The FastDay Forum

Greetings! I'm energized and ready to go... and also a bit nervous about making it through my first fast day.

I'm 41, living in Philadelphia, and the mother of a beautiful little girl. I'm looking to lose a few pounds using this method, but mainly to change my relationship with food. I want to feel more in control of my eating. Right now I'm the kind of person who plans their day around when and what I get to eat next. I'm hoping that changes with this plan.

So... I had a small breakfast around 7:45 and am not planning on eating again until about 5 or 6pm. Wish me luck!

And... as I stated above, I'd love a fasting buddy to help me get through the rough times.

Hope you are well!!!

[carieoates]

Hi and welcome from me.
There are plenty of potential buddies here, sit down, and have a good read. Measure yourself all over and see what happens over then next month of fasting.
Good luck.

Hello and welcome! Here's a pdf on 5.2 I put together for a friend of mine...

5-2 et al.pdf

5.2 Basics

(590.6 KiB) Downloaded 69 times

Hi Rebakatt,

It's great to hear I'm not the only one starting (in my case again) today. This is my first fast since 2014. I did 5:2 for a short period then life got in the way, I went to work in Florence for 3 months and ate lots of pasta (no weight gain then due to Italian portion sizes and busy lifestyle so I believed I didn't need it any more), then moved back to Spain where I was before (fine), then back to the UK and set up a new business which is when the problems really started. The truth is I let my diet and lifestyle slide and focussed on other things but now I want to take control again and live a healthier life in every way. Due to the new business I am in the office a lot and as I drive to work my exercise levels have gone right down and of course my weight has increased too which I want to change. I think it would be great to have a 5:2 buddy and support each other as we start the journey.

I am 28 years old and living in London where I run a small English Language School. So far today I have had tea with lemon and some herbal fruit tea and planning to last as long as possible until dinner (courgette spaghetti and tomato sauce). I also have a vegetable stock sachet ready for the afternoon hunger pangs.

All advice and support gratefully received!

Good luck! I made it through my first day successfully! The hardest part of the day was late afternoon. I'm planning to do my second fast on Thursday. Like I said in my initial post, I'm hoping to lose a little weight (like 5 pounds.... 2.25kg), but more to just change my relationship with food. Historically, I've restricted my eating Monday - Friday afternoon.. or tried to. And then I'd go a bit crazy on the weekend and wind up binging a bit and hating myself on Monday. I just want to feel a bit more free from the tyranny of what to eat and when and how much. I don't know if that will do this for me or not. Yesterday went fairly well. It was, in some ways, easier to not think about food since I had kind of ruled it out as an option. This morning, I wasn't terribly hungry and even went to the gym before having breakfast!

If you'd like... you can contact me via email: celestine143@outlook.com

Good luck today!!!!

Hi Rebakatt,

It's great to hear I'm not the only one starting (in my case again) today. This is my first fast since 2014. I did 5:2 for a short period then life got in the way, I went to work in Florence for 3 months and ate lots of pasta (no weight gain then due to Italian portion sizes and busy lifestyle so I believed I didn't need it any more), then moved back to Spain where I was before (fine), then back to the UK and set up a new business which is when the problems really started. The truth is I let my diet and lifestyle slide and focussed on other things but now I want to take control again and live a healthier life in every way. Due to the new business I am in the office a lot and as I drive to work my exercise levels have gone right down and of course my weight has increased too which I want to change. I think it would be great to have a 5:2 buddy and support each other as we start the journey.

I am 28 years old and living in London where I run a small English Language School. So far today I have had tea with lemon and some herbal fruit tea and planning to last as long as possible until dinner (courgette spaghetti and tomato sauce). I also have a vegetable stock sachet ready for the afternoon hunger pangs.

All advice and support gratefully received!

