The FastDay Forum

I just joined the forum and am fasting today (3rd day). My first day last tuesday was fairly dreadful - hungry all the time after eating boiled egg and 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast. My 2nd day on Thursday was better which I thought was down to only eating half a grapefruit at 11 after tea with milk first thing and nothing till 630 dinner after 1 hr zumba ( felt quite weak though - all that spinning around didn't help!) So today I tried nothing at all (since 7 last night) except liquids ( without milk) and by 1230 was unable to concentrate at all on my work so caved in and had some miso soup with tofu. And now am beating myself up a bit. My main interest are the health benefits - naturally I'd love to lose a few pounds but even more so I'd like to lower my risk of cancer and Alzheimer's. My main question relates to the amount of time I need to go without food for these health benefits to kick in? Does a miso soup after 18 hrs fast negate these benefits? Are they measurable without sophisticated tests? I'm also interested in 2 other questions - what is the optimum food the night before to make me suffer less the next day? And are there any studies in gender differences in IF? My partner started the same day as me and he is finding it a breeze! Thanks!

I waited until 2pm before having my apple and low cal hot chocolate. That was 19 hours with no food. Looking forward to my soup tonight Good luck everyone else and stick with it!

Hi Buzzard, try not to feel downhearted. It's just one pound which a good fasting day followed by a good few days and you'll be back to where you started in no time. Think long term. It's not always the hare that wins the race:-) Monty

Hi All. I'm also fasting today and glad of it. I feel my weekends scupper the best laid plans of a week. No matter, onwards and upwards! Have made a large pan of chicken and vegetable broth and included some of the 4cal per 100g noodles. Already my mouth is watering but I shan't be tempted before about 5ish.

Mid-afternoon apple. Never has an apple been devoured so comprehensively. Can't quite eat the whole core but wastage down to about 3 grams,

Re Moofish, and others. I think you are not the only one who looks forward to a fast day. Obviously it is not something your body is used to doing so it might complain a bit!.But, I am thinking now, 6 weeks into it, that today is just another day when I dont eat and my body is ok with that now. Advantage is like yesterday, went for a walk with my wife who is doing Weightwatchers, stopped for a coffee, she was 'pointing' a small biscuit that came with the coffee, I was munching through the chocolate flapjack I bought (and my small biscuit). First half stone lost (me that is!)

Great story Trev. Bet it made you feel liberated.
I'm out to a birthday dinner tonight. I will enjoy my pasta and cake without guilt.
Congrats on the weight loss too. Great to think how much our general health is benefitting.

I'm on my 7th fast today and it's the easiest one yet - haven't felt hungry at all and it's only 2 hours till teatime! Am getting better at drinking lots of water too, which is a big surprise. In a great mood despite not losing any weight this week.

Hi Trevmun.

Congrats on losing your first half stone! Love your story about the coffee and flapjack

Hi everyone, I'm also fasting today, have had hot drinks through the day and am really looking forward to my prawn stir fry tonight. This is my fifth fast and I think I'm starting to find it a bit easier now. Not too long till dinner!

[carorees]

I just joined the forum and am fasting today (3rd day). My first day last tuesday was fairly dreadful - hungry all the time after eating boiled egg and 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast. My 2nd day on Thursday was better which I thought was down to only eating half a grapefruit at 11 after tea with milk first thing and nothing till 630 dinner after 1 hr zumba ( felt quite weak though - all that spinning around didn't help!) So today I tried nothing at all (since 7 last night) except liquids ( without milk) and by 1230 was unable to concentrate at all on my work so caved in and had some miso soup with tofu. And now am beating myself up a bit. My main interest are the health benefits - naturally I'd love to lose a few pounds but even more so I'd like to lower my risk of cancer and Alzheimer's. My main question relates to the amount of time I need to go without food for these health benefits to kick in? Does a miso soup after 18 hrs fast negate these benefits? Are they measurable without sophisticated tests? I'm also interested in 2 other questions - what is the optimum food the night before to make me suffer less the next day? And are there any studies in gender differences in IF? My partner started the same day as me and he is finding it a breeze! Thanks!

Hi Mauaflower and welcome!

To answer your questions:
1) 18 hours is great! It is more important that it works for you than to worry about how many hours etc. Although some experts think that longer without calories is better, no-one knows if there is some kind of cutoff point at which the benefits kick in or if you fast for a long time where the benefits cease. As we don't know these answers but we do know that weight loss (or not overeating even if you are not overweight) is a good thing and brings health benefits so just getting through a fast day on around 500 cals is all you need to aim for.
2) Opinions vary on what the best food is for the night before. Some think that as we are aiming for fat burning in order to lose some weight that having a low carb dinner may be helpful. Others think that anything that is quite filling is good. Again, you have to experiment.
3) As men have a larger store of glycogen in the liver (which is used to provide energy between meals by being converted to glucose by the liver), they don't tend to get the 'side-effects' which arise from your body protesting at being forced to use more fat as a fuel for the body, as their glycogen stores probably hold out all day.

I have always saved all my calories until dinner time and although the first few fasts were tough I now don't have any problem with concentration, light-headedness etc. So, they will get better if you persevere.

Well into the day now, hope everyone is doing well

No weight loss at all last week not suprising really after a very sociable weekend ! Back to it today

Good day so far, nothing to eat since about 8pm last night and only a couple of black coffees and lots of water so far today. Looking forward to my fish and roast veg for dinner at about 6.

Today has seemed the easiest of my fasts so far (number 6 after the original 6th was abandoned last week!) maybe not eating until dinner is the best way for me.

Happy with the weight loss too - I weigh on a Sunday and lost a pound the first and second week and two pounds yesterday!

Feeling very positive about this way of eating as a long term solution to keeping the weight off!

Enjoy dinner everyone who is fasting today (and those who aren't!)

Yes - full fasting day today too 30g porridge for breakfast (made with water of course!) and that's it so far all day - few cups of black tea have passed my lips though! Going home to a veg stir fry (no rice) and that'll be it. So far no headache today either - that's always a result Putting that down to taking a small amount of caffeine in the tea - think I need to ween myself off tea altogether and replace with decaf Happy Monday everyone