The FastDay Forum

WHY AM I DOING THIS?

1. The Fasting

For brain health and physical longevity, also to assist with the low carbing.


2. Low Carbing

Even though a healthy wholefoods vegetarian person for many years I had slipped into the refined carbs eating thing, white rice and pasta, lots of posh artisan cookies and bread (Earthy's Focaccia), pizza in Italy <3, and sugar... 3am all-night-garage Double-Boost-Bar Lionbar.

Reactive Hypoglycemic symptoms. Seemingly unable to access my own fat reserves, having to carry carb snacks with me everywhere, evil bad tempered *?@!# when hungry. Low GI type diet not happening for me. Time for serious action...


3. The Proposed Solution Was

Run in ketosis and train my body to be able to switch.

Ditch the sugar grain potatoes and trans-fats.

Aim for an optimum nutrition diet.

Keep my daily carb intake spread out evenly across the days meals and around / below the 80g mark

Calories around the 2000 mark on feed days

Zero calorie fast days, I have fasted before and find this the best way for me.

This needs to be sustainable.


4. How Is This Working Out?

Very well so far, no fainting fits or huge refined carb cravings. Sorting out the menus has taken a bit of work but is coming together now.

Definite increased energy levels especially on fast days.

Perhaps it is psychological but seem to have an increased mental clarity and also a sort of sensory improvement, taste in particular.

I am losing the extra 16lbs weight I have been carting around for 10 years, not my primary objective but why not, it comes free with the WoL.

My step feels lighter when I am out walking, this feels weird but I like it.

I am enjoying my food a lot more, especially all the new stuff I'm eating, I am doing a bit of cooking again too, this forum has been great special thanks to @FatDog ...


#. Notes

I will post up a recent provisions list so folks can see the kind of stuff I am living on.

I have recently had everythng medically checked out - Blood, Diabetes, Thyroid, Liver Function, Cholestriol, Lipids. All is good.

I actually started this WoL back in October but only got aroung to joining the forum recently so my tracker is a bit squint but will sort itself out in due course.

Thanks and kind regards to all x

Hi @caitlin And Welcome
Well done on your achievements and glad you've decided to join the best forum there is for help and advice its brilliant I do agree with that one glad its helping you with your journey and @FatDog recipes are fantastic, also I'm trying to reduce my carb intake following her advice
and tips.

[carieoates]

Welcome to the forum.
Great post Caitlin, nice to see such focus.
Good luck and glad you are using the tracker, it's such an essential tool.

Many thanks to @Sue.Q and @carieoates for the warm welcome

Here is a list of the typical basic provisions I use. My idea is to have salad with things rather than things with a lttle salad, so for instance I will have...

Baby spinach and assorted salad veggies with an avocado, some hummus, a little portion of stew, some pine nuts sprinkled on, some deli things like say capers and sundried tomatoes.

Same with breakie and lunch, small amounts and big variety... This list is just a basic framework which I can fit lots of different things into.

Makes for a simple but very pleasant way of eating I think and is easily adapable and sustainable too.



# Provisioning

**5:2 Low carb vegetarian eating basics**

* * * * *

## Breakfasts Puddings
Yogurt - Full Fat Greek Style (filtered so has less lactose) Bio (only 1 x 450ml carton at a time please!!!)
Cream Double - For Fruit And Coffee And Pancakes
Soy Milk - Coffee Tea and Musily
Eggs - For Scramblers With Vine Tomatoes And Oyster Mushrooms

Minute Bread / Pancake - @FatDog
Butter / Brie / Whipped or Clotted Cream
Sugar Free Marmers / Jam
Peanut Butter / Almond Butter

{
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Cherries
Kiwi Fruit x1
Apricots
} x50g

Pears 1//2
Occasional Apples (just eat the peel)

Either as **sprinklies** or together as a **musily** with soy milk {
Flax Seeds - Milled
Oatbran
Mixed Nuts - Chopped
Desiccated Coconut
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Poppy Seeds
Sesame Seeds- Toasted
Cinnamon
Dried Fruit **High Cal Carb Alert!**
}

