The FastDay Forum

Loving a Day Off! Just had a piece of bread and vegemite before dinner!

[janeg]

I' m finding it quite restrictive @Nursebean.
Although I usually do 4:3, I'm finding that DODO is getting in the way of socialising. As we are leaving the sandpit, it could be a wee bit busy.
I've got diving daughter down staying for a few days, so biryani and other lovely meals have to be made. She'll not get mammy's cooking now for a long time and I need to use up the stock cupboard!
And we've been invited out for a meal tomorrow night. We're going to a water park during the day as well. If I was 4:3ing, I would just move Tuesday's fast to Wed and do Sun, Wed, Fri. What to do?
I'll just behave, keep hydrated and have a starter at the restaurant. Well, that's the plan but they do have malva pudding...

[carieoates]

I think I'm doing rather well for me. I've probably gone over a smidge now and then but I like the routine. As my family are not always sitting down to dinner at the same time anymore it makes fasting easier. Sad but true.
Plus my weight isn't yo yoing as around as much now. This may just get me to goal

I'm not doing too badly today but I just got home from work and trying to resist the habit I have of reaching for a nice chilled glass of wine. Habits are hard to break but not impossible... or thats what I'm telling myself
@nursebean I've taken your tip on the eggs and have a few already boiled in the fridge

I definitely prefer 4:3 to DODO, as @janeg says, for the flexibility. ADF/DODO always starts to feel a bit relentless to me. Still, for a short term solution to regaining discipline, getting to goal, etc., nothing beats it!

I'm trying to figure out what to do about a party on Thursday. I could try to be disciplined and call it a fast day. Or I could do BTB today and tomorrow, and have Thursday as a non-fast day. I'm worried with this particular group of friends, things will get out of control...

Hey! Fab news there Oatesy! @carieoates I'm so pleased you're getting some good results from it. Personally, I'll be glad when the challenge is over because I'd like to try Bean's Alternative Trial (or BAT as I like to call it ) but in the meantime DODO will do!
For those of you struggling, just think on this: the next time you do a Tuesday fast? It'll be the end of the DODO challenge...and those tight trousers will be loose...r! Hooray!!
Stick with it everyone. We're nearly there xx

I take my hat off to you guys who find this easy.... Please tell me I'll feel that way one day.
On a happier note, I've had a good protein heavy lunch and am not hungry. 200 calories left for dinner too.

Well, that's very encouraging @nursebean.. Only one more Tuesday fast to go. And I'm over this one. As I was saying on the other thread, I think it's getting easier. I am glad I have discovered that I can actually space out my eating through the day. I started that way, then went to starving until dinner time. And now I'm finding it easy to snack. Today i didn't have any breakfast, on account of having milk and honey at 4 am. Carrot sticks and apple slices at 3pm keeps me going until a lightish dinner. It worked. Sleeping very badly but that's because I'm not walking. That is about to change. @raggy, if you're new to fasting, it does get easier, then it gets hard, then it gets easier. Weight drops off at first, and then it doesn't. I'm living in hope that DODO will get it going again.

I'm not sure "easy" is the word I would use to describe it, @raggy!

Flippin' hard more like.....on the psychological front in my case. Battling with the emotional demons, feeling deprived, rewarding myself too easily with food (which never fills the void anyway), feeling disappointed when I don't lose 7lbs in one go (!), it's all an uphill struggle...and one that goes on every day, for me and no doubt many others.

I've said it before, only I have the power to choose what to eat - no one else forces food down my neck. Therefore, only I am responsible for where I find myself right now. Fact. I have total free will where food is concerned and this fact is just beginning to dawn on me....finally!

How much do I want to lose weight? That is the $64 million question! Enough to be strict with myself when need be? Enough to commit fully to the 5:2 principle? Or shall I just be half-hearted, yet hope for great results? Well that is never going to happen, is it? We all know that!!

