Second week – but think it's started very badly

This topic contains 18 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by Bexcetera 10 years, 5 months ago.

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Bexcetera

2:23 pm
8 Jul 14
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So this is my second week of 5:2, last week felt very positive and enjoyed the challenge of the fasting days, didn’t notice any weight change but think I’m always slow to lose so not expecting to at the moment.

Yesterday was planned to be a fasting day as I’m trying to do fasting whilst at work as the days have a better routine usually. So went to work on a 7.30 start, planning to eat light lunch at midday, supper at 6; but mid morning realised staff sickness meant I had to go home & return in the evening to work the later shift for 5 hrs – this really threw my plans and I ended up eating when I got home in the morning plus again before the evening shift AND again after when home late last night – and all sorts of junk (crisps, white bread) I wouldn’t normally touch either. Why??? It’s like I sabotage myself…

So today I decided, has to make up for yesterday’s spectacular fail, & has been my fasting day – but think I made a poor start – last night ate at midnight when got home from work (Brazil nuts & 85% chocolate, delicious but not a regular thing for me).
Woke up really hungry @7.30 – had some blueberries plus yoghurt. Lunchtime I had miso soup & pomegranate seeds, for supper I have planned salad and a bit of salmon. This keeps me under 500 cals today but last week I divided it between 2 meals and left longer gaps between night before FD – planning on not eating tomorrow til midday to give me a longer gap as this seems to be some thing comes up on this forum. I’m just not sure I’m getting this right and now 3smaller meals seems to make me hungry – I’m constantly thinking of food today, with growling stomach too!
Any advice or support would be really appreciated.

gillybilly

4:58 pm
8 Jul 14
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Hi Bexcetera I won’t pretend to be an expert on this diet as I have only been doing it for three weeks. I have always found that as soon as I eat in the day I trigger my appetite so I have taken to eating nothing until my evening meal on fast days and drinking only sparkling water or, if I’m struggling, a cup of tea with a splash of milk (which I deduct from the calories for my meal). This way of doing it allows me a much more satisfying evening meal. It works for me but it’s not right for everyone so i suggest that you play around with your method on your next few fasts until you work out the best way of doing things for you. Good luck.

Truffle_shuffle

5:52 pm
8 Jul 14
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Hi bexcetera. I would agree with grillybilly. This is my third week and have found myself trying out different ways to get through my fast days and yes I too find that once I’ve eaten then I get hungry. So for me I wait until 4 o’clock to have ‘lunch’ of approx 200 calories then have a supper at about 8.30 of 300 calories. This has worked out well for me.

I find that when I get hungry if I can keep busy and not think about it, it sort of goes away (like an itch I guess) and I just remind myself I can eat at 4. If I really can’t wait I’ll have a coffee with milk or even a bit of carrot and that usually is enough to see me through.

Good luck! I hope you find a method that works and don’t fret about missing the odd day, you can always start afresh next week, I see this as a long term plan. ( 3 weeks in and I’m down 6lb so I’m pleased with that)

JulieK1967

6:16 pm
8 Jul 14
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Hi Bexcetera

For the 5:2 to work you really need to have the longest periods of fasting between meals as you can. Snacking on chocolate & nuts at midnight just before you start your fasting day isn’t going to help, ideally your last food should be in the early evening the day before your fasting day so even if you have breakfast you’ve still had a 12 hour fast.

By having chocolate at midnight something sweet (blueberries) at breakfast time 6-7 hours later & then having soup at lunchtime you really aren’t “fasting” very much at all on your fasting day & the sweet things will set your taste buds off! I find as soon as I eat anything on my fast day I’m picking so I fast completley for 24 hours from 6pm Sunday to 6pm Monday with just tea/coffee with milk & a 450 calorie meal at 6pm. Then I have nothing else to eat until my normal breakfast on Tuesday at 9am so I have 2 decent fasts of 24 & 15 hours. Same again Thursday, my last meal is Wed dinnertime with a 450 cal meal Thurs dinnertime & nothing until breakfast Fri morning.