* * * * *

## Snacks And Lunch
Miso Soup With Seaweed (you can also put chives and shredded carrots and stuff into this)
Bissara - Make only enough for few days, count carb and cals.
Carrot & Orange Soup
Broccoli Stilton Soup

Salted Almonds
Dry Roasted Peanuts

**High Cal Carb Alert mostly for parties!** {
Crudités And Dips
Gram Flour Based Snacks
Vegetable Crisps
Dried Apricots
}

* * * * *

## Beverages
Coffee - Douwe Egberts Medium Roast
Fruit Flavoured Green Tea - London Fruit And Herb Company
Cocoa - Heat Cocoa Water Stir Heat Stir Cool Cream Vanilla

Cognac - Zero carb but contains calories x3 Glasses
Wine / Port / Champagne x3 Glasses < 1/2 ltr
Cherry or Apricot Brandy / Baileys x1 Glass **High Cal Carb Alert!**

* * * * *

## Salad Things
Avocado
Feta Cheese 100g
Hummus 100g
Cheese Grated (Like Italian cheeses at moment)

Red Dal / Continental Lentil Italian Stew / Tajine / Channa Coconut Dal / etc 100g
Slaw / Wardolf - Home Made (with home made mayo) 100g
Frittata

Tofu 100g
Tempeh 100g
Halloumi - With olives, chili flakes, pepper and olive oil. 100g
Baba Ganoush - With salt and pinch chili - 1 medium aubergine = 2 portions

Falafels
Gram Snacks - Home Made
Nut Burgers
Quorn
Veggie Haggis

* * * * *

## Salad Leaf
Mixed Salad Leaves
Rocket Salad
Baby Spinach

* * * * *

## Salad Side Veg
Red Onion
Peppers - sliced
Spring Onions
Tomatoes Vine
Chilis - Large
Cucumber

Beetroot - Raw Grated
Carrot - Grated
Raddish - Grated

* * * * *

## Deli
Beetroot Pickled 25g
Sundried Tomatoes 20g
Olives x7
Capers
Gerkins Pickled
Onions Pickled
Sauerkraut
Roasted Peppers Jarred
Aubergine Jarred
Jalepenos
Ashoka Lime Pickle
Ashoka Chili Pickle
Ashoka Mixed Pickle

* * * * *

## Sprinklies Savoury
Puy Lentils Tinned / Foil 50g
Pine Nuts 15g
Sesame Seeds Toasted
Hard Cheese
Chilis

* * * * *

## Cooking Veg
Onions
Broccoli
Mushrooms - Yellow Oyster
Green Beans
Carrots
Peppers
Aubergine
Okra
Spinach

Chilis
Garlic
Ginger
Cilantro
Parsley

* * * * *

## Cooking Groceries
Lentils Continental / Red
Split Peas Green
Lentils All Dry / Tinned
Chick Peas Dry / Tinned
Kidney Beans Dry / Tinned
White Beans Various Dry / Tinned
Passata
Tomatoes Tinned
Sweetcorn Tinned
Coconut Milk
Desicated Coconut
Creamed Coconut
Peanut Butter
Wallnuts
Porcini Mushrooms

* * * * *

## Cooking Essentials
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Olive oil
Avocado Oil
Coconut Oil
Lemon Juice
Wine Vinegar
Tamari
Garlic Powder
Veg Boulion
Mustard
Harissa Paste
Tahini
Pesto

* * * * *

## Cooking Herbs / Spices
Chili Flakes
Paprika - (strong fresh)
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Allspice
Cumin Seed
Cilantro
Ginger
Basil / Oregano
Parsley
Thyme
Tarragon
Chives

