Is Fasting Good For Dieters?

I like to eat. That's the truth. I'm not a nosher, and how I became so fat is beyond my comprehension. As sedentary as I think I am, I know that compared to many others, I'm very active, physically active. We don't have a car, so for all sorts of errands, I walk. But I'm still fat.

The opportunity to do the Start Fresh kosher weight loss diet, is like a gift from G-d, thanks Steve. I'm generally rather phobic about diets, which is why I haven't gone on a diet for a long time. There are seasons I look better and seasons I look worse. I've found comfort in the fact that I haven't needed to buy new, larger clothes for years. I love buying new clothes, as long as they're no bigger than my old ones.

So far, the weight I've lost isn't enough to make me go shopping. It's like a good news/bad news scenario. I don't have the money to buy a new wardrobe, but I really need to drop a couple of sizes. If I reach that point, believe me, I'll blog about it.

This week there's a fast day on the Jewish Calendar, the 10th of Tevet. In the Northern Hemisphere it's the shortest and easiest fast. We only fast from the first light of the sun until it's dark, and the days are still pretty short. That's why I don't blog much on Fridays. No time before Shabbat.

The Start Fresh kosher weight loss diet is a kosher diet, which is supposed to take into account Jewish Shabbat, holidays, etc, so I wonder what their advice is pre and post-fast. What meal is good to "go to sleep on," or is it a good idea to wake up before dawn and eat? What's good to have after the fast? One meal, or two?

One of our "family customs" is that I make a great vegetable soup the afternoon of the fast and that's what we eat. When the kids were home, I also made pizza or rolls. Now, I'm satisfied with the soup. It's easy and delicious. According to the diet, it may include too much starch/carbs for a meal, but in week four, I'm allowed three servings a day, and I generally have almost none. I feel fat on the carbohydrates. I get plenty from the cooked vegetables, like carrots and onions, which are considered "sugar" on other diets.

Does anyone have any ideas?