It really is mind over matter only you can make the changes & stick to the plan. You have to resist the crisps & definitely the white bread knowing that tomorrow you can eat fairly normally (within your TDEE). It’s not easy I know, I gave up over Christmas/New Year & only got back into 5:2 in March but I am seeing results now losing 1 pound a week roughly. I suggest don’t any keep chocolate or crisps in the house & then you can’t be tempted to snack on them.

Bexcetera

6:31 pm
8 Jul 14
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Thanks to you both for your replies, it’s really helpful to get other peoples views and hear of your progress.

Definitely a mistake to have breakfast today as think it set me up for a day of ‘hunger pangs’. Last week was much more successful, I didn’t eat until gone midday and coped much better on both fast days. Not helped today by being at home and having more ‘opportunity’ to access food – at work there is a reduced accessibility as only have 2 short breaks during a shift and eating out on the floor is not an option.

Have just about managed today but feel quite headachey, probably not enough fluids, will top up on fizzy water and head off for an early night. Next fast day will be Friday at work. I will try different things until it feels more comfortable – I really want this to work, like you I see this is as a long term way of eating.

JulieK1967

6:43 pm
8 Jul 14
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Hi Bexcetera

Yes it is hard being at home, I work from home (I run a B&B) so I rarely go out as my husband has the car for work & we live 3 miles from the nearest town with no public transport! I try to go for a brisk 20 min walk every day but don’t always succeed which is pure laziness on my part as I have the time.

There is some “junk” food in the house as in pizzas, biscuits, crisps & chocolate bars as I have 2 grown up kids living at home still but I just don’t eat that sort of food, never have. Cheese would be my downfall & enjoying a glass of wine or cider in the evening. I just have to be strong on my fast days & remember that tomorrow I can have those things in moderation. I’ve given up cider mind you except low calorie cider. It is laden with calories it’s frightening.

I even cook a full breakfast for our B&B guests if it happens to be my fast day but I’m not tempted by the bacon & sausages. It is hard but I made the decision to do this & I’m sticking to it. I know if I want a sausage sandwich I can have one the next day but I rarely do.

Hope it works out for you, it’s not easy in the first weeks fitting it around your daily routine.

dlroseberry

6:53 pm
8 Jul 14
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I’m getting older and I find it motivation to remember how comfortable it’s going to be when I have a heart attack, and how comfortable when they thread a catheter from my groin up to my heart, and when they amputate my foot due to complications of diabetes and when I can’t recognize my wife or children.

I think of these things and then I “man up” for 36 hours, twice a week. A huge bonus has been the loss of 60 pounds, a well proportioned man in the mirror, and the ability to do most anything I want to do (My wife and I recently walked from the Grand Canyon south rim to Phantom Ranch at the river and back up again (not in one day). It was easy. I’m thinking about dog sledding in Finland. Wonderful things I could never consider before.

Bexcetera

6:54 pm
8 Jul 14
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Thanks Julie for replying – yesterday was a Bad Day; annoyed with myself, I wouldn’t normally touch either bread/crisps at any time; both my husband & daughter do eat them, but they keep them for themselves- I know they are there but I don’t go there, & they buy them for themselves! I do eat dark chocolate & Brazils/macadamia as a ‘treat’ after a meal, usually once or twice a week in very limited quantities (25g bar as any bigger would be picked at til it was gone!) but realise that it’s not a great start to a fast day (or end to a stressful working day). I normally wouldn’t eat anything after 7.30 most evenings, but think yesterday’s messed about work pattern meant I was not in the best frame of mind, not an excuse, but did knock out my plans for the whole day generally, missed my running group last night too!

I have a duty weekend coming up and the house to myself as sending the family off to Grandma’s – will use this as an opportunity to get back into the right frame of mind, make plans for Friday as a fast day, & may do Sunday too.

It’s really helpful to read how you manage your days with lot longer gaps between food, as this is what I did last week and it was much more positive experience. Will use the last 24hrs as a learning experience…not to be repeated!

JulieK1967

7:01 pm
8 Jul 14
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Hi dlroseberry good for you. Yes thinking about what could be just around the corner is a great motivator. I started 5:2 as my blood sugars were borderline diabetic which was a shock as I’m only 47 but about 16-20 pounds over my ideal weight so not massively obese for my height. My GP suggested losing a stone in weight might help get the sugar levels down. I don’t want to be diabetic & run the risk of amputation etc. Having worked in the health sector for 17 years I know the risks only too well.

