This topic contains 7,125 replies, has 64 voices, and was last updated by Barata 9 months ago.
We are just back from brunch with Wiwi and her OH. They are off to warmer climes tomorrow, 32 hours in a plane or two to London 🙁 I’m happy to report that she’s over her bugs and ills, and is looking forward to getting back to 4:3 and the thread.
One of the two kgs that has been annoying me for the last six months is on the wane – nothing different in my diet, I even had wine on my last FD – such dreadful weather I called in sick, hatches were battened, winds equivalent to a level 3 cyclone, it called out for comfort drinking!
Have a good weekend, everyone. 🙂
Morning/evening all,
Barata,
That will have to go down as another mystery of the intricate and sophisticated workings of the human body!
It’s a fine warm and sunny morning here but I’m not sure how long the sunshine will last although it should remain dry.
Dish of the day will be avocado and mozzarella salad and it’ll need to be good as after it’s gone there will be no more food until Tuesday!
I now have a week to myself with no social events or obligations so am hoping for a really good week fasting wise with lots of fresh air and exercise.
Have a good one everybody 😜
Amazon,
Avocado and mozzarella sounds like a perfect last meal, I hope it sustains you through!
Jo,
I agree re: the new Doctor Who. As a female doctor myself, I’d say it’s long overdue 😀 It will be interesting to see how they develop the character, especially as the series is still written by a man.
Morning/evening all,
A beautiful morning here with sunshine and clear blue sky 🌞😎🌞
I’m off to the gym this morning via the opticians as my new glasses still do not fit properly which is very frustrating and rather baffling as I’ve never had this problem before. Let’s hope they can get things right at the third attempt…….
Have a good one everybody 😜
Afternoon all.
I still have blue sky and sunshine 🙂
The nice young man at the opticians has done the best he can with my glasses but thinks that they were heated too much when the lenses were inserted which has warped the frame so he has ordered a new one which should arrive in the next couple of days.
Fortunately they are only a few minutes from the gym so I’m not too inconvenienced.
Jo,
I have varifocal sunglasses too as I prefer to have a bigger frame which protects my eyes more in strong sunlight.
I really enjoyed the gym this morning having not been since last Tuesday and I had a nice swim as the pool wasn’t as busy as it usual for a Monday morning.
I might go out for a stroll this afternoon but I don’t want to overdo it or I won’t be able to move tomorrow 😆
Hi Fast Trackers And Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
With the fasting lifestyle firmly entrenched I find a lot of the information in its latest release version complicates what still is and will always be a very simple process and Jason Fung is at the for front of communication but I do wonder how many different ways there are to tell the same story that “the less you eat the more you lose”
That you will not die if you do not eat today in fact We do not have to eat all the time, therefore we are free to choose when we eat.
With Jojo on MWF fasting zero calories in I wonder what time your first meal of breaking the fast is? Happy trying for 36 hours and I dabble in 42 hour fasts.
A 36 hour fast means that you fast one entire day. You finish dinner on day 1 at 7pm for instance, and you would skip all meals on day 2, and not eat again until breakfast at 7 am on day 3. So that is a total of 36 hours of fasting.
42 hour fasts
We often advise our clients to make a routine out of skipping the morning meal and break their fast around noon hour. This makes it easy to follow a 16:8 fasting period on regular days. After a few days, most people start to feel quite normal just starting their day with a glass of water and their usual cup of coffee.
When you combine that with a 36 hour fast, you get a 42 hour fasting period. For example, you would eat dinner at 6 pm on day 1. You skip all meals on day 2 and eat your regular ‘break fast’ meal at 12:00. This is a total of 42 hours.
For longer duration fasts, we often try NOT to calorie restrict during that eating period. Often, as people get used to fasting, we hear very often that their appetite starts to seriously go down. Not up. Down. They should eat to satiation on their eating day.
There’s a very good reason for this decrease in appetite. As you start to break the insulin resistance cycle, insulin levels start to decrease. Since insulin is the major regulator of the body set weight (BSW) your body now ‘wants’ to go lower. In response, hunger is suppressed and total energy expenditure is maintained. So – appetite goes down and TEE stays same or goes up. Remember that standard Caloric Reduction as Primary (CRaP) strategies produce the opposite. Appetite goes up and TEE goes down. Which do you think will work in the long run?
