I’m 57 year old woman who has had problems with compulsive eating since childhood. I’ve tried every diet you can name and never manage to sustain them. I’ve read the book and I’m inspired but also a bit scared in case I fail again. Any advice?
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Hi Barnabie,
I understand completely your fears, I have been a binge eater and emotional eater all my life and have struggled with my weight because of this. Like you, I have been inspired by reading about the Fast Diet, but worried about failing. I think the first thing to do is to tell yourself, there is no failing – this is a journey and you can keep going forwards, no matter what. I started and stopped 5:2 a couple of times because I thought I’d ‘failed’, but then I decided to by gentle with myself and understanding that it’s going to take time to adjust to fasting, after being so used to emotional eating.
I found as well that fasting turned my feelings back on, as I would usually try to stuff them down with food and this was strange at first. But, when you choose to sit with the feelings and recognised the desire to eat, but don’t act on it, the feeling really does pass.
I am now finding my way with this lifestyle and am slowly but surely getting a control over my compulsive eating each time I have a go at fasting. Take your time and congratulate yourself for your small wins. If you manage half a fast day, that’s a small win – next time you can increase that until you find you are successfully achieving a fast day and it gets easier and easier the more you do it. Don’t beat yourself up if you veer off course, you can just come back again the next time.
I have bought Paul Mckenna’s ‘freedom from emotional eating’ which is a really good book for tackling the underline reasons why we overeat. It may be of interest you to suport you with your journey.
Good luck!
Hi, I’m new and yesterday was my first fast day. It wasn’t easy especially when late afternoon rolled around…but I managed. I already lost a little over one pound from yesterday. I have failed at almost every diet out there but this one is totally different and i”M excited about it. For years we have been told about “starvation mode” that we should eat six small meals throughout the day , etc. etc. Its refreshing to hear someone tell us we can ditch all those rules. Today is a non fast day for me but I know i can’t go hog wild. Im going to eat healthy, low carb and no sugar. I’m also going to give myself one cheat meal a week, for me that would be friday night I’m going out with friends and plan on having a hamburger.
Congratulations on your first fast day, Chimama — it sounds like you have good plans and a good attitude.
Ah, the myth of the fabled ‘starvation mode’, that somehow eating less will keep you from losing weight — hogwash! It’s only after losing many pounds after several months on semi-starvation (daily calorie restricted weight-loss) diets that peoples’ metabolisms re-set at a lower level, making it more difficult, but still not impossible, for them to lose still more weight. Intermittent fasting has different effects than daily calorie restriction. Eating six times a day is prescription for gaining weight if I ever heard one. Welcome to the light feeling that comes with fasting — well, OK, once you get past the “I’m so hungry!” feeling — which does pass, only has to happen two days a week, and lessens with time.
Expect weight to fluctuate up and down by a couple of pounds from day to day for no apparent reason. Average weight loss on 5:2 is about a pound a week as a long-term trend. And even during the weeks when no weight loss is apparent, we get the benefits of lower blood glucose levels, lower insulin levels, our bodies getting to go into ‘repair mode’, etc. So it’s never a wasted effort.
Hi and Welcome Chimama:
Here are some tips for those just starting 5:2: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/warnings-to-newbies/
Good Luck!
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