The FastDay Forum

Caroline, not Carol, apologies!

Difficult to define! I've called it no meals plus snacks, as I'm eating as minimally as possible, well under 500, but have a token amount of dinner with the family as necessary to be not noticed, but not enough to be called a 'meal.'

I started off 5:2 diet having breakfast and then dinner but have recently changed to saving all my calories until evening meal and leaving a longer "fasting" time, so hopefully I can maintain that.

A couple of pieces of fruit for lunch after 12 and an evening meal about 7pm with no snacks for me

Just the one main meal in the evening for me (and hubby). I find it easier to just 'switch off' from food totally during the day (just have lots of water and herbal teas/black coffees) and then have a lovely, larger dinner to look forward to in the evening. It also means I don't go to bed with a rumbling tummy now, which possibly helps me sleep better (you feel sleepy after a big meal don't you?).

I have only had one fast day so far. I had a light lunch (hard boiled egg) and then an evening meal. I snacked on a handful of green grapes and that seemed do-able enough for me. I would like to eventually train myself to fast longer and only have an evening meal, but at the moment this suits me.

I tend to eat a boiled egg andd a nectarine or a couple of small plums for breakfast enough skimmed milk for 2 cups of tea or one cup of coffee over the course of the day, a couple of celery sticks at around lunchtime and then around 270 calories in an evening meal of stir-fry or fish in cheese sauce and lots of veg. So, the question is..is this 3 meals or breakfast and dinner plus snacks !?

I think it's 2 meals plus snacks!

I was just eating a late lunch and then dinner, stretching the fasting hours to about 18 but I've had to adjust due to terrible low-sugar headaches (I do tend to be insulin resistant which is, I suspect, why it is no better even after 4 weeks of fasting). Now I am leaving around 13/14hours between dinner and fast-day breakfast; then having lunch 4 hours later and dinner 4 hours after that. I really hope this doesn't negate the benefits of the fast as I can't have migrainous headaches twice a week.

That's what Dr M does and he got improvements in blood glucose so you may find that as your insulin resistance improves you will become more tolerant of long periods between calories.

I ticked no meals no snacks. Am trying having nothing at all, except black coffee (max 4 per day) and about 3 cups chicken bovril. I like not bothering to prepare food or count calories. I don't seem to have any trouble with energy or headaches. The only problem seems to be feeling a bit cold. I actually feel less hungry with nothing than with modest food. Feels more like a "fast" with no food and the diet food already seems tedious to me, after only a few weeks of 5:2

I'm impressed! Feeling cold is of course because of the lack of thermogenesis from food. Mind you, cold exposure is another form of hormesis and is supposed to be good for you and increase brown adipose tissue. UK diving probably has the same effect!

I'll let you know on the latter after next week. Don't intend to let my self get cold (wont be fasting either)

Ah well if you don't get cold, no increase in BAT. High intensity exercise activates BAT so you could, um, try running up the mountains in full diving kit?

I have settled into a routine of eating nothing after 6 p.m. On Sunday and nothing before 2 p.m. On Monday ( a fast of 20hours) when I will have around 350 calories and the rest (sometimes I don't bother to have anything else) no later than 6 p.m. And again nothing before 2 p.m. On Tuesday, another fast of 20 hours then I eat whatever I want until 6 p.m. On Wednesday when I repeat it all again giving me 4 x 20 hour fasts every week. I find this quite easy but it may not suit everyone so each person has to experiment with it and work out what suits them. When I go onto maintenance I intend to maintain my eating windows of 2- 6 p.m. On Mondays and Thursdays but eat whatever I want rather than restrict calories because I am hoping this will still give me the long term health benefits of intermittent fasting. No idea how this will work but you will be the first to know so watch this space fellow fasters.