The FastDay Forum

Well I maybe should have started this when I started this new lifestyle, but feel the need of somewhere to log in and keep a wee track of things, so here goes!

This is week 2 of doing the 4:3 and so far so good.

I'm doing Mon / Wed / Friday as fast days, eating up to 500 cals on those days - after some top tips from some of the helpful ladies on the forum (yes that's you @Sassy1 and you @Tracieknits and you too @StowgateResident ) who kindly but firmly suggested that my initial idea of doing zero cals on those days wasn't likely to be the best way to success!

I still feel I'm finding my feet a bit with my fast days and haven't got a set routine down yet, other than having my 500 cals mostly in the evening in the form of an evening meal, with the odd cup of coffee or sugar free fizzy drinks through the day.

Likewise how I'm feeling during my fast days is varying also. Monday this week was a breeze, but today's fast not so much - I had shocking headaches. Must look into those miso soup sachets people are recommending on here.

Down about 5 pounds last week, which I know will slow down now, so will weigh in tomorrow morning and update my stats then. Onwards and downwards I go!

Thanks Floo, we will follow your progress with interest! It's lovely to have a newbie who,posts regularly!

It's early days for you, and it may take a while for fast days to settle into a routine - though life can mean that routines are difficult to keep!! Being as busy as you can really helps. I have no doubt said that already.

I found the miso soup a great help - more satisfying than a stock cube, though of course a few more cals. Not that I worried about that. Like Stowie, I never counted calories exactly. And I never worried about the cals in lettuce or cucumber or celery or baby spinach...

I am not a great fan of sugar free fizzy drinks if they have other sweeteners, but I know these do work for many. I know in the US they have great tasting low cal fizzy drinks without artificial additives, but I can't find any in Oz - and my recollection of drinks in the UK is that almost all had artificial sweeteners of some sort, even those not trying to be low cal. I just drink warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice. I keep intending to buy some carbonated water for a change, but never do!

Headaches are a relatively common experience on fast days. Keep hydrated, and if you are a regular coffee drinker, I understand you may need to keep drinking the same amount of coffee. There is some info on this website about this.

5lbs loss is a great start, and it's good you realise that that rate of loss will slow.

Continued best wishes!

Thanks @Sassy1

Well in interests of openness I had a unsuccessful day with fasting today. It's a public holiday here today (Friday) and also this coming Monday so am not at work like I normally would be and found it hard being at home and not eating anything during the day - and temptation got too much....

And in the end I also kind of justified it by saying to myself I had done well with my Monday and Wednesday fasts, and a lot of people fast just 2 days a week, so I deserved a day off

Trying not to think on it too much and will hopefully get back on track next week with my 3 alternate fast days again. Though I have downloaded a new IF book today and it's about OMAD or One Meal A Day where I think you get a window of between 1 - 4 hours and eat one main meal within that time. Seems to work for many but maybe it would be too restrictive? It's called 'Delay, Don't Deny' by Gin Stephens.

This is the plus side but also perhaps the trouble with having all these different options now with IF, if you're having a hard week it's tempting to want to jump ship to another method

Dear @floo76

You are right on the mark there! I think it can be a common reaction by many on whatever diet to try something else if it isn't "working". Of course, people do need to find a way of eating that is sustainable for them, and we know of people who have had success and are very happy with OMAD. But, to me, this defies the principle of eating when hungry (which seems to me to be the most natural way to eat, when possible), as well as not fitting within our social/cultural norms (not that that necessarily matters, but still...).

We all have had / have days when we plan to fast but don't end up doing so, for whatever reason. So don't be too hard on yourself, accept that this will happen. But perhaps consider just doing 5:2 for a few weeks until you are in the swing of fast days, then you could think about increasing the number of fast days if you really want. Weight loss is not quick on 5:2, nor on 4:3, so a little patience may be required.

I know that the basic principle of 5:2 is that you fast for 2 days and don't have to make any changes to what you do on non-fast days, and I think that can be fine in the short term. But in the longer term, what we eat on non-fast days is important too, and I wonder if having lots of fast days means we don't have to think so much about our eating behaviour on other days.

Surely our aim is to be able to eat on non-fast days in a way that we enjoy, satisfies our bodies' needs, is sustainable, and where we don't feel hungry nor put on weight! So over time we do also need to pay attention to what we are eating on non-fast days, and look to change those behaviours that are the reason we put on weight in the first place.

Enjoy your long weekend, and hope you get back in the swing of things with the new week!

Ah bless you @Sassy1, the voice of calm reason at the end of a worried day!

I think you may be right and I should try 5:2 with reasonable eating on my non-fast days, and see how I go on that - before jumping in on 4:3 or another way.

Will think on it over the weekend and hopefully have a plan in place by the start of the week. In meantime it's interesting to learn about other fasting methods, though have to admit this OMAD one sounds a bit unrealistic in the long term

You are absolutely right in your inference that we should keep our minds open when we read about other ways of eating - when we read about anything actually! You never know what you can learn - through widely reading, and listening to others, we can gather enough information to make informed decisions about things. (Though sometimes it is easier just to believe trusted sources!)

