Hi everyone, and a happy new year to you all!
With a new year comes new years resolutions and for some of us that will mean a fresh commitment to continue with 5:2 and reach our goals while for others it marks the beginning of a 5:2 journey.
You may recall we trialled an online fasting program in November and December of last year with a group of fasters, new and returning. The trial run was a resounding success, with almost two thirds of the triallists losing at least 3% of their start weight (in just 6 weeks!) and 83% of them rating the course as "Excellent". We're really grateful to everyone who took part, the feedback was invaluable and has really helped us make the program even better ahead of its official launch.
So, without further ado I'm delighted to announce that we are launching 'The FastStart Program' this month! The team has been working hard to develop the course content and the technical stuff. We've even been working over the holidays to make tweaks and improvements following feedback from the trial run - that's how excited we all are about this!
The website and full details of the course will be available really soon, but in a nutshell the online course has been designed to get you started with 5:2 fasting, guiding you through your fast days with meal ideas, support from your course leader, presentations, chat meetings and much, much more. By the end of the course you'll be a fully fledged, well informed faster with a group of fasting buddies who started alongside you.
edit: here's the official page! https://www.fastday.com/buzz/the-faststart-program/
The first 6 week FastStart Program will begin on January 15th 2015 and costs £40.
If you're looking to start fasting but are feeling daunted by the wealth of information available, the course will present it to you bit by bit and in an organised fashion to help you take it in - and more importantly to understand how you can apply it to your life. If you need to start fasting again with some extra guidance or if you know someone keen to fast but in need of a helping hand, FastStart may be just what you or they need!
Although the first run of the program is based around GMT, international participants are welcome as there will be transcripts of the live meetings and q&a can be done via the discussion board
Please do pass this on if you have friends or family who may be interested too.
I'd like to reassure you all the that the free content on FastDay will remain free! The course is totally optional, please think of it as a booster for those who feel they need it, much like many apps these days are free but offer extra content or support for a cost. There is a lot included for the money, as you can see here:
Thanks for reading and for all your support - we've been a community almost 2 years now and the last 12 months have been particularly eventful. Here's to an exciting 2015 for FastDay and all who sail in her!![smile :)](https://forum.fastday.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
Moogie
With a new year comes new years resolutions and for some of us that will mean a fresh commitment to continue with 5:2 and reach our goals while for others it marks the beginning of a 5:2 journey.
You may recall we trialled an online fasting program in November and December of last year with a group of fasters, new and returning. The trial run was a resounding success, with almost two thirds of the triallists losing at least 3% of their start weight (in just 6 weeks!) and 83% of them rating the course as "Excellent". We're really grateful to everyone who took part, the feedback was invaluable and has really helped us make the program even better ahead of its official launch.
So, without further ado I'm delighted to announce that we are launching 'The FastStart Program' this month! The team has been working hard to develop the course content and the technical stuff. We've even been working over the holidays to make tweaks and improvements following feedback from the trial run - that's how excited we all are about this!
The website and full details of the course will be available really soon, but in a nutshell the online course has been designed to get you started with 5:2 fasting, guiding you through your fast days with meal ideas, support from your course leader, presentations, chat meetings and much, much more. By the end of the course you'll be a fully fledged, well informed faster with a group of fasting buddies who started alongside you.
edit: here's the official page! https://www.fastday.com/buzz/the-faststart-program/
The first 6 week FastStart Program will begin on January 15th 2015 and costs £40.
If you're looking to start fasting but are feeling daunted by the wealth of information available, the course will present it to you bit by bit and in an organised fashion to help you take it in - and more importantly to understand how you can apply it to your life. If you need to start fasting again with some extra guidance or if you know someone keen to fast but in need of a helping hand, FastStart may be just what you or they need!
If you'd like to know more just follow this link to register your interest:
http://eepurl.com/_SY7n
Although the first run of the program is based around GMT, international participants are welcome as there will be transcripts of the live meetings and q&a can be done via the discussion board
![smile :)](https://forum.fastday.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
Please do pass this on if you have friends or family who may be interested too.
I'd like to reassure you all the that the free content on FastDay will remain free! The course is totally optional, please think of it as a booster for those who feel they need it, much like many apps these days are free but offer extra content or support for a cost. There is a lot included for the money, as you can see here:
About this program
Lead by an experienced faster, who will guide you through the first steps with intermittent fasting, FastStart is a comprehensive introduction to the FastDiet. You’ll have two ‘fast days’ a week during which you will have a restricted calorie allowance (starting at 750-800 calories and decreasing to 500-600 calories over the first three weeks). The other days of the week you can eat normally.
The program includes:
- Twice weekly meetings where you can chat with your fellow fasters and ask questions of your program leader
- A weekly themed presentation on topics such as the science of fasting and weightloss, monitoring progress and target setting, basics of nutrition, emotional and binge eating, adapting fasting to your lifestyle and planning for the future.
- A program dashboard with the program schedule, access to your progress trackers, details of the awards you have gained and more.
- Progress trackers to allow you to monitor your weight, waist size and body fat.
- A chat room which enables you to connect with your fellow course participants to encourage each other, share your experiences, and generally chat. Visit frequently, to both give and receive support. Scientists have found that this kind of online support can really help with successful weight loss.
- A question and answer board where you can post your questions for your program leader and read replies to questions from other participants.
- On fast days, there will be a virtual meeting in the chat room when your leader will be answering your questions, reviewing your progress and explaining what’s happening next.
- Calorie counted meal plans to make your fast day food easy to plan, prepare and satisfy you.
Comments from some of our triallists:
Such a great experience! I've lost 6 pounds in 6 weeks and now feel like I've maybe found a new way of eating long term. I'm feeling a lot more in control of what I'm eating and why I'm eating it.
Helen, Leicestershire
I am so pleased with the knowledge and weight loss I have achieved in just six weeks! It has certainly given me encouragement to continue and made me realise I can fit Fasting around my life style! The programme was run extremely efficiently and was made even more enjoyable due to our mentor Caroline who herself had achieved a great weight loss by this means so knew how we were feeling on the outset! It was good to have a lot of support easily available at any time of the day - questions were answered promptly, the tech guys ironed out any technical problems very quickly! They are a good team who work well together and are eager to get us all to our goal but not only that but to show us the health benefits too! A big thanks and well done guys! Intend continuing on this journey!
Terryl, Abu Dhabi
Excellent introduction to fasting. Plenty of information, prompt answers to a variety of questions. Great support from a knowledgeable leader and group. Would recommend!
Wendy, Scotland
I have always had an overeating issue. Not just the wrong things but the volume always seemed much more than was normal. I clung on to the warm safe full feeling after meals and snacks, never allowing myself to go hungry. I could not keep eating this way and expect to be healthy as I got older so for me this programme has taught me that being hungry isn't life or death. And that nothing bad happens to you if you miss a meal. It's not been easy but with our leader’s help I have stuck at it and turned my way of eating around to feel satisfied with less volume and adapt my stomach to want less on my non fast days. I can now go without a meal and not panic. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it, but I now have the tools and knowledge to cope with it whilst still feeling safe. It's a strange phenomenon and naturally thin people don't understand this need for food. But I'm sure there's plenty out there that do and if you are looking for a way to break this hold that food has over you, then here's where you should be.
Cheryl, Nottingham
Thanks for reading and for all your support - we've been a community almost 2 years now and the last 12 months have been particularly eventful. Here's to an exciting 2015 for FastDay and all who sail in her!
![smile :)](https://forum.fastday.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
Moogie