Well done you! I got through the day successfully too! For me the worst part was also the late afternoon. The first thing I ate was a vegetable noodle soup (100 cals) at 5.30pm and it woke the hunger monster for me a bit so then I was thinking about dinner constantly until I made it at 8.00pm. All in all a good day though and I came in at 440 cals in total. I think we are pretty similar in our motivations for starting 5:2. I would like to lose 7 pounds in total but I am not sure if it's realistic or not and I'm not too worried about it. I am not overweight in BMI terms but I am very small (5 foot 1) and I have a very small frame and I can see that I am not quite at the correct weight for my body shape. I also want to feel free around food and not like I am either always giving in to my cravings or constantly denying myself. I would like to reach the sweet spot where I make good choices naturally based on my health and well-being. Here's hoping 5:2 will help!!

Hello, Vito and rebikatt! I also only have a little weight to lose (8 lbs) and would love a buddy (or 2 or 3!) I just started this last week and only lost a half pound, but I would rather take it slowly if it is sustainable. When I fast, I find it easier to avoid calories completely. I fasted on Monday, and will be fasting again tomorrow. I need accountability to not get obsessive or lose too much, as I have an eating disorder history. So far, I have found fasting to be helpful in terms of understanding true hunger. I am 5'6" and want to get from 128 to 120. I should not get lower. Let me know if I can join you!

Hello! It's so nice to feel we're not alone doing this - I think the more support we have and, as you mention, the more people we tell about what we're doing the more likely we are to stay on track. I hadn't weighed myself for months and didn't do it before I started on Tuesday (long standing fear of the scales) but I weighed myself this morning (after 2 fasts this week) and the number was pretty much what I was expecting. Here's to slow and steady losses and above all an improved relationship with food. Good luck!

Welcome @rebakatt and @vito and good luck!
Vito how wonderful to have worked in Florence,must have been quite an experience xx!

Hope you are still doing well, rebakatt. And glad to hear you are, Vito. I had a dismal day today. After reading abt the benefits of fasting for 40 hours, I made my second fast of the week from Wednesday at noon until this morning (Friday), fasting with no calories at all. Big mistake. The first 36 hours were fine, but I felt sick and weak when I got up, and ate everything in sight the rest of the day. Ugh. Don't think I'll do that again! I think I was dehydrated. I'm not very good about drinking water. Will need to watch that. Now I just want to go to bed so I can start fresh tomorrow. Will focus on moderation tomorrow and Sunday before doing a more moderate 24 hr fast on Monday. Live and learn!

Why don't you try doing 5.2 as recommended and described, using your progress tracker, and eating te right amount of nutritious food on your fast days. It doesn't sound like you've given,that a proper try. What you
appear to be doing is not the 5.2 WOE and is not sustainable or healthy, especially with your background of eating disorders. Just give it a go please. Best luck.

You are right, I need to avoid the temptation to "tweak" the program. This week I'll do it properly!

[Tracieknits]

@Goodmorning I would *really* strongly urge you to seek counseling for your anorexia nervosa. This is not healthy behavior for someone with your medical history. Please stop fasting now. If you were an alcoholic, I would tell you to put down the wine and call your AA sponsor or a therapist. This is no different. You should NOT be fasting with a diagnosed condition of Anorexia. I wish you could hear what you sound like.

I am not the only person who feels this way. TWO people sent me private messages to tell me you were posting this. They are also concerned.

Please stop.

Apparently some of you don't think this is the place for me, although I do not currently come close to meeting the diagnostic criteria for anorexia. I was hoping to find support here as I tried this way of eating, which I thought could be healthy. I am disappointed. I know it is also possible that I am so self-deceived that people who have never met me can identify ED thinking that I am not aware of. In that case, I am deeply discouraged and disappointed in myself. In either case, I will stop posting. Tracieknits, I sent you a private message...

[Tracieknits]

This way of eating is absolutely not recommended for people with an eating disorder. You may not currently be severely underweight, but I'm afraid you do seem to be engaging in ED thinking, and my fear is that this diet could lead you back to relapse. I don't want to kick you off the site, but I cannot in good conscience allow what appears to me to be ED thinking pass without comment. I have PMd you back.

Please believe that I don't want to be unwelcoming, but your goal weight is 20 pounds less than the healthy goal weight of my mother, who is the same height that you are. I'm just truly concerned because I have grown up watching this.