If you’re cooking from scratch, weigh the ingredients
carefully and then either use a calorie counter book or MyFitnessPal to add up.
I prefer the latter because it does the sums for you
and
thousands of
other users are constantly updating the site with new foods or brands. On top
of this, you can use it to calorie-count your own recipes. It’s how I’ve done
the dishes in
Part Three
, for example. A digital scale is most accurate, or you
could try measuring cups or spoons (so long as you don’t overload them!).
At first, you’ll probably be astonished at how many calories
some foods contain, but you’ll become used to the portion sizes you’re allowed
on Fast Days and it’ll soon be second nature.
That’s enough theory… are you ready to
try your first fast?
Step Two: Your First Fast
Time for lift off – and weight off!
The last section has prepared you so you know what and when
to eat. So this section is mainly about strategies and tips from those of us
who have been there…
Motivation
The first Fast Day can be a rollercoaster, though most of us
found it way easier than we expected. The biggest motivation for many of us has
been the mantra:
It’s only a day – tomorrow you
can eat what you feel like!
Keeping busy is really important, as is reminding yourself
of why you’re doing this. Re-reading Chapters Three and Four about the
potential health benefits can be very effective – and joining in with a forum
(or even lurking and reading what others are saying) will make you feel you’re
in great company.
A Checklist of Practical Tips:
On a practical level, there are many simple things you can
try that will help you stay on track.
- If you can, avoid situations
where you have to watch other people eat – or have to cook for the family. If
you can’t get out of doing the cooking, choose Fast Days to cook the things you
really don’t like and they do!
- Evenings can be a dangerous
time for snackers - a hobby that uses your hands (quiet at the back!) like
knitting, sewing, even jigsaws, can keep you from raiding the biscuit barrel
when you’re watching TV.
- Don’t forget to drink water!
As well as eating up to your goal calorie limit, you can (and should) drink
plenty of water – there’s evidence that good hydration helps with fat loss. Hot
water is surprisingly easy to drink, too, in winter.
- I like to drink sparkling
water on Fast Days – somehow it’s more enjoyable.
- Sugar-free chewing gum is another
standby!
- You may also drink black
coffee or tea, herb teas and diet drinks, although artificially sweetened
drinks may still affect your blood sugar or insulin levels, which is not ideal
on a Fast Day. There is also some debate about the effect that caffeine has on
insulin – with some studies showing an increase in insulin sensitivity (which
would be broadly good news) and others showing insulin spikes (less good news).
As an espresso addict, I am sticking with my daily fixes for now but as with
all the decisions here, it’s about personal choice.
- You may feel like going to bed
early on the first few Fast Days – so use it as an excuse to relax!
And
REMEMBER:
Tomorrow you can eat what you
like!
Friends and Frenemies:
One question which does crop up is,
Who should I tell?
The advantages of telling people may be increased support
from family members or friends, especially if they’re following the diet
themselves. It may also help you stay committed if people are asking you how
it’s going.
However, reactions aren’t always positive.
I find it embarrassing being on a fasting
diet (because I know people will exclaim 'you're too thin to be doing it) so I
don't talk about it outside our family. If I'm ever with other people on
fasting days I tend to try and eat as little as possible without people
noticing.
Sarah, 37
I told a few people I was starting the
fast and it both helped & hindered me. It helped because when I was a
little cranky on those first couple of fasts they just took it as the diet, but
it hindered because any conversation I had where we didn't agree (not an
argument, just work related or otherwise) they said I wasn't being rational
because I 'needed to eat something' which wasn't the case as both times I had
just eaten and they were not 'fast' days! Be prepared for doubters as most
people are 'brainwashed' about 'skipping meals' and 'breakfast is the most
important meal of the day' and 'your metabolism will slow down' so I don't talk
about the diet anymore, I just get on with it.
Zoe, 38
Men in particular can find it embarrassing to be on an
obvious diet – one recent survey suggested one in three male dieters wouldn’t
admit it, even to their closest friends or family.
You may also worry about the impression a fasting diet might
give to younger people in your family, especially now there’s so much more
awareness around eating disorders.
I have three daughters and I am concerned
about setting a good example, and not making them too faddy. So when they’re
around I stick to something simple, like beans on toast, which doesn’t look
like a ‘fasting’ meal.
Mary, 50
Group Therapy:
An alternative to relying on friends or family is to form
your own support group or join one online. Our group of software company
employees have definitely seen the benefits of sharing:
If a group of you are doing it, it really
helps – especially if you all do it on the same day.
Andrew, 42
Lots of couples are deciding to embark on the plan together
– or often, one will notice how well their partner is doing and join in (that’s
actually happened to me!). A little healthy competition can make the process
more interesting.
It helps a lot that my husband is also
following it primarily for health reasons as he doesn't need to lose any more
weight and is now having to try to eat a bit more on 'normal' days to keep his
weight from dropping further! Lucky him…
Elaine, 52
Even if you can’t or don’t want to get colleagues or family
members involved, the internet makes it really easy to connect with diet soul
mates. Joining in with a forum can really help – because we can talk online to
people who have been there and ask questions without feeling embarrassed: our
Facebook group grew from a handful to over 700 contributors and as a result we
moved to a separate forum, at
www.the5-2dietbook.com
– and there are plenty more listed in the
Resources section of this book.
The possible side-effects
You may not experience any of these, but here are some of
the more common things dieters have experienced in the early days. Jeanny is
typical:
I have been feeling light headed and
dizzy, but I'm not sure whether it is the diet as I haven't been doing it very
long yet. Also, have had several headaches.
