This topic contains 18 replies, has 11 voices, and was last updated by simcoeluv 8 years, 3 months ago.
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Hi, I do alternate fasting and the only bother I have had with it is constipation. I have to take a fiber supplement every day, keep my water intake up and try and include an apple or prunes on eating days. And still I will have problems especially if I forget my supplement.
I have lost 23 kilo’s this year. It saves me money. The only thing that would be wonderful is a magic wand to get the weight off quicker. It is a slow diet. I think if you have hopes of losing a lot of weight, week in week out, you are going to be very disappointed. If you have realistic expectations, don’t over eat on eating days and stick with your fasting, eventually you will lose the weight you need to.
The time will pass whether you are fasting or not. You will be thanking yourself if you just stick with it 🙂
I loved reading your post ETJ! I’ve been on the program for over a month now and even though I’m feeling a bit of an ‘old hand’ compared to when I started, your points are good reminders.
I successfully ease my constipation via magnesium supplements and take a fairly large amount at times, around 1,000 elemental mag. I also drink at least 3 liters of water a day and track fiber, though before I upped the magnesium, I was still dogged by clogged internal plumbing. Prior to raising the mag so high, I underwent a couple of blood tests which showed that I was quite low in the range, which was further confirmation (besides the clogged plumbing) that my body would be happy with the higher mag intake. I have to chuckle because on my fast this week I got fed up about counting out and taking pills and experimented with whether or not I could get by with food providing me with everything I required. I sure felt the consequences with in the plumbing department the next day! Needless to say, I’m back on track with taking my magnesium malate!
Maybe I’m too new to the program to have encountered anything particularly frustrating? As long as I plan ahead using myfitnesspal calorie counting tracker, my fasting days go smoothly. Even in my short time practicing 5:2, I’ve had weeks that register no drop in weight. However, my scales measure fat, hydration and muscle mass and so I was able to see that even though I didn’t lose any pounds, my body composition improved with greater muscle mass and hydration and lower fat percentage.
If anything might frustrate me it is that I’m spoiled for choice with this program and each way seems to feature its own benefits. Besides the 5:2 which I and most here seem to practice and which I definitely find sustainable, there is 4:3, 16:1, B2B, and Victor Longo’s FMD and then those who opt for water fasting on their fast days rather than eating the 500 or 600 calories! Others time their meals on fasting days to enhance ketosis and many more variations that I’ve read and can’t think of at the moment! I know it is a journey and there is great freedom for each to experiment to discover what works best, however, sometimes I find the vast array of options bamboozling and I question whether I’d reap even more health benefits by tweaking or choosing differently.
Apart from the usual newbie issues with headaches (take more water and/or some salt,) constipation (up the amount of fibre in food every day not just FDs) I’ve not had any issues apart from fluctuating willpower. Sometimes the ups and downs of life have been the cause but other times I’ve tweaked a few things and carried on. I’ve tried 5:2, 4:3, 3:4, ADF. They all work 🙂
This is not just a weight loss diet it is a way of life that is packed with health benefits, my high blood pressure has reduced significantly and losing weight has made exercising much easier and so enjoyable that I joined a gym. Most importantly I feel better than I have for many years 🙂
Yes it takes a long time to lose a significant amount of weight, but it has helped me to get rid of bad eating habits and replace them with good ones. I’ve tried foods that have never passed my lips before and/or previously disliked and my diet which was always varied is even more extenisve.
I’ve come to realise that low carb high fat is the way to go, and have cut down on the amount of rice, pasta and bread in my diet. I was never one for packets of highly processed stuff so haven’t given up too much. I still have a slice of cake or dessert but not every day and I’ve gone back to full fat milk and yoghurt as I discovered that full fat versions contain more nutrients. Nowadays I always have butter and cheese in the fridge which had been a rare occurence for a long time pre 5:2
My tastes have changed and I am no longer able to eat many sugar laden foods as I no longer enjoy them which is a huge plus as far as I’m concerned.
