The FastDay Forum

We have popular threads for the current day's fast, but I thought we might like to share our experiences (successes/failures, what worked/what didn't, side-effects, feed hints...) about how it went now that it's all over (until the next time)...

So if you fasted on Thursday 31st Jan let us know how it went for you?

Hi Dominic
Have just posted about putting some weight on. Might have been good to go here - we must have been posting simultaneously!
A bit rubbish for me today but sticking with it.

Sorry for you, that is a bit of a dampener. But you have the right attitude! I had a really good day yesterday, and a good moment on the scales, but last week my weight was up, so you just have to look to the long-term...

Thanks Dominic. I haven't exactly been living a monastic life in between fasts but not going OTT either.

Yes, I expect weight goes up and down all the time. Scales just bring it to your attention.

Down with scales!

It went well for me. I was very hungry by early evening, but a big bowl of soup followed by an espresso left me feeling comfortably unhungry afterwards.

I have lost the weight that I regained early in the week.

And I think that the stiffness in my joints is reduced the day after fasting! I suspected it before, but this morning I paid more attention, and my feet and knees were definitely more flexible coming downstairs first thing. (I have a form of inflammatory arthritis, which isn't too bad at the moment anyway, but which I am anxious to control if possible.)

That's great about your joint feeling better Ember.

I'm interested in these sorts of positive benefits, not just weight loss.

Went quite well for me too, my first fast day in several months (and my first ever fast day that involved food!)

Being able to munch on things (celery sticks) when hunger hit was great. I got quite hungry late in the evening but just dealt with it and went to bed so all in all, a good day!

Yesterday went really well! Had nothing at all except a bit of milk in coffee until evening, then a miniscule bit of dinner with the family (mostly in order not to be noticed fasting). I felt quite hungry the rest of the evening, but that's not a bad thing really.

This morning I didn't even feel particularly hungry and considered carrying on til lunchtime but decided to stick with the plan for now. But I felt re-educated away from mindless random eating; there's no way I want to waste the efforts of the fasting day!

It seems amazingly easy to do this - by skipping breakfast and lunch, which isn't too hard, and having a very small dinner, one gets through a whole 36 hours on minimal food and not a huge impact on daily life. Brilliant system. I'm feeling really positive about it.

Well done emm! You might try next time not even having any milk - if you can manage with drinks that are completely calorie-less. You might find it (even) easier (and it might be healthier). Or you might not! I've just switched to this and it worked for me...

Yes, I might do that. I don't mind black coffee at all under certain circumstances, like camping... But I do wonder if it wouldn't be better to avoid unhealthful things like caffeine altogether when fasting?

Yesterday was the first fast day where I didn't feel hungry all day. I think that might be because I avoided carbs on Wednesday evening.

Had a really good day. Herbal tea and sugar-free blackcurrant and apple squash until tea-time and then an M&S ready meal.

Hoping it will stay like this now!

Good day yesterday. Had dinner at about 8 on Wednesday and then coffee, fruit tea and water until about 2 yesterday when I had a cuppa soup and then some fish and veg about 5 before a game of badminton at 7. Thought I would be hungry after that but had a long soak in the bath and a couple of glasses of fizzy water was ok. Woke up this morning fairly early but not too hungry. Looking forward to weighing on Sunday and next fast on Monday.

@emm: re caffeine - plenty of fasters do drink it, I haven't heard anything particularly bad about it. But there is a theory (with a bit of empirical evidence from around here) that having any calories might make you hungrier, hence the idea of avoiding even milk in coffee. Anyway it's just a thought, whatever works for you, works!

I had a good day on Thurs until the evening. I managed to go without any calories, just peppermint tea and some coffee, then I played squash (pretty well, by my standards) in the evening. I didn't feel at all hungry after it - or cold, which I often have done on fast days. At about 9pm I had my M&S fuller-longer dinner, then I made a mistake by deciding to add some beansprout stir-fry and only when I looked afterwards did I find this had taken me over the 600. Oh well! The scales were still encouraging this morning...

Going without the calories through the day did seem to ease the hunger pangs which felt less of a problem than sometimes in the past - not that I didn't feel a bit hungry, but it wasn't a big deal.

I feel that the exercise on a fasting day was a big success - I am going to try this HIT thing, especially on fasting days...

Well done, Dominic. Even playing squash - impressive!

Funny thing is I don't really mind the hunger. Sort of enjoy being reminded I'm on a fast. But I do think sometimes it's easier to partake of nothing at all than stop at small amounts...

Hi!
(thanks for the heads up Dominic)
I had a good day yesterday on my first ever fast. Green tea all morning, miso soup and 20 cal noodles for lunch and chicken thigh stirfry for dinner - really didn't seem like I was fasting at all!!
I'm glad Jemima (I have a daughter called Jemima!!) said she had sugar free dilute juice in her water.... I wondered if this was ok on fast days - I don't MIND plain water, but prefer a bit of some SF dilute in it if I can??...
Also good to hear you played squash Dominic, as my planned fast days next week fall on days I'm also going swimming and wondered if this was wise... guess I will have to just see!!

JB x