The FastDay Forum

Hello all, today is my fourth fast day. I tried yesterday but was bored all day and couldn't think of anything but FOOD! today is much better so far. After two days of fasting last week I lost two pounds but after eating "whatever I wanted" I gained it back and then some. I will do my best to keep my calories in check on the non-fast days. I'm a little discouraged on here because this is my fourth post in the last couple of days and I've had no replies . I really need some support as the people in my life think I am crazy for doing this and say I will just make myself "sick". I have type 2 diabetes and that worries them. I know it matters not a bit, though and I won't be so rigid as to not listen to my body if it gets all shaky and ravenous. Well, I think I will go for a short walk before it rains again. Today has been amazingly warm for a fall day. Have to take advantage of it! Thanks for listening.

I'm a little discouraged on here because this is my fourth post in the last couple of days and I've had no replies . I really need some support as the people in my life think I am crazy for doing this and say I will just make myself "sick". I have type 2 diabetes and that worries them. I know it matters not a bit, though and I won't be so rigid as to not listen to my body if it gets all shaky and ravenous.

Well, belatedly, Hello There, @stephd. It's lovely that people in your life think they have your back by being concerned about you, tho' commenting on your plan in such a way is not, perhaps, the best way to express that concern. It's good that you know how to monitor yourself and your Type 2 diabetes.

I think the fasting threads and the forum, in general, are a tad slow at present because it's half-term week for many schools in the UK and parents have disappeared for childcare reasons.

I'll look out for you on the fasting threads - my usual days are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because I'm 4:3.

Thanks so much for your reply! I didn't realize there was a holiday. Everything is different here in Canada . I wonder how many Canadians are members . There must be members from all over the world! I can't remember which days I fasted on last week lol. My poor memory. This week it will be Tuesday, today, and Thursday I think. I work on Thursday and don't usually eat until I get home at 3 so perhaps it will be easier. How difficult is it to do the 4:3 diet? and are you doing it for weight loss?

I thought I had clicked the option for my stats to be viewed by all members but I don't see it at the bottom of my post. Did I do it wrong?

Hi Steph and welcome! I hope this fast day is easier for you. I used to fill up on fizzy water in the early days and that helped a lot. Please believe me when I say that in 4-6 weeks this will be much easier( or should I say doable rather than easier) and hopefully you will see it as a Way of Life to improve your health and lose weight. I've been 5:2 ing for over 80 weeks! my tracker says and I love it! No more guilt with food I eat and its lovely fasting on a Monday after a way hey weekend.
Xxx Julianna
P.s. did you read the fasting with diabetes article on this website that I think @carorees may have wrote? Sorry I'm unsure of how to direct you to it.

Hi and welcome. You're not crazy but I admit, I have told very few people I fast. I only had about 5 kilos to lose and I didn't want to make a big deal of it, or get the whole 'you're older now, this is what happens' spiel so I just fasted quietly. I'm in maintenance these days and on 6:1 which makes it easier. It's nice you have so many people who care about you and notice though, as SSure has said. Good luck.

There are members from Canada who post but, to my mortification, I can't recall the name of any of them.
It don't think it's practical to track Public Holidays or school terms throughout the world - I have a bad enough time remembering just the different age-groups and variations within the UK when it comes to mid-term/half-term breaks or the longer school holidays.
I can see your BMI if I click on your cogwheel by your user name - if you've been filling out your tracker, I can't see that, so the permissions might be set to 'privacy' there.
There is a 'fasting library' of helpful articles - and the one that @julianna mentions can be found: https://www.fastday.com/fasting/fasting ... onditions/
As for me, I'm in maintenance as I reached my goal body fat level (rather than weight level) some time ago. I follow 4:3 both to maintain that weight and because I think that I gain some health benefits by continuing to fast. I started out as an Alternate Day Faster (ADF) but after an induction period with that, I switched to 4:3 as it's a better fit to my sports and social commitments. I've always found it manageable to have set fasting days and I find 4:3 more liveable than ADF.

Hi steph..so sorry if you've posted and received no replies :0(
I come on here every day so i' m not sure how i managed to miss yr posts..
Its pretty quiet right now like@SSure said coz of half term,and also coz this forum HAS gone quieter than it used to be as i think many members now chat on Google hang out..if you'd like to hook up there,@Carieoates will help you with that
How fab to live in Canada! Somewhere i wd love to visit
Don't worry that folk say you're crazy..just take it that they have yr best interests at heart ,with you having diabetes
I,ve had a few negative remarks from peep who say its " not really" a fast as we have 500 cals but i point out that 500 cals in 36 hrs plus is very little,and hopefully does us a lot of good!
Good luck with fasting,itDOES get easier like@julianna said

Hi @stephd and welcome! I hadn't seen your other posts because I fast on different days and already have a fasting buddy so don't pop into that tent anymore - I find it takes up too much of my time to read all posts so have to be selective! I already spend a lot of time on the forum....

