HI, I was reading some of the links with information on this way of eating. The guy who wrote the book

"the Fast Diet" was on Rachel Ray.

Where did the 12 hours come from? Cause what I was reading said you have an 8 hour window in which

you can eat. So is it 12, or is it 8?

I think you have an 8 hour window to eat. I know the night before the fast day , you want to have 12 hours of no eating and then you have 8 hours to eat. After the 8 hours you have 12 hours where you don't eat until the next day and you eat regular. I think that's how it goes, I could be wrong, the best person to ask would probably be Georgia. I hope this helps you.

That's the way I understand it too..

Sorry daisy I didn't see this thread. I wish the new threads would just show up in "subscribed"

In a physiological context, fasting may refer to (1) the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight, and (2) to the metabolic state achieved after complete digestion and absorption of a meal. Several metabolic adjustments occur during fasting, and some diagnostic tests are used to determine a fasting state. For example, a person is assumed to be fasting after 8–12 hours. Metabolic changes toward the fasting state begin after absorption of a meal (typically 3–5 hours after a meal); "post-absorptive state" is synonymous with this usage, in contrast to the "post-prandial" state of ongoing digestion

Dont think it really matters as long as it's at LEAST 8 hours!

Maybe I have been doing this wrong. I've been eating Breakfast at 11 am and having my last snack at 11 pm. so I have a 12 hour window to eat, and 12 hours to fast.

Am I doing it wrong?

Here's a FAQ I wish it made more sense but yes I think the window for eating should be shorter?

But if you are able to put 12 hours before and after I would think that's just has good.

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/michael-answers-frequently-asked-questions/

I'm more like 10-12 hours too... but I make my first meal a low carb protein drink, that does not disrupt the fast chemistry. (I think I read that in the book someplace.... I'll have to find it....) Then eat other low carb choices starting around 1:30-4 pm- dinner 7 or so.

I usually eat around 10 and then no later than 7 on fast day. Snack no later than 8. Which gives me a full 12 hour window at end and usually a 12-14 hour beginning window

Are you guys talking about the fasting window ON THE DAY OF fasting?

Like I understand the before/after because you are mostly sleeping right? I'm *almost* always done eating by dinner which is usually around 6pm. So I eat dinner at 6pm on a non-fast day, sleep and get up and drink coffee around 6am on a FAST day. Then eat breakfast for let's say around 200 calories. Then do you NOT eat for 8 hours and then have dinner at 4 or 5pm and say you eat 300 calories at dinner. Your day is done right?

Please tell me if I'm understanding this correctly. Or should you eat something low calorie in between breakfast and dinner?

Sorry it's all new to me and I feel like a newbie all over again.

Now I'm confused!

I'm fasting tomorrow I just finished eating at 7:00pm. Thursday I will wake up and drink black coffee then fluids until 11:00 am or so then I will eat my first meal after that midday I will have a snack and finally dinner to be done by 7:00pm

Then nothing until the next day..,

At least 12 hours before first meal on fast day eat your 500 calories within 7 to 8 hours of starting, then having at least 12 hour of resting before eating the next day.

Ok just found this under the links by FYE...under the FAQ stuff

Q: Do the 500/600 cals have to be spread across the day or in 1 meal?

A: It’s up to you. Dr Mosley split his between breakfast and dinner, lots of people prefer to save their calories for a good sized evening meal. No one yet knows whether there is any health advantage to saving up the calories for one meal.

Sounds flexible enough!

Sounds flexible enough!

Yep. Bottom line. Give yourself 12 hour windows before and after

This is from the web site

In reality a fast day is 36 hours. If you finish your last full evening meal at 7.30pm on Sunday, then Monday is your fast day, you are not going to be eating normally till Tuesday morning 7.30am. That is 36 hours. If you decide instead to fast from 2pm on Monday until 2pm on Tuesday, then that will only be 24 hours. Wait till 7pm and that is 29 hours. To do 36 hours you would have to hold off till 2am on Wednesday, which would be a little inconvenient

I think its pretty flexable. Try and have some stretches with no eating. If you can pull off two 12 hour stretches that is great, if you can have another stretch in the middle of the fast day, better yet....maybe. I sometimes snack a little for breakfast and lunch and eat a "big" 300-350 cal dinner. This has worked for me. The last couple of days I have just had protein drink in the am-lunch, then dinner... that seems to work fine too. Keep it low glycemic, do what you can stick to, drink lots of liquids... because we usually get in some fluids with in our food, and we are not eating as much food, we should drink more during fasts.

Because I don't eat breakfast on a fast day, I actually go 15-16 hours for my first "rest" period. Then I eat lunch at around 12 or 1, then supper around 6 and then sometimes a snack around 8. Then I try to go another 12 hours between the snack and when I have my breakfast the next morning, but sometimes it is a little less. But I did read the most optimal time that sees the best result is the 36 hour fast window with the 2 12 hour fasts in between there. So I think it is fine if you are eating over a 12 hour period, as long as you are getting a 12 hour rest before and after. But I have to admit, I have not read the book and I am going by what I have read on here and on all the 5:2 forums.