Hi Poppy and welcome:
Here are some tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
This topic contains 27,907 replies, has 831 voices, and was last updated by thinatlast 4 days, 20 hours ago.
Hi Poppy and welcome:
Here are some tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
Congrats fasters and losers 😉
My tip would be to do the 5:2 classic without playing around with time of day eating. Drink lots of water. Keep busy on fast days. Eat a small amount of protein and fat to feel satiated. Minimise carbs on a fast day to help with weight loss.
After you are an experienced faster, and weight loss is going where you want it, then you can think of playing around with how you fast.
I would totally ignore the effect of exercise on your calorie count. Exercise is good for fitness, and health, and body shape. Keep up the good work, all.
Don’t forget to measure all your various parts, as losing size is as rewarding as losing weight. Arms, legs, waist, hips, chest.
Cheers, Bay 🙂
Hi Thinatlast,
Sure thing, I plan on keeping this WOE going as it is working for me and I am only a few kilos from my goal weight. I stopped over the Xmas and New Year period for about three weeks. Mainly because I had lots of social engagements which revolved around drinking and eating and I had a good friend staying with me. I was also sick for some of that time and had things like Having to eat regularly with my antibiotics etc… So yes I think that since I feel like this WOE works for me and it fairly easy now (some weeks I lose a lot some weeks I lose very little) I don’t mind the idea of having a few weeks off a year over holidays or something. It doesnt seem to make it harder to start back up fasting when you take a break. That’s just my experience over the last 6 months. 🙂
Hi Fellow Fasters,
Welcome to the new folks. When starting out I ate three very small meals to start with, making sure I stayed under my kilojoule count each fast day. Now I go for as long as I can before I eat, and have been now on this WOE for fifteen months and lost over 25kg. From time to time you will plateau on the scales, but that is why you need to measure everything, as your measurements will change even when the weight does not. Also remember as your weight goes down don’t forget to re adjust your kilojoule intake.
Purple, thank you for the sour dough recipe, I started it last weekend, and made my first loaf over yesterday and cooked it this morning. OH thought it was a bit small, but there were bubbles evenly all through it, and the taste, well as I have lost over 1kg for the week I had the crust, it was wonderful. When I finish off the last of the premix I won’t be buying any more, I made it with just spelt. Yum. OH couldn’t even wait for it to cool before he cut it.
Enjoy your weekend folks.
Cheers,
Charlie
Hi everyone. Thanks for the warm welcome and encouragement. I didn’t weigh myself before I started on 20th Dec, mainly because my digital scales seem to have a mind of their own sometimes i.e. they weigh differently if they are in the bathroom than if they are on the back verandah… and sometimes even within 5 minutes on the same floor. They’re more ‘guidelines’, really, like the pirate code of ethics. I didn’t measure myself either, but I did that today, and will continue to measure on a fortnightly basis.
I definitely feel better, though – a bit more lithe, and the clothes are fitting more comfortably around my ‘waist’. I’ve never had much of a waist, even when younger and slimmer. I am a rectangle, and I can cope with that. It’s an apple that I’d rather not be. Another benefit is that I have more energy on the day directly after the fast.
I try to put off eating for as long as possible on fast days. I have green tea with mint, and sometimes regular tea or coffee with a dash of milk, and plenty of water. I find I can get to 2.30ish before having some steamed vegies with a poached egg, or just masses of salad leaves and a couple of slices of salmon or ham. I still need dinner about 7.30 or 8.00.
I’m off to Melbourne tomorrow for a few days, and there may well be some food treats during that time. I fasted today in readiness, and did pretty well but I think I ate more than I should have this evening, to use up the leftovers in the fridge before I leave in the morning. I hate wasting food.
Cheers to all, and I’ll catch you later in the week. G.
Hi Geewhiz – great reading! Your last but one sentence struck a chord with me; I have issues around wasting food too. This requires lots of meal planning to cater for one ‘normal’ eater, one 5:2 eater and one 6:1 eater who frequently changes his one fast day at the last minute to accommodate an erratic work schedule.
Simcoeluv: Not sure why but I clicked on your link for newbies above and, for some time, became absorbed in all your various posts. You have given generously of your time on these pages and I encourage all newbies to have a browse.
Pleased to report that I’ve finally broken through this lengthy ‘plateau’ and my weight is heading south again. Whether it’s due to eliminating bread and other carbs or just 5:2 doing its thing, I suppose I’ll never know. Whatever the reason, I’m relieved to have dropped a solid 14kgs. That’s two dress sizes and 7cm off the waist. Yippee! Looking forward to a good fast day tomorrow. 😆
Glad you enjoyed the sourdough Charlie. Double the recipe and bake it in a large loaf tin to keep OH happy 😉
I mixed my loaf this week in my Kenwood with dough hook. It meant it could be really wet. Beautiful loaf. Lots of air bubbles and crunchy crust. Try flax seeds and sunflower seeds in it…adds extra crunch and flavour. Cheers Purple 🙂
Hi Thin,
What you have found seems to be general, give up sugar and carbs and I have gone south by 5kg for January. Really has me back on track, but I do get the odd craving, hence making Purples sour dough, it’s much kinder in that one slice during the week killed the carb craving, and it still managed to lose over a kilo for the week.
