The FastDay Forum

Hi all,

This is my first day on the 5:2 diet and I am starvinggg!!!
I was just wondering does it become easier?
I have another question as well, is it easier to have the fasting days together as I would just like to have them over and done with ASAP.

I love reading some of the success stories they are really encouraging!

Thanks guys!

This is also my first day! I am very hungry and think its going to be hard cooking for the family later and not tasting any!

Hi, good luck, I did it yesterday for the first time, I struggled up to 6.30pm, then had my main meal and then was ok, in fact I've been really good today, on feast day

Hi SineadRoddy

Well done for getting started, a couple of tips is eat protein rather than carbs as they fill you up more (I'm veggie and eat quorn and cup a soups. I skip breakfast which was weird at first but found actually I wasn't hungry first thing so wait til you're really hungry. Then cup a soup and quorn slices at lunch or ham/chicken then i have fishfingers or quorn burgers when I get in from work, I suppose I could add salad etc. but just want the protein. The first couple of fasts are the hardest but honestly you will look forward to them as you feel so good the next morning after a fast. Inmy opinion do not do 2 together way too hard, enjoy your feed day, eay sensibly but have a little of what you want. I fast Monday and thursday and love the freedom at the weekend. Keep at it as well as weight loss you will have so much more energy! Good Luck!! Oh and I go to bed early too cos its too much of a temptation but actually 5 weeks in and it doesn't bother me now as I look forward to my jam on toast in the morning!

It does get easier Sinead! Drink plenty of water so that the hunger pangs won't be so strong and try eating a couple of strawberries or a piece of celery or cucumber, carrot sticks or a tomato - anything with low calories just to keep you going. It's trial and error at first but your body gets used to going without after a while. I personally wouldn't do two fast days together, the best part of this way of eating is knowing that you will be able to eat anything you want (within reason) the next day, waiting two days is just too long for me. Like many people on this 'diet', I find myself looking forward to the next fast day!

Yes, Sinead, it does get easier. Drink lots of water, a diet soda if you want (just to get the flavour of something if tea doesn't do it for you), keep busy, brush your teeth to get rid of the rotten taste in your mouth, and if you can go all the way till dinner you can have something approaching a "normal" meal. Go to bed as soon after that as you can and you're done! (Until the next fast day.)

You may find yourself really, really irritable and cranky late afternoon the first few times you do it. This will get better! You may also find you get headaches - keep well hydrated and don't go cold turkey on caffeine and this too will sort itself out.

I've never done 2 fast days in a row so I can't say whether you should or not - the MM book however doesn't recommend it.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone, you are all very supportive.

I think were i went wrong today is that I had a banana for my breakfast then 3/4 of heinz tomato soup and i know now that I havent got many calories left for dinner.
I think from your advice my next fasting day will be Thursday and I may try and wait till dinner time before using up my calories.

I know this is a slow process but I really hope it pays off!

Thanks everyone for your help and hope you are all doing great on your own diets!

Sinead

Yeah I find tinned soups are very high but a new discovery is Tesco finest fresh soups which some are 360 cals for the whole carton and its a lot. I can recommend the petit pois and creme fraiche one, gorgeous! Get through today and tomorrow you can relax

BTW, no one has mentioned this yet, but if you go over your allotment today, it is not the end of the world! If you need an extra 200 cal to ease yourself into this WOE, go ahead and eat them. You may not lose as much, but you have the rest of your life to do that! You have already learned something today that you can try out on Thursday.

Most of us do this diet by trial and error. My first fast, I did have a breakfast and was hungry all day long. Next fast I cut breakfast out. I have also learned that carbs do not hold me over very well, so much of my fast day dinner is protein with low carb veggies. I have to have (so far) a late afternoon snack of a hardboiled egg to hold me over til dinner. Even though the TDEE counter on my Progress Tracker says I should keep to 400 cal or so, I do eat to 500 cal and sometimes a bit over when I miscalculate. (I think where I gained weight one week was when I overate on 3 feast days - stopped that now!)

I am losing weight and I am happy about it!

Hi Sinead

I did my first fast yesterday so know how you feel. But you can do it
Try and distract yourself from thinking about how hungry you are, and I can definitely recommend the early to bed bit.
Don't know about fasting 2 days in a row but it's not recommended and sounds like it could be really hard.

Stick in there and see you on Thursday in the "fasting today forum"

Alf

Hi... I am quite new to this too... Been going for 3 weeks and I feel really good... I generally find fast days ok (ish!)... But I have had a couple of really tough ones... The best advice I can offer is keep busy!... If your finding it tough go and do something to take your mind off it... My house has never been so clean as I will go scrub the bathroom... Clean the floors... Anything to keep my mind occupied!!... The other side effect I find is the cold!!!... Get really chilly by late afternoon... Good luck though... It will get easier...

Today is my first day on 5.2, not bad so far maybe because Ive been drinking lots of water flavoured with lemon juice. Only used 200 cal so looking forward to evening meal.

Dave

This is also my first day! I am very hungry and think its going to be hard cooking for the family later and not tasting any!

Your name makes me hungry!

It certainly does get easier. I have just done my 6th fast day and really didn't feel hungry. The odd pang but I just sipped sparkling water. Definitely better to eat protein not carbs, I have an egg for breakfast. My main problem is the next day I am STARVING. I have breakfast, but am hungry all morning. It eases off after lunch, but then I feel stuffed from eating just a salad and fruit for lunch! Good luck and keep it up. Its sooo worth it.

Keep going, as someone else mentioned you will need to experiment along the way. I started out having lunch and dinner and after a few weeks I cut out the lunch, I also went over the 500 cals a bit too as I got used to it, in the last few weeks I've even cut out the 500 cals, if you'd have told me I'd be doing that 6 months ago I wouldn't have believed you! It's no failure even if you do go over as its all a learning process at the beginning and it does get easier (apart from the feeling the cold!!) good luck :0)