Fast 5 - Anybody want to give it a try?

[sldeal]

I just started Fast 5 w/ LC four days ago, Jan 5th. I already lost 3.6 lbs but I can't say all of it was attributed to Fast 5. I had been lowcarbing since Dec 27th.

Long story short, my last official weight was 187 when I was being prepped for surgery, a few days after the surgery was the holidays so I consumed everything in sight rice, mac & cheese, cookies & more. I gain eaisly, so I know when I started LC in Dec my weight was way over 187lbs, I didn't have a scale during that time, so I had to start with what I know

I did induction for a few days, heard about Fast 5, read up on it, downloaded the book, you can google Fast-5 Life, and so far I've been pretty satisfied. I think what helped me a lot and what kept me from feeling like I was starving is that I did induction, so most of my appeal for food had begun to leave me.

Yes I did have hunger pains the 1st & 2nd day, but they weren't harsh, just a gnawing in my stomach reminding me I hadn't ate anything yet.

This is my 4th day and so far no hunger pains, just a sort of emptiness

So like I said earlier I already loss 3.6 lbs plus I lost 4 3/4" in total.

Fast 5
Fast-5 is a way of losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight that is based on a lifestyle change, not a specific diet. Living a Fast-5 lifestyle means setting a window of five consecutive hours in which you do all your eating for the day. It doesn't mean binge eating or overeating. The long fasting period (19 hours) lets your body use stored fuel instead of fuel being delivered from digestion. That time also lets your body measure how much fat is stored and turn your appetite down if there's too much around. With a lower appetite, weight loss becomes easy.

Although you can eat anything, I decided to keep mine LC and perhaps increase my carbs (healthy carbs) over the weeks. My ultimate goal is to lose 5 lbs monthly or at least 30lbs by December. I lost 3.6lbs already I have 26.4 lbs to go!

Like I said earlier, my weight from my last official weigh in was 187lbs; my measurements (please don't be shocked)
12/29/12.......................................
Chest - 49 (there's lots & lots of fat on my back)
Bra - 38DDD (there's some bulge which means it's too small)
Waist - 40
Lower Hip - 49 1/2
Upper Hip - 47
Left Thigh - 29 1/2
Right Thigh - 29 1/4
Wrist - 6 1/4
Shoe size - 6 1/2
Dress Size - 14W

Measurements
1/8/13
Waist - 38 3/4
Lower hip - 48 1/2
Upper hip - 46 1/2
L thigh - 28 1/2
R thigh - 28 1/4
Chest - 48
Bra - 38DDD
Shoes - 6 1/2
Wrist - 6 1/4
Dress Size - 14W

If you haven't already, take out your measuring tape and start measuring. And I quote from Dr. Atkins DADR book "Remember, your tape measure is a better friend than your scale, not only more accurate, but better able to report on the actual fat losses..."

By April I'm hoping my dress size will drop to a Size 12, by Dec Size 10. So when I don't see the scales moving I'll definitely focus on those inches.

[sldeal]

Based on the book you might not see losses until three weeks after starting the Fast-5 program. Afterwards you should see an average of a pound per week loss. That means over the course of four weeks, you should see four pounds lost, but the loss may not be evenly spread from week to week; it can be two pounds one week, none the next, then two again, and so on.

[limetwist]

Hmm, upon reading your post, this seems to be a form of intermittent fasting. I've been fasting for over a year now, where 16 hours of my day are spent not eating, and I consume all of the day's calories within an 8 hour window (for me, it's 12-8 PM). I lost my last 15 pounds using this method, and have been maintaining ever since May of 2012.

I can definitely attest to the efficacy of fasting. I find it has vastly improved the way that I function overall, both physically and mentally. Sometimes my stomach is a bit growly and there have been the occasional day where I feel incredibly hungry, but for the most part, it has been a vital tool in teaching my body what real hunger cues feel like, as well as satiety cues.