Fasted today as plasma day tomorrow, that’s why I love this lifestyle.
Thanks for the sour dough recipe Purple, if I double the recipe, do you just add the extra flour to both the ‘sponge’ and the final mix? I did the sponge in a bowl, and then set the bread maker to dough, watched it to make sure it was wet, but if think I had it too wet, learning as I go. Then left it overnight and baked in oven in bread maker tin early the next morning, that’s why OH couldn’t wait for it to cool properly. Lovely texture, with a great crust, I need to buy grains tomorrow to add to the next one, but I am now converted.
Lovely gentle rain here at present, great on the fodder paddocks on the back of irrigation, girls just starting to calve, best time of year, fun watching the babies play in the sunshine. Enjoy the week folks.
Cheers, Charlie
Hi all,
I went off the rails a bit at Christmas and new year. I have tried to do some fasts but couldn’t get through the day. I have put on 3 KGS although I haven’t put on all that I had lost.
I am going to try again tomorrow. Work has been stressful and I haven’t had the willpower. I have
Been reading the forums and it is great that more people are joining and that others re getting great results. Happy fasting Monday people!!
Jane
Hi Jane
The huge advantage of this wol is that you can muck around with it. No real rules (except fasting) so it is flexible. Welcome back on the boat! Reread some of the great advice from Bay, Thinas and Charlie. Vetrans and expressing excellent ideas.
Terrific work to those who have managed so successfully to control their weight. So many happy stories.
Charlie, gentle rain here too. Double both the sponge parts and the mix. I think it can be a very wet mix. The trick is to measure the inside temp when you think it’s baked….it must be 90 deg C. Anything less, and it will be doughy.
Tell your OH it shouldn’t be cut for 1 hour as it continues cooking! !! 😉 P
Hi all,
Haven’t been here for a while, so it’s good to see the “oldies” are still enjoying their fasting and having great results. Tried to get my husband to fast, well truth be known all I wanted him to do was go without breaky really, but he’s just not interested plain and simple. I caught him chomping on a banana, but as far as he’s concerned that wasn’t breakfast, lol, so it’s obviously not for him no matter how “strongly” I try to encourage him. I’m currently doing lchf and omg I’m so shocked in the results I’m getting. Eating loads more fat, but losing a lot of size, the weight is coming off too, but the cm are coming off pretty quickly. I think this is the first time ever, in my 25ish years of dieting, that I’ve honestly cared more about the cm rather then weight.
Just wondering I’m currently doing 16:8 as I find it really easy to do, but I’m wondering if there are still any health benefits of doing this, or should I throw in a couple of whole day fasts too. Although I’m liking the weight loss, I’m more interested in the health benefits of this wol so any advice would be greatly appreciated cheers in advance
Hi Lizzy. Well done. I guess your husband will only do 5:2 when he has a reason (that he acknowledges). You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead. 🙂
As we are all on the cutting edge, the jury seems to still be out re when to eat. I think many of us find it is easier to delay the first eating of the day, so many choose 16:8. My OH only ever has one “meal”. I try to do it also, not always successfully. 🙁
One meal means you will be having less calories in total, even if you eat a relatively “large” fast meal. It means it’s possible to even go out and socialise on a fast night (choose the plain fish, salad and water) and sleep seems easier with food in the tummy. Whether there are added health benefits? Time will tell. The important thing is, it must be sustainable for YOU as an individual. Cheers P
Hi Everyone,
I’m checking back in after a long break. It’s great to see so many familiar names,as well as some new ones.
It’s lovely to see Tim back in the fold. I hope your recovery is swift.
BKD – what a time you’ve had! The past few months have been nothing compared to what you’ve had to deal with, but I wasn’t strong enough to maintain fasting.
I succumbed to the festive season and now I have to deal with it. I had a couple of fast days during the holidays, but didn’t manage to maintain the momentum. So, with the kids back at school and my head back in the game, it’s time to get going again and get rid of the last 10kg.