Start with Fasting part 1
“It is easier to avoid eating than to stop eating once started”
Peace RT
There is your answer Jo, forget what the scales say! 500ml of water weighs 500g…if your ankles are swollen, you have a lot of non-fat weight right there.
Go easy with the cleaning, those ankles are a warning, try to put your feet up at times!
I try to do minimum cleaning before a big social do, it just needs cleaning again afterwards! I just make sure the bathrooms and loos are spotless!
Hello,
I am back home shortly for my niece’s wedding. Long trip via Mexico but I made it in one piece.
As a daily reminder reminder I keep all times before I eat think how much and even if a need it at that moment if not hungry. As you know if you are not on first or business class it’s best to decline their food. I only took what was to keep me alive.
I came across an interesting article for all of us who wants to lose pounds and keep/gain muscle.
Be good everyone
https://examine.com/nutrition/dieting-with-a-side-of-extra-protein/?utm_sq=fcngc66tml&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Healthy+Happy+Wonderful&utm_content=OC+for+HHW+%26+Twitter
Jo,
If you are doing food free FDs and only eating 1000 calories on other days you should be losing weight every week.
There is no way that you cannot lose on such a low intake unless you have a medical condition which is slowing things down and as you know you are healthy it must be your calculations that are out.
Jo – although I have never joined your forum I have dipped in and out over the months, and found some interesting and useful comments/tips.
However, on reading your last post in which you state that you only eat 1000 calories on NFDs (this used to be 1200) I was quite shocked, and don’t know how you have sustained this for so long. No wonder you have very little energy.
As I understand it if we continually deprive our bodies on a long-term low calorie diet our body goes into ‘starvation’ mode:
“starvation mode” is the body’s natural response to long-term calorie restriction. It involves a reduction in the amount of calories your body burns, also lowering your metabolic rate, which can slow down weight loss.”
I recall that you said recently that you intend to rest and chill for the month of August, which sounds just what you need – be kinder to yourself.
Hi Fast Trackers and Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
OOPS……
A couple was invited to a swanky costume party.
Unfortunately, the wife came
Down with a terrible headache and told her
Husband to go to the party alone.
He being a devoted husband protested,
But she argued and said she was going
To take some aspirin and go to bed,
And there was no need for his good time
Being spoiled by not going.
So he took his costume and away he went.
The wife, after sleeping soundly for
About an hour, awakened without pain and,
As it was still early enough, decided
To go to the party.
Since her husband did not know what
Her costume was, she thought she would
Have some fun by watching her husband
To see how he acted when she was not
With him. She joined the party and
Soon spotted her husband cavorting around
On the dance floor, dancing with every nice
Woman he could, and copping a little
Touch here and a little kiss there.
His wife sidled up to him and, being
A rather seductive babe herself, he left his
Current partner high and dry and
Devoted his time to the new babe who had just
Arrived. She let him go as far as he wished…
Naturally, since he was her husband.
Finally, he whispered a little proposition
In her ear and she agreed. So off they
Went to one of the cars and had a quickie.
Just before unmasking at midnight,
She slipped away, went home, put the
Costume away, and got into bed,
Wondering what kind of explanation he would
Make for his behavior.
She was sitting up reading when he came in, and she
Asked what kind of a time he had.
He said: “Oh, the same old thing.
You know I never have a good time when
You’re not there.”
– “Did you dance much?”
– “You know, I never even danced one dance.
When I got there, I met Pete,
Bill Browning, and some other guys, so
We went into the den and played
Poker all evening. But you’re not going to
Believe what happened to the
Guy I loaned my costume to…”
Have A Happy Weekend All You beautiful Losers 😆
Peace RT
Ha RT there is a message in there somewhere! Good luck beating the Cats tonight…
I have just completed back to back water only fasts …. no food since Tues dinner, now Friday 7.30 am and no hunger in sight! First time ever I have managed this successfully and an interesting experience. I was only actually hungry briefly once on Wed evening, the other times I was tempted it was just the sight and the smell of food, especially the raisin toast I made for little grandaughter!