Fasting has eliminated snacking from my life completely, and I find this incredibly liberating. What's really interesting is spending time around people who "need" to snack all day and are constantly diving into the kitchen for a handful of this, a bite of that, and a taste of this, just to get them by until dinner. It's just nice to not have to constantly be on the lookout for snack foods. Heck, most food designed to be "snacks," whether low-carb or higher carb in nature, are arguably not the healthiest things to be putting into our bodies anyway.

I simply have two meals per day. One small lunch (generally around the 300 calorie range), and a large dinner (ranging anywhere from 900-1100 calories). It also allows me to eat giant quantities of food in a single sitting, which I enjoy. :P Hah! Some days I will just eat a single large meal and not eat until 24+ hours the next day. Works fine for me.

Another benefit of fasting is the creation of anticipation for a meal, at least for me. I am a very large subscriber to the concept of delayed gratification. I savor my food so much more when fasting. Food consumed on an empty stomach just tastes way better.

So, I would recommend fasting to any folks who have been too nervous to try it before. The first days take some adjustment time, but once your body realizes, "Whoa, okay, we're not gonna die of starvation, guys!" you realize how easy it is.

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by limetwist

So, I would recommend fasting to any folks who have been too nervous to try it before. The first days take some adjustment time, but once your body realizes, "Whoa, okay, we're not gonna die of starvation, guys!" you realize how easy it is.

Limetwist thanks for stopping by. Lots of insightful advice, it's going well with me but like you said it does take time for your body to understand it's not starving. I can't imagine the $$$ I'll be saving by not snacking and worrying about breakfast foods, etc. Right now, when I eat, and it's not that much, I'm so stuffed I have to force myself to eat something before my window closes. I hope I'm as successful as you.

[sldeal]

I made it to my window. I actually started getting hungry around 12noon today, my window is 2 - 7, I give myself a 6hr window 2 - 8 just in case I don't get home in time, but so far it's been a 4 - 5 hour window.

I think one of the things that trigger my hunger is that the office clock is directly in front of my office, so after awhile I found myself watching the clock, counting the hours before lunch, definitely not a good thing. I'll keep my door closed tomorrow to see if that helps.

My lunch was steak w/onions, celery sticks, ranch dressing & coca cola zero. I'm considering picking up a whopper for dinner, because I'm LC with Fast 5 I need to make sure I'm getting plenty of fat/protein in my diet.

[mimivac]

Originally Posted by limetwist

Hmm, upon reading your post, this seems to be a form of intermittent fasting. I've been fasting for over a year now, where 16 hours of my day are spent not eating, and I consume all of the day's calories within an 8 hour window (for me, it's 12-8 PM). I lost my last 15 pounds using this method, and have been maintaining ever since May of 2012.

I can definitely attest to the efficacy of fasting. I find it has vastly improved the way that I function overall, both physically and mentally. Sometimes my stomach is a bit growly and there have been the occasional day where I feel incredibly hungry, but for the most part, it has been a vital tool in teaching my body what real hunger cues feel like, as well as satiety cues.

Fasting has eliminated snacking from my life completely, and I find this incredibly liberating. What's really interesting is spending time around people who "need" to snack all day and are constantly diving into the kitchen for a handful of this, a bite of that, and a taste of this, just to get them by until dinner. It's just nice to not have to constantly be on the lookout for snack foods. Heck, most food designed to be "snacks," whether low-carb or higher carb in nature, are arguably not the healthiest things to be putting into our bodies anyway.

I simply have two meals per day. One small lunch (generally around the 300 calorie range), and a large dinner (ranging anywhere from 900-1100 calories). It also allows me to eat giant quantities of food in a single sitting, which I enjoy. :P Hah! Some days I will just eat a single large meal and not eat until 24+ hours the next day. Works fine for me.

Another benefit of fasting is the creation of anticipation for a meal, at least for me. I am a very large subscriber to the concept of delayed gratification. I savor my food so much more when fasting. Food consumed on an empty stomach just tastes way better.