Happy fast day all! 😀
Thanks Purple, I was doing 5:2 before Christmas, but didn’t keep up with it over the holiday period. There seems to be a few of us that are just coming back again. As I’ve just started eating low carb high fat I think I’ll wait until I plateau then start back to either 5:2 or 6:1, I imagine it won’t be long for that to happen as I had such a big loss straight up (7cm off my waist in one week). I’m more doing it for the health benefits, but I must admit the weight loss is nice so I’ll just go with it. If anyone had of told me to throw out all the low fat stuff increase your fat intake with normal fat, including eating the skin on the chicken AND chocolate (dark), and don’t eat bread, potatoes, pasta etc., I would of swore at them, hahah, but the proof is in my disappearing pudding! I’m absolutely dumbfounded as to how I could have such a drastic turn around. My sleep, energy and moods have improved and I’m not missing bread/carbs at all now, although that wasn’t the case four days in when I spat the dummy cause I just wanted toast with honey, hahahs, but when I woke up the next day and realised I weighed three kilos less in four days my attitude changed, I got over the desire for carbs (which is unbelievable in itself) and just got on with it. So if anyone is looking at deleting breads pastas etc from their diet, it can be hard for the first week but you do get over it and the cravings will more than likely disappear. Cheers
Good to hear guys!
That book sounds good bay, will have to look into that. I didn’t realise how lazy I was when it came to food until now that I don’t eat processed stuff. You’re right though purple it is fun discovering all the different recipes you can make, we have a whole new menu now. I made mini quiches last night, but used lsa instead of flour and just made it up as I went along and they turned out really nice, makes me wonder why you would need to ad flour in the first place. One thing though that I’m finding even more stranger than the fact I’m eating high fat but losing weight, is that I’m back on dairy with no tummy issues, wt? I could never have milk before without having digestive issues, but now nothing, weird
Welcome rennie. Find out as mych as you can and enjoy fasting and good health.
No Lizzie. Not weird. 🙂 My OH is tolerating all sorts of food he couldn’t pre 5:2. We make full cream Jersey yoghurt and eay some every day, including fast days.
Bay, I used Kate’s books as my go to source when I first started. Very practical. I noticed today she has several new books out. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of them.
I was blessed with an enormous traffic jam, so took 1/2 hour to get through one intersection. That means I’m past the 2 to 3 hump and will make the full 24 hour fast. I love the fresh feeling I get from not eating. P
Good luck with your goals rennie!
Wow Purple, good to hear that it’s the same for your partner too. The analytical part of my brain is ticking over at the moment as to why though, well I’ll have to just go with it, I’ll just be grateful that it’s now safe to be stuck in a lift with myself half hour after eating dairy now
Wow! so much wonderful and positive feedback and progress from both the ‘oldies’ and the ‘newbies’ …..I for one am liking the ‘feel’ of my bones and the easiness of walking and other activities..Rennie, stick with this and you will get the results you are after and more..I am coming up 5 months in now and needed to loose about 20kgs to get to a healthy BMI..I was in the ‘obese’ category and still have a way to go …still classed as ‘overweight’…I have lost 11 kgs so far and will weigh myself this Saturday so maybe more..I’m not very good at measuring but have dropped two sizes…i now have my 100gms of chicken in the freezer at the ready and make sure i have plenty of snow peas, bean sprouts, mushrooms, red capsicum …so easy then to do a stir fry ..PVE ..a question…How do you know when you reach your ‘desired or ideal’ weight? I think I recall you saying that you have gone down slowly further than what you originally thought?
Well done on your continued success Hoot.
Howido you know your ideal? . Use weight/ height charts to get yourself squarely in ‘healthy’ range. Allow wriggle room within the range + or – 2 or 3 kgs. I then realised I should be somewhere in the weight range of my late 20s…I’m in my 60s.
The trick is to maintain within the range. Not easy, as all we maintainers know! After all, we wouldn’t have been overweight to start with if we knew how to stay steady. 🙁 Trial and error, but so much better than the alternative 🙂 All the best, PVE
Thanks for the encouragement PVE.
I survived my first completed fast for the year. I went to bed with a headache and took panadol throughout the night. Thursday will be easier ( I find the first fast is the hardest.)
Good news is the scales are good, will weigh and log Fridays weight.
Onward and downwards hopefully from here!!
I had some raisin toast for breakfast and some ibuprofen. will use my fitness pal to log calories.
Have a good day, everyone.
Jane
Hi Jane/birdlady. Sorry to hear about your headache. Did you drink plenty of water yesterday? I also find getting active helps to alleviate headaches, too.
I had a 24 hour fast yesterday and have not even thought about food this morning. Always amazes me, as I went to bed dreaming of food 😉
Have a good Tuesday, SHs. Purple 🙂
My fast yesterday started off really well and I lasted until about 4pm. I had a boiled egg while preparing dinner for the kids. I had a sensible fast day meal, heavy on the vegetables. So it should have been hunky dory, but no, my fast went out the window fast! I think on fast days I’m just going to have to forgo food entirely if I have any hope of succeeding. I’ll just use my calories in tea.