I did this because we had a big 4 day social (ie lots of eating and red wine) weekend last weekend and tonight a big feast for youngest son’s birthday…cooking a duck and might have to indulge in a potato cooked in duck fat….plus an ice cream birthday cake as he does not like cake! Think I had better extend the fast til this evening…..I am actually not hungry at all at this stage. Talk about Feast and Famine!
Femme I get what you are saying about Jo’s potential for Starvation Mode, I guess it could happen if she ate only 1000 cals every day, but dont the regular fasts mitigate this? Sorry to talk about you as if you are not here Jo!!
Have a great Friday all, I need to get moving as my favourite Poodle will be here in a minute, need to put everything edible out of reach…he loves tv remotes, sox, charging cables…..
Hi Nama that is most impressive and you ought to be congratulated “jingle” very familiar 😉 longer water only or liquid only with zero calories are always interesting and I guess a different personal experience for everyone I think the most staggering thing for me is I have not once broken a fast because I was hungry. That sensation has never been an issue like the grandchildren these fur babies are a challenge we are currently housing a white deaf 18 month old staffy for the niece who is off travelling the world for 6 months talking to a deaf dog is no fun trust me !! No issues tonight extremely confident crows get the 4 points.
Have a good weekend.
RT
Nama,
You put me to shame, I extended my fasting period this week but didn’t go zero calorie! I’m not prepared to go without a splash of some type of milk in my morning coffee! And I forgot I was aiming for minimal calories later in the day and had a swig of kefir 😊 But 40 hours on perhaps 150 calories is still new for me. And I’m thinking slightly longer and lower calorie fasts may be the future. I’ve been impressed by the reduction in hunger in the following days. I had been finding that a 500-800 calorie (eaten as one meal) fast day was just leaving me ravenous the next day once I’d started eating, but not so following a no food fast.
On the subject of Jo (hi Jo!). If Amazon is not correct (and Jo is accurately recording calories), then something is clearly very wrong.
Jo reports 2-3 zero calorie fast days, and 1000 calories on the remaining 4-5 non-fast days, and is only maintaining weight. Even if we assumed an average of 1000 calories/day that is still ludicrously low. I’ve just used the calculator to find out who would have a TDEE of roughly 1000 calories: a 60 year old woman, 5ft3, sedentary, and who weighs 5 stone (BMI 12.4)!
I have to say that you are either attempting to fool yourself/ us, Jo, or you are seriously broken.
I came across a reference to a Fasting Talk podcast, with Jason Fung and a colleague of his where she apparently (I haven’t listened to it) talks about the problem with one meal a day (OMAD). I gather she suggests that done every day (and at lower than TDEE) it can have the same effect as daily calorie restriction. Your body gets used to the pattern of eating/not eating and compensates. As with an exercise programme, you have to mix and match/ change it. So if you really are subsisting on a lettuce leaf you should probably think about varying calorie intake within and between days and also varying your fasting habits..
Oh, if you’re interested, here’s the link to the Fasting Talk (I can’t vouch for it):
The relevant bit is apparently at 15 minutes in.
RT, thanks for the parable 😀
On the subject of statins, this is scary and with lots of links to follow, should keep you out of mischief for a while!
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2015/03/worried-about-cholesterol-andor-statins/
Hi Happy
Thank you for posting about statins. I took them for a while a few years ago, and then stopped taking them. My cholesterol levels have not changed for the worse. And I felt much better after I stopped taking statins.
I also think your other link has cracked it. Purple is always saying feast and famine, feast and famine! If I have one big meal at the end of a day, then the next day I am hungrier. Having two small meals rather than one large meal per day shrinks my stomach.
So I have returned to the fast day pattern of 5:2 that originally caused me to lose 15 kg. An egg for breakfast, spinach, and coffee. Homemade Vegetable soup around 3 pm. A small meal of fish and green vegetables for dinner.
My metabolism does not thrive on one meal a day, and I mix it up every week. I mostly have two small meals a day, and a glass of red wine on non fast days. Lots of green vegetables, and some fresh berries in season. However, Some days I do fast for 22 hours with no food, to surprise my body.
