Help – I must be doing something wrong

This topic contains 8 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by cecilia09 10 years, 10 months ago.

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cecilia09

6:46 pm
14 Jan 14
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I’m new to 5:2 diet. I started my first fast day yesterday at 2pm. I had one apple and pot of jelly around 8 pm yesterday. Nothing until 2pm today when I finished my fast and had my lunch.
I must be doing something wrong. I wasn’t hungry at all during my fast and I didn’t use all my 500 calories. Do I need to have all 500 calories? Is from 2pm to 2pm long enough fast?
After I finished my fast and ate my lunch at 2pm I have been feeling so hungry. I just had my dinner and my stomach feels empty and I feel really hungry. I think I need to order a pizza. Why do I feel hungry when I’m not fasting?
I could have continued fasting because I wasn’t hungry at all. Please help. There must be something wrong with my body.

sylvestra

7:02 pm
14 Jan 14
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Hi @cecilia09 I don’t think there’s anything at all wrong with your body but it does take it time to adjust to this new way of eating.

You don’t HAVE to use all of your 500 cals on a fast day, not everyone does but you do have to find a way of fasting that suits you best. Is there a particular reason why you do 2pm to 2pm?

Many people find, at least to begin with that having dinner on the evening before the fast day then a light breakfast of perhaps scrambled egg and then a 300-400 cal dinner in the evening suits best but as I said, you do what suits you best.

What did you have for lunch at the end of your fast? Was it filling enough? Was your dinner filling enough? Did those meals have plenty protein and veg to keep you full for longer?

It really is a case of ‘try it and see’ and you can’t judge how it will work by just one fast day.

If you read the ‘how?’ and ‘faq’ links at the top of the page you’ll get lots of tips and just keep asking questions here on the forums. You’ll soon get the hang of it and it will become much easier.

Good luck x

cecilia09

9:03 pm
14 Jan 14
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Thank you for your reply. 2pm to 2pm sounded like a good idea so I don’t need to starve whole day on either days. But I may try other options too as I didn’t feel hungry. I think I’m missing protein in my meals so will try to add more. You are right one day does not tell much. I will definetly continue.

sylvestra

9:18 pm
14 Jan 14
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The thing is, you won’t starve. It’s only one day at a time and that thing you are missing today, you can have tomorrow!

I find that if I have a good dinner on my non fast day (around 6pm) with plenty protein, it takes me right through to dinner on my fast day when i have all my fast day calories together. During the fast day I have black coffee and water to stave of any hunger pangs. You might find that you want to have an egg for breakfast to keep you going – that would be around 70 cals so you still have 430 for your main meal. I also try to avoid things like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes on fast days as they are calorie heavy and I find if I have carbs, I am hungry soon after.

As I said in my previous post it’s a case of ‘try it out’ – do different things on your fast days until you find the way that suits you best. just make sure you stay within the 500 on fast days and at or just under your TDEE (if you haven’t calculated this there is a link ‘helpful site links’ at the side of the page which explains what it is and how to calculate)

Above all don’t obsess – remember you can eat WHAT you want just not HOW MUCH you want and there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to have your meals…just do what we all do and that is what works best for you.

Just ask if you need help. Go for it!!!!

L1nda

9:38 pm
14 Jan 14
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Hi @cecilia09

Well done on completing your first day. I’m new to this too and did my 4th fast day on Monday just gone.

On my fast day I eat a(very) late breakfast at around half past one and then my evening meal at about half seven in the evening. However, the following day I really struggle and feel hungry all day! It doesn’t make any sense to me either but I’m taking it that my body is adjusting to the new routine. Tomorrow I’ll be fine.

Don’t give up or give in! Maybe we just need to roll with it 🙂

Take care x

Tomorrow

10:11 pm
14 Jan 14
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Cecilia09, you’ve not done anything wrong. You’ve proved you can fast. It can be much easier than we imagined. It can be harder to moderate our intake on non-fast days than on fast days. You’ve begun something new and different, and need to find out how you as an individual react. Good luck, R

Linds

9:48 am
15 Jan 14
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Hi Cecelia, welcome to the forums,

I just thought I’d give you the answer Michael gives to your question is a fast day 24 or 36 hours “In reality a fast day is 36 hours. If you finish your last full evening meal at 7.30pm on Sunday, then Monday is your fast day, you are not going to be eating normally till Tuesday morning 7.30am. That is 36 hours. If you decide instead to fast from 2pm on Monday until 2pm on Tuesday, then that will only be 24 hours. Wait till 7pm and that is 29 hours. To do 36 hours you would have to hold off till 2am on Wednesday, which would be a little inconvenient”.

I had been doing the 5:2 for a while before I realised I had been doing this. I had being going from around 9.30pm on Tuesday (I like a little something before bedtime!) to 9.30 Thursday morning on my 500 calories. I have never been a breakfast person so don’t immediately get out of bed and want something to eat. I thought I might after a fast but it hasn’t happened so far. Although my tummy rumbles sometimes and I feel empty rather than hungry it’s not a bad feeling.

I’ve lost 14lb since October and am on my 2nd fast of the week today. I put a bit on over Christmas which I have now lost and am waiting to see if I have lost some more this week. I tend to get weighed once a week on a Friday as I find that a loss shows more the 2nd day (Friday) after a fast instead of the day after.

Good luck, you just need to find a way that works for you. Linda

Warwick

12:34 pm
15 Jan 14
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I can relate. On my first day (2 days ago) I got through relatively easily, rarely felt hungry and didn’t wake up hungry either.

I’m doing my second day today after doing a normal day yesterday and I found I was not only really hungry yesterday but have found it harder today.

That being said, the hunger pains haven’t been as intense as I expected. But I am in the early days!!

cecilia09

6:33 pm
15 Jan 14
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Thank you for all for your help and supportive words. Tomorrow is my second fast day. Looking forward what my body decides to do this time 🙂