The FastDay Forum

Hello everyone, I thought I should start a journal since I'm going to be around a while here and I want to record my journey somewhat. I started fasting in April and though I'm not sure how much weight I've lost since I don't own scales, I've already lost a little over an inch around my waist!

Today on my fast, I decided to go as long as possible without eating, and I made it until 4:30 pm... so I got a great fast in! My goal is to make my fast days more of a fast so I'll get the benefits of fasting and then eat my small fasting menu dinner with my family in the evening.

So today was a great test to see if I could do this, and I really think I could go without packing a lunch on Thursday... so stay tuned!

I am interested in losing weight, but I'm also interested in healing through fasting, giving my body time to repair some cells!

I'm also so excited because, like so many of you, I figured out that if I don't eat, I'm not as hungry! I am so happy to not be hungry, it's just pure bliss! On most every other diet I've been on, I'm so hungry all the time. It's been so nice just to turn off the hunger switch. And it works on the days that I'm not fasting too! Because I know I don't need to eat between meals!

You see, I used to snack all the time. I don't think I ever gave my body a rest! I was told that you need to eat healthy snacks to keep your blood sugar even keel... and I was just making myself hungry!!!! So no matter how healthy my diet, my body was just packing it away!

Now I'm finally giving my body a rest two days a week! It feels great.

Although I've always been athletic and I exercise regularly, I also started riding my bike to and from work everyday, and leaving the car at home! It's 12 miles, 6 miles there and 6 back. I love getting up in the morning and getting on my bike, and also at the end of work, biking home.

So you will see me around!

Thanks everyone for all the support here!

Great Job
Yeah I find that I used to snack alot because I bought into that whole "you must eat 6 meals a day" thing. It's so liberating to get a break from not worrying about food.

I'm a slow loser too, but I reckon, it's for life and not just for loosing weight, good luck

Thanks Sharona! Right on to that liberating feeling!

Thanks Cal... yes, it's for life for me too. Plus, I do like going slow. I'm fine with losing slowly as long as I'm losing!!! I've lost and gained quickly many times, and I feel very done with that!

Again, thanks so much for the support.

Well, this Thursday was the first fast where I didn't eat until dinner, and I'm going to see if I can keep on doing it this way, like taking a real break from eating.. just had my coffee in the am and drank tea all day!

When I came home from work I did a little low impact with weight training... because I didn't ride my bike. And then I had my small dinner with my family!

My feelings today were just like any other fast day except that now I just kept working through lunch, so it seemed like a little longer work day. I should try to get a little walk in or something, because it's nice to have a break from work!

I'm looking forward to eating, hoping I don't swing out too far the other way now that I've properly fasted for a large chunk of the day! Wish me luck.

Well, I did it again today and skipped breakfast and lunch... I wasn't sure if I would eat dinner, and try for a full day fast. I think now that I want to keep eating a little dinner on fast days with my family, and I still feel really unsure about a full day of fasting... sort of like when I first started fasting at all!

I was reading today about folks who don't eat breakfast or lunch every day, and that interests me a little, especially if when I do weigh myself, I find I'm not really losing weight (I still haven't weighed myself!). Today I had two cappuccinos to get through the day, so, I still had milk calories, but other than that, it was just water and tea. Tonight it's a little fish, and loads of swiss chard and a little couscous... so a nice little meal.

I notice on the days I do eat, I am trying to get away from feeling so guilty about eating! I want to eat with gusto! First, to reinforce to my body that I'm not starving myself and that my body doesn't need to go into starvation mode (a mode that I'm sure I've put myself in before). And second because I do love to eat and drink and that is a big part of my enjoyment of this life. But I don't feel that I swing too far out and overeat... I feel like my eating is healthy and practical.

Even though I don't weigh myself, I do think I must be losing a little weight, I think I look a little better in photos lately. My measurements seem to be slightly decreasing... and I feel like I'm a little less puffy everywhere.

So that's my update! Thanks for tuning in folks.

Hello LittleJoy and welcome to the forum!

It's quite a revelation that you can skip meals and be ok, isn't it? I started in March and have had just dinner on my fast days from the beginning as it seemed easier. (For the past couple of months or so I have done one water-only fast day a week.) Mostly I'll just have whatever the rest of the family is having (we love the Hairy Dieters' cookbook where all the recipes are delicious REAL food but under 500 cal). I love 5:2 because it is not a diet but a way of life that lets you ENJOY and live healthy at the same time. And the extra weight falls off too.

The best of luck to you!