* * * * *

## Herbs / Veg To Grow
Parsley
Cilantro
Basil

Tomatoes
Garlic
Siboes
Sprouts - Alfalfa / Mung

* * * * *


## Sugar Free Products
St Dalfour Jam Range (They even do an orange and a blueberry one, fantastic!)

* * * * *


## Indulgence
70% Chocolate - Coop

* * * * *


## Camping / High Energy Activity Provisions / Store Cupboard

Home Made Musily Mix

Merchant Gourmet Puy Lentils, Porcini Mushrooms **Sugar Alert!**
Merchant Gourmet Puy Lentils, Sun Dried Tomatoes **Sugar Alert!**

Merchant Gourmet Sun Dried Tomatoes 100g
Sainsbury's Country Soup Mixture 500g
Sainsbury's Stew Mix 500g
Foil Pack Lentils and Beans (Use for cooking)

The Food Doctor Lentil, Seed & Vegetable Bake (Makes good Falafel Mix)

Nuts
Fruit And Nut Mix
Almond Butter
Peanut Butter

Miso Soup
Teas
Coffee

Olive Oil (Frying and Salad Dressing)
Pesto Red (makes great dressing for salad or sauce mix)
Salt Chili Mxed Herbs
Dry Cheese

**Heavy To Carry** {
Dal - Tinned
Veg Chili - Tinned
}

**High Cal Carb Alert!** {
Baked Beans - Organic Sugar Free
Spelt Pasta - Same as wheat but wholefood
Quinoa Products
Carnation Milk Products
}

* * * * *

How I Organise My Food Month

I like to fast on a Monday and a Thurday this means I have a 2 day and a 3 day period of feed days. In a way it makes organising menus easier, for my Tuesday and Wednesday feeds I like to have very holistic meals, really stacking up on the salads. For my weekend feeds I have things like scrambled eggs and mushrooms with maybe some veggie sausages for breakfast. Nut burgers wrapped in salad leaves for lunch, cheese soup as a snack, Greek yogurt for puddings.

Occasionally about twice a month I intend to do a carb calorie overload so I want to try and keep these for social occasions, a special dinner with my very best friends or a visit to a favourite restaurant. I know it is important for me to occasionally do this but I will do it in the evenings as once I start with a lot of carbs I (literally) have to keep going.

This Saturday is Burns Night and necessitates proper celebration...

In a way I enjoy my fast days, Monday is refreshing especially if it has been a wild weekend, Thursday I plan things for the weekend They are a good space to sort out life and make plans.

Musings

Not weighed in yet for the week but assuming that I have lost a wee bit more, realised today that my face looks thinner less puffy moonface and my clothes are all a size too big. Being a tall person I look slimish even when I am overweight but for some reason the weight sits on two places, my middle and my face. The middle is likely the most dangerous bit so glad that I am losing this.

I am very impressed with this aspect of the 5:2

Only one minor sugar crash recently and certain it was caused by too much fruit at breakfast. My whole family get hypoglycemic symptoms, we even have a name for them "The Hungry Monsters", my sister gets the most irritable while I get the most collapses. Anyway if this pans out for me then it may be a way to help them too...

Note* will up the protein fat slightly and cut the breakfast fruit to max of 50g and see how it goes...

Best Burns Night wishes to all x

Thanks Caitlin for sharing and good luck! Its amazing what delicious things you can put in salads. Now that I'm not scared of healthy fat anymore I'm buying avocados and walnuts etc. I have to bring a salad to a BBQ today. I said I'd bring a garden salad. I'm just thinking I can't really put a name to the salad because its gonna be the best damn salad you ever had! My brother just gave me some amazing fig balsamic vinegar so that with some olive oil will be the dressing. Sorry, rambling here- just sharing your joy of interesting salads.
Xxxjulianna

Awh thanks @izzy. Hoped the provisions list might be useful, I can get stuck on a computer bash sometimes and having component stuff I can throw together into a meal is good. Makes shopping easier too.

