The FastDay Forum

Hello from northern Arizona, US. *waves* So, I started 5:2 fasting about a month ago. I managed about a week, then life fell apart. My 13 year old cat died, and I am ashamed to say I dealt with the loss with copious amounts of chocolate.

Determined to do better the next week, I started fasting again. I caught a bad cold, however, and quickly discovered that fasting was impossible while I was sick.

So, I'm mostly better now - just a little cough hanging on. I've decided to try this again. It doesn't really feel like I actually got started the first time, so still considering myself brand new.

I had done 16:8 intermittent fasting before, and I liked the way I felt more in control of my appetite - rather than the other way around. I found Dr. Mosley's BBC documentary, and was rather impressed by the research being done out there.

So, here I am - again. Hopefully I do better this time around.

Welcome @MtnGirl. Good luck with this WOE you will find lots of friendly advice and support on these pages. I find the Fasting Today threads particularly useful on fast days -especially mid afternoon when the hungries hit. Do stick with it and you will get the results you want as is proven by the vast number of members who have been following this regime for several years, many of whom are now successfully maintaining their weight. The best bit of advice I can give you is to measure your waist as sometimes the tape measure shows results when the scales don't. Good luck and happy fasting!

Good luck, stick with it. I have found that this WOE is the only way that has worked for me. I have never been seriously overweight but have tended to yoyo between maintaining slim and being a bit heavier and my jeans feeling too tight! I think because i know it's just one day, I never feel it's too restricting. Go for it

We have very similar experiences over the past month. Since my cat died a month ago, this was the first weekend I didn't go up in flames trying to eat my emotions away. She would have been 16 (or 4, if you want to count it that way) on the 29th.
I discontinued 5:2 and went to 16:8. Severely depriving myself on fast days really set up my cravings to a level I just couldn't ignore, I gave in to the worst food habits. I switched to 16:8 to enable me to take a pain pill in the morning, but I think it helped me with the cravings as well.
I hope you will have great results. Use this site - it's been a great help to me. I especially like the current challenge and plan to do more in the future. There is a real sense of gentle accountability reporting my progress on that thread, and inspiration hearing how the others are doing.

Welcome MtnGirl I ate emotionally for comfort when a friend died a few weeks ago. It was on a Fast day. It happens. Gained back a bit, but now back on track. I've also learned that I can't fast when ill. So I try again another day. I am still fairly new - less than 2 months - and noticed how my waist is shrinking. I haven't tried anything but 5:2, and it seems to work for me. Good luck, and keep posting.

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I think I just need to get a few weeks of this diet under my belt, and I'll be fine.
@ravingkiko and @grannieannie: Sorry for your losses.