The FastDay Forum

I've been doing this "diet" since the Horizon programme, and have found it pretty straightforward. I've posted this same thing in a couple of places, as I'm interested to know if anyone else has tried this.

I discovered www.graze.com and get 2 of their light boxes each week, which have between 350 and 500 calories on average, so that is mostly what I eat on my “Graze days” as we now call them rather than fast days, though I usually have a small cup of (home made) soup at lunch as well.

I don't even think that much now on the fast days, apart from the occasional pang of hunger, but I either ignore it or drink water. It gets easier. I also seem to eat smaller portions generally, which I think helps with the weight.

I've lost a couple of stone (started when our Wii fit said I was obese!! Now I am just in the normal BMI, so not quite there yet), though not exclusively down to this, we have also stopped drinking during the week and I've also started exercise as I now feel so much more like doing so. It is all part of my revelatory way to get a bit thinner which is 1. Eat less, 2. Move more, 3. Repeat (it wouldn't make a very large book).

If anyone want to try it, use code 5VMTL6T and they’ll give you a free box (and send £1 to an Ugandan farm!), or maybe more. I think they gave me another free box when I signed up with a code I got via amazon. The boxes are cheaper than eating normal food!

I've ordered the book as I would like to read more about this whole idea, and get some more ideas for alternative as I'm bound to get bored with the Graze boxes eventually, though they send so many different and yummy things I haven’t yet.

[carorees]

Do you do what it says on the box (graze) or eat your snacks in concentrated periods, Jeremy?

It varies actually. My routine is this: I get them on Monday and Wednesday and do my graze days on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though this can be flexible (for example this week it was a friend's birthday on Tuesday and we went out, so this week it's Wednesday and today).

Since I'm not as strong as Dr M (on the programme he even managed to do it when on holiday), I didn't do it over Christmas, but I haven't put any weight back on as I don't eat as much as I once did!

I take the box to work with me, and if I start feeling peckish, I will open it and see what's in this time and maybe open one. Sometimes I may eat one or two of the containers, mostly during the afternoon, but I have noticed that whereas at the start I would always eat at least 2, sometimes now I don't even get round to opening any of them, so I end up eating all 4 items almost like an evening meal! More often than not, I eat one in the course of an afternoon (unless it's olives with basil and garlic, which I generally eat in no time as they are so scrummy!).

I've just opened today's and it has:
Korai chutney (some sort of rice cakes or something flavoured with curry), 70 cals
Bounty hunter (coconut, cranberries and chocolate), 145 cals
Garden of England (strawberries, apple and blackcurrants), 70 cals
Hot cross yum (raisins, sponge, almonds), 135 cals

So, even on a fasting day, I get some chocolate! Total is 420 cals which is about average for the light boxes. I've not had the garden of England one before, but the others I have (and like those).

Not sure if that answers the question or not!

[carorees]

That's great Jeremy. I saw in the book that Michael and Mimi recommend trying to make the periods between eating anything at all as long as possible (i.e., to avoid snacking). It is interesting that as you have adapted to the low calorie days you have naturally started to do this.

It sounds a really easy way of making sure you keep to the calorie allowance and avoids having to spend time planning.

As I like to have my calories in the form of a family evening meal, I don't think these boxes would work for me, but thanks so much for sharing this with us.

I also use graze boxes on my fast days. They are not all I eat, but the small portions and the fact that the calories are clearly marked makes them very useful. It doesn't do any harm that they're generally very tasty, too!

I tend to eat twice during my fast days if I'm in work (mid-day and evening), or just once if I'm at home (evening). I certainly don't snack in-between!

I bought some new jeans yesterday. First time in 20+ years I've bought 32" ones, so pretty happy with this.

Great Jeremy. Bet you feel like a million dollars.

I bought some new jeans yesterday. First time in 20+ years I've bought 32" ones, so pretty happy with this.

Congratulations! That's actually my ultimate goal too.

well done Jeremey
This week will be my first proper fast day and i have ordered a free graze box to try

jeniben

Thanks all, yes it does feel good. I had a bit of a shock when I thought "this isn't going to work" when trying them on, only to discover the first pair I picked up were actually 30" ! That's never going to happen.

Incidentally, I haven't taken too much notice of the number on the scales (although I know I've lost over 2 stone - I don't get on them very often), as I prefer the comments from people I haven't seen for a while, and being able to do things like this, and I just know I feel better than I did a year ago.

I did weigh myself after getting these new jeans and entered it on the progress thing on here, and now I have a green BMI for the first time in a while (I have no idea when I was last in the "healthy" band).

You've done so well, Jeremy! Keep it up. You seem to have found a good method that suits you. It wouldn't suit me though as I don't really fancy any of those things in the graze box - apart from olives! I like to eat 'proper' fruit and raw veg and worry that if I have a small taste of chocolateit might send me over the edge.

You've done so well, Jeremy! Keep it up. You seem to have found a good method that suits you. It wouldn't suit me though as I don't really fancy any of those things in the graze box - apart from olives! I like to eat 'proper' fruit and raw veg and worry that if I have a small taste of chocolateit might send me over the edge.

Thanks, I realised I couldn't be bothered making sure to buy the right things or to check the calories in everything, so when I saw these I just thought I'd try it for a few weeks and it was so easy for me, that here I am still getting them 7 months later. I do like the things they send (there are some things I haven't liked, but you just click a box and you never see it again) so it works for me, which is why I posted it in this forum, even though it's not a recipe as such (more like a take away!).

I love graze boxes, they are fantastic - I havent had one for a few months tho. The little bread sticks and the basil oil is my absolute favourite. Very well done on your progress Jeremy, inspiring stuff!

Congratulations on your successes!
I am going to try a box a week and see how it goes- thanks for the thoughts

Well, it's taken a while for the last kilo to go, but here I am, at the weight I set myself last August (and is the weight I was when I was 20). 18kg lost.

I discovered being lighter makes exercising easier and so I started playing 5-a-side footy one night a week. This week I've started cycling to work, which is easier with the nice weather but I'm hoping to do it 4 days a week (it's only 4 miles each way). It's also easier than last time I did it as I have 18kg less to carry. I must find something about that weight to see what it feels like.

I'm going to continue fasting of course (today is one of my days and I'm hungry right now having cycled in) since it wasn't purely for weight-loss that I started this, so it will be interesting to see what happens and whether I have any more weight to lose. A couple of my friends have said stop so as not to lose any more but I think my body will find it's natural place.

I'm still eating the Graze boxes, and not got bored with them yet (keep thinking I will, then they send something new).