Many people start Fast-5 in a “cold turkey” approach, meaning that they pick a window and just start.
Day 1 of this approach usually goes very smoothly. Day 2 is similar: “This is easy, no big deal, why didn’t I do this before?” Then day 3 or day 4 comes along and there’s a day of unusually intense hunger—what Fast-5ers call a crunch day. The crunch may be a strong hunger signal, or just a persistently distracting one, but it’s often enough to make people think “I can’t do this anymore!”
That crunch day, if it comes, is a crucial time. It’s the point where your body has used up a lot of its easy fuel from digestion, but hasn’t fully revved up your fat cells’ ability to pump out their stored fuel. Your appetite center, aware of the pinch, says “hey, eat something, will ya?” It’s vital for your success that you know it gets better—much better—soon!
There are four ways to go if you’re having trouble getting through a crunch day:
1) Eat. You’re on the sandy hill described in the book and you’ve just stumbled. No big deal. It doesn’t keep you from reaching your goal at the top of the hill—it’s just not going to be today. As long as you keep pushing your body to tap its fat stores for fuel, it will. Kick back, empty the sand from your shoes and try again tomorrow.
2) Drink something hot and tasty. Try something like a no-calorie herbal tea (lemon, mint, etc.) that you haven’t had before.
3) Push through the crunch using some distraction. If your schedule and circumstances allow it, get busy doing something away from food. Find an activity that you like, that’s not passive and one you find flow in. If you’re at work, look for something on your to-do list that’s not tedious and requires some concentration. Some alternatives if you’re not at work:
4) Try one of these resets.
2 comments
Can my five consecutive hours be different on different days of the week? Say Monday through Friday I do 3 to 8 but Saturday night I know we’re going to be out late can I do 5 to 10 one day a week?
The easiest way to implement the schedule is to use the same window every day, but a number of people have been successful using a “sliding window.” It doesn’t work for everyone, though, so the only way to know whether it will work for you is to try it. If you see consistent progress, that’s great! If not, try sticking to a consistent window. When you shift your window, you’re likely to feel somatic hunger (belly sensations) at the same time you broke your fast the day before. That’s your body’s 24-hour (circadian) clock saying “isn’t it chow time?” If you ignore them and distract yourself with something, they’ll usually go away.