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Fasting / 5:2 diet

Talk about intermittent fasting and 5:2, including what’s worked for others. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

36:12 fasting

77 replies

Mamiamamia · 29/07/2023 23:50

Is anyone else doing 36:12 fasting?

I have been doing IF since Feb (a combination of OMAD, 16:8, 20:4 and 18:6) and am 12kg down but have hit a plateau.

I am currently on my 3rd consecutive 36:12 cycle and have lost 1kg in the last 6 days, so it has kicked me off my plateau. Finding it easier on each fasting cycle and am really enjoying being able to have a full eating in between. Would love to connect with anyone else doing the same so we can support and encourage each other 😊

OP posts:
KetoWay2023 · 05/08/2023 16:48

@Manicpixidreamgirl How has your fast been so far?

I am fasting today too and so far feel great. I was considering doing a 72 hour fast as my last one was in May 2023.

HealthierHabits2023 · 05/08/2023 17:26

Name change from KetoWay2023

Manicpixidreamgirl · 05/08/2023 17:47

72 hours!
I’m good thanks, 22 hours in. Feeling more manageable today.

KetoWay2023 · 05/08/2023 17:57

Manicpixidreamgirl · 05/08/2023 17:47

72 hours!
I’m good thanks, 22 hours in. Feeling more manageable today.

I'm 25 hours in.
Glad all is going well for you today. Keep at it, your doing great.

I know 72 hours sounds a lot lol.
I then questioned if I should not be looking more at maintenance now as I have reached my goal weight and with ADF will continue to loose. So I am going to transition from keto to low carb and see how I feel. The 72 hour fast will put me deeper into ketosis and I would like to experiment more with different foods to test my relationship with food to see of the past few months have been beneficial..

I will definitely continue with ADF as this works very well and I enjoy not having to think about food for alternate days.

I've never had to consider maintenance mode before and didn't consider what I would do when I got here. I think once I put the kids to bed I will do some research and explore how to go about this without undoing all my hard work.

I do find that when I am about 30 hours into my fasts at night, I suddenly don't feel the need to sleep anymore 🙃 so this time would be good for me to look further about next steps.

Manicpixidreamgirl · 05/08/2023 19:43

@KetoWay2023 I have terrible trouble sleeping on the days I’ve fully fasted. Any tips?

KetoWay2023 · 05/08/2023 19:50

@Manicpixidreamgirl
I'm not 100% sure but when I have researched it, it is a natural response to being in a fasted state.

When it happens to me, the sleep I do get feels like its a good quality and it doesn't actually feel like I'm tired when I'm awake. It's such a weird feeling but one I enjoy the feel of.

Sorry I couldn't shed more light on this.

Manicpixidreamgirl · 06/08/2023 09:55

Thanks @KetoWay2023
How was yesterdays fast?
I’m just about 39 hours down now. I am not hungry so I am going to carry on I think. This is the longest I’ve done so far.

KetoWay2023 · 06/08/2023 10:10

Yesterday's fast was fine, went well. I woke up not feeling hungry too. So same about carrying on.

I think my body is starting to adapt to the ADF and not being as hungry which is a good thing. I hope other fasting days are like this and go as well.

Well done on your progress with the fasting. You have done really well and kept hanging on in there. Keep up the great work

Manicpixidreamgirl · 06/08/2023 16:23

I managed 45 hours. I am thrilled. Fascinated that I made myself a bacon sandwich and only managed half of it. Also fancied a cereal bar from the cupboard with a cup of tea but only had a bite. I thought I’d eat the whole kitchen.

KetoWay2023 · 06/08/2023 16:34

Manicpixidreamgirl · 06/08/2023 16:23

I managed 45 hours. I am thrilled. Fascinated that I made myself a bacon sandwich and only managed half of it. Also fancied a cereal bar from the cupboard with a cup of tea but only had a bite. I thought I’d eat the whole kitchen.

That's fantastic. Well done

I've just had an early dinner so have started my timer and I will shut my eating window now. I'm all full and ready to start again. I love this alternate day fasting.

Original poster
Mamiamamia · 06/08/2023 21:52

Manicpixidreamgirl · 06/08/2023 16:23

I managed 45 hours. I am thrilled. Fascinated that I made myself a bacon sandwich and only managed half of it. Also fancied a cereal bar from the cupboard with a cup of tea but only had a bite. I thought I’d eat the whole kitchen.

Well done! Do you ‘clean fast’ (water only) and do you take electrolytes?

I am struggling today - I only had a bowl of raw spinach and rocket for dinner last night as I had eaten a cooked lunch and wasn’t feeling hungry. I will definitely make sure to eat something more substantial in the evening on future feast days, as I think that is the reason for my struggle today.

I have been planning and replanning what I am going to eat tomorrow, it seems to be my coping mechanism for pushing through the evening 😂

OP posts:
Manicpixidreamgirl · 07/08/2023 09:19

No electrolytes… if I went longer I’d consider it though.

KetoWay2023 · 08/08/2023 08:31

@Manicpixidreamgirl How was yesterday's fast? Have you settled into it now?

I'm currently on hour 40 of my fast and not hungry at all do I will continue to see how far I can go.

KetoWay2023 · 11/08/2023 14:40

Hi All, how's everyone getting on with the alternate Day fasting?

