The FastDay Forum

So basically I am back after many months of being off the wagon. Feb 2013 I started 5:2 and lost the most weight I have ever lost on a diet (well, the only substantial weight I have ever lost on a diet) and was over the moon! I had a bad few weeks during my finals for Uni, and basically let it all go. I then went to America for a few months and put on all the weight, and then some. When I came back I tried 5:2 but my heart wasn't really in it. I then tried Slimming World but it didn't really work for me (I think SW is best for people who have an unhealthy diet to start with; I don't really) SO now have decided to get back on the wagon and start 5:2 again! It's the only diet thats ever worked for me and I find it relatively easy only things that get me are:

1) Not overeating on eating days!! Stick to 1600-1800 calories, and only eat until full/satisfied, not just to finish whats on the plate!
2) Not underestimating calories on fast days - measure stuff and weigh stuff so I know exactly what I'm getting.

So my stats are:
Start weight: 11st 4.5lbs
Goal 1: Under 11 stone!
Goal 2: 10st 10lb
Goal 3: 10st 6lb
Goal 4: 10st
Goal 5: 9st 10 < ultimate goal weight!
I'm 5ft 5 ish so that would be a nice healthy weight for me.

Got my first fasting day tomorrow, have planned to have a cuppa soup for lunch (trying to eat this as late as possible), then a nice big chicken salad for tea. 500 calories, no problem!

Lets hope this time it lasts, because I'm going to see my OH in 4 weeks and would love to be under 11st to see him! I am determined!!

Welcome to the forums, Britney!

Hi Britney, Hope you enjoyed America. Where did you visit? I too have been off 52 for a few months and trying to fast again without luck. Like you it was the most successful plan I ever tried. Honestly, I never enjoyed the fast day but I loved how I felt the day after and I especially loved the steady loss of weight. My situation is that I am a carboholic. My desire for carbs can be overwhelming and that is what is making a successful fast difficult right now. But I will keep trying. Good luck!

Hi @britney Welcome back.
Put it all behind you and make a fresh start but do learn from it
Why not check into the Easter challenge to give yourself a motivational goal you know how do do this WOL and what works best for you so basically get stuck in.
I've a very long way to go yet another 50lbs therefore I'll be around to watch hour progress so stay close to the forum for support and help you may need as you journey onwards, Best of luck to you and let us all know how its going for you. Sue

Thanks so much @Sue.Q !! People like you are just the support I need, and I am so appreciative Yes I think I will go over and have a look at the Easter challenge, hopefully will give me that extra push Thank you so much again!
How are you getting on with your journey? Do you have a journal/diary thing?

@Tracieknits Thank you!! I'm excited to be here

@clairemarie Thanks so much! You seem to be in a vary similar wagon as me - hopefully we can motivate each other! Do you have a diary/journal? How are you getting on so far? I think my situation is that I'm really naughty with off days, I could easily eat 2 fast food meals, plus lots of chocolate, cheesecake, pizza, crisps. BUT I know that if I really want that, I can have it tomorrow. Plus going to weigh myself every day just to keep myself going. I worked for the summer in New Jersey which I loved as I went to New York every weekend as well, did a bit of work in Philli and Penslyvania, then traveled round - Washington DC, Virginia, Tennessee, New Orleans, Louisianna, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Illinois, Vegas and LA LOVED my time there, best experience of my life!

@britney and@clairemarie check out the buddies tent!

Hi @britney No diary or journal as yet and my body seems to have a mind of its own lately because with onlya small xmas gain followed with same at new year I'm really struggling to get back in control and to my lowest weight as of early December!!! Did 4:3 last week and ended up with a very small gain 4:3 again this week and not looking good
Fridays are my weigh-in day but yesterday I too a sneaky look plus an Indian buffet meal last night.
Never mind apparently I just have to sit this one out and play the waiting game however after almost 3 months my patients is running very low indeed. Lol. Sue

Hope you get the results you deserve

@sue.q well I hope you catch up and do some damage control this week, I'm sure you will!

Weighed myself this morning: 11st 6lb
I read somewhere that people who weigh every day lose weight more successfully, and I think it will be good for me to keep me going. Sometimes I have a tendency to binge and then think its OK because I have the rest of the week to sort it out, but with weighing every day I will see the effects of this daily. Also the effects of having a really good day! Official weigh in will be Tuesdays though.

My first fast went really well! Wasn't hungry at all today, might have been because I had a 'final supper' binge last night. But woke this morning and sailed through the day. Was planning on having a cuppa soup around 2pm but wasn't hungry so decided not to. Went to the gym fine, then had some chicken and a nice big salad (lettuce, tomatoes, pepper and sweetcorn) and a little bit of bbq sauce. Had calories left for a yogurt afterwards but didn't feel I needed it! So I had about 350 calories today approx, which is good and I am very happy with. A bit hungry now but I'm in bed and going to sleep soon so can deal with that easily. Looking forward to breaking the fast tomorrow! Going to have a banana before the gym in the morning, then who knows

Hope everyone has had a successful day!

