This topic contains 34 replies, has 23 voices, and was last updated by Mark Mywordz 7 years, 10 months ago.
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Glad to hear that skipping breakfast is working for you Arianwen. If you’re losing weight, you must be achieving the calorie-deficit over the week as a whole.
I know what you mean about rattiness, but Fast Days haven’t been a problem for me: it’s the day after that’s a bit of a shocker in terms of resolve, headaches and mood-swings. So breakfast and lunch on day-afters are the only ones I really plan, to be super-nutritious and filling, which seems to be doing the trick.
Having said that, I skip breakfast on FDs (just miso soup for lunch and black/green tea) until I use up the rest of my 500 cals at dinner time, which is usually 7-8ish. Like Heron, I’d be well-capable of gaining weight if I ate mindlessly, even if I skipped breakfast every day!
I got used to skipping breakfast after about a month. Then I started to skip lunch, and now I’m half a month into just eating once a day, at supper. I really like this new way of eating for me. I got the idea from a friend who ate that way for 40 years so that he said he could finally control his body weight. But I always just knew him as slim.
I find that it’s a lot simpler for me to eat just one meal a day, and it gives me more than a 23 hour fast every day, so that I can have a big feast every day, and maintain my body weight quite easily. Most of the time, insulin is kept at very low levels.
My wife found it really hard at first to skip breakfast, but eventually she got used to that, and then she wanted to do 5:2, but she kept forgetting which day was which, so finally she just went to 1 Mad Diet. (1 Meal A Day) diet.
In general, it gives a person a feeling of a lot of control, but it takes some time to get used to it.
Hi,
I skip breakfast for past six months and fast for total of 16-20 hours everyday.
I lost 12 pounds so far…. I was 20 pounds overweight to start with. This method is called 16:8 or leangains diet. 20 hours is a bit extreme but I do 16 hours with no effort now.
I am 36 year old male btw, I say this because according to some sources women should fast less hours daily than men, typically 14 to 16 hours max…
I started to skip breakfast a few months before trying 5:2 mainly because (as others have said), you don’t feel like eating that early in the morning. I figured out I have gained weight from two things, emotional eating and habit. I was forced to eat three meals a day when living with my parents, that carried into adulthood. Emotional eating is a different story. The point is, eat when you are really hungry, not out of habit and not because you are having a bad day. If you don’t remember what hunger feels like, maybe a 24-48 hour fast is in order so you have an idea. I was forced into a 48 hour fast because I was so sick, I couldn’t eat. It stuck with me what real hunger felt like (that was last week). So, I use that as a cue as to when to have my first meal after I wake up.
I’m just starting trying the 16:8 today – I’ve done the 5:2 for a couple of weeks but it feels hard to fit into my sked with my kids or socially. Skipping breakfast & abstaining until lunch feels more manageable so far and allows me to feel “normal” with my sked. Guess I’ll see how it works when/if I lose any weight! I also worked out this morning so can really feel my hunger and insulin dropping…will be interesting to see how that translates as well. Wish me luck! 🙂
I love all your ideas and stories, thank you. I’ve tried everything from 500 calorie counting…..which I’m hopeless at, I find it time consuming and bothersome….to 36 hour liquid only fasts. I think I like an 18 /19 hour fast from 6 pm to lunch at noon / 1pm daily. Its early days for me so I’ll see how I go. I take prescription meds for reflux so need to eat earlier in the evening hence the 6pm for me.
I do wish you all success. VP
I rarely eat breakfast because I find that once I start eating (especially carbs like pancakes or waffles or French toast, etc.) I , I am hungry all day. I do well eating lunch about noon or one and dinner at seven or so – rarely rarely eat anything after that. I work three days a week so it is very easy to maintain that way of eating during the work week – less easy at home as I am also cooking for my husband and hear the – Why aren’t you eating?
Just have a few, maybe five, pounds to lose. Mainly concerned about the health benefits of not stuffing my body continually and allowing it time to function properly.
Just found this forum and really love it. Very supportive.