From experimenting 😉 I have found there is definitely a weight effect difference in having a glass of red wine vs beer or spirits, or champagne, or gin and tonic.
From experimenting 😉😉 I have found that eating even a small amount of bread, pasta, rice, potato, sugar, cake, cream tea, biscuits, or any dessert reverses weight loss.
Hi to Jo, to RT, to Nama, Amazon, and all the other posters and lurkers! 🌺🌺🌺. Cheers, Bay
Ha!
That thread is ill named………..
Hi everyone,
I’ve been trying food free FDs and it hasn’t gone very well although I am sticking to less than 500 calories which was what I was struggling with previously.
Like Bay (Hi there 🙂 )I’ve decided to go back to what worked before when I was doing 4:3/3:4 all by myself, pre finding this website, without reading anything or discussing it with anyone. The only thing I’ve changed is my TDEE which is obviously lower having lost a lot of weight already.
I tried this a few weeks ago but was impatient and didn’t give myself sufficient time to get back into previous good habits so I’m going to be more patient and stop being so hard on myself.
I was eating home made granola with berries and yoghurt for brunch or an egg or bacon sarnie at weekends and whatever I fancied for dinner and by that I mean a healthy option no junk/processed food or deep fried anything unless I went out for dinner when I would occasionally opt for something less than healthy and always drink far too much alcohol……
This time I’m having berries and yoghurt with a sprinkling of seeds, a few nuts, a spoonful of oats. I’m going to have something more lunch than breakfast at weekends eg guacamole with carrot sticks or poached egg with asparagus or a small salad. As I’ll be fasting 3 or 4 days a week the berries, yoghurt etc will only be eaten once or twice a week.
I’m making moussaka for dinners this weekend and I’ll calorie count it so I don’t have too large a portion. It freezes well so I’ll have a couple of portions to stash for other non FDs.
I bought strawberries, raspberries and blackberries today, all English and all smelling and tasting wonderful. I love this time of year as there is so much lovely fruit and veg in the shops.
Interesting findings from Bay’s difficult research project on how different types of alcohol affect weight. It was very honourable of you to make such a sacrifice and also to share your conclusions with us Bay 😉 😆
Beer is full of carbs so no surprise there, but I’m surprised about the fizz and the G&Ts. As they are both on the occasional treat list I won’t worry too much.
Red wine imperative for stress relief, relaxation and sanity so I’m pleased it is on the 5:2 OK to imbibe list………
I’ve been to the gym 3 times this week and feel so much better despite hitting the wall on the bike this morning. It felt like cycling through treacle (not that I’ve ever done that 😉 ) I kept going and all was well.
After 5 trips to the opticians I finally have a pair of glasses that fit properly, the previous frame was warped most likely as a result of over heating it when the lenses were inserted and I thought they might fall apart any second 😲
Happy weekend everybody 😜
exhausted in only a day.
Hi Fast Trackers
Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
Good to see you posting again Bay / Emel has not updated us for a while now and school is back today after 2 weeks holidays so I hope she is able to keep on keeping on I watched a tutorial on fasting and health over the weekend about what normal is in general terms for weight or normal blood pressure or normal calories for a man of 2400 calories or a normal waist circumference V 94cm increased risk to 102cm greatly increased risk of risk of chronic disease. And the presenter was questioning the notion that normal does not necessarily mean healthy.
That statement rang true for me big time !!!
Nama crows too strong at home a good win over a team we have had trouble with and an excellent fighting come from behind win from the pies surely something to crow about 😉
RT
“It’s is easier to avoid eating than to stop eating once started”
Peace RT
Morning/evening all,
I had a wonderful time at the blues festival and am really pleased I made a last minute decision on Friday evening to buy a ticket which was the princely sum of £11 for the whole weekend!
There were three stages to choose from with lots of very good music and despite the fact that it poured with rain all day on Saturday, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Two stages were in marquees and one had a covered area opposite so it was possible to keep dry while watching/listening. The weather was much kinder yesterday with a good amount of sunshine.
RT,
I think the boundaries of what is normal have been blown out of the water and the medical profession is being forced into a major rethink by the more progressive and pro-active scientists/researchers/medics.
