The FastDay Forum

[Debs]

Ah well, nothing ventured! It makes sense, I must try and get some ketone sticks when I get back to Melbourne. Another question I'm afraid! Would you still do it as 16:8 or 19:5, or just eat as and when?

[carorees]

It doesn't matter so much when you eat for this exercise as what you eat. But if 16:8 or whatever is easy for you then it will probably help. But if you are going to get some ketostix, then why not first do 3 days of 19:5 - eating as you normally would during the 5 hours - and just see if you can detect any ketones? If you do, then perhaps the problem is not metabolic inflexibility after all! If no ketones, try the no carbs idea.

Talking of this being an exercise, actual exercise can also help deplete glycogen and get you into ketosis so including some exercise may speed up the process of forcing your body to fire up the right metabolic pathways.

Ah well, nothing ventured! It makes sense, I must try and get some ketone sticks when I get back to Melbourne. Another question I'm afraid! Would you still do it as 16:8 or 19:5, or just eat as and when?

Good luck with this @Debs and Caroline REALLY knows what's she's talking about! I hope it works for you.

[Debs]

Right, I have my plan for next swing! Thank you for explaining it so succinctly! I have four days of my swing left so I might give it a go for two days just to get myself into gear and then plan my attack for when I come back. Plus exercise of course. A one woman experiment is coming!

I feel a few bullet proof coffees coming on,

@lovesdaisies , good morning, I also cannot abide counting calories which is why I never did the maintenance plan of 6:1 even one day of counting calories is too much for me. I have been doing 16/8 now every day for over a year and have had no problems whatsoever. I understand that you can go straight onto an eating window and lose weight, that is Dr Herring's message and if I was to do this again from scratch that might be the way I would go but I did find 5:2 very effective and always encourage folk to try it first, if only to get used to the fasting side before trying any other method. When I first read the fast-5 book I seemed to miss his point that you only eat one meal per day.....

"Q. What should I eat on the fast-5 diet?

A. You're only eating one meal a day, so it's worth making it a good one."

I find that for about half the time I only ever eat one meal a day the other days I may also have a small snack but I just eat whatever I want. Caroline made some excellent points and I do try to not break my fast with carbs. Other than that it is easy, don't eat breakfast, dont nibble late in the evening, numbers aside that alone will give you a reduced window without ever looking at the clock.

@Madcatlady , hello, I never count calories and I know instinctively that I sometimes go WAY over my tdee but then other times I eat under, just depends how I feel. Within reason, don't worry about the calories, just eat healthily, enjoy what you so eat and trust this to work. In spite of being on maintenance I have dropped another 7 pounds which gives me lots of wiggle room.

Good luck to both of you

Ballerina x

Ballerina, great post! I don't think just one meal will cut it for me (at least at first), so if I want a snack or two meals a day, I will still be cutting calories!

Today I'm going straight into 16:8. My eating window will either be 10 a.m to 6 p.m. or from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Plenty of black coffee and 0 calorie vitamin water in between! I'm also going to practice eating slowly and mindfully. Doing all this, I'm bound to cut calories without counting them.

Also, I'm editing this to add 5:2 worked for me too. I lost 7 lbs. in one month when I tried it, but I hated it. I agree, it's a great starting point and works for many; it just couldn't become a lifestyle for me.

Right, I have my plan for next swing! Thank you for explaining it so succinctly! I have four days of my swing left so I might give it a go for two days just to get myself into gear and then plan my attack for when I come back. Plus exercise of course. A one woman experiment is coming!

@Debs I think I'll join you with this new plan, all except the bullet proof coffee yyyuukkkk. Large espresso for me.

Thanks @carorees For all your explanations
Nothing ventured nothing gained!!!
I've got a great opportunity to make this plan "fit" into my life very easily starting tomorrow, will make tonghts meal low carb then I can give at least 4 full days to give it a go and am going to reread all these answers from Caroline just to make sure I do it correctly.
New plan ooohhh I'm getting excited again + full of hope.

