Hi Suzanne,

I've been doing Fast-5 since August. I find it a very easy plan to
incorporate into my day when I'm at the office. People know I won't go
out to lunch unless it's a very special occasion, so they rarely ask. I
power-walk during the lunch hour. I get pretty hungry around 3 or 3:30,
but I just put up with the hunger until I leave the office. At home, as
long as I keep busy during the day, I don't have a problem staying on the
plan.

Over the holidays I went off Fast-5 because I was within 2 pounds of my
goal and I figured I would enjoy some holiday fare during my week off from
work. Well, several pounds of nuts, cheese, dozens of cookies, some
cheesecake, chocolate, and many other treats later, I have gained back 4
pounds from my lowest weight. So now I am back on Fast-5 and my walking
program, and feeling better already as the excess sodium leaves my body!

When I first started, after I had been on the Fast-5 program a few weeks,
I found it difficult to eat enough calories to stay within a reasonable
range. On days when I added up what I ate, I found it was often no more
than 1000 or 1100 calories. I want to eat more than that so my metabolism
doesn't slow down too much. Another thing I did was to increase my protein
intake to try to prevent loss of muscle. When I eat enough protein, I
don't have room for a lot of other stuff that I used to eat. But no
worries, I'm sure my holiday binge really revved up my metabolism :)

Tonight I had one cookie that I found left over from Christmas, a handful
of M&Ms, a big salad with lots of grilled chicken, some avocado slices,
non-fat dressing, and a few tortilla chips on top. So far I have no
desire to eat anything else. Maybe in a couple of hours I'll have a
snack. I'll also have my fiber pills, glucosamine pills, multi-vitamin
and calcium.

What I have really noticed about this plan is that my body (or brain) is
no longer on a must-eat schedule. Before, I would want food as soon as I
got to work, then I would start to feel ravenous about a half hour before
lunch, then again right before dinner. All of those feelings have finally
gone away. Even when I'm really hungry at the beginning of my eating
window, just a few bites of something will alleviate the hunger. On days
when I have not followed Fast-5 because of people visiting or some other
reason, I don't feel compelled to have meals, but rather I might just have
a little snack of something while others are eating a meal.

What it comes down to is that I have successfully gotten my weight and
body fat down on Fast-5 where I constantly struggled on other plans. When
I was trying to stay on a "normal" diet and exercise plan, I stalled out
at a higher weight for months. I hate writing down everything I eat,
looking up calories, etc, so Fast-5 works beautifully for me.

When I reach my goal weight and fitness level, I envision still staying on
the plan when I'm at the office (because there is too much temptation to
constantly snack), but maybe relaxing my window a little on weekends.

As far as the society we live in, we all need to walk to the beat of a
different drum if we want to be healthy. I might find that easier than a
younger person would, but the longer you do it, the easier it will become.

Alice



> Thanks for all your replys.
>
> I found this through a crossfit website link (intense interval- like
> stregnth training site). Most people who practice intermittent fasting in
> the crossfit community follow a "paleo type" or zone diet consisting
> mostly of protein, veggies, fruits, healthy fats to optimize performance.
> It seems from what I read about Fast-5, that there are not strict
> guidelines on what types of food to be eating...
>
> What kinds of food and how much food is everyone eating within the 5 hour
> window? How long have you been doing this & is it realistic to think you
> can do this long term in the society we live in?
> thanks again!
> Suzanne
>