How embarrassing--ALREADY adjusting the 5:2 diet

It took me two full days to recover from Monday's fast.  I felt so bad that I have decided to tweak the plan a bit, and eat two 500-calorie meals on "fast days" instead of one for while.  It will still be good protein and green vegetables, and given my normal daily caloric intake, I do believe that bringing myself down to 1,000 calories/day two days a week will result in a pound or so of fat loss each week.

I simply cannot feel that weak, tired, and lightheaded 4 days each week while taking care of my baby (Monday while fasting, Tuesday while recovering from Monday, Thursday while fasting, and Friday while recovering from Thursday).

Today I've had a salad made with mixed greens, turkey breast cutlets, and carrots and I'm happy to know I will have salmon and asparagus before bed.  And I won't feel awful tomorrow.  Perhaps my body will become adjusted to fewer calories and more hours between meals over the next several months, and then I can do the 5:2 diet as written without it being such a shock to the system.

My second fast

June 3rd was my second fast. This time, hunger sensations and the psychological desire for food wasn't as bothersome as during the first fast, but I felt weak and more tired than usual throughout the day. By bedtime, my muscles felt sore even though the most physical thing I did all day was go for a short stroll in the park with the baby.

I ate at 5 pm and then continued fasting until 9 am this morning. It's now 10:30 and my body feels a bit better but all I really want to do is go back to sleep. I could use 3-4 hours of solid sleep!!

Before breaking the fast, the scale was down another 2 lbs.

Notes on my first fast

My first fast was Friday, May 31st.

I tried to fast on Thursday the 30th, but I messed up in the morning and simply decided to try again the next day. I didn't have that old desire to wait until Monday to begin (translation: binge Thursday through Sunday night and then start anew on a magical, mystical Monday morning).

The fast went fine. I found it easier to deal with the hunger pangs before eating my one meal than I did after eating. At 4pm I had cottage cheese, broccoli, and salmon. I was hungry a few hours later but made it through the evening by drinking water and staying busy.

I wanted to wait until about 8 a.m. Saturday morning to eat again, but caved at 2 a.m. while up with a fussy baby. So that's something I will have to guard against in the future: emotions and fatigue getting the better of me. Nevertheless, I met the goal of eating only one 500 calorie meal in a 24 hour (and then some) period.

The scale is down 3 pounds as of today, but I'm not taking that too seriously at this very early stage.

My next fast is tomorrow. Mondays and Thursdays are my planned fasting days.

Anyone else out there doing some form of intermittent fasting?