First Day on Fast Diet – Suggestions?

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First Day on Fast Diet – Suggestions?

This topic contains 43 replies, has 32 voices, and was last updated by  Leeanna01 9 years, 3 months ago.

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  • Hi All,

    Today marks my first day on the Fast Diet. I’m finding it a bit of a struggle. I seem to be a little lightheaded and hungry. I’ve been trying to stay hydrated with water. Does anyone have any tips on how to battle this?

    Breakfast/Lunch is going to include fat free cottage cheese, strawberries and a pear.

    This is harder than I thought it was going to be but I’m trying to keep it on track.

    Drink plenty – water, black coffee or tea (although I must admit I always have a splash of milk in mine) herbal teas etc. I particullarly like Lemon and Ginger its very warming and fools my taste buds into thinking I have eaten something!
    I always try to keep busy on a fast day and usually end up on the forum reading posts and making comments which passes ah hour or so.
    I find now that it is easier for me to eat once on a fast day, usually in the evening although when I first started I had porridge for breakfast then salad leaves and chicken or salmon in the evening.
    Have an early night to bed and remember you can eat normally (NOT feast) tomorrow 😀
    Good luck 🙂

    Drink at least eight small glasses of water. I flavour mine with elderflower.
    seems like you are eating sensibly. The hunger means its actually working!
    I dont know about the lightheadedness.(hope that’s a real word!)
    Have a word with your doctor perhaps?

    I felt light headed on my first fasting day and did drink loads I also had a bad headache (which, for me usually is a sign of dehydration but it couldn’t have been that)

    The second fasting day was fine and I didn’t have any of the symptoms of my first one.

    Feeling hungry will pass with either flavoured drinks (tea etc as already said), I also find that sugar free gum helps – but that isn’t the case for everyone.

    Keep going and if you feel that you really must eat something otherwise you’re going to pass out – then do it…..whilst it’s not going to help with the whole concept, you don’t want to pass out…..but that’s my opinion 🙂

    There are loads of people and tips on here to help

    Thanks everyone. I seem to be getting through the day. I’ve been drinking peppermint tea like its going out of style. It seems to keep a lot of the symptoms at bay. I’m taking it one day at a time. Thursday is my next fast so I’m hopeful that it’ll be a bit easier.

    Good morning 🙂
    Thanks for your reply on my post, and well done for getting through day one!…for me that was the absolute worst, and i thought i would never be able to stick with it. I came on here and found inspiration and the courage to carry on. Lot’s of people had felt the same as i had at first, and were able to reassure me that it would get better…..and they were right. Here i am four weeks down the line encouraging you to believe the same.
    I have never had a fast day as bad as the first one…i wouldn’t have been able to stick with it if i thought i had to go through that twice per week.
    I have lost 5lbs over first 3 weeks, and i have a long way to go, but i see this as a marathon race rather than a sprint.
    If you are struggling, come on here and post, people are very supportive, and reading other peoples stories helped me, plus it passes time.
    What sort of exercise are you doing?.
    Well, i’m off to get ready for work now, but if i can be of any help, or you just want a little support, then please just get in touch….but remember, it DOES get easier!. lol
    I hope you have a lovely day,
    Catrina x

    Good morning Catrina, I made it through an awful day. I am hopeful that tomorrow’s fast will be a bit easier. I was able to find inspiration on the Forums and a couple of tips for the next fast day which I am going to try. I spent a few hours on the forums yesterday and it really did help. I’m really hopeful that tomorrow’s fast will be better than the first day.

    I noticed today that I have a lot more energy in the morning – something that is rare for me. I also noticed I wasn’t able to eat a full breakfast this morning but that’s OK because I was able to eat some. A much smaller portion than I was having previously which is what I want to see happen. :o)

    Congratulations on your weight loss! That’s fantastic! Did you measure yourself as well? I made note of my pre-fast weight and pre-fast measurements so I will check again in a week or two. I’m trying to stay away from the scale as much as possible.

    I am hitting the gym for cardio three times a week as far as exercise goes. I was going to do it on my fast days but after yesterday, I think its best if I exercise on my non-fast days. Not sure if that’ll help?!

    Thank you again for reaching out. Yesterday was hard and I’m hoping that tomorrow will just be that much easier.

    Have a fabulous day!!

