The FastDay Forum

Well, I am hoping to fast today, Monday was not a successful fast - I didn't eat a day's worth of cals, but the amount certainly far exceeded a normal fast day allowance.

Not really sure why I am fasting, as it doesn't seem to help me not overeat in the evenings (my main eating challenge - scarily, having low cal days may be contributing to the evening overeating, though to be fair I don't really think I can blame the fasting for that...).

I think I am trying to fast because it is a suitable day, ie am not doing any exercise today apart from walking the dogs and the house cleaning, and maybe some gardening. No hilly cycle rides or walks!

And to see if I can keep those cals a bit lower...

Anyway... More forum members do seem to be reporting that they are doing fast days, so I expect someone will be joining me.

Good luck!

Hi, I fasted today (but it was Tuesday 3rd here in the U.S. -confusing, eh?) - not a full day fast, just my usual 17-19 hours from the evening before until about 3 or 4 pm in the afternoon, after my visit to the gym, where my exercise is rowing, quite a few sit-ups for abs and some arm/strength training. I strongly believe that exercising in a fasted state is the best way to use body-fat for energy and, hopefully, burn off a bit of unwanted fat !!!

Good to hear you are doing well.

I'm confused now between you two - what day is it now?!!

Anyway lovely to hear from you @lovemyparrot - how did your fast go yesterday then?

My fast (Tuesday) went very well and i just had 489 cals and 28 carbs. So I'm VERY pleased with that!

Yesterday I smashed my scales to smithereens so I won't be able to weigh until later today. Will be interesting to see what a different time of day will do to my results!!

Bean

@Sassy1 have you ever though of trying eating windows? Since your main problem is eating in the evening, maybe you could "steer into the skid" so to speak! Start eating later in the day and then even if you eat more in the evening, you'll be at a normal number of calories for the day, but don't have to worry so much about what you eat at night? You can do an 8 hour window or try to do it even a little shorter and do it every day? Just a thought! One of my problems when fasting was that I did end up feeling really hungry at night. But I don't feel that way with eating windows.

Thanks for the suggestion @cblasz. I have thought about eating windows, and that does seem to be what I end up doing on a fast day, but I am not sure I could or would want to do it every day. But it is certainly worth thinking about a bit more,.

Maybe try it for a week or something. And you don't even have to do it every day. Maybe 5 days a week? And if it's an issue with not wanting to give up breakfast food, you can have breakfast food for lunch sometimes. I find it pretty easy to do and easier than completely fasting. I try to do it 7 days a week, but often it ends up being 5 or 6.

Hi, @Sassy1, I have just been thinking about your evening eating and thought that I would tell you what I have found helps me with my desire to eat in the evenings.
I have to feel satisfied and full after my evening meal. I am not obsessively low-carb, or indeed low anything, so I need to feel that I have eaten a 'proper' meal - even on a fast day. This means a good, but not excessive, amount of protein, plenty of vegetables and always some carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta). Not necessarily a huge amount - two or three tiny new potatoes, A couple of tablespoon of rice, 50g dry weight pasta. Without these my head doesn't believe that my meal has been 'proper' and I continue to feel hungry.
The other thing that I do is always finish my meal with a small sweet treat of some sort. It could be a tiny creme caramel, a 100ml pot of ice cream, a couple of chocolates. After that my head knows that my meal is complete and it is easier to ignore the evening munchies'.
I also have a low-cal drinking chocolate at the ready for about 11pm when I am thinking about food again. I don't really approve of low-cal stuff but this is my one exception. I can't keep crisps (chips) or biscuits(cookies) in the house and any occasional cake is strictly rationed to one small piece a day!
Apart from that, I just have to engage my willpower - doesn't always work- and hope for the best!
Hope you don't mind me sharing this with you.

Hi Val, @Stowgateresident, I don't mind at all you sharing your thoughts - I appreciate your interest.

Like you, I normally have a satisfying evening meal, with adequate protein, sufficient carbs and an assortment of veggies, followed by something sweet. (I find steak particularly good in helping satisfy my hunger.)

Also, I have recently started having sandwiches for lunch with a side salad, rather than just a large salad. I am finding that much more satisfying (and much better for my digestive system too). So that has helped with getting through til dinner time without an afternoon snack or wine and cheese!!

But even if not hungry, I still eat in the evenings. Partly because the food is there, and partly because I still use eating food as a more easily accessed reward/pleasure than other means. The real problem is that I can eat beyond when the food is still enjoyable - I haven't been able to figure out why I do that.

Your point about not having certain foods in the house is something I need to manage more often than I do... We don't buy as much processed food as we used to (eg biscuits, savoury snacks, crisps, lollies, even not as much chocolate), but there usually is something in the cupboard.

We did make Easter a much smaller affair this year, only having a fraction of the amount of chocolate I would usually have had. But I still eat more than I "need" in one sitting.

And if we have been entertaining, then there is more processed food around (I am not a cook...). Although part of me agrees with the idea that just because the less nutritious food is there, you don't need to eat it - isn't it better to throw it out rather than consume it - I just can't bring myself to do that!

Perhaps I am just finding excuses for not managing my eating better... And the fact that I am not overweight may influence my (lack of) motivation, even though I would ideally like to fit into the clothes I bought when at a lower weight.

Hope you don't mind this essay in return!! Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Have a wonderful time with your grandchildren! Best wishes.