The FastDay Forum

Hi everyone. I did my first fast day yesterday. I was nervous beforehand but coped well during the day. However I could not sleep and after 2 hours got up and having read some of the advice on the forum had a very small portion of an oaty cereal and did eventually fall asleep. However this morning I felt dreadful. I had aching joints and a headache and felt very tired. Is this normal? I am now not nervous about my next fast but about the day after. I walk my dog for 2 hours each day and it was a real struggle this morning. I look forward to hearing your experiences

[wildmissus]

Hi Esta, welcome to the forum, it's at great place with great people who are very supportive and informative. I've read many a post and I'd say your side effects are fairly common. Try and increase you liquid intake even more. You really need to give it 4/6 week for things to settle down to 'normal'. That is not to say that these side effects will last that long but you may notice other things. The fasts definitely get easier and the headaches etc fade. When I got headaches at first (and still do on the odd occasion) I used to try and ride it out but now I just take the paracetamols. Keep reading the forum especially when you are on a fast day and struggling, you will learn so much. Good luck.

Hello I am very new to this diet too; I'm on my second fast day! I felt ok the day after my first fast. I slept we'll too but tonight I feel full of energy so we will see what the day brings.

On discussing the diet with a friend who is also doing it she told me she struggles with headaches and sleepless nights. Everyone I know who is doing this diet seems to experience different things. Sorry I'm not much help.

Hi! I always get joint-pain and headaches after fasting if I haven't had enough water.
Aim for atleast 1 litre more water on fast days than usual

Thanks for the info. I drank 2 litres of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice which I thought would be enough. However today I probably haven't drunk nearly enough which probably didn't help. Tomorrow is another fast day. I feel better prepared and have planned my food for tomorrow. I've got a lot of weight to lose but at least I've made a start. I'm finding the forum really helpful and full of great information.

Echo all the comments about drinking more ... Doesn't have to be water .... Could be coffee etc .... And try to keep warm too.... Many people feel the cold more - wear an extra layer etc and just take it easy for the first few times .... Once you're finding fasts easier you can play with it a bit to see what works for you.

And you might have a bad day now and again - try not to let it get you down .... It's only one day ... And do is the next fast etc.....

I had headaches and leg cramps the first couple of weeks but I decided to commit to a month of 5:2 no matter what and by the time I got there symptoms had passed and I'd also managed to leave all calories until evening meal. It will get easier but I found paracetamol did help with the headaches so don't suffer while your body adjusts, give yourself some time.

Caroees wrote a great explanation about why some people feel unwell when they start Fasting, but I cannot track it down as everyone else has said it does get better. I like to save enough calories for a bedtime low cal Hot Chocolate

Thanks SianS. A hot chocolate might be a good solution to help with sleeping. I was surprised at how hard it waste drop off. I think delaying my evening meal might help. I can't manage without tea during the day so have to keep some calories for milk - cant drink it without. If I'm having hot chocolate too it feels like a big chunk of my 500 calories! I'm going to try courgette "pasta" tomorrow night with a tomato based sauce or maybe with lemon and garlic but am wondering if I should try and incorporate some protein. But that might give me a bit more flexibility.

Hi I have now completed my 3rd fasting day(2nd week),3lb loss this week so really pleased, I felt very tired my first day, but I've slept really well at night which is a plus.

Hi Newbies,

It takes time to get used to the calorie restrictions. The first few weeks are difficult, but it gets easier, so stick with it. Also, make sure to have protein, such as eggs early in the day. It really makes the hunger go away. I usually have a big plate of scrambled egg whites. Very low in calories.

Also, in regards to sleeping, that gets better too. In fact, I have to say that I used to always have trouble sleeping. Now, after being on this diet for two months, I sleep like a rock every night. I won't go back to regular eating.

Hi,
I'm new to this too, yesterday was my first fast day too, I found it really difficult and obsessed about food all day until I frittered my last 40 cals on a low cal hot chocolate, it was delicious.
I really thought I would wake hungry this morning but much to my amazement I was fine. What I found amazing today was that my head seems to be in the the right place, and so much of this is in the mind - trying to keep focused on the benefits of the diet. Hoping this continues