The FastDay Forum

In a bid to learn a bit more about our community's fasting habits, motivations and other interesting foody/fasting stuff we're going to be running a poll each week and would appreciate it if you could take a moment to cast your vote on the matter!

For our sixth poll, we are asking:

Have you ever 'failed' a fast?


Feel free to reply to explain your answer further, especially if how you found it isn't listed!

Over to you!

I've never failed a fast day in 18 months - usually stick to 450-500 cals, never more than 520. It's not really that hard. But then my problems start on normal days, I seem to have no brakes at all!! Have lost 2 stones but am stuck now with another half stone or so to go....

I've selected other, because I have miscounted fast day calories (who knew just how much milk in tea adds up to?!) and once someone had brought in food as it was the last day of a course, so I decided to eat it and switch days. I don't regard either of those as failures! But in a way I could be said to be failing every fast at the moment, because I'm going for the 500 calorie limit , which is more than a quarter of my TDEE!
Infact I'm almost the same as @Lindyloo89, I've been fasting 19 months, lost two stone, would like to lose a few more pounds, find the fasts days OK, and definitely undedrstand not having brakes on normal days!

Hi @Moogie Sorry, but I just never missed a fast (nor came close). Any reason why this is not an option? So it is 'other' for me.

If you want to call it that, then yes, more times than I care to remember, but I don't use the F word if I can help it as I think it has a negative effect on my mind. That's why I checked the "No, I don't believe you can 'fail' because you can always fast another day". The main thing is it's been over a year now and I'm still here and loving this WOL, even if I don't always fast when I say I will. The best thing is I weight less than I have in years and I know I can do this for ever

P-JK wrote: Hi @Moogie Sorry, but I just never missed a fast (nor came close). Any reason why this is not an option? So it is 'other' for me.

Oops! Thanks mate, I've fixed that. Sorry for the omission, I've been up to my eyeballs all week and have been doing everything in a bit of a hurry.

Speaking of which, it's 9pm and I still need to have a shower (we have a new boiler being fitted over the weekend, so maybe no hot water tomorrow/Sunday!), bake some cookies (for the plumber ) and finish the grocery order!

I'm surprised at how easy it has been to remember I'm fasting. The only time I've screwed up was forgetting that I don't have coffee with half and half on fast days and having a cup. But I just adjusted my dinner calories to account for the extra 30 calories. Other than that, it's been much, much easier than diets in which I try to eat under a certain amount every day.

No, I haven't missed a fast but I agree with the notion that on 5:2, people can choose to fast another day tho' on ADF or 4:3, I tend to think that people are best advised to stick with their usual rotation pattern and not attempt to 'catch it back'.

I have never failed a fast that I have started, which is not quite the same as never missing one.

I've learnt over the years that some things are not 'fails' but learning curves and the next time has the potential for 'success'! I definitely see 5:2 like that. And, life is way too short to be thinking everything that isn't always successful in the way we hoped, is a fail.

nb: now I can come back here and read that when I need a reminder that this is what I believe

I'm the same as @merlin I elect not to fast when I am on holiday or away from home for some reason and during Christmas but having started a fast I have not failed one so I have put 'other'

My first reaction was to say that, yes I have failed, but then thinking about it, I guess that any day that you don't go mad and stuff your face is a small victory!
Some days I do know pretty much straight away that it ain't going to happen, the stars don't align or I just don't feel right. I do struggle though due to my work circumstances and I know I find it easier when I wake up at a 'normal' time, i.e. not 4.30am as the day doesn't feel quite so long. I do find it hard doing such a long work day and I envy those for whom fasting is a breeze. I may join them one day!

More lately find I do manage to fluid fast on chosen fast day to dinner time and just have a very narrow eating window 22-2 so in essence it's not a fail as have restricted calories to late dinner time.

December 23 2013 - a fast day, but I went out to do the last pre-Christmas food shop. Could not resist some of the treats when I got home. My first failure of zero calorie fast day 4 months into 5:2 became ....
My first successful day of Fast-5. Have just completed day 302. No "free days", no days with an eating window longer than 5 hours.

Difficult to chose which one to vote for as I've messed up loads of fasts, mainly through stress which destroys my willpower halfway through the day and I end up eating non stop, but sometimes I decide to change to another day if I don't feel in the mood for fasting when I wake up, or if we are expecting visitors or have family staying with us.
Just recently I find it hard to fast at all.