Hardest Day Yet with 5:2 Intermittent Fasting

Last Friday was my fourteenth fasting day, and it turned out to be the hardest one yet. I’m not sure what happened but from 4pm onwards it was a real struggle not to eat. I felt starving and almost gave into temptation a couple of times. I did make it until the end of the fast, but it wasn’t fun at all. I felt a bit crushed the next day because after all that effort my weight had actually gone by 0.4 kg.

I am Starting to Have Doubts about the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet

I’m no longer convinced that intermittent fasting is the best way for me to control my weight. This approach does seem to be working for some other people, but I’m now hitting diminishing returns. I could accept my weight leveling out at 77kg, but the fact that I’m starving myself for 48 hours each week and putting on weight is a worry. I don’t believe that I’m eating more than usual on my non-fast days. Other people have warned me that there is a risk that these short fasts could be putting my body into weight preservation mode, and this does seem to be happening.

While I feel less than overwhelmed by the weight loss effect of 5:2 intermittent fasting it has increased my interest of fasting in general. I do feel that my body gets a good cleanout on these fast days, and I’m convinced of the spiritual benefits of this practice. I find that I’m able to meditate more deeply on fasting days, and my dreams also tend to be a bit more vivid. I want to experiment with longer fasts – maybe trying to do 72 hours.

Where to Go From Here?

I’ve completed seven weeks of 5:2 intermittent fasting, and my original plan was to do three more. I don’t want to go through another fast like Friday if it is not going to produce any real benefits. On the other hand, I do want to see this thing through to the end – maybe the last three weeks can be as productive as the first three weeks. My next fast day is on Tuesday so I’ll wait and see what happens then. I could do with some encouragement at this point so if anyone out there is having success with the 5:2 diet please feel free to share in the comment section.

My Other Posts on 5:2 Intermittent Fasting

Ten weeks of 5:2 Intermittent Fasting

Second Week of 5:2 Fasting Diet

Week Three of the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet

Changes to My 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Plan

Intermittent Fasting as a Spiritual Exercise

5:2 Fasting Diet Update Week 6