The FastDay Forum

Hey Guys , Started first day of fasting with my wife and gonna really give it a go for 5 weeks until the end of February they weigh myself again?

We were talking last night and was wondering if anyone can give us help on this subject...

I never really use salt at all in any meals which is good anyway but the only thing i use it on is a big pinch of it when i have porridge(Being a Glasgow Boy thats they way we had it when we were young)so is this a high calorie hit?

Also in the same porridge i love full cream milk, again the only time i use full cream milk is with porridge and cereal? All other times i use semi skimmed milk for tea etc etc...

I am aiming to use 100ml of semi skimmed milk to make the porridge but use 100ml of full cream milk with the actual porridge which is 98 calories in the packet.

I think this is about 200 calories so is this a decent way to still enjoy the porridge and count my calories?

Any help is much appeciated.

Dano.

PS. Forgot to ask is the substitutes for salt or sugar things like Splenda etc any good, and is there any alternative to salt? Does anyone have any ideas on the best alternatives to sugar and salt?

Again any help and info is greatfully appreciated.

Dano.

[carorees]

Hi Dano

I love porridge with full cream milk and (horrors!) sugar too!

Adding salt to porridge does not alter the calories as salt has no calorie content. Lots of salt is bad for blood pressure but you say you don't add much so that's not a problem.

Personally I think it best to avoid high carb foods like porridge on fast days but to save them for feed days when I can have the full cream milk in AND on the porridge! Having carbs on fast days may slow the weight loss and the other benefits (though that's just theory at the moment). They may also make you more hungry on fast days (though being slow release, porridge is the best type of carbs to have) or develop headaches.

However, lots of people do have porridge on fast days with no problems. Protein and vegetables is what Dr Mosley advises. Dr M prefers people try to avoid Splenda and the like but if you find it tastes OK on your porridge, in your tea, I think you should have it.

Why not give it a go and see what you think? Try different ways of managing your fast days, missing breakfast, missing lunch, missing both, porridge for breakfast, an egg, etc. Experiment and see what you like best!

If you make the porridge with water and just add a bit of milk, it doesn't seem to make much difference. The salt is good in porridge, just make it a nice Maldon salt so you don't need as much.

I have pear and banana, cream or yogurt and honey on mine on feed days, my Scottish friends shudder at the description!

Thanks Caroline, First of all i didnt know salt was calorie free...result

Good idea to have porridge on a feed day as i never thought that way round...

I thought splenda would be better just because it is a lot lower on calories? And also what sort of foods are high carb on fast days is it bread porridge etc. But i heard somewhere that egg on wholemeal toast is bad for you so is fruit etc best on the fast days

First day today and me and the wife giving it a go for a month but will be trying different things on fast days to see what is best for us...

[carorees]

Hi Dano

Yeah, its not calories in salt that is the problem its the salt itself (for people with high blood pressure).

Yes, splenda is better re calories but Dr M is against sugar substitutes anyway because they have not been around long enough for us to really know how they affect the body. I reckon if you are using it on fast days to make your food taste better, that's fine.

Yes, high carb food is bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, porridge, sugar, jams, honey, some fruits and some fruit juices (depends on the fruit). There are some good links in the resources section to websites where you can get information on the calories of different foods. They have all the usual foods plus a huge number of ready meals from supermarkets and popular brands.

I saw some research that said that having an egg for breakfast kept hunger at bay much longer than having a high carb breakfast (a croissant in this case because the study was done in France ). Dr Mosley has a boiled egg and a slice of ham because the protein helps with hunger.

This diet is very flexible and you can play around with it and see what works best for you. You may well find that you change your tastes and needs as you go on and so keep experimenting!

Thanks Caroline, Really intresting ref the Egg & Ham?

Great website to help you start this diet and its much appreciated.

Thanks Again

Danny.

Hello, great thread this - has helped me already answer a Q of mine

Could you just clarify for me please if I should/need to add the calories of the Splenda to make my 500 cals a day or not worry about it as it is negligible?

I have 3 in a strong black coffee, not even as regularly as once a day.....

Thanks in advance

[carorees]

No, I wouldn't bother really. But since I use an app to track my calories I do actually bother adding the 5 cals for my vegetable stock drink that I have at lunchtime on a fast day! But its not necessary...after all I doubt our calorie counting is completely accurate anyway.

Soya milk in porridge makes it very creamy, even half and half with water....and it's lower in calories.