Being a bit opinionated here but tall is good for sports and bad for fashion shoes and sort of makes self deception easy, a bit lke stretchy jeans really

Thanks @julianna I got right back into salads last year when I was travelling around Italy with work, we were livng in the van on the fat of the land. We would stop in markets and grocery stores and just buy loads of antipasto olive oil and salad veggies, in Italy this stuff is amazing. We would go down the beach and have these huge feasts washed down with the local wine, all for very little money

Anyway I started doing the 5:2 when I returned and it just seems to fit really well with this kind of eating. It is a great antidote to the dark Scottish winters and makes me think of sunny times ahead. Fig Balsamic by the way, is yummy

Wow. That's sounds idyllic. I mixed the fig balsamic vinegar with pomegranate molasses and oil for the dressing . The salad had chopped baby spinach,rocket,lettuce, pomegranate seeds, Lebanese cucumber, capsicum, coriander, grape tomatoes, roasted walnuts drizzled with honey, avocado and changs fried crunchy noodles for fun.
xxx julianna

Thanks for such a comprehensive list, Caitlin. I also have saffron (expensive but you only need a little!), Maggi Coconut milk powder, Coconut oil (see that on your list!) and Preserved lemons, plus some Ras el hanout for Moroccan influenced meals, which I adore!

Hi @julianna
what a nicely thought out salad, the pomegranite and Lebanese cucumber for lightness and sweetness and rocket capsicum corriander spiciness with a dressing fit for Scheherazade This is what salads should be about, I believe in only giving foodstuffs what they actually need with cooking, if they are lovely fresh ingredients that can be eaten raw just combine them in cool ways and eat them.

Thanks @PennyForthem
As you have likely guessed I am a bit of a Mediterranean fan girl and Morrocan influenced food is high on my favourite things to eat list. The `preserved lemons` and `Ras el hanout` sound like useful tips and I will see if I can get hold of some in town.

Anyway this is all turning into a bit of an adventure, I absent mindedly watch a tv program about fasting and next thing I'm off on an amazing culinary tour! Actually I would love to cook and eat my way around the Med. Note* if any kind forum person has a boat down there and is looking for a low carb veggie cook please dont hesitate to get in touch

Happy Burns Night to all Xx

Weight Notes
I was amazed to discover that I had lost 2lbs this week, I know it is meant to happen but for some reason I am always surprised when it does...

I had my target weight set to 8st 12lb but have revised this up to 9st as I am looking fine at this weight of 9st 6lb with just a bit of middle fat left to go.

Energy levels are great, tested strength and stamina over the weekend and all is as it should be, also walking is faster lighter.

Fasting
Fasting today, when I started doing this I would spend my fast time fantasising about pasta but none of that today, My thoughts are about real food, going to make something from Paul Gayler book for tomorrow, or maybe a favourite chickpea coconut and yogurt dish...

Hungry Monsters
All good here too, I have been all sweetness and light and no flaky attacks

Intestines
When I started out with this I was eating a lot of eggs and soy burgers for breakfast which I think was bunging me up a bit, my home made musily seems to be doing the trick here and I am pleased to report that all is again regular. Tarrah!

Future
The 5:2 low carb optimum nutrition veggie lots of raw diet!
Sounds a bit hardcore but the logic has brought me here, everyone is different but this very much seems to be what works for me. What I want to do now is consolodate the eating patterns I have created here and make them integral to my way of life.

I will likely be going into maintainance in a few weeks and would like to start working out what I would like more of in terms of nutrition, which is actually a rather nice thing to thnk about.

I will post up better details of all this as I log what I am doing...

Edit* toted it up and only actually eating around 50% raw, eating pattern seems to be finding its own level with all things, good because that will make it sustainable.


Kind regards to all Xx

Had this for last nights dinner with a spinach, red chard and rocket salad.

Channa Dal And Coconut Recipe
Makes about 4 portions if you are having it with other things.

Ingredients
1 large onion - sliced
2oz approx of coconut oil
equivelant of 2 cans chick peas
1 pint filtered full fat yogurt
1 coconut
2 large green chillis - finely chopped
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tsp turmeric
Handful of cilantro leaves - coarsely chopped

Method
1. Crack open coconut saving milk, remove white stuff and peel brown stuff off it,
chop up and put in processor with saved milk, blitz to consistency of desiccated coconut.