Thanks AiriR - yes that is true about the skipping meals, because of you saying that and others, I decided to give it a go, and it's worked really well for me! I do eat real food... try to stay away from too much processed stuff... and you are right, it's enjoyable. I hope I get results like you! You are an inspiration! Thanks again.

Hi LittleJoy how are you doing?

Hi @Miss Lemon - I'm doing fine, thanks for asking.

I'm now fasting all day for 3 days a week, from when finish dinner and the after dinner yumminess (wine, chocolate...something good) until around 7 pm. and eating a little dinner (and dinner with wine on the 3rd fast night). I think of it as playing with time, and so for hours on end I don't eat, and then for a few hours I eat - it started as put it off till later, but now it's just, how long can I stretch this? I still get hungry - so I ignore my body a little when it protests, I ride out the hunger with deep breathing and tea mostly, and it'll usually subside in 10-15 minutes.

Most fast days I just eat a smaller dinner than my family and I don't really count the calories. I still haven't weighed myself -so I can't say for sure how much weight I've lost, but I think I'm slowly losing. I feel like I really needed that 3rd 1/2 fast day... and I'm keeping that. I was reading a little about intermittent fasting and some of those folks do 5:2 for maintenance, so I added a 1/2 day for now.

I think I've lost 2 full inches off the belly button measurement of my waist... although, that really is a part of my body that varies! I can really suck that in - but I can also poof it out, so it's hard to tell from there. I just try to stand naturally with out the sucking it in or poofing it out stuff.

No one has noticed yet! But I notice in my face and a little in my shoulders.

Maybe I'll weigh myself end of September when it's been a full 6 months.... we'll see! I have had dreams about weighing myself, and they've all been absolutely dreadful. It makes me see how terrorized I've been by the scales!

And since I want to be so very kind to myself - I don't weigh myself!

This week I'm one fast down, and two to go! I have a lunch date on Wednesday, so I'm going to mix it up a little and try to skip a breakfast and lunch this weekend... we'll see how that goes!

Well, the big news last week was that someone noticed that I lost some weight! So I guess it's starting to show a little. I have liked the addition of my 3rd 1/2 fast on Fridays and last weekend I skipped lunch on Sunday... I can easily slip into a fasting mode now, and I use that to my advantage! I like to use it in-between meals too.

I'm still riding my bike and though my measurements vary, if I measure after my 2nd fast day, things seem to be a downward trend!

I'm very pleased with this WOE, even if I am going slow on this fast, I'm just happy to finally lose a little!

Just so you all know, I still haven't really weighed myself, I'll try to get near a scale at the end of the month and get a 6 months in weight to see how it looks on the scales (a. if I can find a scale and b. if I can bear to weigh myself yet).

So yay me someone noticed!

Well done Joy! It's always nice when someone notices.

Nice work, Joy! I too am a slow loser. But I find this plan very easy to stick to and I am not "suffering" or fretting about how to fit this or that occasion into some overly regimented eating plan. For me that is very liberating!

Here's to making this a way of life and living the good life!

Yes, a couple of more people noticed today as well

Thanks for the support Jemima and fitfunk

This is my 24th week of fasting... so around 6 months now I think I've lost around 16 pounds (my scale is really a postal scale, so I'm not so sure, but it seems about right) and I'm feeling very comfortable in my formally too tight jeans, which is about 4 solid inches lost round the biggest part of my waist (belly button measurement). Now looking back at my charts, I was off to a very slow start on 5:2, so I think adding another 1/2 fast on Fridays has really helped me with any extra calories I consume during the week. Or perhaps it's just I'm eating normally, and my body is just slow to lose for whatever reason. In any event, I'm still very pleased, even if it takes me until 2015 to get to my goal... it's working and I'm OK with it.

It isn't easy, and it's not speedy, but it's doable... and I am so happy to fit in my jeans again, and to keep on shrinking out of my clothing at a slow pace, and also to be able to eat what I like (which is very healthy, but also non-restrictive to alcohol, sugar, bread and fats).

I feel much more settled into this WOE. At first I wasn't even sure I could fast! Now I diligently do it three times a week, not eating until dinner. I don't have mood swings, or get super spacey... and I ride out any hunger pangs with tea. It really feels like a WOE now.

I'm also happy to be riding my bike everyday, and be moving toward a lighter body to do that in... being outside during my commute has made my life so much better! I love looking up, and all around, and I love not being in a car! It's also so nice to get my exercise in while I'm commuting both before and after work... two times a day, even on fast days, it's delightful.

So... feeling very thankful today, 6 months in for this WOE, and this community of support.