The FastDay Forum

Hi folks. I watched the 'Eat, fast and live longer' documentary last night and I was really interested. I won't lie- I am interested in the weight-loss aspect but on seeing the health benefits I was really impressed.

I am starting the 5:2 approach next Monday. My chosen fast days are Mon/Wed. Looking forward to it but a little nervous too.

If anyone on here would like to offer any encouragement/advice or tips on how to get the most (weightloss/health benefits) out of this, they will be most welcome!

[Tracieknits]

Welcome!!

There are a ton of tips already in the forum - which you're probably finding right now. I have to say - it gets easier. My first couple of fasts were fraught with anxiety, because I had never done such a thing before. Now they're no worries at all.

Thanks! I also use the myfitnesspal site which is great. There's a few 5:2 people on there too.

Down 2 kilos? Fantastic. When did you start?

I was v. anxious about starting this, but I've done 4 fasts so far, and found them very do-able. My top tip is to be prepared : have your evening meal ready to eat, so you can have it when you want it, and its all calorie counted, and minimum prep.

That's encouraging. Thanks. I think I will prep the food for the fast day the evening before.

Yes it's good to get organized before the fast day, you dont want to be cooking/counting cals on the day,
Get herb teas/sparkling water in so you've got plenty to drink other than water.
If you're at home plan your day so you're kept busy and when you've done everything come on here for some support and to wallow in the fact you're not the only one feeling empty good luck, not that you'll need it, it's only one day

Cheers. I have to do a two and a half hour drive on Monday so that will keep me occupied. As I don't work on Mondays I plan to do a nice long walk and also dye my hair, read and just generally try to keep myself occupied... I'll probably pop on here for inspiration/encouragement at some point.

What are your normal eating habits like Teresa?
I only ask because before starting this I'd always been strict about absolutely needing to have breakfast, lunch and dinner andthe thought of not doing so and going for several hours without eating anything made me pretty anxious!

So I started out with three small meals with the 500 calories split between them, and then when I found this was do-able, I tried skipping breakfast and then found that was do-able... and gradually I got to the point where I now eat nothing all day and just have one lovely big meal of 500 calories in the evening, and that actually seems far easier to me for some bizarre reason!

Others have commented before, that the very act of eating something, no matter how small, seems to 'wake up' your digestive system and make you hungry and that's true with me. If I don't eat all day, I actually find I'm not that hungry. And of course supposedly the more hours you can go not eating, and giving your body a rest from digesting food, the better the health benefits.

One last thing - do be prepared for the fact that your tummy will rumble and you WILL feel like you could murder a sandwich or a hot meal etc. But have another glass of water or make a hot drink and stick with it, and you should find within about 5 minutes that will have worn off and you'll find you're not hungry again. I've actually found this aspect of it pretty empowering because I've always been a total slave to food, and this now gives me control.

Good luck!

Get through your first few fast days and hopefully from then on you'll be surprised at how easy it is - and the fact that, personally, I don't overindulge on feast days too, is rather surprising. The first time my stomach rumbled I realised what a real feeling of being hungry (in perspective of course) was. Now, when I feel a bit peckish I give myself a talking to 'cos I know it's not a real stomach rumble - if you get my drift. I started calorie counting seriously about a year or so ago - and started 5:2 after seeing the Horizon programme in November. I've now lost a total of 3 stone (still got another 2 stone to shed) and I'm actually quite surprised at how easy it is. My real motivation was having to have a total hip replacement and realising that I needed to get my act together and protect the other hip (it'll need replacing someday but all that extra weight was doing it no good whatsoever) - sorry I'm rambling now! In short, welcome to the world of 5:2 - I hope it's as effective for you as it's been for me - there are so many inspiring people on here, friendly and ready with advice - so good luck on Monday - a new way of life begins!!

HI ShrinkingRose.Thank you for all of that. Some interesting points there. I normally HAVE to have breakfast. Generally that's a couple of slices of wholewheat bread and a poached egg. And I will have lunch and dinner. I generally eat up to 1400 call per day... Then comes the weekends where I tend to 'lose it' a bit and eat more unhealthily and have one or ten vodkas I am hoping that this approach means that if I do have a blow out at the weekend it won't do much damage as it would if I didn't have the fast days.

I am going to experiment a bit with the fast days. Perhaps have a lot of tiny snacks throughout the day. Or maybe hold out for a 500 cal dinner if I can..I'll see what works best for me.

Thanks again. Great to have support here,I appreciate all the advice.

Hi Suchard007 .. Your post is so encouraging. I am starting to feel excited about doing this now. You are playing a blinder. Keep up the good work. And I really hope to make this a new way of life too.. I refuse to think of it as a diet- it's just a fresh approach to eating. Hopefully one with plenty of benefits. Thanks for the encouragement.