These posts are all so helpful! I’ve been doing a pretty strict 16:8 for about 10 days now – it’s been more like 17:9 or so. I’ve seen a slight difference on the scale but definitely FEEL a difference so should probably invest in a tape measure!? 🙂 I’m really liking this method and hoping to see results – if not, I’ll have to kick up a bit and extend the fast to dinner or go back to 5:2, etc. We shall see! I did give myself a “cheat” day and ate breakfast with my kids on Sunday…my stomach was upset all day so obviously my body is adjusting to having less food less frequently.
This is really interesting, I am just seriously starting a fasting diet (day 9) having tried once before but been unable to discipline myself. This time I too am just eating an evening meal, no breakfast or lunch on weekdays whilst at work, and I am so far finding it quite easy, so instead of 5:2 I suppose I am doing 2:5. Weekends so far are much more difficult. Like you grburgess I find it simpler if I don’t eat, in fact my resolve diminishes if I eat and it is then harder to limit what I consume!
I am female (interested in your comment Andol1979 that women shouldn’t fast for as long?)
I read it is called Warrior Fasting… which makes it sound awesome!
Hi All,
Really interesting posts. I have noticed that while on the 5:2 my appetite has changed and I not longer want to eat out of habit but just when I feel hungry. This means on non fast days my meals now lack any kind of order and I’m trying to structure them a bit better. I’ve more or less dropped down to 2 meals a day on NFDs as it suits me better.
Im wondering if some version of the 16:8 would suit me as a maintenance programme with the odd fast day now and then.
I skip breakfast alot. I find I just feel better when I don’t eat in the morning. I found this out by accident when I started experimenting with 16:8 (The 8 Hour Diet). I ate from 11 a.m. or 12 p.m. until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. I find that eating in the morning, no matter how healthy a meal, just makes me tired and sluggish.
Now that I’m starting 5:2, I definitely plan on skipping breakfasts on my fast days and just eating later in the day…because I hate to go to bed hungry!
Hi everyone, I am brand new to the forum! I’m glad to see this thread as I was just about to ask if people had success on more of a 16:8 diet rather than the 5:2.
Here’s my story: I have been doing the 5:2 for about 3 months now and while I think the actual diet is great and pretty easy to do, I’ve been suffering from both diarrhea AND constipation that I just don’t think I can go on with it anymore. I stuck it out for so long with the hope that it was just a temporary side effect and that my body would get used to it, but that is not the case.
Before being on this diet, I would occasionally get diarrhea but now I get it the day after a fast without fail. And it is always like an EXPLOSIVE diarrhea that sometimes comes quickly without much warning (all I can say is thank GOD the bathroom at work isn’t far down the hall). But then, I will be constipated some of the other days of the week. I NEVER had a problem with constipation before this diet. But, the diarrhea especially, is becoming too unbearable to the point where I can’t do 5:2 anymore.
So, I am going to try 16:8 for a while to see how I feel. I have always been a breakfast eater, but since doing 5:2, it actually has been easier than I thought to skip breakfast (and well, lunch lol) on my fast days. A big thing for me is sustainability, and I feel that a 16:8 approach is more sustainable than 5:2 for the LONG haul because I think it’s more flexible.
So, in regards to stomach issues, has anyone here who had a lot of stomach issues on 5:2 have better luck on 16:8? I want the benefits of fasting and no calorie counting of the 5:2 without the diarrhea and a little more flexibility so I am HOPING 16:8 works for me!!
You might check with your nutritionist or your PCP. Sounds like something in your regular diet..the foods you normally eat…are not agreeing with your system. For instance, you could be sensitive to lactose…your body unable to metabolize it. Any simple issue with any specific food or good group could be the problem. Find out what food allergies you might have. Eliminate them, see how you do on non-fast days. If the diarrhea and constipation have subsided, then you should have success on the 5:2. The bottom line—something is off with your regular foods you eat. Good luck.
BTW…I love the 5:2…so far…it is really going great!!