Thank you for setting this tent up @carorees. I have read with interest. My OH suggested I try 16:8 this week because we both had a number of 'socials' which made fasting to 500 cals difficult. After 11 months of 5:2 I also reckoned I could allow myself a week off! Have found it reasonably easy going. I've kept a rough tally of my calorie intake and think it's been around 1300-1400 most days (since last Saturday). The surprising thing for me though is that I have lost 2lbs since last Friday's weigh in! I was hoping to maintain and certainly didn't expect to lose so I am both delighted and impressed with 16:8 so far. I have been taking myself off on a brisk, 30 minute walk every morning before opening my window so maybe that has helped to burn off some fat.

Anyway I am really pleased so thanks again. It's great to have another option to 5:2. I feel pretty confident now that with 5:2 and 16:8 I can continue to lose weight and maintain once I get to my target

[Debs]

@Sue.Qshoudl we be new plan, new start buddies?!
I have had a protein fest today, the bullet proof coffee didn't quite go to plan, but I have chilli tuna, cheese and avocado for dinner which I am ratehr looking forward to. Lated until 11am before I succumbed to the coffee. I have saved some carbs for some 100% choccy for dinner. A girl has to have her choccy!!

What I can't get over, is that it had never occurred to me before this forum to skip a meal I do really love a cooked breakfast, soon after I wake up, so I don't find it easy to do an eating window, but I do think its a really good idea. I'm going out for a buffet Indian lunch to celebrate end of term today, so have skipped breakfast, partly for calories, but also so I'm hungry enough to really enjoy it.

Hey @Debs Yes my "new plan" buddie.
Another week another plan as Fri starts my fasting week I've had only fluids yet (mid morn) off out on a mission at lunchtime and to get the sticks so no food yes I'm on target for today and can do at least 4 days of our new plan,
All of these 4 days I'm doing @carorees gave my
half/semi fasts a name = Eat-Stop-Eat I'm able to do all these 4 days alcohol free!!!!
Not sure but trying to do chocky free!!!
Sad I know but I'm quite excited and yes full of hope again.

As I eat out a lot Minumonline especially Indian buffet etc etc I use 18:6 as a way to save calories for my main meals and the Eat Stop Eat plus my two fastdays worked very well last year however I've still got a very long way to go and need to get dropping some more weight again SOON.
( sorry won't tag at bottom of page for some reason)

What I can't get over, is that it had never occurred to me before this forum to skip a meal I do really love a cooked breakfast, soon after I wake up, so I don't find it easy to do an eating window, but I do think its a really good idea. I'm going out for a buffet Indian lunch to celebrate end of term today, so have skipped breakfast, partly for calories, but also so I'm hungry enough to really enjoy it.

What I can't get over is that when young I naturally did IF and didn't realise it. If I felt I was putting in a few pounds I'd just have a day of black coffee and perhaps some soup but nothing else and the weight fell off me. I never told anyone because skipping meals was such a no no and I know I would have been severely criticised for it. Now we are all doing it and finding the benefits, hooray and yes, @Minumonlinewhen you skip breakfast you really, really enjoy your food when you have it.

Ballerina x

@ballerinavThat was me as a teenager (skinny one at that) no breakfast an apple at work for lunchtime then evening meal with the family
Result 5:2 before it had probably been discovered!!!
How I wish I'd stuck with that what a different life I would have had.

I've realised my two teenagers are natural IF'ers too @Ballerina. They never feel like eating breakfast and at the weekends and school holidays often won't eat anything until mid-afternoon (most of the morning having been spent in bed!). Before 5:2 I would have been nagging them to eat/drink something as soon as they were up and about, but not now. They eat when they are hungry (and they can pack a fair amount away when they do!). Both are very slim, unlike their mum and dad!

[Debs]

Yep, it has taken me goodness knows how many years (well I know but not telling) to allow myself NOT to eat! To get away from the idea that I MUST have three meals a day!
You, me @Sue.Q, the new week, new plan buddies!!

[Debs]

Just calculated my carbs for the day and so far it is 17g so I can slip in a small piece of dark choccy!