New and struggling

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MissyT80

3:57 pm
6 Jul 20
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Hi All,
I’m new to this 5:2 diet and seem to be struggling a little (well a lot if i’m honest). i’am now on my 3rd week, tomorrow being my 5th fast day but i seem so lightheaded and off balance, with a bit of brain fog to throw into the mix too! As anyone else really struggled with these symptoms? and will it go away? as you can most probably tell my anxiety levels are also playing up too. The bonus to all this is that i have lost 6lbs up to yet but i’m scared of giving up if these other side effects persist. Can anyone help?

Cinque

11:37 pm
7 Jul 20
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Hi Missy,
Welcome here.
Sorry to hear you are struggling with those symptoms. They do sound like symptoms of low blood sugar, so you might need to change the way you spread calories out over the day.
Another possibility is that you are getting dehydrated. This often happens with fasting, you find you need a lot more drinks of water than you usually have.
It may even be that a day with no salt is effecting you badly.

How have you been organising your fast day? Are you using the 800 calorie limit, 500 calories, water only?

I’ll write a list of things I can think of, in case one or two of them might do the trick.

Have a small meal before symptoms come on. eg if you start getting light headed around midday, have a small meal, or snack at about 11.

Low GI foods will help avoid blood sugar fluctuating. eg a small bowl of good oat porridge. But even chewing a raw carrot might do the trick.

Even a cup of tea or coffee with milk might be enough to keep you going.

Soup can be excellent as it hydrates you and contains lots of electrolytes.

Make sure you are drinking regularly through the day. eg a drink of water every time you go to the loo. A pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice in a jug of water provides the main electrolytes and helps the water go down.

Your aim is to make 5:2 easy and sustainable so you can do it long term, or be happy to pick it up again, if you stop, so just keep playing around with different times of eating, and different foods, until you have it easy and sustainable.

Good luck, let us know how you go!