The problem is that the majority are still prescribing the “fat is evil” theory along with all the tired old dietary and weight advice etc because they don’t care for the flavour of humble pie……..
Bearing in mind where I’ve spent the weekend I’ve a half serious question for you.
Do you think men carry fat around their waists because they are genetically pre-disposed or because of all the carb laden beer? 😉
FD today.
Have a good one everybody 😜
Hi Amazon this is a good question and I suspect I may be entering into the danger zone if I rush too much with a male response 😯 men in general do not seem to be all that fussed about the barrel at all in fact gut measuring competitions have been held and awards presented to the biggest I can draw on many examples to validate my theory that men do not take their own health seriously when the only male on this thread is me I of course still miss the legend that was SAMM now 99% of people walking towards me or indeed that I overtake are women to be a lean middle aged 50 something male is very rare indeed. We have here some excellent full strength low carb beers that has only 3g carbs a can compared to full strength normal beer that has 11 carbs per can so I too have done many study of one on this very subject. Beer drinking has been a ritual to transition in Australia where everyone has a story that starts off with a me and a mate where having a couple a beers and bugger me you would not believe what happened next 😆 So in answer to your question IMO for men it is the evil carbs in the nectar of the gods that deposit directly to the gut.
Keep on keeping on Amazon
“A person who falls and gets back up is stronger than a person who never fell”
Peace RT
Well I did a quick google, and it appears that men gain fat around their middles for no good reason 😀 Women are better fat-stores, filling up hips and thighs before laying down belly fat. But for both sexes, once you’ve packed out your belly you start padding your organs, getting fatty liver, etc.
I guess in evolutionary terms, men are supposed to be lean and fit. Women are supposed to store fat as a reserve for pregnancy/ breast feeding. Men should be too busy feeding the family to feed their own faces 😀
Amazon,
Glad you enjoyed your weekend. Shame the weather is slightly letting this summer down!
I’m just off to bed. End of another fast day powered by green tea and a small glass of kefir. Bit peckish, but that’s less to do with not eating today and more to do with eating too much soda bread yesterday 😊
Morning/evening all,
Happy,
thanks, it was a last minute decision to go and I had a fab time even in the mud and rain 🙂
IMO the belly fat research was done by men and they don’t want to admit it woz the ale wot done it 😆
Women lay down hip and thigh fat in order to have the resources to breast feed and it makes more sense than laying down belly fat while pregnant, so I guess we’re genetically pre-disposed to store it there even when not pregnant. Having said that, I’m an apple and fat goes to my middle before it goes anywhere else.
I had plenty of beer and cider at the weekend, and sampled some of the excellent food on offer which was a far cry from greasy burgers and flabby pizza. Indian, South Indian vegan, Mexican, Thai, Caribbean, Greek, Paella, BBQ and a stallselling confit duck either in a wrap or with fries!
There was one burger stand and one selling the largest sausages in a bun I’ve ever seen!
I managed a food free fast yesterday, a small drink of kefir, 50 mls of milk for teas and coffee and lots of water and mint tea. It was a bit of a struggle after my weekend of carb loading but I got there and slept well. I feel great this morning and am doing it again today and I think it’ll be easier than yesterday 🙂
The sun is shining so I’m going to Kew Gardens, the gym can wait until tomorrow when rain is forecast.
Have a good one everybody 😜
Hi All
just parachuting in after a short browse on this thread.
Not sure if I have the right end of the stick but it sounds as if @jojo58 is not eating much on NFDs, having very low cal FDs and STILL not losing weight.
I am on another thread, the monthly challenges started by Coda, where we post every day.
I can attest to the fact that sometimes eating very little and fasting does not always result in weight loss.😫
( Have a scientific background and know that less calories in vs more calories out should result in some sort of weight loss but it doesn’t always seem to happen.)
I have sat around on a plateau for some months. ☹️😢😢😢
I was eating so little on NFDs and under 500 calories on FDs (, calculated on MFP and EVERY SINGLE morsel recorded) that my OH was seriously worried. He even said it looked as though I was starving myself.
