Struggling in the Evenings

[skippy84]

Hi everyone, I've been doing 5:2 with varying success for the past few weeks. I'm in a calorie deficit anyway using MFP and have lost 2 stone over the past few months. I want to incorporate the fasting too as I'm interested in the health benefits and I've found the weeks I have managed it it has really boosted my loss from 1-2 lbs a week to 2-3 lbs a week (I still have a lot to loose).

I'm finding it absolutely fine during the day. Not a big breakfast person anyway and just having a low cal (100 or less) homemade soup for lunch which fills me up. My problem is after dinner I'm still so hungry and a number if times I've had to have something to eat otherwise I can't sleep. Tomorrow I'm going to try and skip the soup and just have a 500 cal dinner so maybe this will help. But every time I have went over my cals it has been night time snacks and I just don't get why I can control my hunger all day but not at night.

Has anyone else had this problem and what did you do? I'm very frustrated with myself

Are you eating at least the TDEE of your goal weight on NFDs ?
If not, your calorie deficit is probably too big, hence the problem lasting out.

Otherwise:
. Some 5:2ers save all cals for supper, to have a filling meal.
Also, the longer fasting period may increase the health benefits for some folk.
At lunchtime, have a teaspoon of Marmite, to ensure you have enough salt etc.
. Concentrate on protein and veg, optionally with a moderate portion of complex carbs or potato. Avoid simple starches, cereal etc
. I avoid fruit on FDs, as it soon makes me hungry. Juice would be worse.
. Don't have ANY choc, dessert, or other sweet treat or alcohol on an FD.
. Have water with your meal and a big drink of water afterwards
. Get up and clean your teeth as soon as the meal has finished.

Very well done on your weight loss so far

Thanks for all the tips Big Choc! Used a few of them yesterday and it was so much easier.

I think you might be right that my deficit is too much overall. Have been eating 1200-1600 and my goal TDEE is about 1900. Im such an instant gratification person though - I want all the weight gone yesterday!

Skippy Think longterm.
Unless you put on that weight very suddenly, it probably arrived over months or years.
Too big a deficit can be so tough that you binge or give up altogether, or your body becomes over-stressed and hangs onto fat.
Give your body a chance to adjust as the weight reduces, so you don't put it all back on in 6 months.

Just be patient and don't try to lose it all in a month.
You'll achieve your goal safely and sensibly.

Slower weight loss is definitely the thing to aim for. Each time you fast you are helping your body get healthier, while you are getting healthier you are also losing weight.

Focus on making positive changes to your nutrition and health and worry less about the scales and then you can make changes for life and keep healthy, rather than a 'quick fix' which are rarely long term, and often result in extra weight gain down the line.

We have a new 5:2 Main Thread here, come join in :)