Soapyspuds · 12/08/2023 14:36

I am struggling today - I only had a bowl of raw spinach and rocket for dinner last night as I had eaten a cooked lunch and wasn’t feeling hungry. I will definitely make sure to eat something more substantial in the evening on future feast days, as I think that is the reason for my struggle today

That sounds so much more sensible than a balanced nutrition plan split over 4 or 5 meals throughout the day.

🙄

Original poster
Mamiamamia · 12/08/2023 15:51

KetoWay2023 · 11/08/2023 14:40

Hi All, how's everyone getting on with the alternate Day fasting?

I am on a fast day today, still going strong with my 36:12 rhythm.

how is everyone else doing?

OP posts:
Manicpixidreamgirl · 16/08/2023 20:38

Hi all, how’s it going? Apologies for my silence, I had no wifi or scales on holidays. I came home to find I had lost weight, so I am very pleased. It was a self-catering apartment which helped. Giving myself a feast day today to get back into the swing of things and am starting 36:12 as of 8.30pm.

Hope you are all doing ok.

KetoWay2023 · 17/08/2023 19:35

@Manicpixidreamgirl Congratulations on your weight loss. More positive steps towards your goal. Hope you had an enjoyable holiday.

I've been experimenting with low carb rather than keto and had last weekend where I didn't do 36:12 but was doing OMAD. It made me realise over the few days that Keto really is the lifestyle I intend to stick to. By doing low carb, the increase in carbs made me notice inflammation had increased. I go for an hours walk around 5am and I was feeling heavy headed and more tired on waking which is something I didnt feel when in ketosis. I made the decision to go back to Keto which I was able to get back into Ketosis by two days and continue with 36:12.

My biggest crave is my sweet tooth, so today I made some keto mint chocolate which was 69 calories, 1g carbs, 6.5g fat and 0.7g protein. They were super delicious and something I will make again tomorrow with more flavours. I have also ordered some chocolate moulds so they can look like the real deal. This will keep me on track. Also made some mayonnaise as the shop ones are not that great.

How has everything been with you? 😀

Manicpixidreamgirl · 17/08/2023 20:22

That sounds great @KetoWay2023
I have also noticed that I’m more ‘achey’ after carbs which I put down to inflammation.

I am really, really struggling this evening. Was planning on doing a 36 hour but only managed 21 hours because my kids cooked dinner with their dad and were really excited and wanted to share it with me, so I had a small, under 500 kcal dinner. Since then I’ve just wanted to eat and eat. I didn’t do keto or low carb on holiday, just fasting, so I think I’m riding that initial wave again. I’ll go to bed in an hour which will help!

KetoWay2023 · 17/08/2023 20:59

@Manicpixidreamgirl It is OK to consume no more than a 500 calorie meal on fast days and then eat normally on feast days. I have read that studies found this to be more successful and people stuck at it longer.

Perhaps your body has adjusted to not doing ADF when you were on holiday so your feeling the hunger more. If you are transitioning back into keto, would you not find it useful to consume keto meals every day until your back in ketosis and then start doing 36:12 again, it might help you feel less hungry.

I've done an "egg fast" before to get me into ketosis quicker. It allows me to still eat but in terms on macros it's only really fat and protein so it helps speed things up. You could do this with beef and eggs aswell. There are some good videos on YouTube if you want more info on this.

Manicpixidreamgirl · 18/08/2023 15:22

Thanks for the advice @KetoWay2023

I have a ‘non scale’ win to share that I am utterly delighted about. I have patches of acanthosis nigricans which really bother me as they are a sign of high insulin levels. I checked them today and they’ve faded drastically. I am so so happy as I am sure this is an external sign of what’s happening inside. Feel really relieved.

Manicpixidreamgirl · 24/08/2023 19:53

How’s everyone doing? I’m not being 100% this week as I’m just not feeling in the zone, but still managing 16:8ish, low ish carb, low calorie so am still loosing. Plan to do a 36 hour Saturday and Monday.

KetoWay2023 · 24/08/2023 21:21

@Manicpixidreamgirl I have decided to take a break from 36:12 and will do this prob twice a week rather that every other day. I have also had two days this week where I ate off plan but I don't regret it or feel sad about it. I do intend to do low carb, and by this I mean my meals are keto/carnivore as I don't eat vegetables or salads. I did make some keto Blueberry muffins the other day but the fiber made me feel so bloated I didn't like that feeling. I am doing 16:8 with some days 18:6 but I find myself not having an interest in food anymore. I guess this is why I found it easier to do 36:12. I think they call it food fatigue.

HowAmYa · 05/09/2023 09:33

New joiner here!
Fast day here, I almost ate my hands last night but I feel good today. I didnt eat after 4pm yesterday so I did set myself up a little there.

I am so reliant on using squash in water so it's taking some getting used to, to drink my water plain
Coffee minus sugar isn't bad but minus milk is HARD!
I'm still alive. I will do this. Reading this thread gave me so much motivation

Soapyspuds · 06/09/2023 21:32

I am really, really struggling this evening. Was planning on doing a 36 hour but only managed 21 hours because my kids cooked dinner with their dad and were really excited and wanted to share it with me, so I had a small, under 500 kcal dinner. Since then I’ve just wanted to eat and eat. I didn’t do keto or low carb on holiday, just fasting, so I think I’m riding that initial wave again. I’ll go to bed in an hour which will help

This is not sustainable FFS.