The most costly part of 5:2 is that I’ve had to replace my whole wardrobe but that has been a happy and positive experience.
My food bills are permanently reduced.
It isn’t always easy and I’ve had a few setbacks, plateaus and weight gains but I’m still pegging away and am determined to reach my goal weight.
Fast diet works. What frustrates me that I am not always stick to fast days. Almost every month or 1.5 month I have a set back, skipping 1 or 2 weeks of fasting, and binging on sweets. After my “rebellious” time I am back to Fast-diet schedule.
Amazing that even with all my failure weeks, the Fast diet is strong enough to lead me to losing weight; slowly, but surely – 23 lb so far from January.
Try it and you will not be disappointed.
Cold hands during the day and night time cramping (Charley Horses). Even when eating dinner for my 500 calorie meal, I need to take a teaspoon of Nu-Salt ( for potassium), magnesium, a multivitamin and tonic water ( for the little bit of Quinine in it). All these thing do help but it’s not perfect. After a year or so of doing this I still haven’t got used to those symptoms.
I often feel cold during fasting. It helps that I leave in Texas, and usually go out for 15 minutes to soak in the sun. At night I am taking a nice hot bath. It relaxes you, takes toxins out.
Cramping for me connects more with exercising than with fasting. When I run or swim too much, I have cramping at night. Hot bath helps with that, and, as Bobbynoogie said, potassium and magnesium supplements help too.
Cinque, whinge away! It was more a comment about the original question than any of the responses.
Everyone here is so helpful to newbies, so of course the minute this thread began people set about thinking what was wrong with 5:2. As did I…until I questioned why I was trying to find negatives in what is a fantastic and life changing way of life!
Did anyone ever succeed focussing on the negatives? Hmm, no.
A lot of years ago I read something that I didn’t really understand then, but makes perfect sense now. The successful golfer doesn’t think about not hitting the bunker. He doesn’t think about the bunker at all. He visualises hitting the green.
If you look for negatives then that’s what you’ll find.
My main gripe about 5:2 is the expense!…..I used to squeeze myself into 5XL sweats and joggers from outsize catalogues (the largest size I could find)…and simply wear them until they got so tatty that I needed to replace them….Since being on 5:2 I have worked my way downwards -now my clothes have ‘proper’ sizes and I can buy them from shops! ….and I have been giving away perfectly wearable clothes to the charity shops simply because they are so large they look ridiculous on me!…..Mum popped by for coffee the other week and showed me a catalogue with a jumper that wouldlook really good on me – I had to point out that I have TWO new jumpers ready for the colder weather, I can’t afford to keep on buying new clothes ….but that jumper did look nice, and would go with the funky pink jeans I bought a few months ago…………(and this is while I still have a few stone to go…how much more will I want to spend on clothes when I have lost even more!….I am on benefits…I can’t afford all the exciting, tempting new clothes that suddenly fit my shrinking bod!)
HappyNow, You’re right of course but for those just starting out with the joys of deep cleaning for every cell and brain cell in such a miraculous way and all the while being to able to east most of what you want on the feast days ….within reason….is worth any temporary discomfort that may present itself. I would hate for any noogie to say, This isn’t what I signed up for” due to cold hands frozen armpits, clogged drains etc. For us…..the committed fast heads that we are….it’s a badge of honor to go through the little bit of discomfort to attain the all the benefits only attainable with fasting diets. Also it a good topic to see what can alleviate some of the problems. I have a few ideas. Would you like to share some?
This is an odd thread isn’t it. The people who started it are after information but don’t say why. They particularly asked about money. Alarm bells! They haven’t responded to any posts.
What are they about? My guess would be they aim to set up a business that uses 5:2 with claims that it will cost you less money doing it with them, and have less frustrating things.
Haha
I guess I’ll forgive them if they come up with a shaver that gets deep into my newly sculptured armpits 😉
Hi girls:
This thread will answer most of your questions: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/
Good Luck!
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