Jeanny, 53
Unwelcome effects:
Anyone who has made a change to their eating habits will
know that the body can take a while to adapt – and 5:2 is no exception.
Most of us have been how surprised at how quickly we adapt
to what seems like a huge change, but even so, you may experience some symptoms
at first. Most are minor, but do remember that if there’s anything that seems
extreme or worries you, you should contact your GP.
The main effects seem to be headaches, sleep disruption and feeling
the cold more in winter.
Headaches:
These seem to be the number one symptom for people starting
any new diet, and can be caused by a variety of factors, including dehydration
(much of our water consumption comes from food, so if we eat less of it, we may
get thirsty), changes to blood sugar levels, or caffeine withdrawal. The blood
sugar should stabilise, and we advise drinking lots of liquids to avoid dehydration.
In terms of caffeine, there’s no need to cut out coffee or tea, and in fact,
I’d advise against doing this at a time when you’re already trying something
new. Just remember to count calories if you add milk or sweeteners – or train
yourself to take your coffee black.
Most people find headaches are reduced or eliminated after
the first fast or two. If they continue, you can try varying meal times to cope
with any blood sugar issues.
Sleep Disturbance:
Some people do find it hard to sleep when they haven’t eaten
as much – and the mild stress that fasting causes can make you feel a little
more ‘hyper’ than usual. I chose to see this as a welcome energy boost while it
lasted, but the usual advice about sleeplessness – take a long bath before bed,
read rather than watch TV, try a milky drink – might be useful. A new
suggestion involves eating one or two kiwi fruits an hour before going to bed –
they’ve been proven to improve sleep quality by up to 40%.
Feeling cold
I began the diet in August and didn’t notice this, but
winter starters have found that they can feel cold on Fast Days. Hot drinks and
eating soup will help warm you up. You can also add spices to foods, e.g.
flaked chilli goes well with soups or baked beans. Also, ginger flavours in tea
can give you a nice glow. It
will
get easier.
Other effects reported by group members:
- Irritability:
feeling hungry may make you
grumpy to begin with, though hunger pangs tend to disappear rather than get
worse if you ignore the sensation. Low blood sugar might also make you snappy
at first though again, this should stabilise. Try one of the lower-calorie
treats in the food section – it’s better to do without them in the long-term,
but when you’re starting out, be kind to yourself!
- Digestive changes:
constipation and reflux have
been reported. It’s worth including fibre (e.g. baked beans) or ‘digestive
transit’ yogurts in your Fast Days. One of our dieters was advised by her
surgery nurse to ask the pharmacist about gentle laxatives, though obviously
these are not recommended for anything other than occasional use.
- Cramps
- I used to get these all the
time in the first few days on low-carb diets and haven’t on this one. But I
know some people have and I’ve read about good responses to potassium,
magnesium or calcium supplements.
The positives about Fast Days:
Here’s a list of things to remind yourself if you’re
wavering.
- You’re doing something good
for your health and your body
- You can work past hunger – it
comes in waves, so make it a challenge to see how long it takes to feel better.
- It’s incredibly beneficial to
learn the difference between hunger, and thirst or boredom, which can become
confused over time.
- You are making this choice –
which tends to make you so much more appreciative of the fact that when the
fast is over you can eat what you like
- Not to mention the fact that
any food you do have scheduled will be savoured all the more!
- It can be a break for your
mind
and
body as you focus on things other than food - though that may
not kick in till you’ve done a few fasts
Finally, here are some tips from our ‘expert’ dieters.
Have a plan and measure out what 500
calories looks like. This will stop you obsessing about food ALL day long.
Thinking of what you will reward yourself with is also good. I plan to have a
nice Thai meal with all those 'naughty' carbs.
Zoe, 38
Try to leave breakfast as late as
possible. When you eat in the morning it makes you feel like you want to eat
more. I prefer to leave my meals as late as I can. For snacking, try cherry
tomatoes or carrots. Not many calories but filling. I prefer getting the fast
days over and done early in the week - Mondays and Wednesdays. Fasting on days
when you are not at work is harder as you have more temptations around.
Sunil, 34
Find something to keep you busy well away
from food (I fast on work days, if I can; hardly have time to eat there anyway)
and treat yourself on non-fasting days so you don't feel deprived.
Myfanwy, 49
Drink lots of boiled water or herbal teas
on your fasting day. You'll find the flavour makes you feel as if you've eaten
something. Also, if you like milk in your tea or coffee first thing in the
morning and last thing at night, have it, even on fasting day. It will make you
feel less as if you're being punished for something. It also helps to choose
one treat that you intend to have the next day when you can eat what you want
again, whether it's a bit of cake, some chocolate, a glass of wine, or a full
English breakfast.
Sally, 49
Finally, I love this cautionary tale from Myfanwy:
DON'T go food shopping on a Fast Day -
last time I did I came home with a turkey (on special offer). Admittedly it was
a runt of a turkey but I don't even like turkey and I've never cooked one
before in my life. The family thought it was hilarious.
Myfanwy, 49
Ready, steady, fast…
And that’s all there is to it.
By the end of today, you’ll have finished your first fast -
the first, we hope, of many that will help you keep a check on your eating and
improve your health.
Step Three: Review, Revise, Revitalise
The Day After
You did it! And today you can enjoy the foods you love -
perhaps some of the things you were craving yesterday… what are you most
looking forward to?
We’ve talked a lot about Fast Days – but what about Feast
Days? These are times to relax and enjoy food and all the positive aspects of
eating well – being with friends and family, savouring the tastes and smells
and pleasure of cooking or eating out. In fact, it’s not
just
about the
food.