The FastDay Forum

Just a note about socialising, holidays and Fast-5:- If I have a,lunch invite and I want to eat (the food is really good or my friends would be really upset if I didn't) then I move my 5 hours forward to 1 to 6 or whatever; if my friends are cool with it I just drink black coffee or Green tea. When I was on 5:2 I once drank mineral water in my favourite restaurant while my friend ate the all-day breakfast! I don't like too early a window because I feel hungry at bedtime, but that is familiar stuff from 5:2

As you are managing to keep to a 5-hour window I would try and stick to it. Mine started at 1700 - 2200 but is now 1500 - 2000 but I often don't eat past 1830 or 1900.

As for holidays, when I did 5:2 I just gave up for the week, but I think I will manage to Fast-5. We self-cater and usually lunch out when,sightseeing; OH will have a snack in the evening.

All the best


Barbara

Thanks Barbarita, I would love to be your fasting buddy, let me go to that tent to find more about it!

Hi @carorees, I've just read your comment on 16:8 being very flexible. I'm finding I'm starting the window at 1pm and it kinda stays open. Which might be ok for now considering I've only done it 4 times.

I've just finished another one today and I'm managing to get the carbs down a bit below 150gms, and the cals at allowance level.
I think it was @Debswho said eat steak, a bit one, if you want to stem the onset of carb binging. I went for prawns and avocado and cheese salad tonight. Cals are higher but carbs are lower. I'm grateful it helped a bit. But I did have a chocolate egg, but no bread or pasta today.

I'm pondering weighing myself everyday as well, after seeing your chart on the daily fluctuating readings. Did you weigh yourself frequently early on in the diet? I hear others throw the scales away I think that was you @Sue.Q? It's hard to work out what's right for each of us. Also it changes monthly.
I haven't lost any weight I don't think, but I'm thinking this 5:2 is helping me a lot. Before 5:2 i was just eating loads of nuts and cheese to stop the insulin levels. But the weight was creeping up. In three months I've not lost weight but I've not gained any. I think not gaining any is probably significant.

thanks so much for the support !!
Jo

[carorees]

Coming in to confess I've had a naughty mothers day: breakfast of waffles with lemon curd (carb-fest!) at 11:30, no lunch (good), tea and a chocolate brownie at 4:30 (more carbs), roast lamb with veg and gravy but also a glass of red, 2 Yorkshire puds and 1 roastie (yet more carbs) just now at 7:30pm shortly to be followed by rhubarb crumble and a mother's day chocolate (even more carbs) and I imagine my eating window won't close until about 9pm!!

I'm sure I'll be punished on the scales tomorrow! Think I had better compensate with a 19:5 at least.

Sounds lovely Caroline @carorees I'm glad you were spoilt. You deserve it!
Xxx

[carorees]

Thanks, Juliana!

Scales were up by 600g today, so not too bad. I did manage to close my eating window earlier than I had expected at 8.30pm and didn't bother starting on the mother's day chocs, so that was a small victory! But all those carbs are making me feel hungrier than usual today. On my second cafitiere of coffee already. Aiming to fast through to 3.30pm if I can so as to get a 19 hour fast in and get my body back to fat burning!

I feel a bit stupid not getting "it" but how much do you eat during your windows? If I starve to dinnertime and then have my 500kcal or open a window between 3pm and 8pm and eat the same amount or??? Feel so confused

[carorees]

Hi @wolfie!

The eating window way of fasting involves not counting calories during the eating window but relying on the period of fasting each day together with the short eating window to both switch the body to fat burning and reduce appetite so that during the hours when eating is allowed you don't consume as many calories as you would if you were allowed to eat at any time of day (or night!). So during my eating window I generally find I am having about 1200-1500 cals whereas when I used to have breakfast everyday and was allowed to eat later at night I would be having around 1800-2000 calories. As my TDEE (now I've lost all that weight) is about 1500, I find the eating window method the best way of ensuring I don't over-eat.

As you can see from my posts above, when I have an indulgent day I just shorten the eating window so as to restrict the calories on the next day to compensate.

You can mix and match the eating window method with 5:2 to suit your circumstances.

Hi @Wolfie not a daft question but it all depends on what you are aiming for. If you are doing a conventional fast day then have your 500 calories within your window, unlike Dr Moseley who has breakfast at 8 am then dinner at 8 pm but if it is a daily, or regular thing for you then just eat whatever you fancy but obviously not in elephant herd sized portions. Sometimes if we are lunching out I eat more than 2000 calories ( I only know this because it was a calorie counted menu and I was curious and it could have fed a small herd of elephants! ) which is hugely over my TDEE but is seems not to matter on an occasional basis. I do it every day as I like to have at least 16 hours without food in every 24 hours, this suits me, I am happy doing this. It it is not a way of life for everyone, my husband being one, he LOVES breakfast. Hope this has helped make things a little bit clearer for you,

Ballerina x

Carorees and Ballerina - thanks for your clarifications. Ever since my thyroid elves got out of control again, I have had the hardest of times doing real fasts on fast days....I know - I said I was going to fast on Friday, but in reality it became some sort of 16:8 ;o
I was aiming to fast today too, but think I will go bananas (he) from hunger and maybe 18:6 could work. I don't know...all I know is that I plan yet one more Hairy dish for dinner tonight

[Debs]

Have any of you lovely people noticed an improvement in weight loss switching to this method? I am at my wits end having not gone anywhere with ADF?

[carorees]

Have any of you lovely people noticed an improvement in weight loss switching to this method? I am at my wits end having not gone anywhere with ADF?

I think it did, though it's hard to be sure. If you look at my chart, you'll see a 3 week period at the end of July last year with no weigh-ins which is when I went on holiday to Sweden and swapped to 16:8, so the time before that is pure 5:2 and afterwards is 16:8. See what you think!

[Debs]

Interesting chart! Maybe I should switch to that for a while and see how I go. I am just worried about restricting myself even more with a longer fast everyday, low carbs etc etc.

Coming in to confess I've had a naughty mothers day: breakfast of waffles with lemon curd (carb-fest!) at 11:30, no lunch (good), tea and a chocolate brownie at 4:30 (more carbs), roast lamb with veg and gravy but also a glass of red, 2 Yorkshire puds and 1 roastie (yet more carbs) just now at 7:30pm shortly to be followed by rhubarb crumble and a mother's day chocolate (even more carbs) and I imagine my eating window won't close until about 9pm!!

I'm sure I'll be punished on the scales tomorrow! Think I had better compensate with a 19:5 at least.

It was mothers day @carorees, you had a good reason!!!

sounds gorgeous what you had!!!
I think you're so disciplined otherwise.
I've managed 16:8 4 times.....today has been carb city.
tomorrow fast.

Have any of you lovely people noticed an improvement in weight loss switching to this method? I am at my wits end having not gone anywhere with ADF?

@DebsWell as a poll of one person, I am sure I have. I was near my target weight when I decided to go exclusively with 16/8 and the last 4 lbs seemed to just drop,off me. Since I have been on maintenance, over a year now, I have slowly dropped another 7 lbs and it seems to be staying off. Mind you when I get back from Scotland goodness knows what weight I will be but, the thing is, I'm not worried as a few fasts will sort it out. Worth a try.....good luck

Ballerina x