With the UK weather having been rather lovely lately, I have had a few miserable experiences in changing rooms the past few days. I've had to take a long hard look at myself:- the weight you put on when you stopped fasting...does notice. No, you don't look as good as you did last summer...etc etc. The big news is though, that it came to me like a bolt of lightening yesterday:- You can't expect instant results! This is what I have been hoping for since coming back to fasting in March....but how unrealistic is that?

Last week, for the first DODO weigh in, I fully admit I was disappointed with a 2lb loss! However unreasonable that disappointment was. On reflection, I compared it to losing 4 packs of butter...and that felt a bit better. This week, glory be, I have dropped another 2.5lbs (5 packs of butter)...and that feels a lot better in my head, because I am going round thinking of not carting 9 packs of butter around all the time - and that is a good feeling!

I know I am probably focusing way too much on those dreaded scales....so last week, I bought a summer skirt that doesn't fit (in a charity shop) and that now, is going to be my "acid test". Will try it on every week and compare how tight it is! Am so glad to now have something tangible to use as a measure - maybe it will finally help me to stop placing undue emphasis on the scales......

Another fast in this challenge. It was tough because I ate all my calories this morn but I realized this and been on black tea, diet coke and water ever since. It is definitely a constant battle of the will (well for me at least)... But then I remembered that it always was, more especially during the time period when I had the most success with WOE. I think for me you have to feel hungry and you have to tell yourself it's only for today you can eat it tomorrow cause that's what fasting is really isn't it? If I'm hungry for one day I will lose weight.....
I have been trying to do this without sacrificing too much comfort on fast days and clearly eating too many calories in the process and not losing any weight.... So back to basics and am hoping for success once again.....

Well done on the weight loss @Hazelnut it's inspiring and encouraging to hear about everyone's weight loss success

@Hazelnut20, well done you on your weight loss..... I long to in that enviable position of saying I lost a couple of lbs in one week but onwards and downwards for me.
I thought it was just me who finds this so hard and I thank you for your honesty and this has really encouraged me.
@sallyo, thank you too for your support..... I can do this!!

Oh golly no - it's not just you.....by a long way!

At any one time, there will be people on the forum who:-

Have broken their fast that day
Have managed to fast that day
Have over eaten on a non-fast day
Have kept to their TDEE on a non-fast day
Have lost weight this week
Have not lost weight this week
Have put on weight this week
Have never left the forum
Are returning to the forum
Have just joined the forum
Are having a good day
Are having a bad day
And so on......

What a wealth of experience, advice & support there is! Truly something for everyone....

Ooh, one the most important things to also remember is that it's all swings & roundabouts - one minute you're offering support to others on the forum, the next, it's you who needs the support...

Keep the faith!

As I said previously on here I have given up DODO - I found it so HARD - it felt like the worst form of diet and on my 'off' days I ate for England. Hats off to you chaps who are managing it I have gone back to 5 2 and this week for the first time in yonks, did a Monday fast where I didn't break it. Down a kg post fast day and today I have eaten healthily and no chocolate -no urge to binge. Feel FAR more strong willed re ditching the choc too. Weird how 'one size doesn't fit all!

DODO # 7 here reporting for business after a few days away. We have been battling wild weather in Sydney this week and I haven't had much time for forum activity. I didn't fast on Sunday as my OH was heading off to London for two weeks and wanted to take me out for a breakfast so once I had done that it was not in my mind set to go without dinner (although I didn't have lunch). I am going to Melbourne to see my son this weekend so won't fast on Saturday either so am doing M/W/F this week and will catch up with you all next Monday. I have been avoiding the scales but my clothes definitely feel more comfortable.

I had a weird day yesterday. I gave blood - just 50ml, so more than at the Drs office but less than a Red Cross donation. I've done this before on a fast day and been fine. But... I didn't keep pressure on the needle site long enough and sprung a leak and dripped blood everywhere. I think I was just grossed out. I finally went home to change and ended up in bed for the rest of the day!