Whatever you decide to do, try to stick with it for at least 6 weeks, unless it really becomes unworkable for you.

Ok time for a wee update - after reading 'Delay Don't Deny' by Gin Stephens I've been trying out an eating window the past two days, as an alternative to the up / down days of 5:2 or 4:3, and think it might be the way to go for me. At any rate I'm going to give it a whirl

I'm trying it out with a 3-4 hour window as this doesn't seem too restrictive, and aiming to have one main meal and a snack / dessert in that time. I also like what she writes about the science behind not spiking your insulin by having anything sweet - including diet drinks and milk in coffee - during the fast to really get the full benefits of fat burning, so will be aiming to stick to just unsweetened black coffee or water during fasting hours now (have been a bit too reliant on those dreaded fizzy sugar free diet drinks and sugar free gum up to now! ).

So that's where I'm at for now folks

I'm so so grateful for all the kind advice and feedback so far, and I guess I just need to try out a couple different styles of IF to see what works best for me. So I'm giving myself permission to have a couple trial runs before I settle on a final decision, and will see how I go

Wish me luck

I wish you luck!

Different strategies work for different people, this might be the one for you. Feeling that something will suit helps a lot too - keeps you motivated. 3-4 hours is quite a narrow window though, do make sure you have adequate nutrition and calories in that time.

Keep us posted.

I agree, that is a very small window. You might want to try doing a 6 hour window most days and then maybe one day or so do the 3-4 hour window (sort of like a fast day!)

Thanks ladies for your help and support.

I'm planning to keep it to 3-4 hours at the moment as I want to follow the One Meal a Day philosophy with a snack / dessert added if I want one. Lengthening my window would I think encourage me to eat more than one main meal.

I have done a good bit of reading and rereading about it, and have done this successfully the last couple days and my weight - which had gone up since my first week - is coming back down again, wohooooo! I do understand the weight loss is an up and down process, but it's still encouraging and I think tells me I'm on the right track - of course the question is will it be sustainable for me

But you know, it's still good to know I can extend my fasting hours a bit if needed, on special days, and Gin's book encourages you to eat according to your hunger that particular day, and advises that this will likely vary a bit from one day to the next, so I feel it's unlikely I will be at risk of eating too little.

But you are also right - I need to ensure I get adequate veggies / nutrition / calories in!

In her book Gin says we naturally do eat what we should do and what's needed when our hormones such as insulin / ghrelin get properly balanced over time by 'clean' fasting (not sparking insulin response by eating or drinking anything sweetened - naturally or otherwise - during fasting hours).

Will keep you posted, and again your input is much appreciated - guess I can only try and see what works for me!

Am finding I really enjoy planning delicious home cooked meals at the moment. So instead of coming home and eating right away every day, I like to prepare my meal, put it in the pot to cook and then shower etc. until its ready.

The result is I am fasting nearer 22-23 hours as I don't end up eating till 7-8pm, and it's great! So when I sit down to eat my one main meal, I'm really ready for it and really savour every bite.

Never thought I would have the patience after fasting all day lol, so things are obviously changing already in my mindset and maybe in my appetite control too. Having nothing sweet during my fasting hours (no fizzy diet drinks or sweet herbal teas) has really helped me control my appetite more and today fasting was a breeze

So what's on the menu tonight in my home? Indian Butter Chicken cooked in the Instant Pot served with white rice - tastes pretty darn good if I do say myself and I've cooked enough to freeze several portions for the next week or so

Well I was famished by 4pm today so opened my window then with a snack of fruit and a sandwich - so much for being able to wait till later while I cook! Guess it will vary from one day to the next depending on how hungry I am

Todays cooking extravaganza was Chicken Piccata in the Instant pot (chicken with olives in a lemon basil sauce) but I'd already defrosted some beef chilli overnight for dinner today, so will freeze today's efforts to enjoy another time

Weight loss slowed down for now but I feel my body shape changing and know I've lost at least an inch on my waist

Totally normal to feel hungry at different times. It will be interesting to see how this varies for you over time. Btw - Generally it is suggested breaking a fast with mainly protein but hey, when you are having such a narrow window each day, have what you want!

You would be feeling good about the reduction in your waist - that has more meaning than a change in a number on the scale.

Your meals sound so nice!

Continued best wishes.

Thanks @Sassy1 and hey!

Hope you're having a good week. I had car-slash-garage troubles last week which was frustrating, but got it back and all in good working order again now thank goodness!

Am changing my window as need demands to be honest, so today will just be a couple hours, but at the weekend on Sunday I felt like having a lunch, so opened my window at 12pm and closed it at around 6pm - I love the flexibility!

My weight is up and down by one pound this past week, but after measuring my waist today I discovered another inch has nearly melted off, and some clothes are definitely a bit looser already, so am really feeling pleased (and a bit proud!) of my progress

Still stocking my freezer so cooked up a big batch of BBQ pulled pork at the weekend in my Instant pot, which is just delicious topped with homemade coleslaw in a bun

Lost 10lbs so far, wohooo! Loving this way of eating, and can see me sticking to this for the long term. I feel like I've finally found something that works for me xx