light very high protein meal for breakfast and a small piece of pizza for dinner before training -- actually kept *just* inside my allotment. Trained HARD, guys in their 20s were dripping sweat and breathing hard all night and I was proud of myself to just keep up.

My mind usually feel pretty keep in the evening of a fast (a bit revved up) and when I get to class I tune out the physical fatigue. Plus I think of all that bonus fat burning while I slept. Tonight is another training day, but not fasting. I've been up an hour and am not really hungry yet. My thighs are good and sore though.

I think it helped that I've been doing the fasting for a couple months already, so I'm used to it. Fasting days definitely got easier for me after the first 6 weeks in that I don't feel especially hungry or tired on my fast days or think much about food for that matter. I do think our bodies get more efficient at switching between the different fuel sources and different operational states with practice.

I've been doing Tae Kwon Do for almost a year now, I absolutely love it. Going for my green belt in a couple of weeks time. My two kids do it too and love it. Wish I'd started years ago!

Yesterday was a fasting day AND I ended up doing over 2 hours of intense aikido at the end of the day (evening class). I was dripping with sweat... and all on 500 cal of food for the day, so I burned more calories in class than I ate all day.

No problems. I had plenty of energy and concentration. Yea! I wasn't even particularly hungry when I got home (didn't have a snack before bed, but did drink plenty of water). Didn't even wake up hungry.

Now to re-feed.

Tai Chi and Qigong are both great ways to center oneself in the morning. I try to include some moves every day.