So, I would recommend fasting to any folks who have been too nervous to try it before. The first days take some adjustment time, but once your body realizes, "Whoa, okay, we're not gonna die of starvation, guys!" you realize how easy it is.

I've fallen into the pattern as well. I guess my window is 11-7. Used to eat 3 big meals, plus multiple snacks a day, but now I do one big lunch and a smaller dinner and that seems to satisfy me. I do get hungry, but it's doable. My lunches are usually things I've cooked for the week. If not, it's something from the food trucks, like Indian or middle eastern. I get a large portion and split it in two: eat one at 11 AM and the other at 3 PM. Then I'll do an omlet of some kind for dinner. Works for me.

[sldeal]

mimi thanks for dropping by. Your goals are very impressive. I use to do fasting years ago for spiritual purposes, but like I said that was years ago I've since got into snacking throughout the day, while eating 3 meals a day gaining tons and tons of fat. I'm so determined to lose these excessive pounds and stick with FAST 5. I'm totally impressed by your goals and accomplishments!

[mom23kids]

I just read the e-book two days ago I've been researching IF plans and I was drawn to Fast 5 because there's no food restrictions. From what I understand you're not even restricted to just two meals in that time frame, but instead can eat as hungry, within your window (please correct me if I'm wrong!). I'm looking at something easy for when I hit maintenance, and not having to count anything is very appealing to me I'm currently doing JUDDD and wasn't going to focus on Fast 5 until I hit my goal weight, but hey why not! Maybe I'll start it early and jump in tomorrow. I actually did it yesterday to see what it was like, but with my DD calorie allotment, and I don't want to ever do that again lol. So I will be doing it without food restrictions and see what happens. Today I did an all egg fast (and ate a dozen eggs ), so it might take me a few days to transition. I also do not restrict carbs, so we will differ a bit in that

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by mom23kids

I just read the e-book two days ago I've been researching IF plans and I was drawn to Fast 5 because there's no food restrictions. From what I understand you're not even restricted to just two meals in that time frame, but instead can eat as hungry, within your window (please correct me if I'm wrong!). I'm looking at something easy for when I hit maintenance, and not having to count anything is very appealing to me I'm currently doing JUDDD and wasn't going to focus on Fast 5 until I hit my goal weight, but hey why not! Maybe I'll start it early and jump in tomorrow. I actually did it yesterday to see what it was like, but with my DD calorie allotment, and I don't want to ever do that again lol. So I will be doing it without food restrictions and see what happens. Today I did an all egg fast (and ate a dozen eggs ), so it might take me a few days to transition. I also do not restrict carbs, so we will differ a bit in that

The good thing by Fast 5 is that you are not restricted from eating anything, the only thing required is that you eat within your window. You do not have to worry about carbs or calories. . Eventually your stomach shrinks so much and you become stuffed so quickly its almost impossible to binge.

I use it with LC because I'm trying to get close to my goal fast in time I will be including more & more carbs into my WOE.

I've only bee doing this for 4 days so I'm not an expert, but the best advice I can give you is to have plenty of sugar free drinks available, ie crystal lite, herbal teas (or black tea) hot and/or ice, diet sodas, chicken bouillon, etc. I found so long as I have drinks readily available my hunger pains are either nil or limited. I try to drink something every 90 minutes. I'm at the office all day and somebody is always offering something, frequent drinking helps me to say no

They also say that you might not see immediate weight loss for 3 weeks, you gotta give your body time to adjust, I guess i was lucky But you will see a change in the way your clothes fit. Therefore I encourage you to take your measurements, if you don't see a change on the scale you may see it in your waist

[picklepete]

Paul Jaminet's book recommends something similar, so I've been curious.

My biggest obstacle is that it pretty much requires a lunch--which for me now is coffee/tea. I don't really like my lunch options, either cold food in our gloomy break room, or an overpriced restaurant salad with dubious ingredients. I love the control I have over breakfast and dinner but I agree the longer fast might be beneficial.

