Hi Hidden:

I finished a 48 hour water fast last night followed by a nice meal. Today will be my second diet day of the week. Believe it or not, you will find that you are actually less hungry if you eat nothing. As you are eating, you probably will not experience the ‘bad feelings’ that come with your body going into deeper ketosis, which usually happens about days 3 and 4. The current research shows very important positive things happen to the body with 4 or 5 day water fasts, so your efforts at eating less now may lead to some positive actual fasting in the future.

Good Luck!

Hi Hidden,

I used to do 2 consecutive zero cal fast days for my 5:2 which equated to 62 hours. After the first few times it does become easier. I actually found it easier than easting 500 cals per day. I now do 1 zero fast day per week 6:1 as Ive reached my target weight but still want to maintain the benefits of fasting. Try 2 zero cal days instead of 5 500 cal days. The more you can get your body into ketosis the better fat adapted it will become

I’m with bigbooty! Two back-to-back FDs are easier for me too. Once I start eating I just don’t trust myself to limit myself. At least that’s the way my life has always been. So I do back-to-back fasts and I don’t eat at all.

It’s MOST instructive. You really find out what hunger is and how it operates and that it isn’t really awful at all! You get to see how you behave when you don’t cave in. I find that impressive and liberating. It makes me fell calm and energized and, even if those 2 concepts seem mutually exclusive, they fit together in quite an empowering way.

So, following the excesses of my Easter, I have just done 3 water fasts in a row. My body actually WANTED them and relaxed into them and today at lunch I am ready to enjoy my salad and resume food days.

And that thing about not trusting my body to stop eating? Not so true anymore. Yesterday, while baking bread and making my husband’s dinner, I tasted some roasted oat groats (yum!) and some creamy corn chowder (yum!) and stopped at what was probably not more than 100 calories. One hundred calories in about 88 hours and I enjoyed them without feeling that they had taken over control of my life! FAR more significant, rewarding and life changing to me than merely losing weight!!!!!

Fast day #2. Happily made muffins said I can have one tomorrow. Who is this person who thinks this way? Hubby brought home a new flavor potato chip and wanted me to try one. “I will tomorrow” This shift in thinking may be the biggest change ever.

Hello everyone. Live in North Carolina.

I hope there is just ONE left tomorrow!

In exchange for a half glass of white wine with my cod and asparagus

Am I the only one who blips UP a bit after FD?

I did 48 hours water only fast twice so far (once per week), but found out that I had uncontrollable eating after the fast. I am switching back to 36 hours. 🙁

Dr. Krista Varady is the researcher who came up with the alternate day or Eat Every Other Day diet. And she’s one of the researchers whose data was the basis of Dr. Mosley’s 5:2 program. If you’ve seen Dr. Mosley’s BBC documentary, you’ve seen him interview her. The question she was asking in her research was actually would subjects overeat on food days. She found out that hey did. A little. But it in no way amounted to what they had deferred on their fasting days and that they lost more weight than a control group who “dieted” in a conventional way. She went on to refine the concept into EEOD (or, here, ADF).

So I wouldn’t worry about some eating above the TDEE. Particularly if you can wean yourself down to theTDEE over time. And I’m sure you will.

I don’t even count calories. I just aim for 2 simple sensible meals on my food days and let my body deal with it on its own time. Not the approach for everyone, I guess, but I’m satisfied with that. I mean my body functions better and stays calm with that, so I feel I can *stick* with that. And the lack of pressure to “get results” on the one hand or to eat insatiably on the other is just wonderful to me!

I do back-to-back water fasts every week. They have become a part of a pattern and get easier all the time. I even looked forward to it after Easter and added a third to make up for the excesses of the holiday.

I have always started a diet with a fast. It inhibits the outrageous impulses that used to lead me to eat when I was well aware that I wasn’t even hungry. When I was young I could fast for 4 days. And if I did that there were results I could count on. My sinuses decongested and I could actually smell things and feel better. But then I’d return to eating and be overeating again in no time. I couldn’t fast forever but, STUPID me!, it never occurred to me to fast *cyclically*. I suppose that’s why I adapted to IF like a duck to water.

