What are the best foods to eat on the fasting days ?? Am starting this on Monday , so fasting days will be Mon and Wed.

[ruthie1970]

[runningwild Graduate]

Hi, I have porridge with blueberries or banana, then stir fry or fish/meat/veg and lots of water and coffee in between. I've tried black coffee, but find it hard without milk! Sounds boring but I recommend you keep yourself busy if you can, otherwise you'll be watching the clock! I eat around 11.30am then around 7pm, sounds a long time, but it does go. Good luck

Oh you can go running on the fast days, also I would recommend some recipes you can find online or get the book,'The Fast Diet' Michael Mosley or similar ones out there.

[ruthie1970]

Thanks Runningwild. Do you have to weigh your porridge oats and is there a limit for fish/meat/veg ? I was going to give peppermint tea a try and I already drink lots of water. I already do 15mins a day on my cross trainer and am part of slimmer world but I have just come to a standstill with my weight at the moment plus am getting bored with some of my meals.

[Randomrunner in reply to ruthie1970]

I use Whites microwave porridge 2 scopes ..... About 130 cals I have this every day with blueberries, banana, seeds and flax seed....skimmed milk or organic sweetened soya.....fast days just water and blueberries....it's not bad!!! And ditto to Runningwild the fast diet book has some good combos for meals.

[runningwild Graduate]

Hi ruthie1970,actually I use the 'Oats so simple' porridge sachets (30g )and chuck a few blueberries or med banana on top. Peppermint tea would be great for your digestion as well. I've posted link for examples of recipes etc. Fill up on veg chilli or soup as well.Hope this helps. Typical men get to have 600 cals and we get 500, grrr!!

My hubby has lost 6lbs already in 3 weeks, and I've lost 4, must admit haven't been too strict with milk etc, which isn't ideal! So going to be a bit stricter next time, as average weight loss seems to around 2lbs per week. Anyway loads of luck...

telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrin...

[ruthie1970]

Thanks runningwild i will give a couple of them meals a go ! Am going shopping tonight so will stock up on the above. What food do you eat on the normal days ?? Do ever go over the 2000 cals ??

[runningwild Graduate]

I think I do occasionally, but strange thing is I don't want to pig out anymore. In the book it said after about four times of doing the fast you adapt to eating less on non fast days. I try and eat as healthily as I can,I can't get away with it anymore being mid 40's I love bread, but only have two slices a day now and chocolate doesn't seem to be my friend, get stomach pains/bloating.

But the running is really helping as I had five months off last year and put on half a stone rapidly! Oh one last thing if you do eat a load of junk, I can always feel it the next day on the run, not nice. Now I think is it really worth it? Makes you really think about the whole picture...

Hope it works for you, Susie

[ruthie1970]

Thanks Susie am in my 40's as well and my downfall is sweets,cakes and chocolate. Am not looking forward to the fast days but I will be in work as these are the only days I can stay on track, weekends are another thing I want to eat anything and everything, so going to choose a Mon and Wed (this is my slimmers day weigh in). I have lost a stone and a half through SW but just cant seem to lose much more so I think a a couple of cleansing days will do me good hopefully. I will update this blog on tues and let you know how Monday went , thanks for help : )

[sndkk]

Hello can someone explain a little more about these fasting days? I'm intrigued as to why/when/how u do them. Thanks

[runningwild Graduate in reply to sndkk]

Hi sndkk, have a look at this link I posted up.

telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrin...

[sndkk]

Hello can someone explain a little more about these fasting days? I'm intrigued as to why/when/how u do them. Thanks

[Skandia Graduate]

I've been doing the 5:2 fasting since Jan and have lost half a stone (4 Kilos). I'm not too strict on the fasting days and sometimes have up to 700 calories instead of the 500. Its a great relatively easy way to lose weight gradually and my high cholesterol and blood sugars have returned to normal!

Porridge, veg soup and baked fish are my staples, plus loads of salad - rocket is my fav for the flavour.

[OldNed Graduate]

Lots of salad. Red cabbage is good too; lots of bulk, plenty of taste (with a few 'extras') and not many cals. Mrs OldNed force feeds me on it, but it is good. And I've lost half a stone.

[sndkk]

So nothing else in the day? How often do u have to do this? Is this for quick weight loss?

[AnnieW55]

I've been doing 5:2 since Jan and down 4.5kg even though I've had two gourmet weekends and other eating out.

On fast days (mon & wed) I tend to have nothing or 100ml plain soya yoghurt for breakfast, maybe low cal cup a soup and a nimble bread sandwich for lunch which leaves 225cals for dinner but it"s variable depending on how hungry I am. Other days I tend to stick to Rosemary Conley guidelines of nothing above 5% fat (apart from healthy ones in porridge, fish, nuts.

