The FastDay Forum

Hi

I've been on a normal diet this wk and am doing my first fast tomorrow. I've lost 4.5 lbs this week and but this afternoon I felt really lightheaded and dizzy so Im a bit worried about how I'll cope with a long period without food.

Heres what I ate today before my dizzy turn.
Breakfast - rice cake with cream cheese and a strawberry. Rice cake with poached egg. 9am

Lunch1200 - homemade veg soup and slice wholemeal with slick if cream cheese

Felt fine till about 3pm. Thought i was going to faint and everything went black for a sec. Im otherwise well. Had 4 maltesers and felt fine again.

Planning on breakfast and dinner only tomorrow but worried now if I'll be able to have a long period without food. Wondering if I should hav an apple at lunchtime for my first fast? Any advice most welcome.


Thanks x

[carorees]

Hi vino

Sounds like you had typical symptoms of low blood sugar. Though there may be other causes. If you are used to having regular carbohydrate intake, your body may be reluctant to switch to fat burning resulting in low blood sugar during your fast so you may well get the same symptoms when fasting. I would ease into fasting gently. Perhaps allow yourself more calories tomorrow than the standard 500 and gradually reduce on successive fast days. In between be sure not to restrict calories on feed days...have a normal diet for your height and weight.

[Tracieknits]

I would be very concerned myself. The only times I've ever been dizzy and lightheaded were when I had gestational diabetes and when I had hyperactive thyroid. I have been doing this diet since Jan 8, generally fasting completely until 6pm (only consuming water, and black coffee and herbal tea until about 4pm, then a mug of bouillon). I have never felt lightheaded or dizzy on these fasts.

If you haven't had a regular physical in the last few months, I'd call up your doctor.

And absolutely, if you're feeling lightheaded from fasting, have an apple or something. I would personally break my fast at that point, and call my doctor.

Thank you Carorees- that sounds like good advice. I usually eat loads of carbs and have drastically cut carbs and calories this week so maybe its a cumlative effect from the rest of the week. I've always snacked, even when on a diet but hav been trying not to this week in preparation for fasting! I've had a few 900 calorie days this week so maybe its a lot to get used to.

Think I'll have a mini meal at lunchtime too and see how it goes...

Thanks Tracieknits. I'll have a mini meal at lunchtime too. Perhaps I should get bloods checked. I didnt even think about doc to be honest. If I feel like that again I'll go get checked out.

Appreciate your reply.

[Tracieknits]

Are 900 calorie days your feed days? Oh my, then perhaps you do just need to eat! In all honesty, I'm not counting or watching what I eat on my feed days. I'm taking the good Dr. Mosley at his word on that one

Hi Tracie

I wasnt really classing those as feed days as Im not officially starting 5:2 until today! I thought Id go on a low calorie diet for a week before starting as I knew I could drop a good few pounds in a week (yep, done that lots of times.) I also thought it would get me used to eating less and not snacking. However I've been so inspired by 5:2 that I thought I would kinda try it out for size with a few 900 cal days. Trust me to complicate things and make up my own diet Probably not the best plan.

The good news is I've lost 6.5 lbs this week, yay!

Feeling good today. Had rice cake and cream cheese at 11.30pm last night just to give me a better chance with fasting today. Had bigger breakfast than planned for day 1 after advice from Carorees (2 boiled eggs and 2 slices weightwatchers toast - 322 cals) So far so good...

Thank you x

[Tracieknits]

Glad you're doing better. Okay, a severely low calorie diet for a whole week might explain it then, without a more sinister diagnosis. Here's hoping that's all it was

Hi Vino,

One thing that you might want to think about are the rice cakes - I've just finished reading the GL diet book and it turns out rice cakes have an exceedingly high GI/GL (which shocked me !) which will cause a blood sugar/insulin spike (followed by a crash soon after). Maybe substitute them for a slice of wholemeal bread next time and see if this helps ?

Thanks for that Keith. That's so unfair on the ricecakes How can a bit of 30 calorie carboard cause a spike!!! I actually had a slice of wholemeal at lunch that day and I had consumed 500 calories. Rice cakes and eggs were breakfast. I hate to think how many rice cakes I ate last week

Had my first fast today and been fine. Looking forward to dinner though (she says, drooling.)

cardboard even. I should use that preview button.

Thanks for that Keith. That's so unfair on the ricecakes How can a bit of 30 calorie carboard cause a spike!!! I actually had a slice of wholemeal at lunch that day and I had consumed 500 calories. Rice cakes and eggs were breakfast. I hate to think how many rice cakes I ate last week

Had my first fast today and been fine. Looking forward to dinner though (she says, drooling.)

I know - was a shock to me as well - Worth giving them a miss for a trial though !

I've been doing it for a few weeks and it does definitely get easier !!!

Yes, I'll stick to wholemeal bread then. Until I get me some of those zero noodles that I read about on here (thanks Monty!)