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by picklepete

Paul Jaminet's book recommends something similar, so I've been curious.

My biggest obstacle is that it pretty much requires a lunch--which for me now is coffee/tea. I don't really like my lunch options, either cold food in our gloomy break room, or an overpriced restaurant salad with dubious ingredients. I love the control I have over breakfast and dinner but I agree the longer fast might be beneficial.

pickle congrats on your weight loss and thanks for dropping by, i see you are almost at your goal weight! I'm thinking if you have problems with lunch you can choose a later window, ie where you will start somewhere around 3, 4, or 5pm. Perhaps have a fruit or healthy snack at the start of your window, and a balanced dinner later. The best thing about Fast 5 is that the times are not rigid, you can select a time that's suitable to your eating habits, plus adjust your window if you have a planned event.

You're doing excellent on your weight loss and I'm sure you'll find a WOE that's suitable for you.

[rubidoux]

I already do something pretty close to fast 5. Sometimes my window is more like six hours and sometimes I only eat once a day. But for the most part I'm pretty close to a five hour window or less. I feel really great when I eat this way.

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by rubidoux

I already do something pretty close to fast 5. Sometimes my window is more like six hours and sometimes I only eat once a day. But for the most part I'm pretty close to a five hour window or less. I feel really great when I eat this way.

rubidoux thanks for dropping by. I'm trying to keep my window at 5, but periodically I find myself getting home late from work so I gave myself an additional hour, just in case. So far I'm using 4 -5 hour. This is my 4th day but I'm hoping to make it a life time.

Have you seen significant losses eating this way?

[spoiltmomof2]

I could see that working for some. I don't think my blood sugar could handle it though.

[rubidoux]

Originally Posted by sldeal

rubidoux thanks for dropping by. I'm trying to keep my window at 5, but periodically I find myself getting home late from work so I gave myself an additional hour, just in case. So far I'm using 4 -5 hour. This is my 4th day but I'm hoping to make it a life time.

Have you seen significant losses eating this way?

I lost 40 pounds eating this way a while back. In the last several months, I have hard a really hard time staying on plan, but that's not due to fasting. I think fasting makes it a lot easier to stay on. I would be doing even worse if I was trying to do the six small meals a day nonsense.

I am not sure if fasting had a large role in that weight loss or not. It may have. But I was also eating very, very low carb. I actually ate the same exact thing every day for months. If I ate two meals in a day, I ate about six slices of bacon (give or take, I ate until satisfied) for my first meal and 2 costco frozen burger patties (the cheapest fattiest ones) and two slices of cheddar with mustard for my second meal. If I had one meal, I had 2 burgers, 2 cheddar slices, and 2 slices of bacon. This is how I lost my love of bacon.

[unna]

Unfortunately IF didn't do much for me, like I was hoping it would.

It did take 5lbs off, but didn't help me get past my set point. I also started getting cold sores constantly. This was a sign that it wasn't healthy for my body, personally.

I then started eating when I was hungry (not externally dictating when to eat and when not to eat). I haven't had a cold sore since. But, at this time, I was also eating a bit too much protein.... which could have contributed to the cold sores.... I'm really not sure. Intuitively, I feel like it was IF.

So it "seems" IF might have been bad for my immune system, and it didn't help me move past my set point (155-165).

But, in theory, I really love the idea of IF. I do wish it would've worked for me as well as it has for others!

[mom23kids]

Ok, going to start today-I'm just coming off of an egg fast and the scale is down 1.5lbs this morning We'll see how this works for me! Since I'm coming from a calorie counting plan (I was rotating between 2,000ish calorie days and then fasting 300ish calorie days), I may still count calories to keep my loss going, but eat within a 5 hour window. Once I hit my goal weight then I'd like to ease up on the counting-hopefully by then my body will be trained to eat lower calories naturally, from being used to the Fast 5 system

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by rubidoux

I lost 40 pounds eating this way a while back. In the last several months, I have hard a really hard time staying on plan, but that's not due to fasting. I think fasting makes it a lot easier to stay on. I would be doing even worse if I was trying to do the six small meals a day nonsense.

