The FastDay Forum

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping you can help me out with a little project for our forum update

As you know, we are soon going to change our name to FastDay to reflect all the different methods of intermittent fasting used by forum members. At the same time we want to revamp the site with some new features and generally make it more awesome! I am currently busy writing some 'how to' pages for newbies to supplement the FAQs with more info on the different methods of fasting as well as stuff on how to start fasting, tips and tricks, how fasting benefits our health etc. and of course I have gleaned the information I needed to write these pages from the wonderful contributions from all you great forumites. Now I just need a bit more help...

I would like to include some quotes from forum members to illustrate why they chose their particular fasting method. For example, "I chose 16:8 because I don't miss breakfast at all and having an eating window stops me from snacking in the evenings".

If you would like to contribute your story as to why you chose 5:2, 4:3, ADF, 16:8 or whatever method you are currently following for me to include in these new pages (and are happy to have your story published and your user name included), please post it here or PM me!

As well as the fasting method story, I'd like to collect some real-life experiences of what it's like to fast with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes (what practical aspects are there that are different for you, how did fasting help/hinder you manage your condition).

Finally, I would like to include some info to help people who are moving to intermittent fasting from other diets, such as weight watchers, slimming world etc. It would be really helpful if there is anyone who can give me some info on what it's like to change from the WW/SW method of counting points or syns (is that right?) to calorie counting just two days a week. Are there any tips that are specific to people who have been following other methods?

If you would like to help with the medical conditions or the WW/SW etc transitions, could you PM me so we can discuss what kinds of things need to be included?

Hopefully, together we can create a really great resource of info for new people to help them decide to give fasting a go and how to get started.

Thanks everyone in advance!

Hi!

I am a former WW and chose 5:2 because I saw a program on it and it sounded interesting. Later I read the book and thought the health benefits sounded good too. I'd been struggling on WW for a long time and this WOE appealed to me since it meant not giving up anything and not having to measure/count every little morsel I put in my mouth. I've always thought that while initially harder to quit smoking, that later it's easier because you just don't do it at all and with eating you have to still do it. So, I liked the idea of just not doing it. And I've found I'm very good with following that rule. "It's a fast day I can't have that!" My favorite thing is being able to eat in restaurants and not worry too much about what I eat (once or twice a week.) I also like how simple the plan is and that 2 days of the week I don't have to spend time preparing my lunch to bring to work!

Having been on WW, as I said it is nice not to have to count everything. I have started counting calories on my feed days during the week, but I don't worry about being super precise and I find that 1500 calories is actually a lot compared to what I had on WW. (And 2000 calories on weekends is like a smorgasbord) I credit WW for changing my really bad eating habits and learning how to eat moderately, so that the 1500 calories is easy for me. I'd say the weight loss is probably a little slower than the first time I did WW. I also find the calorie tracker on MFP to be much easier to use than the WW tracker.

I really think the big difference is that even though WW says no food is off limits, when you are counting points there are some that still are. On 5:2 I really feel that nothing is off limits, so I don't feel deprived at all and find I don't need it as much!

I hope that's helpful and not too wordy!

I chose 5 2 because I'd tried slimming World before and, though it had worked when I was younger, it didn't work second time around. I now know why: too many carbs.
This 'diet' made me think about how the calories worked for me and how I had to balance the carbs, fibre, fat etc. It's not a diet as such, but a way of life now. I can indulge in some carb rich foods some days, but cut back on other days.
I have lost a lot of weight and then maintained my goal weight for 3 months; I intend to maintain it for life now. I have the tools to fast to do this, be it a 1 day fast a week or a conventional 5 2.

I do 5:2 because I can. It's straight forward and easy now that I have learned what 500 calories amounts to. Other days I enjoy food, eat whatever I like. I love food. On 5:2 I don't feel deprived at all and I haven't changed anything about how I eat except on 2 days a week. I am strict on those days and don't enter any deals or negotiations with myself. It's a fast day so it's off the menu unless it's in the plan.

My weight loss has felt slow but it has been steady and I trust it.

I read about 5:2 in the NY Times in March 2013, thought I'd give it a go, so ordered the book. I chose 4:3 in particular because I wanted to drop some weight quickly before a 10k race. My intention was to switch to 5:2 afterwards, but I liked the rhythm of 4:3, and found it easier to have fewer non-fast days in a row.

I work with all fasting methods depending upon what is going on in my life and how I feel. 16:8 keeps me in check especially when I'm travelling and hard to monitor intake, 5:2 for when I don't need to think too hard about weight loss and 4:3 or ADF when I'm in the mood for going a bit faster. Mixing it up keeps it fresh too

I started out doing 5:2, then added in 16:8 after about 3 months. I don't miss breakfast, and it is a no-brainer really, as it's an easy way of cutting out some carbs and cals without really noticing! I do have breakfast once a week - on a Sunday - but this has become a 'special' meal because I don't usually have it the rest of the week.

Likewise, what used to be staples, like bread, have become things I have much less often, in the case of potatoes, hardly at all. I hadn't much weight to lose, and originally decided to try IF because I wanted to lose that 'midriff fat' which is potentially so dangerous - I've lost a stone, and also 7inches off my waist, and two dress sizes down, so fasting has achieved exactly what I wanted.

Initially i chose 5:2 as i didn't know of any variations back then
Over the last six months,have also tried 16:8 and ADF and 4:3
I always return to 5:2 as it's manageable. I have to calorie count on feed days to see results, so two fast days a week is enough for me and i hope for health benefits from it.
ADF and 4:3, i don't know,but my gut feeling is if in poor health as i am,too many fast days is too stressful for the body.