    Courtney

    Good evening Courtney,
    Well done for getting through the first day! 🙂 That’s probably the worst over. Some people do comment on having a burst of energy the day after a fast, for me i think it’s just a mixture of relief and excitement at being able to eat normally, lol
    Any exercise you do will be beneficial of course, but i try to walk on fasting days, to take up time, and to keep other days relatively normal for me.
    How is today going?, well, i hope. Just tell yourself, that after today, that is your fasting over for the first week!. Before you know it, it will be week two, and so on.
    I am fasting today also, my days are mon/thurs. Will have dinner later this evening, x2 chicken breasts with spinach and ricotta and some tiny new potatoes from M&S…comes in at just about 500 cals. Tomorrow marks the end of my first week in my new job, so really looking forward to some wine and something delicious to eat tomorrow night 🙂 🙂 Happy days, lol
    I didn’t measure myself tbh, just going by how clothes feel on me, and being weighed every Sunday along with my friend.
    Keep going Courtney, if i can do it, then so can you.
    Let us know how it went.
    Have a great evening,
    Catrina.

    Hi Lizzie I have just started today and I found your post very helpful. I have three and a half stone to lose and feel very determined to do it this time. I have drank lots of water and don’t feel too bad as I am saving most of my calories for dinner tonight.

    Hi Cornish maid,
    Welcome and thanks for your message.
    Day one can be tough, i still vividly remember it, but it does get better, honestly.
    I am fasting today also, and have just had dinner, so that’s me until tomoro now, other than green tea, which is supposed to speed up the metabolism.
    I have 4 stone to lose, so a while to go, but i am just taking it a day at a time, and as long as i’m losing, i will be happy.
    Keep up the good work, you CAN do this, and it really does get easier.
    Keep in touch,
    Catrina.

    Thanks lizzie I have just had my dinner and feeling pretty good I am also going to have a cup of green tea not quite the same a nice glass of red wine! We can do this

    Oh meant to ask how long have you been doing this and how much have you lost so far 🙂

    Hi Schnauzerlady,

    Are you finding that the fasts get easier? My first one is on Monday, I’m a bit worried that I’m going to be really grumpy! (More than usual anyway)

    LD

    Hi LemonDrizzle,

    I’m on my 4th fast day and I can honestly say that they get significantly easier. If I had to do a repeat of Fast Day 1, I wouldn’t be still doing it. I felt awful the first day. However, the second was a 180 degree difference. I felt incredible the second day. I’ve lost 2 pounds so far and I’m happy with that. Next weigh in, is next week. Stick with it, the first day sucks but the days after that are MUCH easier to tolerate. I don’t even get cranky or grumpy on my fast days anymore – that’s how much of a difference there is. The forums are a big help. The folks are supportive and the information is extremely helpful. Best of luck! Let us know how you make out.

    Courtney

    Day one (of each week for me) is difficult! But dieting is difficult – you are embarking on a new venture which will test you! Bin on week 4 now and love this diet. Be mentally tough and get through the noise of snacks and food – surely the results health and look are worth it to you? If you cannot go all day without food have 200 cal breakfast (2 boiled eggs should do the trick) and don’t beat yourself up! If you are not successful on day one try again

    Many thanks to everyone who has posted here.
    Tomorrow is my very first fast day and I am very nervous about it.
    Hope it goes well. Will keep you posted.

    I’m starting my first fast day tomorrow and I’m a bit worried about getting through my work day as I’m on my feet all day racing around and I’m worried about feeling dizzy or my concentration going, any tips on how to get through this?

    I never had a problem with being dizzy not my concentration going. You are lucky to be busy!

    Be sure to drink lots of water and perhaps a cup of chicken bouillon for the salt.

    I’ve got about 25 fasts under my belt now and I’ve never gotten dizzy. I drink a couple cups of coffee in the morning, and maybe 3 cups of hot tea, and also about 60 ounces of water throughout the day. I’m one that has a tremendous amount of energy on my fast days. It’s weird. My drawers and cabinets have never been more organized. Best of luck!

    I know this post was a year ago, but I was just introduced to this and today was my first fast and I can’t believe how well it went! I woke up, had a cup of coffee and had extra time to get ready since I wasn’t making/eating a big breakfast and packing a lunch. I worked until 4:30 and kept myself busy all day and just kept drinking water. I didn’t eat until 6:00 and I had a 240 kcal dinner (of a veggie burger and broc, onions, tomato), did some house chores and work from home and cleaned a bit and now having a small glass of wine and heading to bed! 440 kcal and I can’t believe how much I didn’t struggle! I have to admit, I kept coming onto this one post and reading suggestions and it really motivated me to keep pushing throughout the day. I know that I should split my calories throughout the day but typically for me when I eat breakfast, I keep eating all day so in my head if I didn’t eat until “I had time” then I would be fine. It really worked for me. I’ll be fasting Tuesday’s and Thursday’s pending conflicts then I’ll switch to other days, but I’m so excited!

