Summer holiday

This topic contains 4 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by TracyJ 11 years, 4 months ago.

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fastinginberlin

4:34 pm
15 Jun 13
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Hello fellow fasters,
I started the 5:2 regime in April (hate to call it a diet, I gave up on those 20 years ago) and lost 8 lbs. in 6 weeks.
The end of May we went for a 3-week family visit to the US. I figured beforehand that fasting would be nearly impossible as those 3 weeks would include a wedding and daily dinners, brunches etc. with family and friends. I was just going to enjoy myself and hoped I wouldn’t gain all the weight back.
Upon my return I stepped on the scale (with some trepidation) and was absolutely thrilled to see that my weight was exactly the same as when we left!
How is that possible? I ate regular meals every day, enjoyed a piece of wedding cake, drank wine – after one of my “old” diets I would have surely gained some of the weight back.
I re-read The Fast Diet book and found the answers. One of them is that many fasters lose their craving for sweets which, I realized, is the case with me. I will still have some, but only occasionally and now I walk by a plate of cookies without giving them a second thought.
The other point is the portion size. I thought I was eating the same portions as always until my daughter asked if I was putting all of them on a diet – apparently, the portions I cooked and served and considered “normal” looked pretty small to everyone else.
I truly looked forward to a return to fasting (very strange), enjoyed an egg and a handful of strawberries for breakfast and lentils with leafy vegetables for dinner. I wondered if the 3-week break would make the first day difficult but I guess my body still remembered the regime. Now 9 lbs. down and 15-20 to go.
So if you’re going on a holiday and worry if or how you’re going to manage fasting, just relax and enjoy your holiday. Your system may have changed more than you think!

Jeanius

7:00 am
16 Jun 13
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Thank you, fastinginberlin – You really seem to have got the hang of this 5:2 approach. Your holiday story draws out something really significant, I think: about the attitude shift that can quietly happen, enabling one to continue Intermittent Fasting as a whole new way of eating, living and promoting one’s health on an on-going basis. Long may you continue to thrive, achieving all your goals in the process.

Kathryn fife

11:24 am
19 Jun 13
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I agree – I had a week’s holiday in Tenerife in May (started the 5:2 mid February) and despite all the temptations I found myself unusually resistant to all the desserts, cooked breakfasts etc. On our return, to my pleased surprise I found I had stayed the same weight as before we left… I also actually looked forward to the return to the fasting days – this is a definite change of mind set for me – and it is still continuing…

sivasankar

4:08 pm
3 Jul 13
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Totally agree on what you experienced.

I had to travel NY twice in the last month and my main concern was if I could keep up with my IF routine. But I managed to fast on all 4 days I was flying which was good. But my next concern was food, as I was eating out and eating more than normal and at odd hours, I was glad to see I dropped another pound after the trip.

My philosophy like most people is don’t beat yourself if you can’t fast – there is always tomorrow and when you are fasting and you want to eat that cake or ice cream, there is always tomorrow 🙂

TracyJ

10:02 am
10 Jul 13
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Hello all,

My experience with this lifestyle has been a bit different from some other folks above, so it may be useful to others who are like me.

The way I fast is that I go as long as I can without eating anything, then have the 500 calories in one go, then last as long as I can without eating the next (non fasting) day too. I’ve basically stopped having breakfast and don’t bother with lunch either if I can last long enough to make it to dinner/tea. This gets easier and easier the longer I am in this lifestyle and I find I am rarely ever TRULY hungry during the day (especially if I’m just sat on my bottom all day at work).

I am completely able to withstand the rigours of colleagues bringing in cake/ biscuits etc. etc. on fast days but I know that the second I ‘break my fast’ (eat something on a non-fast day) I will hoover up any naughty treats that I fancy, even if I’m not hungry. I pretty much stay under the recommended daily intake of calories but beyond that my ‘cake resistance’ goes out of the window on non fast days.

That said: I’ve been on 2 weeklong holidays during my new lifestyle (not including Xmas) and have just not worried about fasting during those weeks. I usually try to do one last fastday before the holiday and start with another one immediately after but in between I just try to stick to 2000 calories or less and last as long as possible before I start eating each day. I lost no more or less than usual during both of those holiday months.

I actually did the fast over Xmas week and it was tricky with all the naughty food lurking around the flat but totally doable and I didn’t really worry about calories that week on non fast days, as it seemed like a pointless exercise. I lost the least weight ever that month (I only weigh myself monthly, as daily/weekly fluctuations can drive you demented) but I did lose weight. So I count that as a win 😉