I started out on 5:2 because it was the first type of IF I encountered. I started it because of the health benefits but was pleased to lose weight also. From the beginning I didn't bother with calories, eating nothing on the fast days and going by appetite on other days.

When I came across Fast-5 I recognized I was really in tune with it. Eat nothing for 19 hours then eat as you please in the remaining five. No rules, no BMR, no TDEE no recipe books, no counting, no weighing (except me!). No books except a free e-book. Freedom from everything except the clock.

I started 5.2 in June last year. I was fed up of trying this and that to try and lose weight. I am really here to lose weight and I am ever mindful of the other benefits.

I have done Atkins and Dukan in the past and had some success. The only problem with these is that they are very very hard going and not something you can adopt as a way of life. Unlike 5.2 which does not rule your life leaving you longing for that slice of toast or roast potatoes with your Sunday lunch.

I have tried all methods except ADF. I am now a 16.8 convert having had the "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" phrase pushed (lovingly) into me from a young age.
At the moment I am doing 4.3 with 16.8 on all the other days as I don't need breakfast at all.
It's too simple for words, eat less a couple of days a week.

Above all this forum and fasting has taught me that I will not die from starvation, and I am now automatically mindful of every morsel I eat. It's actually a pleasure to not have to worry about food throughout a fasting day, then indulge in something special that evening.

I had given up trying to lose weight but still wasn't happy with that but any diet I had been on (WW & SW and others) all meant I had to count and restrict but that is so demoralising.

A couple of friends had mentioned fasting and Dr M and one friend had sent me a newspaper article which lead me to 'The Book' which I ordered, read and started straight away. Yes I wanted to lose the weight but it was the health benefits for me which were so compelling, no other diet promised such health benefits.

I started by following the book - 500 cals twice a week but I was intrigued by the health benefits and started wondering if 2 x zero cal fasts would be better for me. I started doing these zero cal liquid fasts in April and quite a few other people got on that band wagon as well. When life got in the way I have tried going back to 2 x 500 cal fasts, I have tried 16:8 but I much prefer my zero cal liquid fasts because it doesn't turn on the hunger monster.

I choose 5:2 as friends were raving about it and how easy it was. I went on 5:2 2 months ago, four of those weeks were 6:1. I recommend going back to 6:1 if you feel wobbly. It worked for me, but 6:1 for 3 weeks max I think as you start to loose touch with fasting.
Fasting would NOT have been interesting to me had it not been for the friends who were promoting it. I thought i's fail badly at fasting. I actually now like it. The non-fast days are a bit of a ride though interestingly enough.

I heard 5:2 mentioned on the web and on tv ( didn't know about window fasting then). I wanted to go down a couple of dress sizes and thought this would work for me as I couldn't bear the thought of going to a weightloss club ( shudders). Cutting out everything wouldn't work either as I knew I would soon get bored. I knew I could do this on my own at my own pace as I am a bit of an all or nothing person. Searched the web for 5:2 and this forum appeared and I joined. If you don't need a big in your face cheering squad and can motivate yourself it should work for you. ( I know plenty of people who need someone telling them what and how to do) Support through a forum is different and in my case better.

I started on 5:2 after being fascinated by the health benefits discussed in the Fast Diet book. I found it very easy form the beginning. After a while I discovered that my blood glucose levels were approaching the diabetic range, so I decided to restrict carbohydrates. My diet has altered dramatically as starchy carbohydrates were my staples. I now can't remember the last time I had a potato, pasta or rice and I've never had a sweet tooth. It is a challenge to eat a low carbohydrate diet sometimes because, on most days, I only eat vegan foods, but it is possible and pain free.

My appetite has changed so much since last August when I started on 5:2 that I now generally only eat one meal a day throughout the whole week, and do not snack. My eating window is usually something like 23:1. I am able to eat a decent meal for around 500 calories and can really feast on the days when I am not trying to be abstemious. I have learnt that I am the one who is in control. I don't follow any "rules" as such, but rather do what suits me each day. If there is a social event I am able to fit that in without worrying. I don't count calories on any day, but keep an eye on what, and how much, I am eating.

I think that I eat very healthily and love good food. This way of eating has inspired me to renew my interest in cooking. I now really enjoy food without being obsessive. I have absolutely no desire for processed foods and my blood glucose levels are within the normal range. Whilst it was the health benefits which most inspired me at first, I am delighted to have lost over three and a half stone in seven months. When I decide that I have lost enough weight I am sure that I will continue eating in this way.

I switched from a mainly Atkins diet to 5:2 as I wasn't comfortable with it. I had watched Dr.M.M's TV programme in August 2012, but didn't start the diet until September 2013. This was after a long chat with my eldest son and his father-in-law who had both tried 5:2 for a while and had been pleased with the results. My son was doing it to maintain his weight & his father-in-law for weight loss.
My husband and I decided to do this together as we were both horrified by our chubby selves when we downloaded our summer holiday photos last year.
After some experimentation and finding this website and also reading a great deal about how food works in the body (particularly refined carbs), how an eating window can be beneficial and the health benefits from fasting on a regular basis, have chosen to follow 4:3, 16:8 and we have mostly cut out refined carbohydrates. This regime works really well for us both. We are much slimmer. I have lost 26lbs to date, having gone down two dress sizes and my husband has lost 34lbs and gone down two trouser sizes.
My BMI is now approx.22 and hubby's is 26. A great improvement and we both feel so well.
We will both, not just for the remaining pounds we would like to shed but also for the health benefits it gives, be continuing to eat this way for the foreseeable future.