I had correctly calculated my TDEE ( 1200 – 1300 calories) and religiously stayed within those limits for weeks with the scales bouncing up and down daily but NEVER going below 71.5 kgs.
I was thinking about giving up in despair BUT I am aware of all the other health benefits of fasting so am sticking with it.
I had a complete series of blood tests done last week to see if there might be something else that might be accounting for the lack of weight loss.
I feel very healthy but it is REALLY and I do mean REALLY disheartening not to have a downward movement of the scales that stays down.
In the past month or so I have been a bit reckless with my eating habits as I figured it wasn’t making a difference anyhow. Fortunately the scales haven’t swung up too much but it is certainly bouncing bouncing bouncing.
I have cut down SERIOUSLY on the amount of wine, carbs, sugar, portion sizes I am drinking/eating.
I have increased the amount of exercise I’m doing but still not breaking 71.5kgs .
It’s a mystery!!!🤔😰😞🤔
Hi lilymartin good of you to parachute in I would suggest to you that just because you can’t see it ie scales moving does not mean you are not improving your own health here 9 out of the top 10 health benefits here you cannot see and at 71.5kg you did not say how tall you are but in general that would be in the healthy range for most and for some the ultimate goal.
1. Intermittent Fasting Changes The Function of Cells, Genes and Hormones
2. Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight and Belly Fat
3. Intermittent Fasting Can Reduce Insulin Resistance, Lowering Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
4. Intermittent Fasting Can Reduce Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in The Body
5. Intermittent Fasting May be Beneficial For Heart Health
6. Intermittent Fasting Induces Various Cellular Repair Processes
7. Intermittent Fasting May Help Prevent Cancer
8. Intermittent Fasting is Good For Your Brain
9. Intermittent Fasting May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
10. Intermittent Fasting May Extend Your Lifespan, Helping You Live Longer
Eat Fast and Live Longer
RT
Hi RT
thanks for the reply and info.
I know the scales are not the be all and end all but having lost 11 kgs in the past year I can’t seem to get below 71.5 ( currently 73.9!).
I’m 5’7 ( 171 cms,) female, fifties and at the upper end of the ‘healthy limit’ on many charts – not always a good indicator either.
I am still 10 kgs overweight compared with 5 years ago and most of my clothes for the past few years no longer fit.
I was 65 kgs for many years and just gradually put on weight through mindless and over eating.
As I said, I am aware of the other benefits of 5:2 which is the reason I stick with this WOL but when weight loss is the issue I am focussing on at present it is frustrating. 😞
Hi everyone,
Just back from the gym on a warm and wet day.
I got through my B2B food free FDs and am very pleased that my self control has returned and appears to be in working order.
I’m breaking my fast with a peanut butter and banana sarnie which might sound horrible to some of you but I love the combination and have been craving a banana since yesterday morning!
Veggie fritters with salad for dinner.
I’m going to fast again tomorrow and continue with food free as it is no more difficult than having 500 calories and rather than clock watching and counting down the minutes until I could eat I got on with something else more worthwhile 🙂
Sleeping wasn’t an issue either although there were more bathroom trips than if I have 500 calories.
I had plenty of energy for my work-out this morning too, which proves that feeling weak, tired, faint etc in healthy people embarking on fasting is all in the mind, although some of it may be due to sugar withdrawal.
I did feel hungry this morning but if I can stick to food free fasts and eat a bit less on non FDs I think that feeling will disappear. I certainly don’t feel the urge to eat everything in sight which is more usual for me post FD so that is a good sign.
Lily,
have you considered giving up carbs and sugar for a week or two and seeing if it helps? It might get things moving in the right direction again.
Have a good one everybody 😜
Hi Jojo58.
Being on a plateau even when really diligent is no fun and I know EXACTLY how you feel too! Being really careful on NFDs etc , cutting carbs, sugar, portion size and then to eat a tad over TDEE and UP goes the scales!!
However I have just got my blood test results back and even though I weigh less, am healthier and fitter than 12 months ago, my blood test results are all over the shop – generally much WORSE than July 2016 so have had a recall by the doc and off to see him ASAP as requested.
