It’s only Wednesday today. Plenty of time to fast before the weekend.

Hi I’m new here and quite new to fasting too but i have a few tips since i’ve been dieting all year.

I guess since you quit you found hunger got the better of you is that correct? I have experienced that on a one day water fast. And on my first 5:2 fast on day i was going to go all day on a water fast but quit at lunch time with a big lunch (900 calories), then i heard about this and with the support of my crew on another forum, decided to carry on. My second day i had a lunch of about 700 calories. Since then i watched the film and decided i would do it properly from now on.

So yesterday was 500 and today will be about the same for my second one. So yes go easy on yourself but don’t quit. That’s my first tips.

Second tip use this forum as a support group. They really do help when things are a little tough and keep you focused when you are coasting.

Third tip, definitely drink a salty broth. If you get a headache its because you are dehydrated caused by out of balance electrolytes. The problem will be rectified very quickly. I drink miso or vegemite but a stock cube drink would do it too.

Fourth tip. Make sure you’ve got an easy day and can stay home and don’t have to do anything mentally or physically taxing. Take a sleep in the day time. you will probably handle the fasting days better as you do more of them.

Fifth tip. Don’t eat when you get up. Wait until you are starting to feel hungry to eat and then make it a big meal. If you are unsatisfied after a meal it will just prompt more hunger and you may never feel satisfied. I found sautéed mixed vegies after i’d steamed them first made a great meal. Today i had watercress and potato soup and a salad with avocado tomato, lettuce, capsicum. And a small piece of bread no butter. I have enough calories in my allowance left to have another cup of soup later on. And if you are still hungry, its no big deal if you need to have just a few more calories in a cup of coffee or even a glass of wine. I know these things are not ideal but if it gets you over the hump…

Sixth tip. Don’t allow yourself to get bored. Go to sleep, change your activity, get a bit physical in the garden or take a walk or easy bike ride, have a shower or some sort of pampering thing if you. Watch a movie. Go in the garden, fix the leaking tap. Avoid temptation.

Are you from Australia? I’m just reading a book i picked up form somewhere called Fat or Fiction by an Australian author, Aston someone. It’s about body composition. Her diet approach seems to be low carb but she’s a body builder and uses her experience and know how to address body composition issues i.e. body fat% rather than weight . I’ve only just started the book but i like her tone and she’s not ditzy. I was surprised to read her say that tummy fat is easier to lose than lower body fat on us pear-shaped types so you might find her book or books dealing with this issue of value too.

As i recently had a go with low carb, i have no qualms about suggesting it as something to try. It would work quite easily with this 5:2 approach. The only caution i’d say about it is if you come off low carb suddenly, you may require a period of readjustment to lowering your fat consumption again. But read a book on low carb if you decide to try it. Paleo is much the same thing but i went with the Atkins approach because i had an Atkins book on hand. The beginning of very low carb is somewhat like doing a fast in that you get little headaches from dehydration and have to increase your salt and so on. Hence read a book.

Sorry i’m a wordy person but i’ve still written more than i meant to.

I think you are supposed to eat only 500 calories on a fasting day. To get the benefit of a fast in terms of a rest for your body’s digestive organs, you would restrict how much you eat. 500 is a maximum which will provide the best of both worlds – a rest for your body and but enough calories to prevent hunger and muscle wasting. Topping up your calories will not give your organs much of a rest.

Can you not pick a fasting day that is easier. That said, you could always try to cope by eating up big the day before. This will give you more glycogen in your tissues and you may not feel the effects of glycogen depletion so badly that way. And on the fast day, make your 500 calories protein calories so that you’ve got the nutrients for normal tissue repair.

As you are not fasting the day after your class, eat plenty of protein then to and protein in your fast day meal to help with tissue repair from your spin class.

But personally i would not do a spin class or any strenuous exercise on a fast day. I have also found the fasting days when you can rest are not at all hard if you make a good meal and eat it at the right time I have found two consecutive days is a piece of cake. I’m not sure why everyone here seems to be doing 2 separate days. Is that what the book recommends. Is there some advantage to that?

I think I went a little over 500 calories today. But that’s ok, I will do better on Thursday:) good training to not eat between meals.