    Its my first day and I’m at lunch, I haven’t eaten anything and I’m sooo hungry! I m having a bit of a struggle.

    Hi Bubblez

    Stay focused, the first week can be the hardest. If you read the forum, you will see that, once into it, it will get easier, most of the time.

    Drink a glass of water and do something to take your mind off it.

    Many 5:2ers dont eat until lunchtime, or later, the day AFTER a fast. Some, myself included, do fasting days where we dont eat anything – and dont even think about eating until lunchtime the next day.

    It still amazes me, pre 5:2, I used to have to have a midmorning snack to bridge the chasm between breakfast and lunch.

    Ok, there are days I could eat have eaten a scabby horse for breakfast, with chips, but that was only in the first couple of weeks.

    Its only one day, play with your calories, work out if you are a one, two or three meal person. Eat an apple, or an olive, or all your calories for lunch.

    You aren’t starving and you won’t starve, even though at the moment your stomach feels as if your throat has been cut.

    How have you planned your fast day? Only asking as it took me a fortnight to got my head around planning, and three weeks before I lost any weight, and Im sure the two things are connected.

    Good luck, and drink the water!!!

    I like your words, milena 🙂 Good stuff!

    thanks Randi

    I find the forum amazing – full of the most wonderful kind, generous and helpful people. We are all on the same road, all on the same journey.

    Something quite awesome is happening here – in the true sense of the word.

    Makes me feel a little like a mother hen, making sure the stragglers aren’t forgotten, and everyone is helped to give this WOL a chance.

    Overweight people are often disregarded, or forgotten, even pitied, sometimes self-worth diminishes. To have a place where there is only support and kindness, where we can discuss our weight our accomplishments, our achievements, our joy, wonderful. But where we can tell it like it is – the disasters, the cake we just couldn’t say no to – the sore arses, when we fall off the wagon, and the hands which shove us all back on, with laughter and good sense, without disgust or critism.

    I think its important to know the support is here, as much or as little as you wsnt, or need, from the first day on tbe forum.

    Doesn’t matter if its 10lb, or 100lbs, were here because we want to be less than we are, and often more than we are.

    Isn’t this a fabulous place , and its mere words which bring us here!

    “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive and the true success is to labour”

    Hi everyone,
    I am on my first fasting day today and it is going amazingly well. I eat healthily and do regular exercise and I am not overweight but I have excess fat around my hips and thighs which I gained when I had to give up running and suffered illness in 2012-2013.

    I have always been more comfortable weighing at least half a stone less than I do now but I just haven’t been able to shift the excess despite all the healthy food and exercise so I decided to give The Fast Diet a go.

    I think that this will work best for me if I break my 500 calories up into little meals. So far I have had fruit with some natural yoghurt (98 cals) and a salad (180 cals), an apple and a few almonds, black coffee and lots of water. I will have the remaining calories this evening.

    I have read about the fasting period actually being 36 hours so I’m unsure of when I should start eating normally again.

    Any tips or advice for me would be very gratefully received.

    Thanks everyone 🙂

    Thank you simcoeluv – some really useful threads which I will make sure I read through

    First day of fasting has gone really well. Much better than I thought it would 🙂

    Hi I am on my first fast day and thankfully not long to go till dinner time. I had banana for breakfast, 1 scrambled egg with spinach for lunch, have had a snack of a celery stick and an apple and will have a chicken fillet for dinner with courgette. How many cals do people eat on there normal days?

    Everyone is different. Did you calculate your TDEE? You can use the one on this site, or others on the internet. Then use that number to guide you.

    No I haven’t calculated it I will have a look now. Thanks. How long have you been doing this diet for?

    I have been doing it for 3 weeks. Lost 7 lbs the first 2 weeks. Next weigh in Saturday.

    I failed my first day, then started over the next day and was successful. I drank my coffee with cream and sugar as usual, one cup, then sipped on tomato juice in a sippy cup the rest of the day. It made it way easier. I think I had a hard boiled egg before bed. I only felt ill the first day when i went till 3pm and then blew it. The second attempt i did not feel bad at all. I am looking forward to my next.fast day.

    I dont count on feed days. We will see how that works. My stomach is shrinking to where i cant eat as much as i used to anyway.

    Nearing the end of my first fast day. Wasn’t too bad considering. Seem to be more hungry immediately after eating and then have to make myself busy to stop day dreaming of food!