Might explain the plateau??😞
Hi Fast Trackers And Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
Breaking fast at 1pm today I remember Jojo a few years ago saying I am not on a diet I just fast 3 times a week that has stuck with me. I am currently on
ADF Alternate Day Fasting Monday-Wednesday-Friday.
1) Monday Fast from Sunday evening after 7pm until Tuesday 1pm = 42 hours.
2) Wednesday Fast from Tuesday evening 7pm until Thursday 1pm = 42 hours.
3) Friday Fast from Thursday evening 7pm until Saturday 1pm = 42 hours.
4) 126 hours fasting a week or 5 ¼ days fasting per week.
The extra fast day enables me to comfortably have a few treats and still balance the ledger it is certainly my doable.
I am interested in other fast tracker opinions here as it seems to me that the fasting mechanisms and the many health benefits that Jason Fung are such great promoters of are being diminished in the 5-2 methodology in this article that I have scalped from a Happy post from elsewhere is suggesting 3 meals a day now and 800 calories this will be just as effective at shifting the pounds and at almost the same rate that seems to me just simple calorie restriction I am not bagging it at all by any means but I am surprised I am just passing on my thoughts.
Have a read here
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4304716/Fast-Diet-s-inventor-says-allowed-200-calories.html
It’s still true that
“The less you eat the more you lose”
RT
RT,
As you know, I’ve been maintaining my weight loss for over three years now. It requires vigilance and constant effort. So in a lot of ways no different to the weight loss phase, except that the motivation is to see no change on the scales rather than a loss each week.
In my experience, as someone who weighs roughly 60kg, 800 calorie fast days are not particularly helpful. I eat one meal a day on fast days, but a more generous evening meal leaves me MORE hungry in the following days, constantly craving, and never full (until my stomach is physically distended with food!). So while theoretically making the fast day easier, it makes life…and weight maintenance…much much harder.
Perhaps there are circumstances where it’s helpful.. if you have a lot of weight to lose, your TDEE is really really high, you’re completely new to the idea of not overeating/restricting calories, want to keep eating three meals a day, etc.
In terms of health benefits… let’s not forget that 5:2 is first and foremost a doable ‘diet’ with some associated health benefits.
People who are resistant to the idea of eating less, and not used to the feeling of true hunger, and primarily interested in losing weight rather than exploring fasting, will presumably be very happy with eating a bit more. For those of us who have mastered eating less (and enjoy the liberation from the constant ‘need’ to eat), and might have progressed from 5:2 by the book in any case, and don’t have a lot of weight if any to lose, increased fast day calories are an irrelevant red herring.
And yes, reading Jason Fung, eating more on fast days is perhaps a bit mad! People struggling with weight loss on 5:2 might perhaps be better going down the Jason Fung route than plugging away with what clearly isn’t working?
Morning/evening all,
As you all know I’ve been struggling with my FDs AND my non FDs for ages and my weight has been going in the wrong direction.
I did 2 food free fast days M and Tu and ate sensibly yesterday, and I got on the scales this morning to discover I’m 3lbs lighter which has made me very happy and determined to stick with no food on FDs. I’m fasting again today and if I feel good tomorrow I’ll make it another B2B.
Eating more on FDs will make weight loss slower and when people don’t see results is when they fall off the wagon so 800 calories seems to me to be a ploy to get more people doing IF but weight loss would be painfully slow after the first few weeks
I’m also interested in the health benefits of fasting so food free FDs is a step in the right direction in every way.
Happy, I read the article you posted and associated links regarding statins and I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t have FH just very high cholesterol and I’m going to make an appointment to see my doctor to discuss stopping taking them. My regular GP retired at Easter so I’ll be seeing someone different and it’ll be interesting to get someone elses opinion.
Have a good one everybody 😜
Hi all,
RT I follow exactly your routine, ie M/W/F fasts, approx 40 hours each time. Also like you, the third day is required to balance out the weekend feasting!! This is keeping my weight stable where I want it, though sometimes I think I need more willpower on the weekends so the weekdays could be easier! But I comfort myself with the fact that the fasts have many more benefits than weight control. Problem is, there is always something social happening and often revolves around food! Even my little grandaughter loves a piece of raisin toast in a cafe with me now, before we go to the lake to feed the ducks! I love the flexibility, being able to swap days when I need to, some weeks I only get in 2 fasts!
