The FastDay Forum

My name's Joyfuljanet and I'm a slow loser..... averaging about 2 lbs a month over the 6 months I've been doing 5:2. I have felt at times that I wanted to speed things up, especially when I was trying to find swimwear that fitted me. I did try daily calorie counting, low carbing on non-fast days and various other restrictions but it felt too much like being on a diet again,and not long-term sustainable. Now I am just sticking with 5:2 and my weight is gradually going down, and that is good. My personal target now is not a particular weight, or a body size, but just to keep on fasting and lowering my fat percentage. If at some distant date I find I've lost enough and don't need to do 5:2 any longer, then I will change to 6:1, but I expect to fast in some way for the rest of my life.

Very very slow! Lots of sudden weight gains (prob hormonal) and then repeated loss of the same few kilos! I've lost about 4 kg since starting in late April. Hubby has lost 9! It's frustrating, but I'm sticking with it. I also have health problems which may be affecting things, I don't know.

MMy personal target now is not a particular weight, or a body size, but just to keep on fasting If at some distant date I find I've lost enough and don't need to do 5:2 any longer, then I will change to 6:1, but I expect to fast in some way for the rest of my life.

I really like your take on this, Joyful Janet! It's not a race, after all, is it? Like you I've played around with adding in 16:8, counting calories on feast days, etc, all to no avail really. But yeah, feels too much like regular dieting then, which is something I'm keen to avoid.

Slow loser here! I don't mind...for me, the longer it takes to come off, the more likely it is to stay off (probably because it's the result of an actual lifestyle change vs. a temporary diet). I've lost about 80 lbs in the last 5 years, and I'm ok with that. Besides, it's gives my skin time to bounce back!! I've only weighed once since April 15 when I start 5:2, (down 6 lbs), but my next weigh in isn't until September. I like that, it takes the focus off the weight loss, and puts it on a gradual positive change in habits, whilst removing guilt over minor slip ups.

I am losing very slowly but don't mind at all since it is a lifestyle change and it's so easy. It is fine with me if it takes another year to lose another 20 pounds because I am confident I will be able to keep it off!

Im another slow loser too but unlike many others ive not really lost inches either. Dearly wanted to reach 3 goals by end of july but only reached one-a BMI of less than 40,will still have to work to get my stone loss and to see a 16 on the scales when i weigh,but hey ho,only 1 1/4lb to go to acheive both so i will get there one day,soon i hope.....

I m a very slow loser and my weight seems to come off in small steps and then I stick for a while. But thinking about it that's how it went on , creeping up over the years. For a while I was quite fed up, especially reading posts from more successful losers. However, I've reasoned it out that my weight is coming down (rather than creeping up), I'm enjoying 5 2ing and I can do it for as long as it takes. It's free, it fits in with my life style so why worry? One day I will arrive at my goal!

Yeah, I'm not losing inches (or centimetres) at all, either.

You've lost half a stone though AussieNisi, so well done on that (have lost half that in same time frame )

Yes, I am definitely a slow loser. For the most part I've made my peace with that...due to a low thyroid, PCOS and the impending doom of menopause which is lurking somewhere around the corner. It wouldn't much matter what WOE I choose, it will always be slow and getting slower the lower I go. Frustrating, yes. But, it is what it is. The only thing have found that works for me to get things moving when the loss has all but stopped is to change things up constantly. So, change it up is what I do.

Basically I do 4:3 and rotate in maybe one 5:2 week a month. But, in addition every week or two I change focus by adding a window, or extremely low carb, or extra exercise, or a specific food hack (like a fat fast, an egg/meat fast and even once a potato fast which was making rounds on the paleo sites.) I really believe that it is necessary to keep my body guessing just to get the meager 2- 3 pounds per month loss that I have been averaging. Only when I have reached a stall that lasts 3 or 4 weeks long have I started to get frustrated. But, even then I try to just remain calm, and find a new or different focus that will start things moving down again.

I've been doing 5:2 for 6 months. Yes, I've lost about 7 or 8 pounds, gained and lost, but overall I am still heading downwards. Sometimes I feel a bit sad because my husband followed the same regeme and has lost a stone. He is still encouraging me to stick at it. Today after a meal out last night the scales are not smiling although I am still under 9 stone. I'm not a good advert for this WOE but I have learnt that I was snacking too much, and that feeling hungry sometimes is good for the soul.

I am only into this less than 1 montb, 7 fast days in. But I will say, so far Im losing above the 1 pound average, having lost 9 pounds thru 7 fasts, but even if that slows to a consistend down trend of 1 pound I'll be ok, if I can continue this WOE. I think at least a good part of your loss rate has to do with how much you have to lose. If you are only 10 or 20 pounds overweight, logic says you will lose less. If you have, say, like myself, over 100 pounds to lose, it should just be sheer %, come off just a bit faster. Even on WW, which I have done many times, my most succesful time 10 years ago, I lost 162 pounds, but gained back 100 of them, I only lost on average about 1-2 pounds per week. But bottom line for me, with WW, or any other diet plan Ive been on, some I lost faster and some slower, but it was just NOT a sustainable way to live, and the food restriction at some point over was the deal breaker.

On 5:2, IF I have found the magic bullet, I do not have to live long term with those restrictions, of eitehr portion size, or food type, or lists of acceptable vs untouchable foods. I just have to get thru 1 day, and as you can see in my siggy, I can do just about anything for one day. For me, for now, this seems like we have found the holy grail for food lovers.

But I dont expect 3 or 5 pound losses every week, in fact, Id be happy with 1 pound a week, if it continues and Im enjoying my food and wine, and just stay true to my fast days. So far, Im loving it

Just ONE pound a week is FIFTY POUNDS in a year!

Great thread

This thread sounds like "slow loser anonymous". (Like AA). " my name is xxxxx and I am a slow loser". Lol

Slow is good and safe when it comes to our health

Slow can be better than fast . Bit like slow sex. Much more enjoyable and fulfilling than fast sex.

Why is everyone in such a hurry.?

God willing, we will all still be kicking in say 3 years. Calculate your average weekly loss thus far and multiply by 52. Bet you it's a good number. Of course you may nOt need to lose that much but you get the point. On the other hand if you feel you need to lose more than that amount by the end of 3 years then adjustments to basic 5:2 or other changes in lifestyle may be needed.

My GP today reassured me that women generally lose weight much more slowly than men ...

And I am slowly starting to lose some cm, although weight hasn't shifted much beyond 5 kg loss.

BUT - today I got blood test results, and compared to 4 months ago, my cholesterol levels have gone from 'Hmmm, we might need to put you on medication' to 'nearly normal' !! So even if I'm not losing a lot of weight, I can see that 5:2 is really having huge benefits for my overall health.



And I completely agree with you Juliana - 5:2 is something I see my husband and myself doing forever, basically, so maybe it'll take me 10 years to reach my 'goal' weight (whatever that might be), and that's OK. It's not a race.

Oh that's great news! I have been thinking about getting tested but I might wait until I have been doing this a little longer ......