Ninja's diary - fasting and running to lose 50lbs

It is just plain weird that I'm sitting here, 5.30pm on a fast day, having eaten a single carrot today, and a tsp sugar in my black coffee, and that's it, and I'm not hungry? How weird is that?

I was so sure that the combination of a run first thing and a busy day at work would mean that I wouldn't complete today's fast. But here I am. Deciding on whether I can be bothered to cook tea...bizarre!
 
Tues 29 April - Down day

6.30 am 3 mile run (gentle!)
8am - large black coffee with 2 sachets sugar
Water & black coffee through day
6pm - raw carrot, left over beef stroganoff, 1/2 baked potato
2014-04-29 18.23.47.jpg
Total cals 505
 
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It's amazing how the body adapts - you can give it so little but it still finds a way to provide the energy for all the things we do!

Do you stop eating at a specific time the day before a fast day?

Have you tried exercise later on in the day of a fast day? I wonder how that felt? I am thinking I can't do my half marathon race on a vlcd do should have the day before and race day off, but I'm not sure.

Well done for today :)
 
Lara1986 said:
It's amazing how the body adapts - you can give it so little but it still finds a way to provide the energy for all the things we do!

Do you stop eating at a specific time the day before a fast day?

Have you tried exercise later on in the day of a fast day? I wonder how that felt? I am thinking I can't do my half marathon race on a vlcd do should have the day before and race day off, but I'm not sure.

Well done for today :)
Click to expand...

Bizarre, isn't it?

No, I don't worry about what time I stop eating...mainly because I don't think an hour here or there makes much of a difference. Research has shown that the health benefits kick in around 16-18 hrs in, so I like to make it past that, but tbh I don't know how much is really known about this and my priority is cutting cals for weight loss.

I generally have an early tea anyway coz I eat with the kids at around 6pm. Then tend to have a snack or pud around 8. The exception is Fridays when I normally have an indulgent pud after the kids are in bed, so around 9.30.

Def eat two days before. If it's a morning race, the day before is more important than the actual day. I have no problem running on a fast day but sometimes struggle the day after a fast day! Your distance is much longer though. I'd eat 2000 cals on the Fri, Sat and have a light breakfast on sun. Include protein. You'll put on water weight but it'll soon go. If you don't eat and run distance you risk using muscle as fuel, and your heart is a muscle. It can be v bad for health, from what I've read.

I have run at 5pm after eating nothing all day and it was fine, but it was only 3 miles.

Hope this helps
 
Dietninja said:
Bizarre, isn't it? No, I don't worry about what time I stop eating...mainly because I don't think an hour here or there makes much of a difference. Research has shown that the health benefits kick in around 16-18 hrs in, so I like to make it past that, but tbh I don't know how much is really known about this and my priority is cutting cals for weight loss. I generally have an early tea anyway coz I eat with the kids at around 6pm. Then tend to have a snack or pud around 8. The exception is Fridays when I normally have an indulgent pud after the kids are in bed, so around 9.30. Def eat two days before. If it's a morning race, the day before is more important than the actual day. I have no problem running on a fast day but sometimes struggle the day after a fast day! Your distance is much longer though. I'd eat 2000 cals on the Fri, Sat and have a light breakfast on sun. Include protein. You'll put on water weight but it'll soon go. If you don't eat and run distance you risk using muscle as fuel, and your heart is a muscle. It can be v bad for health, from what I've read. I have run at 5pm after eating nothing all day and it was fine, but it was only 3 miles. Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for all your advice and tips - very helpful.

I am keen to get a book on intermittent fasting as I really am feeling that this could be the secret to maintaining too, with one or 2 day fasts.

18 hours fasting sounds like plenty - I'd be interested to try it after I've done this month.

I think you're right re. Calories needed for the distance. It scares me but I suppose I will be burning it all off so hopefully it won't affect my fat loss too much...!

5pm on nothing is pretty amazing. Even if it is only 3 miles. Again - the body is amazing!!

Thanks again x
 
The every other day diet is good and has a maintenance plan I can live with...she suggests diet = 500 cals every other day, maintenance 1000 cals 2-3 days a week.

Tbh can't see myself sticking to 500 long term but 1000 is doable.
 
Arrrgggghhhh the real diet breaker for me on this one is lack of sleep on down days.

Sometimes I can't get to sleep and on other days I get on sleep but here I am awake at 2.30 am. It means I'm so tired in the day and particularly the evenings I'm not working properly.

