Just beginning – any tips?

This topic contains 19 replies, has 11 voices, and was last updated by fitnfast 9 years, 6 months ago.

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)

gennyt

9:46 am
26 May 15
Permalink

Hi everyone, I’m just starting out this morning. I’ll be fasting on Tuesdays and Thursdays as this fits in best with my weekly routine.

I know several people who have successfully lost quite a bit of weight using this 2 day fasting approach, and having recently topped my highest ever weight I reckon it’s time to give it a go myself. I’ve tried different kinds of diet before, and managed to lose 2 stone or more (about a third of goal) before life events have distracted me and I’ve gradually piled it all back on again. I think this intermittent approach is more likely to work long term for me, because I won’t have to be worrying about what food I’m eating every day.

My most successful previous attempts have been greatly helped by the support of an online forum, so I hope to find some encouragement from this forum to.

So does anyone have any good tips for someone just starting out?

Angie090465

10:20 am
26 May 15
Permalink

hi Gennyt and welcome to the forums 🙂

I just started out myself, yesterday was my first fast, though i am not new to fasting, i fasted last year for almost 9 months and lost weight, but life got in the way and i had some very difficult time to deal with so fasting went out of the window!!

I would suggest you plan some meals in advance, i write mine down lol, but i tend to be boring and eat the same foods 🙂 i drink lots of water to keep hunger at bay, but you can also have herbal teas.. it will be tough at first, but your body will get used to it and then the magic will start to happen as i call it 🙂

Stay strong, focus on tomorrow, and look out for food ideas in this site.. anything else i can help with then just ask!! good luck for today, take care!

Angie xx

MaryAnn

2:11 am
28 May 15
Permalink

I lost about 50 lbs using this diet (I did 4:3 instead of 5:2, mostly because I’m impatient), and have kept it off for over a year.

My tips:
1. drink lots of water, coffee, and other zero cal drinks. Keep caffeine levels similar to non-fast days, though. Often you think you’re hungry, when really you’re thirsty.
2. stay busy. gardening, walking, tidying home or office… anything to keep your mind off hunger. It will pass.
3. Measure, don’t just weigh. For your health, your waist measurement means more than your weight, since it is an indicator of visceral fat. Sometimes people lose inches before pounds.
4. Have a maintenance plan. Keeping weight off is harder for a lot of people than losing it in the first place. Don’t start thinking you will stop fasting once you reach your goal weight…
5. Protein is your friend. It is the most satiating of the macronutrients. Likewise, carbs, especially refines ones, are your enemy on a fast day.
6. Even if you don’t want to count calories on your non-fast days, it’s a good idea to keep a food diary.

Good luck!

Lilyjakaj1

7:15 pm
28 May 15
Permalink

Hey there I am new at this too! Maybe we can help each other out 🙂

gennyt

9:40 am
29 May 15
Permalink

Thanks everyone for your welcome and tips.I’m doing well so far, have managed my first two fast days, lost several pounds and a couple of inches off the waist too (I’ve got a lot to lose, so the first bit comes off easily) . Maybe I’ll finally end up with a proper waist again if I can stick with this!

Christabel789

1:03 pm
1 Jun 15
Permalink

Hi

Just started today without much thinking, l know l need to lose weight but was not sure what plan to follow. Excited about this plan and about the positive reviews. l am planning to fast on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays then scale down to 2 days once l reach my target weight. Very ambitious???

simcoeluv

2:32 pm
1 Jun 15
Permalink

Hi Christabel and welcome:

Most people have trouble starting with two – those that start with three diet days usually don’t stick with it. Here are some tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

MaryAnn

12:58 am
2 Jun 15
Permalink

and some of us who do three days prefer it because there are fewer days between fasts making it easier. To each his/her own.

fitnfast

8:12 am
2 Jun 15
Permalink

Same here. I couldn’t do 2 days only once I started losing! I switched to 3 days right away. I think it also helps if you tend to binge.

gennyt

6:00 pm
2 Jun 15
Permalink

Looking forward to my dinner shortly on my first fast day of week 2. I’ve had nothing but tea and coffee so far today, so I’m certainly ready to eat something! Chicken breast marinated in soy sauce, honey and mustard, with beansprouts and brocolli, followed by fresh strawberries – yum!

Mardi

11:07 pm
2 Jun 15
Permalink

First fast for me today. Have just joined the forum, and hope to get lot of tips and inspiration from you guys. Many of you have lost so much weight. Well done.

diverdog

12:04 am
3 Jun 15
Permalink

Just two weeks for me but going great so far. I’ve been successful with long term fat loss (70 lbs off for 20 years) I’m doing this mostly for the health benefits but I’d like to lose another 20 Lbs. So far 5 lbs in 2 weeks.