Once at my target I will fast on Mondays as I enjoy doing it. It's an easy way to control your weight. I've also noticed I don't want to 'pig out' any more - and I was very much a 'binger'.

I can remember someone I worked with back in the 70's talking about a girl she knew who lost weight by not eating 2 days a week and then 'normally' the rest of the time and lost weight but I never tried it until now - am definitely kicking myself! But I also wish I'd found c25k sooner as I've wanted to run for years but never managed to get anywhere until Laura stepped in and showed me the way, along with the support of this community.

[Legion Graduate]

Tomorrow will be my fourth fast day since I started the 5:2 'diet' last week. I lost 3lbs after the first week and it will be interesting to check my weight again on Monday. I'm not watching what I eat on my non-fast days (anything goes!) although I had already developed healthier eating habits while I was doing c25k, and filling myself with stodgy stuff just isn't very appealing. I've found that I don't really eat more than 'normal' on my non-fast days and, in fact, think I may be eating less but enjoying my food more as a result. Best of luck.

[ruthie1970]

Wish me luck on my first fast day and again on Wed. Typical day today is Oats so Simple porridge oats with milk and 20 bluberries (aprox 200cal) , then am having a weightwatchers carrot and lentil soup about 3oclock (76cal) and later on about 7pm am having frozen white cod fillet, 6 red vine tomatoes a tsp capers all baked in oven for 25mins on gas mark 8 with plenty of brocilli and green beans. Am also going spinning around 1pm in the gym as I find excercise takes my mind off food. Am repeating this again on Wed, though excercise will be fitball.

[runningwild Graduate in reply to ruthie1970]

Good luck ruthie1970! The good news is I want less and less naughty foods on non fast days now. I used to love a bag of crisps, now I just see them and think greasy, fatty yuk!

Hope it works for you, you're doing way more exercise than me as well so you should see a difference much sooner.

[Jeddahpm Graduate]

Hmmm had previously not thought this a great idea for me due to working out 6 days a week I was worried about fuel level. I have previously done juice fasts me love the odd day of complete fasting here and there which I have loved. The comments on here are great.

Thanks for sharing your experiences as it has made me re-think. So does it matter if the days are two in a row or is it better to space them?

[ruthie1970]

I would space them out Jeddahpm. Mine are on Mon and Wed. I have just completed my first fast day and only found the evening time was the hardest as I like to munch on things. Really missed my fruit as well but am looking forward to today as am going to fill up on fruit and have my jacket potato with tuna. Spinning might have been a bit excessive but I woke up this morning not feeling hungry and already feeling like I have lost weight !! I get weighed on Wed in my slimmers world so will update this forum on Thurs with my results. Am going to repeat this again next week and then go from there .

[Jeddahpm Graduate in reply to ruthie1970]

Oh wow that's excellent we'll done Ruthie! Thanks for taking the time to answer. I have a 10k run this su day so won't mess with my routine this week. I look forward to formulating a plan and staring next week tank I might do mon and we'd, I do body pump and Pilates on those days but it should be fine as it is not total fasting and I can juice some veggies too.

[ruthie1970]

I have never been brave enough to do 5k never mind a 10k, good luck Jaddahpm. I do body pump as well this is one of my favourite excercises, hoping to do this tomorrow. I have never tried Pilates though I have done a little yoga before. I found my 2000cal day yesterday was good and was surprised that I didnt feel the need to stuff my face, just stuck to my healthy eating and even turned down a extra jaffa cake with my cup of tea lol. Fasting today and up to now its not been to bad, i have had the odd hunger pang but just drinking plenty of water, had my porridge and blueberries today at 11am and just about to have a weightwatchers chicken noodle soup for lunch and then having a veg stirfry for tea later. I get weighed tonight so will update tomorrow.

[Jeddahpm Graduate in reply to ruthie1970]

Ah thank you and really well one on your weight loss (I read your later comment)! Are you on the c25k plan for running? If not take a look on this site, it's amazing. I started in November and am now at 10k. It's very gentle and the community, like here are very supportive. In fact I thought this thread was c25k lol.

I chuckled reading my earlier replies to you, not realising the iPad had changed so many of my words lol.

[OlsBean]

Without wanting to upset anyone or throw a spanner in the works, what a few of you have described in not 'Fasting' in order to fast properly and to feel the full benefits of an intermediate fasting regime then you need to have prolonged periods without consuming food, ideally more than an 18 hour block.

Having said that, if you feel it's working for you and your losing a weight then go for it.

[ruthie1970]

Went to my slimmers world class and lost a fabulous 3 and half pound and I also got my stone award !!! I have been stuck in a rut for months now and this is the first time I have shifted over 3lb in the last 12mths !! I also feel a lot better in myself and dont feel sluggish. Am going to keep this up for the next few weeks as my target weight is only 12lb away , watch this space : )

[OlsBean]

Congratulations, keep going!