Like you Happy I love the liberation of not ‘needing’ to eat. Today was a fast day for me and I got so much done, without having to stop to eat. Several errands run this morning, then car dropped in for tyres, filled in that time playing with new phone app at photo kiosk in KMart (Yes! I managed to get some photos!), did the weekly food shop without any temptation, chatted to a recently widowed neighbour, finished off with 2 hrs in the garden, last of the roses finally pruned! Husband will have casserole from freezer and I will have a coffee for ‘dinner’ Have not considered eating at all. By not having dinner, I get the extended fasting benefits plus it is so much easier for me….stopping once started is so much harder!
When I began 5:2 I had not explored fasting at all and was really only interested in a doable way to lose weight. The benefits of moving to this way of life have been immeasurable, even just considering the simplicity of my diet now without even looking at the other benefits of fasting.
Hi Amazon, we almost crossed posts! Well done on the 3lbs! I am very sceptical about statins, I hope you can do without them.
We wont mention the football this week RT, except to request that your boys are gentle with us – probably be a bit one-sided!
Jo, we are off to our week of warmth on Saturday, exchanging Wellington’s 8 degrees with the Gold Coast’s mid-twenties! We so need some rest and relaxation, can’t wait. May be a bit of checking out the winter sales as well 🙂
I have bitten the fasting bullet this week and eased into a multi-day fast. From Sunday night I didn’t eat on Monday (usual FD), didn’t eat on Tuesday (and am still staggered that I felt no hunger at all!!), and broke the fast after 62 hours on Wednesday when the morning work meeting came with cheeses left over from a gathering at work the night before. I have lost a kg, and am thrilled that I now know I have full control of any weight creep, by just (!) doing a multi-day fast. Really, I was doing it for the health benefits, and curiosity, but so happy with the re-establishment of my goal weight that I achieved with 5:2. I really had no idea that it would be so easy, and that I could do it!!!
So OH and I are considering the holiday options. No breakfast? Or as in Fiji, big breakfast and no lunch? The freedom of it all. 🙂
Thursday evening, and we are now on holiday! So a few glasses of wine might have been addressed 🙂 And with my workload, I have done a third of my annual tasks in a third of the financial year and that never happens. So you can see I am floating.
Hi Barata,
I’ve solved the holiday issue by having brunch and dinner. I never eat breakfast at home as I’m not good at eating first thing in the morning, although I have occasionally been tempted by an excellent hotel breakfast. What’s great is the freedom to decide when to have the first meal and the willpower to know that the second one will always be dinner.
Enoy your holiday 😎
Nama,
my high cholesterol was an incidental finding when I went to the doctor for an unrelated matter and he decided a blood test was in order and as I hadn’t had one for many years he would order the works!
He said that the level was too high to be caused by my diet so I assumed he meant it was genetic/hereditary especially in light of the fact that my father had a fatal heart attack at the age of 61.
I am very concerned at the way statins work and it would seem that at best they might be harming the many to lower the risk for a few and at worst, no-one should be taking them.
I would like to stop taking them and have a 3 monthly blood test for a year to see how high my level is and if it is stable or rising. I have a feeling it’ll stabilise and as I’m healthier than I’ve ever been since my 20s and have no signs of any cardio vascular issues I’m happier to take the risk of not taking statins than continue to risk of continuing with them.
I hope some day to feel the liberation of not needing to eat, and eventually achieve a weight that I am comfortable with.
I’ve always followed a healthy way of eating, and now in my 65th year and in excellent health I have found the lbs have crept upon me. Perhaps because I have always been physically healthy I have not felt the need to address my weight, until now.
Weight issues can be affected by the challenges of life, and I must admit I’ve had to deal with some challenges; depression was the quickest way I ever lost weight, but not one I would recommend. Now I find that on my ‘down’ days food is my comfort.
I shall continue following this thread as it’s good to hear how others are doing, and that not everyone finds this way of eating easy.
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5:44 pm
15 Jul 17