So, if you feel like trying a water fast, I’d encourage it. If only to see how it feels and how you CAN get past the urges to eat. But I’d also recommend that you take at least a multivitamin and some electrolytes if it’s more than a day. And don’t forget to stay hydrated. When you don’t eat you’re greatly reducing the amount of water your body takes in from veggies and fruit as well as their bulk.

My wife and I both started down this path 2/1/16 and both have seen nice results. I’ve lost about 13 lbs and my wife about half that. We both have lost several inches and are feeling much better about ourselves

I think the fasting days are really quite easy. That being said, I think the calorie counting, food weighing and measuring to be a bit of a pain on those days. I would find it nearly impossible without a decent kitchen scale and a good tracking app.

About 5 years ago I lost about 30 pounds through religious calorie counting and exercise but found that unsustainable over the long term.

I’m very optimistic that the 5:2 diet will be sustainable with the added benefits that come from calorie restriction.

Dang!! Found out that I have an infection and have to take meds twice a day with food for the next 2 weeks. So I guess I won’t be starting any water fasts soon. Guess I’ll just stay with 5:2 which has been working for me.

Wish this was an April fools joke.

Just had a strange experience, started my refeed/nonfast after 5 days at 500 calories. Tried eating breakfast in morning but stated to feel really sick eating like I couldn’t do it. After trying to eat a few bites, I just threw it away. I’m feeling better now that I stop but I thought that I was going to toss my cookies for awhile.

Hello fellow fasters!
Hope your week is starting off great.

I am fasting today – hooray! My eating day yesterday went better than usual – I enjoyed a few potato chips which I ate very slowly and crunched tiny little bites out of each one. Same enjoyment with about 1/8 the total number of chips. A new experience for me – just thought I would share. It was also my son’s birthday last week so I have been surrounded by cake and ice cream for several days now but it really hasn’t been a problem. (Very excited about that!)

The scale has been utterly lame (just staying the same – but this is my weigh in week – I don’t weigh myself the rest of the month. I should be happy about maintaining, I know, I know). However, I can feel a huge difference in my body. My waist is shrinking and my energy is phenomenal. I have also started biking around the neighborhood. So fun! Really can’t complain about that 🙂

Hidden Star – hope you are feeling much better….frustrating!

Princess Cilantro – occasional overindulgent days are pretty normal – just have to wipe yourself off and keep going. White rice can definitely trigger me too! (That and all grains, breads, sweets and especially chocolate!)
Cheers!

MelindaShay, neat potato chip trick! Knife and fork next time!

Pea Jay here… I just found this thread. It is good to have Americans talking to each other. I too have found it strange that this is unknown here. I got Michael Mosley’s “5:2 the fasting diet” in Costco. Some of my good friends know about this plus my family. I thought well if I am successful then they will want to know more, but? I began Aug 2013 and in 9-10 months I lost 26 lbs. getting to 131 lb. but most remarkably I have kept it off with 5:2. Should mention my husband is also doing this. And my sister and husband are doing it although they appear to have quit. Also one close friend went on it for maintaining her weight. She continues.

I appreciate this thread as I need encouragement at times. Some of you are staying away from your trigger foods. That is for me sweets. Of course on a fast day that is easy, but on the five days it is not. I have not found a need to have a fast from all but water ( I am not a coffee drinker). I am not adverse to it. The documentary Michael made definitely talked about the health benefits of 3 day fast from all but water. Lately I have eaten high sugar foods. I was thinking about doing two fast days in a row and then having another late in week. I am about 3 lb over right now. I am 70 and had given up on diets because I was on the yo-yo thing, loosing gaining never maintaining. I do really like 5:2. Socially we can work fast days around our calendar. We don’t have the stress of daily being bombarded at work with treats or lunches out. I am glad to know others here in U.S. are doing it and write on this blog!
Good health to all….Pea Jay

Hello everyone !