I am not sure if fasting had a large role in that weight loss or not. It may have. But I was also eating very, very low carb. I actually ate the same exact thing every day for months. If I ate two meals in a day, I ate about six slices of bacon (give or take, I ate until satisfied) for my first meal and 2 costco frozen burger patties (the cheapest fattiest ones) and two slices of cheddar with mustard for my second meal. If I had one meal, I had 2 burgers, 2 cheddar slices, and 2 slices of bacon. This is how I lost my love of bacon.

rubidoux I smiled after reading your post. It appears I'm doing the same as you, LC and because I'm a lazy cook, eating the same meals repeatedly. I generally cook enough on Sunday's to last for 2-3 days I'm not sure if it's the best thing to do, but I hate cooking, so it works for me. I'm sorry you lost your love for bacon, but then again I've been eating steaks for 4 days straight, don't want to see another one after today.

Thanks for sharing your success story, I'm trying to rid myself of 27+ pounds, if you could do it so can how. Please drop by often.

May I ask what you're doing for maintenance?

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by spoiltmomof2

I could see that working for some. I don't think my blood sugar could handle it though.

spoiltmom - thanks for dropping by, unfortunately, one diet or WOE is not catered to everybody. I see you're just a few pounds away from reaching your goal. I do believe once you find what works for you, and if you're comfortable, you should stick with it. I'm hoping Fast 5 along with LC will work for me and I can make it a permanent part of my life. Are you doing Atkins or just reducing carbs in general? You're doing a very good job.

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by unna

Unfortunately IF didn't do much for me, like I was hoping it would.

It did take 5lbs off, but didn't help me get past my set point. I also started getting cold sores constantly. This was a sign that it wasn't healthy for my body, personally.

I then started eating when I was hungry (not externally dictating when to eat and when not to eat). I haven't had a cold sore since. But, at this time, I was also eating a bit too much protein.... which could have contributed to the cold sores.... I'm really not sure. Intuitively, I feel like it was IF.

So it "seems" IF might have been bad for my immune system, and it didn't help me move past my set point (155-165).

But, in theory, I really love the idea of IF. I do wish it would've worked for me as well as it has for others!

unna this is my first time doing IF, other than when I was very young and we did it for spiritual enlightenment. I was a bit weary at first, but with all of the weight gain I've been putting on, I want to give it a shot. The first 3 days I lost 3.6 lbs, I know it was water weight, but, I needed that lost.

I see you're doing LC and appear to have done well. How long have you been doing LC?

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by mom23kids

Ok, going to start today-I'm just coming off of an egg fast and the scale is down 1.5lbs this morning We'll see how this works for me! Since I'm coming from a calorie counting plan (I was rotating between 2,000ish calorie days and then fasting 300ish calorie days), I may still count calories to keep my loss going, but eat within a 5 hour window. Once I hit my goal weight then I'd like to ease up on the counting-hopefully by then my body will be trained to eat lower calories naturally, from being used to the Fast 5 system

Mom23 - to the journey and Congrat on your lost. Don't forget to take out your tape and take your measurements, Herring does mention you may see inches lost before you see a drop on the scale.

I'm combining my fast with LC (the book says you can eat anything you want), I'm just desperate to get this weight off of me of me. So far I've lost 4.75 inches and 3.6 lbs, so I know it'll work if I stick with it. My biggest obstacle is going to be patience. I remember reading somewhere that before you give up on a diet or new WOE you should give it at least 3 months, I sometimes want to see immediate results within a matter of days My first goal is a size 12 by March/April and then all the way down from there.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by sldeal

Mom23 - to the journey and Congrat on your lost. Don't forget to take out your tape and take your measurements, Herring does mention you may see inches lost before you see a drop on the scale.