Anyway, starting a new thread generally guarantees some replies, so you should hear from more of us now. I think there are some members from Canada, hopefully you will hear from them too. (In the time it took me to type this reply, which I do on notepad first cos I often lose posts if I type straight to iPad, several replies appeared.)

Sounds like you are managing fasting ok, but just need to watch yourself on the other days. It is tempting to eat more than one needs of those things you didn't have on the fast day and lots of us have done this. I find that writing down what I eat helps. I only roughly calorie count. Also planning what you will eat and resisting eating on impulse can obviously help.

Hopefully over time you will learn/want to eat less so that you don't undo the benefit of the fasting! Look for places where it may be easy to eat less - eg I was able to stop having something to eat with every cuppa quite quickly, though I still sometimes allow myself this.

You are within a normal BMI range which may make sticking to a different way of eating more challenging than someone who has more weight to lose and is determined! I think there is a thread for people fasting with diabetes, or health conditions - worth a look. There might be something on this in the general info available on this forum too, as mentioned. Sorry to hear that the people in your life aren't as supportive as you would like, they are just concerned for you.

Keep using this thread that you have started to update us on your progress and I am sure you will get replies from someone!
Best wishes.

Oh I forgot to say Steph, my hubs has type 2 diabetes, has lost nearly 20 KGS and is now at a healthy weight!
I just saw the mssg that you wrote on the Tuesday fasting thread that nobody replied to. Sorry about that. I think I know what happened. Tuesday didn't have many fasters and I know I usually only look at the fasting thread on the days I'm fasting , that's why I and many others didn't see your post and then reply. It was great that you posted a separate thread here now lots of people can see it and respond. Yay!

Ps,steph i meant to say,thurs will be a perfect fast day for you ...
if you dont eat til 3pm anyway on a thurs,you're almost there for a fast day anyways,as you don't have a long time to wait for a 500 cal dindins ( or a small snack and a smaller dinner later)
Even if you ate more cals than a fast day amount,thurs wd still be a 16:8 day for you,if you hadn't eaten since11 pm the previous night..if you hadn't eaten since9 pm the previous night,that wd be an even better 18:6 x

Welcome @stephd, it can be hard at first, but I agree with the above, it does get easier. I agree that this site is quite quiet at the moment, surprisingly few people posting on the 'Fasting Today' threads, considering the thousands of members that have signed up. There's still plenty of support though (I've just been helped back to fasting), so do keep posting.
Good luck with your next fast

Wow! I am overwhelmed by all the replies! Thank you all so much. I've discovered that a cup of bouillon takes away my peckishness. I ate some salad and a boiled egg at 2 and then got hungry at 4:30 but after that cup I've been feeling full since (it's 7 pm). Funny how the hunger just disappears at times. One of the main reasons I am trying this 5:2 diet is to relearn hunger and satiety cues. Once I start eating I tend to keep eating until I am so full I feel sick and have stomach pain. I don't know why I do it but am hoping this fasting will kick start my brain into a healthier way of eating. I tried counting calories last spring and lost 13 lbs but it came to be too difficult to stick to a measly 1200 calorie allowance and I've since gained 8 lbs back. My BMI number may look good but I carry my extra lbs in my belly. Really large, pregnant looking belly. I hide it well with loose shirts, though, so (again) family and friends say I look just fine and don't need to lose any weight. If I stripped naked they'd change their tune LOL. I will definitely look around for the diabetes info. Thanks for the tip. I can't remember all of what you guys wrote but am so grateful for all of your advice! I don't feel alone on this journey anymore. Now I will make my son some dinner and perhaps I will make a bit for me, too.

Regarding 16:8 I've been naturally doing that on my word days of Thursdays and Fridays starting at 3pm. BUT, I've been eating anything and everything on those days from chocolate and candy (I know, I know, the diabetes!)to chips and lots of bread and other carbs. It has been crazy but I know it is terrible for me. What kills me is that I used to be a really healthy eater, I was vegetarian for many years but my stomach can't handle the legumes anymore and there really aren't many sources for protein without legumes. I don't know what happened!

Anyway, I WILL try to eat better. That's what this is all about after all .

Hi Steph and welcome, like CandiceMarie, I don't know how I missed your posts either but we did so sorry for that. Anyway we've all found you now so you can jump in with both feet. Don't be discouraged, this way of life takes a bit of adjusting and getting used to, we've all done it in the past and some never stop tweaking it. Just keep going and the rewards will come. Everyone is very friendly and supportive on here so don't be put off by the fact that for some reason we all missed your arrival. Keep posting, we love to hear how everyone else is getting on, good luck,

Ballerina x

Hi @stephd
I'm a newbie too so not qualified to really give any advice but I've gotten a lot of really good advice on here so far. Have a lot of similar issues to yourself too so I will be paying attention to replies you get. Only thing I will say is I've not really told anyone,besides my other half, that I'm doing this. Will wait a while and see how things go. People have all sorts of reasons for discouraging others to lose weight or follow particular diets, I've found in the past.
Good luck to you! Will be interested in your progress