How do you deal with intense hunger/cravings on fast days?

[ophelia275]

I've just started this. I have managed to do two days (non consecutive) but I felt ravenously hungry both times and only managed to limit my calories to about 800-900. I still seemed to have lost some weight/body fat but I want to do the fast properly.

How people do it without feeling starving, have stomach pangs the whole day? Should I cut out all sugar on fast days (I normally have a few in my tea first thing)?

Please advise on how to reduce my appetite on fast days, so I can get this working.

Hot herbal tea

Willpower! It's very difficult though, I'm currently struggling... I've had 250 cals today already and don't know if I'll make it through this evening!

Lots and lots of cups of tea take the edge off for me. Everytime I feel hungry I have a cup of tea. I also only do it on days when I'm in the office; if I was at home it would be too tempting to raid the biscuit tin.

I go 24 hours on a fast day, so eat nothing at all from dinner time on, say, Sunday, until dinner time on the Monday. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

I started yesterday and managed until lunchtime with nothing apart from one white coffee first thing then black coffee or water until then. When I started to get a rumbly-tum after dinner I just had a glasses of water. I didn't find it too bad yesterday - but wasn't overly impressed with the fat-free Greek yogurt I'd bought. I think I'll stick to scrambled eggs next time! Half-term isn't helping - usually I'd have school/nursery runs etc. to while away the time so hopefully it'll get easier once the children are back in school.

Sugar will tend to make you hungrier, going without will help in the long run. I used to take coffee with milk and sugar. Since doing 5:2 I've started taking it black (at first only on fast days now all the time) and it makes fast days much easier. You need to try and keep your blood sugars stable, not eating is fine, but eating (or drinking) high sugar/carbs gives you a spike which just makes you hungrier.

Drink a pint of water.

Are you allowed to snack on salad/veg? 40g of celery has 7 calories in it, and might take the edge off.

Apologies if this doesn't fit in with how this diet works.

What are you eating?

Protein is way more satisfying than carbs, so try an egg and a slice of ham for lunch? Or tuna, chicken, ham or turkey salad.

Don't eat carbs - they just make you hungrier!

STGD you are "allowed" to eat what and when you want provided you stay within the 500cals. However for health benefits it is best to go at least 16 hours with no food. Longer is better.

French. I can't remember reading about the 16 hours or longer of no food being more beneficial to health. Is that said somewhere in the fast book? (I must have missed it?) or is that documented elsewhere?

I don't usually feel them (it gets easier, I think) but I had one day where it was unbearable and I gave up and tried another day.

Definitely drink more: keep a bottle of water on the go for sipping. I have at least one deliberate pint of water as well as loads of tea.

Also good is those sachets of Miso soup with seaweed. The brand I have is 29 calories per sachet and very good especially if you're cold (I get colder on fast days).

Miso soup with a couple of finely sliced mushrooms in.

I think sugar, while also using up calories for no satisfaction, does make it harder. Complex carbs are OK, but you get a lot more food for your calories by not having any carbs and having loads of veg and salad with a little lean protein.

I have a big mug of tea with skimmed milk at breakfast time, then green/roibos tea (loads of it) till 12 when I have a lunch of something like a veg curry (loads of veg and esp cauliflower, tin of toms, spoon of curry paste which I use to fry the onions, and a spoon of mango chutney) for lunch, loads of the green/herbal whatever tea in the afternoon, then sugar free jelly and a pot of fat free vanilla yog for dinner. Fasting has taught me that I could eat far less often than I thought I needed to, and that feeling hungry is fine

Have a big glass of water and go for a walk (if possible) when hunger pangs strike. I find exercise is a great appetite suppressant.

Try a hot drink - I tend to have a big pot of something herbally on the go, or coffee if it's early enough, but do forego the sugar and milk where possible. You might find that a hot savoury drink (bouillon, marmite, bovril, stock, miso soup) takes the edge off in a way that an unsatisfying tea-without-sugar might not.

If you must eat then nibble on some low calorie veg celery and carrot sticks, green beans and sugarsnap peas make for a good snack too - then at least you know you're getting in some good nutrition with your calories! An apple works for me if I really must have something sweeter, but have something planned to do for after you've snacked or you'll just want to carry on eating (probably). Keeping busy really does help, being in the kitchen does not!

I usually have a small leafy/veg salad with some ham and a boiled egg - dressed with lemon juice and a spoon of natural yogurt, or soup or a small ham and salad-laden sandwich for lunch then have the rest of my calories in the evening (more soup, stew, curry or fish and salad/veg). That way I get the 16 or so hours fast but I don't get quite so grouchy in the afternoons when I'm busy at work.

Mostly it's just willpower and the satisfaction of knowing you've got through it though. You get used to it and there's nothing wrong with working down from 900 calories, it does get easier and feeling hungry is ok!

sotired the 16 hours without food is so often quoted on here I can't remember wher the original figure comes from. I'll try and find it.

on MM's site there is a SERIOUS tips and links section
the 16 hours was related to improvements in IGF levels
which are all about long term health rather than short term weight loss

Fruit teas and lots and lots of water!!

on MM's site there is a SERIOUS tips and links section

Whereabouts, Tip? I've had a look and I can't find it. To say I'm underwhelmed by Dr M's site would be an understatement.

In the meantime, here's Mumsnet's Tip's and Links thread. Well worth a look through.

The longer one can go without food the better. All (most of?) the scientists in the Horizon programme recommend 24 hours if you can manage it.

Sorry B&W, I meant this bit of the 5:2 forum
www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=13
still where I go by default to check things ....

I just don't get ravenous...peppermint tea and plenty of it, bit of gurgling goes on but that passes, I go and do something else instead and if I see something I fancy I tell myself I'll have it tomorrow!

I find it much easier to eat nothing until teatime - if I eat before then, it just wakes up my stomach and makes me hungry! So I drink lots of herbal tea, water, fizzy water, black coffee, then gorge in the evening on a weight watchers/similar ready meal around 300 calories and a huge pile of steamed/dry roasted veg - very few calories in broccoli, courgettes, mushrooms etc and very tasty :-) Good luck!