Weigh in:11st 4lb
So that's 2 lbs overnight! I know that a lot of that is water weight/fasting weight and I will put some of it back on, but just hoping I don't put it all back on!

Not felt overly hungry today to be honest! Which I thought was strange after a fast day, but after doing a bit of reading on here apparently it's not strange. So had a banana before going to the gym, then had two of the new ASDA pancakes with white chocolate and maple syrup: soooo nice! Then wasn't really hungry for the rest of the day, so didn't eat lunch as I was trying to get a few hours sleep in before my night shift tonight. Ended up having 3 of the small kinder chocolate bars (my guilt pleasure.. well, one of them!) over the day and a muller light yogurt. Still didn't feel very hungry for tea but knew I had to eat something before work. So ended up having a homemade beef burger with buttered leeks (well, marg) and a sweet jacket potato. Not drank enough today though! So am trying to drink a bit before work, because I know I will only drink tea at work tonight. Started having sugar rather than sweetener though my total calories so far today is around 1400, then if I have all my snacks in work tonight it will take me up to about 1800 which is my TDEE.

My other fasting day is going to be Monday, but not sure if I should fast tomorrow as well. I think it will be quite easy because I will sleep all day, have a large tea then I rarely get hungry in work on a night shift. I think I will have my snacks (apple, banana, maybe a mugshot if I'm hungry) in work and then see how I feel when I get in in the morning. If I'm not hungry I'll do another fast - might as well! Has anyone seen difference with 4:3 and 5:2?

Anyway hope everyone's had a good day

So had a good night in work - apart from the fact EVERYONE brought in lots of tasty food! I must admit, I did have some and go over my TDEE: I had a small brownie, half a sandwich, couple of biscuits, and a really small pot of vegetable curry as well as my snacks for the night. Felt quite hungry but probably not hungry enough that I had to eat all that. So decided to fast again today to do some damage control. Bit confusing because I work nights only a few shifts a week so trying to figure when to fast from and to was confusing, but I have decided I will fast from 4am this morning until 9am tomorrow morning. Plans are to eat a nice big tuna salad, then snacks in work of an apple and a banana. That comes up to 411 calories, plus I will have calories in the tiniest splash of milk and some sweetener in cups of tea. Happy with that! Feeling quite hungry at the minute but going to drink lots of water and hope it subsides for a bit

Britney, I did journal in the beginning. It was very useful to see how much junk I was eating. Then I got off sugar. I cannot recommend that enough. Get rid of sugar in your diet! You would really be surprised after a week how you won't care for it anymore. Sugar/carbohydrates are the same and are addictive just like drugs.

@clairemarie - so you don't eat sugar or carbs at all in your diet? what kind of things did you cut out? I would LOVE to be able to cut out sugary foods, I have a real sweet tooth and once I have a little bit I tend to binge out on loads (I did that today ) Was it hard to stop eating sugar? It's something I would quite like to try if you recommend it so much!

Yesterday's fast did not go well! Was fine the whole day, nice tuna salad before work then my apple and banana for the night shift. Then someone brought in donuts and I couldn't say no! After that kind of thought 'well I have already broken my fast might as well stuff my face' so ended up having about 5 chocolate biscuits and half a sandwich. Today wasn't much better: although it was my feed day I definitely over ate. Breakfast was Slimming World 'pancakes' with frozen fruit and a muller light, but then went shopping and bought all sorts of crap. Ended up having 2 pieces of cheesecake, 2 chocolate bread things and a bar of popping candy chocolate. Then continued with the all-or-nothing mindset and had a whole footlong subway, packet of doritos, 2 pieces malt loaf, one kinder bar and two waffles! No idea how many calories was in all of that and I wouldn't like to know. Has anyone else had this mindset and got out of it? I feel physically sick and very bloated right now. Really looking forward to a fasting day tomorrow, but now dreading weigh in on Tuesday.

Brit, sugar is addictive which is why your not able to control it. I started using a healthy dash of cinnamon in my coffee instead of sugar. Sometime after someone bought me a takeout coffee and I thought I would die of the sweetness. Then I stopped buying bakery items and only baked my own and gradually reduced the baked goods to special events only. I adore bread and pasta more then sweets so that is hard for me. They are sugar in a different form. I limit them to once a week. I enjoy carbs in fruit and veg. Take a nice ripe pear to work. So sweet and juicy but full of vitamins and fiber. Take a few days and read the ingredient labels of all the foods in your home you would fall off your chair to see that just about everything you buy has sugar/corn syrup in it. This includes bullion, mustard etc. So sugar is hard to control but you can be more in charge if you try. Soon your taste for the stuff will greatly diminish. DO NOT BE HARD ON YOURSELF it took years to get to develop the habits but today you say you want to be in control so take one step at a time.

@clairemarie thanks for the advice; I think I have found my 5:2 fairy godmother in you!

Anyway, it was official weigh in today and I obviously was not looking forward to it due to my horrid compulsive overeating this week. However.... I lost 1lb! Very happy with that, and to be honest it has spured me on to think that even though I ate so much I am able to lose weight with this WOE... What could I lose if I ate a bit healthier on my feed days?! Very happy with that result now to enjoy pancake day!