The FastDay Forum

Every week we will have a challenge thread where you can set a challenge/goal for yourself for that week. Anyone is welcome to start the thread or join in. If someone else's challenge sounds good to you, you can do that one or create your own. It should be a habit that will help you reach your goal. (It can even be unrelated to weight loss if you want!) Then during the week and at the end of the week you can report on your progress.

@cblasz Thanks for starting the thread. I was apprehensive about starting it this morning.

My challenge this week...sticking to the 500 cals on fast days.

So far I've been good with the actual fasting from dinner to dinner 3 days a week, but as soon as I come home for dinner I overeat with snacks, chips/crisps. So this week, I'd like to keep that to a minimum, insofar that I can actually stay away from the bad foods!!
I think I'll add challenges as I go on this week but at the moment this is my biggest hurdle.

Good luck to all with your challenges!!

Good morning!
Sounds like a great plan @wakki22!

As I mentioned on last week's thread, I was thrown off a little last week, between the Super Bowl and being sick and a snowstorm (which led to a day off), etc. I'm not even really sure how I did with my challenges! But I'm happy to say that I am down 1/2 pound this morning!!! I'm almost back to my pre-holiday weight!

This week is also going be a little off. Today I'm going to a funeral (my college friend's father), tomorrow I have plans with a friend for Valentine's day, and then I have a 5 day weekend off from work with a lot of plans. I was going to just throw in the towel until March, but decided that was a bad idea and that I should try to stick to my challenges as much as I can, even if I can't do them every day. So I am sticking with the challenges I already had (see my signature)and adding in reading for 20 minutes a day. I also need to do a better job of keeping track of whether I stuck to them or not!!

@Sassy1 - I saw your results and it seems like you did pretty good. I wonder if you shouldn't shoot for all 7 days, maybe your goal should be 5 days or something, and then you know you can splurge a little on those other 2 days? Just a thought!

I hope everyone has a good week with your challenges!

My challenge is a simple one really - I'm going try to lose 1.5lbs this week and try to go to the gym more than just the once a week that I've been doing lately. I get too complacent on 5:2 that I can lose weight and not need to go to the gym - but I want to do both so that I'm toned for my honeymoon

I have the same problem with working out lately! I used to be so good about it, since I relied on that for helping with weight loss, but now I'm slacking. Thanks for the reminder, I need to get my butt in gear too!

Two weeks ago (I think) my goal was to cut out alcohol on fast days. That was fairly successful (I allow myself a shot glass of wine), so now I'm ready to tackle non-fast days. Basically, they're all sweet binges these days. I've been outside of my maintenance weight range for awhile, and at the rate I'm going, I'll just get further outside it.

So, this week's challenge: I am allowed a treat on non-fast days, but only one. My plan is to do a sort of modified 16:8 (I have a soft-boiled egg for breakfast everyday outside of my eating window), and leave the treat until as late as possible.

It helps a lot to state these goals publicly. This is a great idea for a thread series!

Thanks @cblasz, I agree that aiming for 7/7 might be ambitious but I wanted to see if I could do it. (Not so far!!)

This week I want to add some strength training and stretching to my challenge. I do a lot of aerobic exercise but understand that strength training is probably just as/ more important. I have one class a week where strength work is involved, so I just want to add 2 @ 10 min sessions at home on Tuesdays and Sundays, and stretching 3 evenings a week (when watching TV!).

Good luck to all!

How lovely to read all your challenges for this week. I'm currently fasting today and plan to fast on Thursday too. I've had two birthdays to celebrate in the course of one week - but then that should be it for a while so I can really concentrate. Initially, I wanted to lose 2 pounds this week, but seeing as I'm currently 3.5 pounds over last Friday's weight, I think I'll be jolly lucky to get a maintain. You never know, sometimes a good fast can drop 3 pounds, so I might just do it - who knows.

So my main challenge is to do my two fasts this week - today and Thursday - and 800 cals tomorrow or at least low carbs tomorrow- I may have to indulge in a few more cals.

Good luck everyone with your own challenges. Meet you on the other side!

Bean

Well my challenge has been a disaster so far.
Both Monday and Wednesday dinner times ended up being binges....
So I'm changing my mindset to make the WHOLE day a fast day. Dinner is no longer the marker of the end of the fast - the next morning will be.
I'm only going to eat what I need to get me through that day in the evening - not to feel faint etc

@wakki22Good luck with the shift. I had that problem when I fasted too. That's why I've found the eating window to work better for me.

As I thought, I have not done great with my challenges this week. But even trying to stick to them is good. The one I am good at sticking with is the glass of water in the morning, followed closely by green tea. I did have a treat almost every day though and have yet to get in a walk or read anything! I haven't stuck to a strict eating window either, but I have loosely stuck to it most days.

I'm now on vacation from both jobs (which means I don't have to go to either of them, but still have work to do unfortunately!) I do have a lot of plans, but I will have more time and be less tired, so that should help with some of my challenges! The weather is supposed to be nice too, so I'm hoping to get in more than 15 minute walks the next 5 days! Today I am going to NYC and seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert tonight, so I'll get plenty of walking in there!

I hope to do a little better next week and then the next week (almost the beginning of March), I plan to buckle down and really get back on track! (especially since my birthday is at the end of March!)

How's everyone else doing?

Not a brilliant week for me either, @cblasz. Started okay but then circumstances outside my control arose, and managing my food intake as well as I would ideally like became too difficult. I am not too worried about that, as hopefully will be only short term. And as for the strength exercises, they never started...

I won't set myself a challenge for the next week, but hope I can be back on board for the week after.

Hopefully others have had more success!

I believe you are going through some tough times @sassy1 - might I suggest you treat yourself kindly with some nourishing, satisfying food and leave the challenges and other food-related "problems" for another day .

Wise words @lovemyparrot - thanks (as always). I will defer challenges for the time being and, as you say, just concentrate on eating as nutriciously as I can. (Chocolate will still be involved, but that is fine...!)