Sorry aitchbee, just saw your post from yesterday.
Someone on this thread called it “waking the hungry beast” when you eat something on a fast day. That’s why many of us, who have been doing this a long time, find it MUCH easier to eat only dinner. Once any food (even one peanut) crosses the lips, the hunger starts. The other advantage is, by saving all your fast day calories until dinner, you can eat a more substantial meal and sleep better.
Good luck next fast day. P
Well done Purple! I’m the same the day after a fast – I usually head for the coffee machine because I do love my frothy flat white in the morning but, after that, I don’t feel hungry at all. Not that I’ve ever done a 24 hr fast – I only lasted until noon today before having chicken miso soup – tasty – and I like the idea of having those uneaten breakfast calories ‘banked’ for later if needed.
OH has been fighting fires down south for four straight days and can’t contemplate a fast on a flying day. Too much mental power required and other people’s welfare at stake.
HB: what happened on your fast day? It sounded like it was going so well……never mind, tomorrow’s another day.
I googled how to make sourdough PVE, oh my goodness it’s pretty complex isn’t it? Although I suppose once you’ve done it a few times it’ll be second nature. We’re not eating wheat at the moment, but when we start eating it again it has to be homemade, after all the investigating about what goes into our processed foods, and unfortunately even fruit and veg, I’m done eating store bought crap and will just have to find time to do it myself (I’m still weirded out about the fact I can now tolerate dairy, haha)
I hope all is well with everyone and to anyone who’s new or thinking of doing the fasting wol, it may be hard at first, but you get use to it. I don’t even eat until about 1pm everyday, since I realised not eating breakfast wasn’t going to make me fat, gee wiz the stuff we get told hey!
Well PVE you’ve inspired me to go back to 24 hour fasting as of Friday, so I imagine I’ll be doing a lot of chatting on the forum then, haha, cheers
Yes Lizzy, once you’ve mastered sourdough it becomes routine. I only make one loaf a week as we don’t eat much bread, but it keeps really well and is delicious.
A few minutes every few days to feed the starter. Mix the sponge Thurs morning. Knead the dough Thurs night. Bake Friday morning. Easy.
Keep us posted on your 24 fasts. Really is easier than eating little bits and your mouth feels really fresh. P 🙂
I use to do 24 hour fast before Christmas, I don’t remember it being that hard, but I do remember just wanting to brush my teeth all the time, boy were my teeth clean!
When you say 24 hour fast PVE, do you do from the night before after tea until the next day’s tea time or a full day of no eating not even tea that night?
Hi Thin, thinking of you and your OH, our air attack people are so valuable to us in the east as well. Just looked up the next seven day forecast and all of us firies will be on high alert with a week either close to or in the forties.
Purple, I too have finally mastered the full 24hr fast, and it is making life easier, so to is having OH help these days instead of sabotage like he has done in the past. He even managed a fast day this week, and dropped 800grams in the process, now he too is a convert. Oh well it only takes 14 months to get this horse to drink.
Have a happy week folks.
Charlie. 🙂
Thanks Charlie, we had a state-wide fire ban in WA yesterday. The fires are out of control down south. OH was asked to pack a bag and plan to stay for the next six days. Firemen from Victoria have been flown in to help. You made me laugh with your OH comments. I think I’ll try the 24 hr fast the next time my OH isn’t participating.
I’ve had a good week and my weight’s steadily heading south after that long plateau period. Hurray, because that was testing my resolve. 😆
Now, a question for the carb eliminators please. I’ve made an effort to do this but wonder what’s your opinion of couscous in the scheme of this? It been part of our diet for years – is it something I should be avoiding? I’m reading that it has useful health benefits and last night my fast meal included 75gms dry couscous soaked in hot stock which was then mixed with some roasted veggies. I used wholemeal couscous and it was so tasty and filling. I’ve woken up lighter, whereas with bread, this would never happen.
Hi thinatlast, sorry to hear about all the fire threat you’re having, I’ve seen some of the lightening storm pics coming out of Perth, looks like you guys have had some pretty narley weather over there. My husbands just got home from there, back to Adelaide. From the looks of it we’ve got a bit of a heat wave coming here, but no storm action like you guys have seen.
As far as couscous goes, it would be in the no go category for carbs, but it does depend how strict you want to be, and also how your body responds to it. I’m doing lchf, but I still have 1/2 a measured tsp of sugar in my arvo cuppa and am still managing to stay in ketosis, so it hasn’t thrown me out if the fat burning stage. I will eventually eliminate it, but I’m really struggling with what I can drink, even lime in water is getting a bit old. If you continue with couscous try get organic grown if can and just judge for yourself how your body is responding.
Stay safe!
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