I'm combining my fast with LC (the book says you can eat anything you want), I'm just desperate to get this weight off of me of me. So far I've lost 4.75 inches and 3.6 lbs, so I know it'll work if I stick with it. My biggest obstacle is going to be patience. I remember reading somewhere that before you give up on a diet or new WOE you should give it at least 3 months, I sometimes want to see immediate results within a matter of days My first goal is a size 12 by March/April and then all the way down from there.

I don't have a cloth measuring tape, so I've never taken my measurements. I'm very pear shaped though and I do have some size 8 jeans waiting (I'm in a 10 right now), so those will be my way of measuring-when I can fit in the 8s I'll be

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by mom23kids

I don't have a cloth measuring tape, so I've never taken my measurements. I'm very pear shaped though and I do have some size 8 jeans waiting (I'm in a 10 right now), so those will be my way of measuring-when I can fit in the 8s I'll be

Way to go I'm tryng for a 12 and then size 10, hopefully I'll be where you're at by December - I have a size 10 suit just waiting to be worn

[sldeal]

Today wasn't a bad day so far, it's day 5 for me and generally where I have to drink something every 90 min. I didn't have my first cup of tea until 12noon. My window is 2 - 7; I had 1/2 steak, fried chicken wing (very small), celery w/ranch dressing & diet coke. Not sure what I'm going to have this evening. I'm happy I not experiencing any hunger pains, I guess that means body is adjusting.

[sldeal]

I came across this while surfn on the Fast 5 Forum, and wanted to share.

If you find yourself hungry 2 hours after your window closes, it can be a blood sugar swing. Even if you're not low carbing, try to keep your carbs down, maybe by eating a little more fat, or go easy on fast carb, i.e. sugar, white potatoes and white rice.

So while we're to eat anything we want, gotta remember high carbs might trigger hunger pains...

[sldeal]

Had a fantastic day yesterday. Snacked on some egg salad before my window closed at 7pm and I'm still full this morning. It's amazing how I can eat so little at night and still feel so full in the mornings. I also woke up with lots of energy, actually got my washing out of the way before rushing to work! Let's see how long this energy is going to last.

[limetwist]

Originally Posted by sldeal

Had a fantastic day yesterday. Snacked on some egg salad before my window closed at 7pm and I'm still full this morning. It's amazing how I can eat so little at night and still feel so full in the mornings. I also woke up with lots of energy, actually got my washing out of the way before rushing to work! Let's see how long this energy is going to last.

Happy to hear that the fasting is affecting you positively. Keep up the good work!

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by limetwist

Happy to hear that the fasting is affecting you positively. Keep up the good work!

Lime thanks for the motivation. Sometimes it's difficult staying positive...

[sldeal]

Uggh, don't know what happened today, got hungry, not hungry in the stomach, psychologically I just wanted something to eat. By 12noon I almost gave it, then I kept watching the 'stupid' clock counting the minutes. At 2:01 I took out nuts and munched on about 5 or 7. I was called to a meeting and by the time the meeting ended it was almost 3pm, and guess what? I wasn't even hungry, go figure???

I'm just happy I was able to stay within my window. Let's see what happens tonight.

[fiddlejen]

Originally Posted by picklepete

Paul Jaminet's book recommends something similar, so I've been curious.

My biggest obstacle is that it pretty much requires a lunch--which for me now is coffee/tea. I don't really like my lunch options, either cold food in our gloomy break room, or an overpriced restaurant salad with dubious ingredients. I love the control I have over breakfast and dinner but I agree the longer fast might be beneficial.

I'm doing this (with 8-hour fast as my fallback plan) with a window from 6-11 pm. Recently I don't get to bed before midnight, otherwise my window would be 5-10 pm. So depending what timing you select, it doesn't have to require a lunch at all! No matter how I work it, I only seem to be hungry for one large meal within that window. I'm making a point of having another meal before the time is up, because I cannot sleep on an empty stomach. But there's no reason you'd have to have lunch! And if you like breakfast foods, you could always make them for your second meal.