I'm not sure what to do next. Here are some of my options:
- carry on regardless, it's only for the next few months :(
- increase evening cals on fast days eg to 700 to see if that gets rid of the problem
- snack at 2 am eg on a small piece of cheese (80 cal) to see if that helps me get back to sleep
- do 24 hr fasts...eg from 6pm one day to 6pm the next then don't stress about eve cals (and maybe combine one 24 hr fast a week with 8/16)
- move to 8/16 fasting window on a weekday basis

Hmm not sure off to google lack of sleep on fast days. ..
 
So sorry to hear you're not sleeping well. I know how irritating that can be and it gets the whole day off to a sour start. Depending on your reason for not sleeping, I wonder if something like melatonin could be of use to you? When I was at my worst I relied on sleeping pills, but I don't necessarily recommend that. I hope you have a good night's sleep tonight!
 
Worth a read:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

After reading this and having a think I think 3:4 is too stressful for me at the moment. If that's all I had going on, then fine, but it's leaving me sleep deprived and unable to properly work I the evenings which is a big problem. Also I'm finding I'm bingeing on junk a little more than I should. So I'm going to try sticking to 5:2, and try and introduce a little more clean eating.

So here's my new plan:

M - 2000 cals
T - 2000 cals
W - 2000 cals, stop eating 6pm
Th - 500 cals (don't eat til 6pm, 24 hr fast)
F - 3000 cals
S - 2000 cals
S - 500 cals (24h fast)

This averages out at 1700 a day, which should give me steady weight loss, given my current exercise regime.

Now let's add in some exercise...

M - 2000 cals - interval / hill run
T - 2000 cals - easy run, core, legs
W - 2000 cals - mod run
Th - 500 cals - easy run, core, arms
F - 3000 cals - long run (may be swapped w sat) - if over 12 miles I may up the calories further
S - 2000 cals - x train (eg plyo / spinning)
S - 500 cals - rest (may be swapped with Mon if I have a race on)

2000 cal days prob divided up as:
B - 500
L - 500
S - 200
T - 800 (includes eve snack or dessert)


Ooh I'm liking the look of that! And apart from Fri I'm aiming for cleaner eating.

As I've fasted today, I'll make my Thurs fast optional this week, because I like the sun fast. I feel v positive about this.
 
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I love the plan - and how you went from an uncertain first post, to a well thought out determined second post!

I have woken up mid sleep too - read that carb cycling running article you posted - it sounds just what I need to do really, only downside is all the counting - calories I can handle but it gets a bit consuming counting grams of protein fat and carbs too.. But I suppose once in a routine it would get easier. And maybe long term I need to invest more time in my nutrition. The rewards would be in improved running, and looking the part of someone who exercises a fair bit!

I think you've made a good decision on the 5:2. Let's see how it works for you.

I shall be having a look at that book- thanks.
 
I'm not going to strictly count...If I break it down by meal I can more or less figure it out without properly tracking. Eg I've just had a small banana and a handful of nuts, I'm gonna count 300 for that as a guesstimate, 100 for banana, 200 for nuts. I think you soon get a feel for it and calorie counting isn't terribly accurate anyway. I tend to count properly on fast days. Of course, if I don't lose weight, then I'll prob have to start tracking properly!


Grrrrr so annoyed to still be awake. Am doing my marking now, but I've got parents eve til 9 tonight, so a full 13 hours at work on far too little sleep grrrrr
 
Soooo tired

Updated plan - where I haven't written up or down days, they're controlled calorie days

Mon - (12.9) 5 miles DONE
Tues - (12.8.5) DD, 3 miles DONE 500
Wed - (12.7) rest DONE :) 1700
Thurs - (12.7) 4 miles intervals (10 mins easy, 6 x 3 mins @ threshold w 2 min recovery, 5 min easy) DONE :) 1400
Fri - (12.6.5) UD 7 miles
Sat - 3 miles, arms & core
Sun - DD rest



Sent from my GT-I9195 using MiniMins.com mobile app
 
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Ohh I feel for you with the tiredness and long day. Do you drink much coffee? Maybe that's a contributor?
 
I never sleep much so know where you're coming from. Sometimes you feel you'd sell your soul to go to bed ad not waken until the alarm... Never happens for me.

Sent from my iPad using MiniMins
 
Dietninja said:
I didn't drink any more coffee than usual, but I wonder if it hadhad ms a bigger effect if you're fasting?
Click to expand...

I think it probably does - body must grab onto whatever it can get!!!
 
Wed 30 April.

V busy day...ate when I could

4 am! Handful of nuts, small banana
8am apple, soya latte
4.30 pm seeded wrap with 2 chicken sausages, rocket, tbsp houmous
6pm 2 dark choc chip granola bars
9 pm chicken, mushroom & bacon casserole with spinach, green beans & wholegrain rice

Cals: 1700

Exercise: none

Felt less pressure to eat today, knowing I wasn't fasting tomorrow :) so I ate for hunger which was nice.
 
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