Day 46 - "Tweeking the Diet"

Day 46 - Wow, long time, no post. Mike and I are still doing the fast diet...but we've had to alter it some. I'll give you some small highlights from the past few weeks.

• Mike's headaches seem to be twofold when fasting. After doing some research, Mike discovered two things - first, caffeine is really bad to have when you're fasting. So Mike cut out drinking yerba mate tea. Second, he learned that he might be hypoglycemic, which can cause headaches. So now Mike is eating throughout the day. He's still staying close to his 600 calories on fast days, but he drinks a mug of miso soup when he feels a headache coming on. Since he's implemented these changes, he's had better fasts and has continued to lose some weight.
• We went on vacation for a week. And the great thing about the fast diet is that we were able to say, "We're on vacation. No fasting this week." By the time our vacation was over, we were ready to get back to fasting. I have to say, this was the quickest way to lose the few pounds I tend to gain on vacation. One fasting day and I was back to normal!

So, we're doing well. We're at our lowest weight yet...and we're continuing with the fast diet. Fasting has become quite easy now, though there's one more change we have done - when we really start getting hungry around dinner time, we eat. No more waiting 12 hours between meals before eating. We are still fasting, just not for two 12 hour blocks. I actually extend my fast into my "feast day" by waiting to eat breakfast until 11 or even just skipping breakfast and going straight to lunch.

Things are looking up!

Day 21 - Plateau

Day 21 - Long time, no see!

We've gone through another fast day. Today (Thursday) is also a fast day, because Mike ate a donut yesterday when our fast slipped his mind. That's the great thing about the 5:2 diet, though. If you forget or if something comes up, you can simply slide your fast day forward.

The fasts are getting better, though not great. Around the 8 hour mark, my energy is sapped. I think if I was really "fasting" in the wilderness, I'd die due to lack of will to continue scavenging for food. Anyway, I usually end up lying around on the couch for the last 4 hours of the first 12 hour fast period and even when it is time to prepare dinner, I am lethargic at best. Meals have also improved significantly. First, Mike and I have been eating about half of our designated calories during breakfast which helps get through the day. Dinners are usually eaten around 8pm, so that helps us sleep. The weird thing is that dinner, at least for me, is really filling even though it is only 250-300 calories. I've made Japanese curry, orange and soy glazed tofu with vegetables, and tonight, we're having sweet corn salad with dill in a lowfat buttermilk dressing. Not bad, right?

One major disappointment, though, is that we don't seem to be losing weight anymore. This may be due to eating "too well" on our normal days. I've been stressed over applying to grad school and ate two calorie-rich slices of cheesecake and 2 boxes of Wegman's chocolate chip cookies. Yeah, I see why I'm not losing weight. I suppose I should be grateful that I'm not GAINING weight!!! Mike has been drinking beer at all sorts of occasions (and non occasions) in addition to his amazing chef-made lunches, so he too hasn't lost weight (though he hasn't gained and again, should be grateful!). So I think it is fair to say that the 5:2 diet requires some discipline during regular eating days and while you CAN eat whatever you want, you won't lose weight doing it.