    I found it a little easier as I helped out on the UCL study before and completed a food/mood diary as well as had to rate 0-10 how hungry I was. I was amazed how I found out that often I’m not that hungry and during that week stopped nearly all my snacks and as well as my habit of a bar of chocolate every afternoon. This really helped me get through today as I was already able to recognise that an empty stomach doesn’t actually mean you are hungry. I never thought I’d ever think that!

    I bought the 3 week fast food trial box, I may not use them every fast day but at least I have no excuse I have nothing tasty within my 500 calorie allowance to hand. (An excuse I’ve used when on other diets). I did have their soup at lunchtime and it was good but didn’t want something similar in the evening. I’ve kept back 90cals in case I ‘needed’ a biscuit in the evening, I’ve managed not to eat it and still don’t know whether I will succumb or not!

    I’m feeling positive and hopeful.

    It’s my first day today and it has been rather tough. Just walking around with a big hunger hole all the time. Drinking lots of fizzy water does help a bit, but its nearly 3.30pm now and I can’t wait for supper – vegetable chilli from the book. The main thing I’ve noticed has been a lack of ability to cope when anything goes wrong. The dog disappeared for an hour and I searched high and low … that nearly sent me screaming to the bread bin! Also I have felt a bit emotional and down.. anyway if this is the worst day then I can stick with it – next fast day is Monday.

    When I start flagging in the afternoon, I have a miso soup. It’s only 30 calories. Since we get most of our salt from food, we’re not probably getting enough on fast days. It really perks me up.

    Hi everyone

    Am completely new to this and I do not know what to expect. Tomorrow is my first fast day ever (any tips) I am trying to get back to my original weight (57kg). I am at 60.5kg at the moment so not far to go but am struggling this time round.

    Kelly 🙂

    Hi I am starting my first fast day tomorrow – can anybody give me any advice to keep the hunger pangs at bay during the day please?

    The key is to keep busy and to stay well hydrated.

    Today was my first fasting day, I normally work from home and my biggest problem is going to the fridge when I am bored, so chose a day when I had to go out all day in the car, made sure I didn’t need to stop for petrol and had plenty of water, just got home and had one of the fast diet ready meals and has really filled me up. Felt very hungry 4-5pm so just drank loads of water. The great thing is I know tomorrow I can eat “normally” although already thinking about the better choices I am (hopefully) going to make. I have 2 stone to lose, have tried all sorts of plans but really hope that I can stick with this one!

    My first fasting day today. I had a 230 gram tub of (no added sugar) yoghurt with mixed berries. Must remember to keep up the water. Substituted my normal morning coffee (cappucino) for a white tea. I do quite a bit of walking in my job, so I’ve already walked over an hour (at 10.30am). According to the app I use on my iPhone, I’ve already burned off breakfast and the tea. Feeling a little lightheaded, but nothing I can’t handle so far. I know this is the stomach shrinking process, so the fast days should get easier from here. Not craving anything, at this stage. Lunch will be a salad with a boiled egg.

    Morning after – interesting. I thought I would wake up starving, but I’m not. Another thing I don’t feel is bloated. I guess you could say I feel much better than I thought I would. Waiting for my favourite cafe to open for some avocado on sourdough and a proper coffee (I missed that like crazy yesterday). I’d planned have my fasting days Tuesday and Thursday, but I might stretch them out from next week to Monday and Thursday. I’m worried having them too close together might be too tough, at the start at least.

    Hi all

    I’m on my day 1 fast and it is going ok. I’m a little confused as to how the fasting days work. I was under the assumption that I could have (for example) 3 meals as long as they were all under 500 calories, which I have planned and worked out but it seems like I am doing it wrong. Is anyone able to give me some advise on this.

    Thank u

    Hey Chicko – everything you need to know is here:
    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/
    – For five days a week, you eat up to your TDEE (you can work this out on the calculator on the page I just listed).
    – For two other, non-consecutive days, you eat a total of 500 / 600 kcals per day (500 kcals for women, 600 kcals for men).
    You can eat the 500 / 600 kcals any way you want to on a Fast Day; split into three meals, two meals, or just one. There are lots of ideas for Fast Days in the books.
    Good luck!

    Thank goodness I have found this read and am reading through it. This is my first ever fasting day and feeling a bit nervious. I have just had breakfast had to substitute a lot though I had my 40g of oats..but in milk not water. I didn’t have a fig or pear or fromage frais. I did do a big shop the other day and had every other fruit and fage a 0% fat free fraige type thing. So had a small slice of a melon with fage. Don’t really know how many calories that is but it shouldn’t be much more than the original meal. I have a busy day with a toddler and two teenagers ahead and big cleaning day ahead so hoping I don’t feel bad later.I think it will be a different story from me in 7 hours but so far feeling OK and full 🙂 .

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