After 1+ yr of 5:2, still very tired on fast days

This topic contains 3 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by nigorahon 9 years, 7 months ago.

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blue_skye07

1:18 pm
5 May 15
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Hi, I know that some people report feeling more energetic on fast days while others feel much more lethargic..I happen to belong to the latter camp.

I’ve been doing 5:2 for 1 yr 4 months and have successfully lost 35 pounds, gained a few and am maintaining now. Problem is, I still feel VERY tired on fast days although I don’t feel that hungry. Just yesterday I had a fast day and was knocked out (unwillingly!) in the afternoon for 4 hours even though I had proper sleep the previous night. Quite productive, I would say. :/

It wasn’t that much of a problem to me while losing weight but now that I’m maintaining, the lack of energy on fast days is getting irritating and it’s not getting better. If I am to keep this up for the rest of my life, I hope to be able to handle my fast days better!

Hope someone can help me out! Other facts about me – I’m 27 years old, have normal blood sugar according to a medical checkup last mth, and my BMI is currently 19-20. On my fast days, I usually have tea/coffee/milk with fruit for lunch and something more substantial for dinner.

alan56

2:16 pm
5 May 15
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I’d say you need to start the day with something more substantial. Get some protein first thing in the morning – boiled eggs are perfect. Since watching the Horizon Special: ‘What’s The Right Diet For You?’ I’ve being doing this and it has definitely helped. Here’s a sample of my daily regime:
Breakfast: boiled medium egg
Mid-morning: tangerine
Lunchtime: CalBisc 100 (or medium banana)
Mid-afternoon: apple
Teatime: smoked salmon (50g) with salad
With cups of tea & coffee thrown in this comes to about 550 calories leaving me a few spare if I’m feeling particularly hungry at any point.
You’ll notice that I split it up to give myself something to look forward to every 2 or 3 hours. I think this helps both psychologically and to keep your energy levels from falling too low.
(CalBisc 100 is a really nutritious biscuit I found on the Web. It’s quite high in protein and is easily carried around going to work.)

blue_skye07

5:11 am
6 May 15
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Hi alan56, thanks so much for your detailed advice! Ok, I guess I’ll try to spread my calories out more, and eat when I feel my energy dipping..I would have preferred to save more calories for dinner as I usually eat with my husband and he likes to see me eating, but I guess everyone’s made differently and I should listen to my body more. I’m also scared of eating too many calories if I graze throughout the day but I guess I’ll have to be mindful! Thanks!

nigorahon

5:56 am
6 May 15
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Agree splitting the calories throughout the day. If I’m not working on a fast day I save all my cals for evening. And have an afternoon nap!

On a work day I have:
One egg spinach omelette (no milk, 100 cal)
Homemade tomato soup (1/2 tin tomatoes, herbs, water, salt,50 cal)
Dinner is 100 cal worth of rice, with chicken breast or white fish in vegetable sauce ( tomato based sauce with veg in it) 350 cals.

I also eat with the family in the evening. The above dinner doesn’t look too small!