These are the main strategies I’ve used for long term success. Plan for success by cleaning all the junk out of your pantry and stocking healthy foods. if you have to run to the store to binge on junk it’s much harder! 2) participate in support groups like this one. 3) surround yourself with like minded people. 4) move more (NEAT) and start HIT and resistance exercise (note if you don’t get you nutrition right exercise alone won’t amount to much fat loss)

Last of all, but a great mindset is: this is not a “diet” it is a permanent change to the way I eat

Good luck with your efforts!

AgsUK

3:25 am
3 Jun 15
Permalink

Hi all,

I’ve just started today and am going for the 4:3 to start with. I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life and it feels just awful which affects my general happiness. I’m 5 7ft and currently weigh 107 kilos…. I guess I need to start talking in pounds? I know that my BMI is also too high and the health issues are beginning to show. I need to kick start and lose the weight so I have been looking at the Fast beach diet 6 week plan. I can’t see The significance in this at the mo apart from it encourages you to keep motivated by the 6 week term of it.

What I want to understand is the HIT aspect and I think I am being particularly dim…..how long do you actually exercise for? And how many repitions do you do?

My fitness is pretty poor now…..I can’t believe I did a half marathon 2 years ago now and was so healthy. So I want to get back into it but am struggling to start so I thought maybe the HIT could.

Anyone out there got any helpful tips.

Oh I have never joined forums before so this is all new for me

diverdog

4:20 am
3 Jun 15
Permalink

AgsUK, very few of the folks on here are from the USA. But we understand KG, It’s stones that confuse us! LOL

HIT or HIIT as I call it (High Intensity Interval Training) is simply alternating periods of high effort with periods of low effort. It usually refers to “cardio” IE running, cycling, rowing etc. I have not yet read the HIT training book so I don’t know the type of intervals they recommend. I like to do mine on a spin bike and I vary the intervals from time to time. now I do 2:00 warm up, sprint @ 110 RPM for 1:15, 2:00 rest @75 RPM, sprint 1:00, rest 2:00, sprint 0:45 rest 2:00 sprint 0:30 rest 2:00 sprint 0:30 cool down. As the sprints get shorter I increase the resistance so I have to work harder. I monitor my heart rate to be sure it doesn’t go above 95% of the theoretical max. So the entire workout is 16:00 minutes including warm up and cool down.

For resistance work I do circuit training with no rest between 1 set of each exercise and 2:00 minutes between each circuit. This is a very tough WO and really burns a lot of calories and also raises heart rate just as much as the HIIT on the spin bike. The WO of 5 upper body or 5 lower body exercises takes < 30 min. BTW I don’t do intense exercise on FD’s. I am active though walking or dancing

AgsUK

5:38 am
3 Jun 15
Permalink

Hi Diverdog,

Thanks for the reply. I’ll be doing my HIT on the running machine to start. I’m improving my chances of doing it by using what is nearby and I will use. Running outside is just not something I am ready for yet. I have signed up for a 10km run in sept so there is a goal to aim for.

Is it the idea to reduce the intervals down and do a number of them?

agsUK

diverdog

5:58 am
3 Jun 15
Permalink

The idea is to elevate your heart rate and then let it recover. I’m 64 YO and I sprint to get my heart rate up to ~160 BPM then I let it recover into the 120’s. A very common interval on the treadmill is 2:00 walk, 2:00 jog and 1:00 sprint. repeat 5 times for 25 minutes total.

I believe the HIT intervals recommended in the “Fast Exercise” book are shorter than what I do.

fitnfast

8:21 am
3 Jun 15
Permalink

Right on, Diverdog. I do 3 15 minute hiit sessions each week. I walk with weights, then do 2 zumba routines, then walk. That’s it. No more long hours at the gym!

Ags, welcome, and you can do it. I do a version of the Fast Beach Diet all the time, because I am impatient and because it is a healthier way to eat.

AgsUK

11:25 pm
3 Jun 15
Permalink

Thanks Diverdog and fitnfast,

Just did 25 mins with the 2min walk, 2min jog, 1min sprint. Knackered! But v pleased I did it.

Bring on the next session!

Skyesmummy

7:34 am
4 Jun 15
Permalink

Hello I’m just beginning but a bit confused. What types of food should we eat on fast days anyone have a list of foods and there calories like plain chicken breast for instance? Thank you

fitnfast

8:50 am
4 Jun 15
Permalink

I thought there was a list on this site but I couldn’t find it. Everyone is different and will post samples. This is mine:

Dinner evening before a fast day: Chicken breast with a Romaine salad, dressing, hard boiled egg.

2-3 whole wheat crackers or half an Apple before bed so I can take my meds.

First meal next day, after only water and coffee all morning is soup (mostly broth) and another salad with tuna and hard boiled egg. Pickles. Apple.

When I get home from work around 2, I have a coffee and a couple crackers with cheese or natural peanut butter.

Dinner is either another salad or meat and veggie portion of whatever I have cooked for others. Then nothing until the next day’s breakfast.

So, soups and salads are my mainstay. Veggies, veggies, veggies! They fill you up and are super low cal.