2. Sauté onion in coconut oil until golden

3. Add the chick peas sauté 2 minutes

4. Add mustard and turmeric sauté 2 minutes

5. Add coconut and chillies sauté 2 minutes

6. Add yogurt and cilantro leaves

7. Heat but do not allow to boil/separate, keep stirring all the time you are making this.

Note* you can use unsweetened desiccated coconut for this but might have to use a bit more yogurt, not so good as fresh coconut though.

# The Parts Of The Sum

Vegetarian
I went vegetarian about 30 years ago after reading - Diet for A Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé. It notes the environmental impact of meat production as wasteful and a contributor to global food scarcity. This for me is still a good reason for being vegetarian, that and also really enjoying the food.

It is not necessarily healthier than meat eating but the industrial production of meat in the giant pig farms and chicken plants is pretty unpleasant and possibly a route for disease into humans. If I was into meat I would be looking to eat the organic pastured stuff.

Raw
A few years ago I did a spell on the raw diet, this was primarily motivated by giving my health a boost and brightening up my eating habits. It is the only "diet" I have tried and I really enjoyed it, my problem with it was the time spent sourcing and preparing ingredients.

A lot of the ethos of this has stayed with me and I still use a lot of the salad ideas, also sprouting and minimal cooking.

Optimum Nutrition
With the consequent reduction in weekly calorie intake I want to get the most nutrients possible from my food. Replace calorie-dense foods with calorie-sparse, nutrient-dense foods. Example swap out pasta for raw spinach.

Fasting
I find eating low calorie meals difficult so I like to fast zero calorie and use the 2 days worth of 900 calories to up my daily TDEE on the 5 feed days. when I go into maintenance I will keep the fasts going but perhaps see if I can get into the 450 calorie fast day thing.

Low Carb And GI
Being prone to hypoglycemic symptoms I have long been aware of low GI foods however when you are not working to a definite structure it is easy to stray.

It is easy also to think you are doing something right when you are not, example...
This should be a healthy breakfast...

Jumbo oats soaked in some apple juice with fruit and bio yogurt on top.

For me this causes a blood sugar spike, the lowish GI (around 40) of the jumbo oats should mitigate the fruit and apple juice to some extent but they don't for me.
I then tried the oats with soy milk and no fruit but still spiking...

With the current eating regime I have replaced the oats and apple juice with oatbran and flax and soy milk, result!

I am now thanks to this initial low carbing, paying a lot more attention to carb and GI / GL. If I spread my carbs evenly throughout the day and make them veg/legume/nut/seed based then no problems. I do deliberate overloads occasionally, later in the day I will have; extra low GI carbs and my body seems to be starting to handle this again. Paying attention to the mix of foods and balancing my GI load seems to be key.

As I reach my target weight and go into maintenance I would like to be able to take my carb intake into he 150g - 200g range, when I want to that is.

Lessons Learned
Measure things at least approximately, fat carbs GI protein etc. Plan roughly how I will organise my days eating.

A lazy diet is a bad diet. Unless really desperate cook my own stuff including puddings and soup. I think convenience food is a big part of "what went wrong".

The way I use and combine foods is important, example; pear on its own = hungry soon afterwards, pear with exercise fine, pear as part of meal fine.

Look at the world in terms of its base contents, when I go past my local bakery I think; wheat, sugar trans-fat; chip shop is potato trans-fat.

I need an eating structure/framework and this is in the making. Learning about my own nutritional requirements and what works for me has been empowering fun and tasty.

I also need a strategy, a sort of meta awareness that goes with me. I need to make this a "way of life" that I enjoy so much, that I don't actually want to eat the tempting fat sugar stuff. I think the reset and rebalancing of my diet has made this easier.

My local health-food-theme-park seems to have the largest collection of artisan cookies in the western world all bursting with organic packaging, there is psychology at work here and cynicism is a valid defense!


caitlin Xx

Caitlin may I ask how tall you are? I notice your BMI is just inside the bottom of healthy, do you really want to lose more weight honey?
Blow me a raspberry if it's none of my business :0)