Thanks for the report JEY, it sounds like you are doing great. I'm into my third week of fasting, averaging 2 days per week. After 5 days of guests and social events, I semi-fasted yesterday. Really, I just skipped breakfast before going to the gym. I felt fine in my classes (better than with breakfast) and I continued to feel well all day. I ate breakfast (bacon, eggs, veggies) at lunch and a normal dinner. There was no sense of missing anything despite a deficit of 400 or so calories. Today I will eat my normal 3 meals. Just skipping breakfast was so easy in comparison to fasting till dinner time. I managed to lose 2 of the 3.5 I'd put back on in the past 5 days of socializing (lots of wine), so if I can do that just skipping breakfast, I'm wondering why I'd want to suffer through the afternoon of fasting.

Debbie, I don't know if you've read Dr Fung's tips for fasting, but cream and coconut oil in your coffee are allowed at any time. When I read about your desire to keep in the artificial sweeteners, I am reminded of something my husband quotes me periodically: Let not the Perfect be the enemy of the Good. I would think fasting + AS might not show results as quickly as without AS, but if it keeps you on the program, you may well still have some benefits.