Today I started my fourth week on the 5:2 plan. This is my seventh fast day. It seems a little tougher than the ones before, probably because I just did a lot of shopping for my college daughter’s care package. Lots of delicious treats for her, none for me (at least not today)! Oh well, I am determined and it will be all right.

So far I’m down about 8 lbs. I can’t overstate how helpful it is to have this forum for encouragement and support. Just reading about everyone else’s struggles and successes helps me stay in the mindset that I need to go forward. So I thank you all, and wish you all continued success, determination, and good health!

My first fast (in a while) went well yesterday. I was crabby with my kids at night, but I hope my mood improves (during fasting days) as I go on. It felt like I only had enough willpower to fast and not do anything else. I did try an adult coloring book for the first time last night and was surprised at how it relaxed me. I’ll definitely put it in my toolbox to help with late night eating. I also bought a new journal — just like this forum, it helps to work thorough what you’re experiencing.

The scale was very good to me after my first fast. I know that I shouldn’t rely on it, but it was encouraging. I don’t have much to lose, I’m using fasting more to control my emotional eating and for health reasons. I’m aiming for 10 lbs. by June.

Princess, I’m right with you. I know that I drink so much more water on a fast day, so I’m going to remind myself of that between meals today (no snacking!).

I’ll fast again on Thursday.

Have a good day everyone!

Hi Princess:

There is no optimal time between meals. Some people believe there is, but the research shows that you will get the same results regardless of when you eat your calories.

Good Luck!

Hi PVE:

The issue was non diet days.

For diet days – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25251676.

Hi! So far my feed day today is going fine. I am staying away from my trigger foods. The hardest time for that is evening it seems and I am not there yet. I am encouraged by the blog. It helps to express myself and I get some good tips. One very nice raw food I like are the multiple colored small peppers that come here from Mexico. They are wet and tasty offering plenty of chewing. They work for fast and feed days. Hope you are each having success in your fast or feed day.
Pea Jay

YOUR government, actually. 😕
Easy cop out to blame genes etc. As you say almost every day ….( to paraphrase) ..if you eat more calories than you expend, you gain weight. Simple.
Reducing food opportunities is a good habit on the path to lowering excess consumption.
Signing off.PVE

Hello all you quiet Americans!

I was a good little faster yesterday and today am focused on being a good little maintainer and staying within my TDEE. Have started the day off right and the offending banana bread (cake really) from my last eating day is safely tossed into the trash where it can no longer taunt me with it’s constant whispering. (“you deserve me, I am home baked sweeet comfort…..I won’t be around next week, what are you waiting for….?”)

Pea Jay, love your name! Thanks for the peppers reminder – those are great!

Princess Cilantro – I think the spacing bw meals is probably personal for what you are eating in addition to what is satisfying you. If you eat carbs frequently throughout the day it will likely drive your cravings through the roof, but if you are eating high fat meals/snacks it might level you out so you end up eating fewer calories which will determine how quickly you lose weight.

Hope everyone is doing great and hanging in there!
Cheers!

Fast day today. All the best to fasters and feeders. Getting used to the scale moving around. Learning to focus on trends.

I’m fasting today, too. It has been a couple of months now that I have been doing 5:2, and the fasting has become pretty routine. I don’t know that I even think of it as fasting, really – I just don’t eat breakfast and lunch a couple days a week. I can’t say that I enjoy it, but I no longer get headaches or feel desperate to eat by dinner time on fast days. I’m down about 10 lbs in that time, and think I’ll go for another 5 and then maybe drop to once a week fasting – that won’t make be thin, but will get me within shouting distance of normal weight, which would be lovely!

Hope you all have a good day. It is cold and pouring down rain here in Maryland, and here I was hoping for a more spring like day…