I had my bloods done last week having lost 10 pounds very gradually & to my disappointment the sugar levels were pretty much the same. I’ll try to lose more weight & get more active then have the bloods done again in 6 months.

Good luck Bexcetera do whichever days suit you best, it will fall into place I’m sure. Sunday is never my fast day we always have a roast dinner & a bottle of wine (or BBQ if it’s dry – I live in Ireland lol)

simcoeluv

7:12 pm
8 Jul 14
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Hi Julie:

This might help explain your blood sugar level – weight loss does not always cure the problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oZ4UqtbB_g

Good Luck!

Bexcetera

7:28 pm
8 Jul 14
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Well, that’s a powerful train of motivational thinking there dlroseberry! I’m more about the longer term health benefits, than the weight, although a few lbs off would be good; need to keep this in mind, thanks for the timely reminder!

I have ‘longevity genes’ if I consider my parents and grandparents – my goal is to emulate my 91y old aunt who still does yoga, goes for daily walks and cooks lunch for the old man next door (a decade younger than her). I very much don’t want to follow the path of her two sisters who were claimed by dementia. I keep very physically active so I don’t become a frail old lady who starts falling over, don’t smoke or drink, and pretty much eat well, just sometimes over-indulge too much. Keep my brain active with a demanding job and p-t study at masters level.

This way of eating appeals but I’ve always been a 3 meals a day type, and this is going to take some adjustment. If I can continue to hike with my husband over the next decades to come, I’ll be pretty happy with that. Next time I feel like I could self sabotage I will dig out and re read your post.

dlroseberry

5:02 am
9 Jul 14
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I’ve seen it all with my mother, grandmother, aunts and uncles. And all of the cancer, just horrific. People I knew well and was close to. I don’t want to think about it. But I do, and I don’t believe it’s all inevitable with aging. I’m an optimist and I think we can make progress, that we’re making progress right here.

Simcoeluv, you are such a great resource. Thank you! I recommend that link, and Dr. Jason Fung’s other lectures too.

Bexcetera

11:22 am
9 Jul 14
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I think it’s a good thing we can’t see what our futures will bring to us, all we can do is try to keep ourselves healthy in mind & body, I look at how I live now and try to view what I do as insurance; hopefully it will pay dividends & I’ll age healthily, but In the meantime I’m getting on with life, & won’t know til I get there! A positive mental attitude is really important for all sorts of reasons.

I’m really grateful for all the support on this forum, thanks for the link posted above which was very useful and I have been browsing round looking at lots of different threads. I will look for Dr Jason Fung’s lectures on YouTube as well. I will have better days than Monday & Tuesday, and just keep dipping in here for inspiration if I feel I’m getting stuck.

Bexcetera

9:05 pm
9 Jul 14
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Right I’m off to bed in a minute but thought I would say thanks to everyone for replying yesterday when it all went so badly. Had eaten my 500 cals (although as JulieK pointed out, not really a fast after the night before with nuts & chocolate at midnight) last night by 6.30. Woke up in a much more positive frame of mind – and thought let’s try again – so, much better today…clear fluids only til 1.30 when had a skinny latte courtesy of costa (so I could check the calories on MFP) then back to the clear fluids (black tea/coffee, sparkling water, herbal teas) til supper at 6, chicken and veg(no carbs) all weighed and calculated. Cals have come in at 482 today, won’t be eating til 9.30 tomorrow as day off but have a teaching session to plan for next week, so will get up and get on with that before I eat. Feeling like this WOE is achievable now. Will aim for next fast day on Friday when I’m back at work & discount yesterday as a lesson learned. Thank you 🙂

gillybilly

10:29 pm
9 Jul 14
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Well done! The key thing is not to give up, everyone has bad days every now and then and the fact that you picked yourself up from it straight away and turned it into a positive is very inspirational. Good on you!

Bexcetera

8:18 am
11 Jul 14
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Thanks gillybilly – the support on this forum is wonderful. Today is my second fast day of this second week; I will be eating at about midday before I head into work, and again at sometime between 5-7pm whilst I’m there. It’s a lovely day here so it will be very hot at work – will take in a litre bottle of water and try to get through it twice before I leave.