Hi everyone,
I have to say I can`t skip breakfast. I did it for some time and I gained weight, than loosing it. As well I feel much more fit when I eat a healthy breakfast. Ok, I do bake my own sourdough bread and I just love it. What I do is to see if I have to do a lot on the day or not. Than I make a bigger (more calories) meals. The only think what I avoid are the fried things. Sometime ago I was not thinking what I was eating, so my weight was jumping like crazy, but now it is stable.
Aha, I forgot. I saw the effect of the 2 days fasting on my friends. Besides the diet I know that they where exercising a bit. He on cross trainer and she yoga burn http://bit.ly/2hc73X5. I was really surprised when I saw them – each of them lost more than 25 kilos, but it was a process! So let`s be patient 🙂
We started intermittent fasting at the end of April. I found the easiest way was having coffee in the morning then breakfast around 1pm.
Two cups of coffee, sometimes three, fill me and I’ve not gone back to three meals a day since I’ve been maintaining. Intermittent fasting retrains one’s appetite and habits, much of our eating is down to the latter.
DoctorDoctor- It’s definitely not what I am eating, because I already KNOW what types of foods can set me off, so I’m pretty sure it’s from the prolonged fasting. When I was on 5:2, I only ate one meal at night, I just felt better eating a more substantial meal than smaller ones. Not to mention, I always felt hungrier when I ate something earlier in the day rather than just fast the entire day until dinner. I’ve seen another thread on this forum where people have complained about diarrhea after their fast day, so I know it’s not just me.
I have been doing the 16:8 for the past couple days and I feel MUCH better. It’s easier, I am not getting diarrhea, AND I am already losing some weight. I’ll be sure to report back how I am doing after some time.
It’s a learning experience testing out these different approaches.
Like cuddlezilla, I struggled badly initially with constipation. After increasing water intake a LOT the painful constipation just disappeared, not to return yet. If I want to guarantee diarrhoea (that inconveniently doesn’t flush) then a sure bet for me is eating a lot of cashews. A total clean out happens.
Since fasting, for me there’s normally little desire to eat in the mornings. This is very different to prefasting days. So skipping breakfast and lunch and eating a meal around 5pm is very doable now. Great having that option.
I’m not sure whether the decreased hunger is from the fasting, from progressively training the body to be more comfortable sitting with hunger, or from cutting out processed foods and high starch foods, and increasing healthy fats. Maybe all of these changes are having some effect. But it is certainly easier now than I imagined it could possibly be.
My trial this week is adapting alternate day fasts to be water only (36 hour) fasts. To my great surprise it has so far been soooo much simpler and easier for me than restricting to 500/600 calories. Once I’ve woken up that hunger dragon on a fast day, that’s when restrictions can get tough for me.
We’re all different and changing beasts I guess, so the challenge is finding what currently works and building on it.
I think you have to be very careful with laxatives, Smeagle. Most can only be taken occasionally, apart from Fybogel, which is very gentle and more if a supplement.
Adding bran to porridge works of us. I’ve been maintaining for six months now, but still feel a bit constipated occasionally. Wine also helps, but avoid unless you’re maintaining. 😊
Pol
So, I stopped doing all of my fasting whether 16:8 or 5:2 around the holidays & now I feel absolutely awful! Need to jump back in…going to start with stopping eating @7pm and not again until lunch for a few days just to get back in the habit then will start skipping lunch & just having my calories prior to 7pm. I’m daunted at having to start over but am glad we have these forums to get inspriation!! Ugh. 🙂
Hi Smeagle,
I eat phenomenal amounts of vegetables (I’m vegetarian) and I love veggies and always have. I cannot remember when I last had any problem with my stomach – I think it was 8 years ago and was the result of some dodgy street food I bought in Berlin. I had to take immodium to make sure I could cope with the flight back to Malaga. Normally I would just fast for at least 24 hours to sort the trots out.
I’m pretty regular going to the loo. I think it’s best not to worry about whether you’re regular or not. A healthy diet is usually enough to keep you on track. Medication can knock things off balance but I try to avoid meds
PS I have “breakfast” at noon.
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