The FastDay Forum

Hi everyone!
So I got up at 8 today, had no breakfast, walked 30 mins to town, walked back 30 mins. Had pepp tea. Got a bit of a headache, so had lunch:
For lunch at 2.30pm, I had a boiled egg, a seafood stick, a little bit of melon and a tea with a tiny bit of milk in! According to myfitnesspal app, this is a total of 181 calories.
So I have 319 left for my dinner, right?? I keep having worrying I'm doing it wrong/ I'm going to panic and give in!! xxx

Yes that sounds fab. Make sure you drink plenty of water. You will find as you get used to fasting, you will be able to go longer. I go straight through until tea time now. To start off with I think hunger is all in the mind! Lol! Good luck and enjoy xx

Well done for the exercise !

Sounds good - drink lots and lots of water and herbal teas!

Fitness Pal is great for tracking the calories!

Keep up the good work!

Sounds OK to me but yes drink plenty water and as a variation I have oxo cube on my fastdays (just had one)
The salt in them help apparently

You're doing great Tina, what are you planning for your evening meal?

Thanks everyone, you're all incredible! Yes, I still have a headache so maybe need to drink more.. drinking Oxo stock sounds weird but must be a bit like soup?! As for dinner, not fully sure callyanna, maybe a salad with a little bit of quinoa...? what are your faves? You look great! xx

Quinoa is a good grain as it's high in protein but also consider eggs, (omelette/baked/poached with veggies or salad), lean chicken breast, fish, chunky veg soup. Plenty of recipes on here so have a good look and see what takes your fancy! Remember you can eat what you like, within reason!, tomorrow.

A teaspoon of Bovril in hot water also gives you some salt & a soup substitute for lunch! Sounds like you are doing very well & trying to have more protein than carbs works well on a fast day. If you eventually change to just liquids until supper time I have M & S Fuller Longer meals that are mostly below 400 cals & just need zapping in the microwave so keeps you out of the kitchen & food temptation. Also if you find you have difficulty getting to sleep on a fast day save some calories for a small glass of milk or hot chocolate made with mostly water & a splash of milk. Good luck & welcome to this very sustainable way of eating.

No need to worry, you're doing just fine as long as once you've had dinner you don't eat again until breakfast. It's really simple, night:sleep, day:consume no more than 500 calories, night:sleep, day:eat as normal

Eggs are a great fast day friend, so versatile, quick to cook and good filling protein. Careful with fruits as they can contain more cals than you might expect and sometimes the sugars can make you feel more hungry. For me on a fast day at least, veg wins over fruit every time. But that's not a criticism, just something to keep an eye out for if you feel more hungry once you've eaten. With time you'll learn what foods fill you up best & for longest and whether there are any which trigger your hunger and are best avoided on your fasts.

Do let us know how you get on - and enjoy your first fast day dinner!
(stir fries are another good one to fill up on - big bag of stir fry veg, some soy & spices and a bit of chicken or lean meat thrown in - yum! - so quick too!).

If you usually drink coffee or tea perhaps the headache is to do with the sudden withdrawal of caffeine? I stopped getting the headaches when I included coffee on my fast days.

You guys are all amazing!!! Thanks for the oxo, water, soup, recipe tips. @Isis I agree, those M and S meals are amazing, and i can justify buying them cos i'm not spending as much on other foods those 2 days! @Moogie thanks for reminding me it's all fine and a simple structure I see what you mean about veg being less calorific! @Coffeetime hehe i should have guessed from your name! Actually no, I only drink tea and I had a cup today, so it can't be that strangely enough. Thanks for suggesting it though, because I imagine it's sugar withdrawal: sugary things are my addiction lol so to go a day without is probably a big surprise on my body?
SO my dinner! I managed to keep under 300 cals, if I calculated right: I had 50g quinoa, 1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes, Morrisons diced carrots and suede (about half the 450g packet), 2 big mushrooms and a handful of sugarsnap peas. Was quite tasty and satisfying, and filled the plate more than I imagined 300cal would!
Thanks again everyone!!! x

Just a little pointer from me. I has to up my caffeine when I started 5.2, someone may know why, but I have gone from 1 cup of a tea to 2 cups and a coffee. Always knew I was a bit odd. And I have a bouillon drink around midday to trick my body into thinking I'm having soup.

The surprise on fast days that it really is this simple tends to be universal. Everyone expects lots of counting or some weird ingredient, or for someone to yell at them sayig they can't have *that* food ever again. It really is this simple and so eye opening.
Congratulations on your first fast.

It really is that easy. Well done on your first fast day
Dee

Thanks ladies, well done for all of your progress too. I still have quite a bad headache unfortunately: perhaps it's because I've had quite a physically active day (2 hours walking) and it's also 'that' time of the month today...? and @Carieoates maybe the caffeine thing explains it too! Never heard of bouillon before...! Also, can someone tell me what WOE is?! xx