I did my usual fri morning weigh & measure (have done this since last year) my weight has been on a stable plateau for 7 months, measurements the same, which has been ok, not gaining is good news & although I’d like to drop half a stone, it’s just not happened. Today though, after 3 fast days – 2lbs down, and half an inch off my waist. What a nice surprise!! And a good incentive to keep going. Hope you all have a lovely day!

Sourdough

12:34 pm
11 Jul 14
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I’m finding the fasts really hard to do 500cals. I’m failing miserably and eat 600-700 cals. Only once have I managed 500cal/24hr period and this is my third week. Not sure how to continue…

TracyJ

12:51 pm
11 Jul 14
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Hiya Bexcetera, looks like you’ve had lots of lovely support and help getting through a couple of wobbly days there. I’m so glad you’re back on course and don’t have much to add but a couple of things that I’m not sure were addressed anywhere (apologies if I missed them).

Eating late or eating more than you usually would do the day before a fast WILL make your fast day MUCH tougher. Try to just eat as you normally would and not ‘compensate’ in any way for the upcoming fast and you’ll probably find you get through half the day without even the slightest hunger pang.

The other thing is about ‘planning’ meals for non-fastdays. It’s a great motivator on a fastday to think “I can have that tomorrow” or to daydream about the marvelous concoction you are planning for dinner but don’t necessarily make ‘plans’ for exactly when you will have your breakfast/ lunch. Just listen to your body, you will quickly learn the type of hunger that is just a random tummy signal to the brain (basically saying “hey we’ve run out of stuff to process” and can be waved away by water. Go as long as you comfortably can without breaking your fast, even on a non-fastday and it will actually make fastdays so much easier to cope with too. Just eat when you’re ACTUALLY hungry.

Anyway – looks like you’re on your way now – best of luck 😉

Purple Vegie Eater

1:09 pm
11 Jul 14
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Sourdough
On fast days cut out all starchy carb (potatoes, bread,rice, pasta, flour), alcohol, fat and cane sugar.
That leaves leafy veg, berries and lean protein (eggs, fish)
Work from that point and you can have even 3 meals of 150 cal each. Use lots of onion garlic chilli ginger lime etc to flavour. Learn about how many calories are in everything you eat. It isn’t that hard.
All the best.

Bexcetera

12:10 am
12 Jul 14
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Thanks Tracey J For your advice, I have been so impressed with the level of support on this forum & have been reading lots of different threads to see how people manage their fast days & non- fast days.

I have been careful to measure/weigh food & use MFP to calculate the calories so I can learn how the right size portions ‘look’ and have planned every fast day meal over the last few successful day fast days. Have just got in from work and completed no 4 successful fast day with cals in at 453. Am really pleased, & feel fine, not starving or grumpy but just fine.

Sourdough, I don’t know what to suggest really, you can see I’ve not had a flying start myself, but I would keep looking at the posts on here, and if you have the book keep reading – I keep dipping in & out of it to check stuff.

Lots of people on here seem to do better if they skip breakfast & that’s something I do too on the fast days after reading it here (normally I’m a 3 meals a day girl) so I just make sure I’m really busy in the morning to distract myself & drink extra tea & coffee. On a non-fast day I would have breakfast @ 7/7.30, lunch 12/1, supper 6/7ish. On fast day I skip the brekkers, have lunch @ 12, supper @ 6, drink tons of sparkly water, tea, coffee (have black hot drinks usually anyway). I eat the same sorts of foods for lunch (as I would have for breakfast) on a fast day; either a 2 egg omelette with peppers, onion tiny bit of cheese or berries and yoghurt. Then in the evenings I have had huge salads plus lean meat or fish.

Purple Vegie Eater says no carbs on fast days and I think that’s great advice – they are often very calorie dense for small portions compared to leafy veg & just don’t keep me as full for as long as proteins do, I rarely eat a lot of carbs at any time. I’m a big fan of cauli ‘rice’, vegispagetti etc to substitute. I don’t know if this is helpful, but keep posting, the only person who can do it is you, & you should be only person you are doing it for! Best of luck

Sorry this is overly long, sent my family away for the weekend as I’m working all of this one; no-one to talk to!! hope you all have a great weekend ahead.