The FastDay Forum

I've posted a lot about how my weight loss on 5:2 which proceeded nicely for 7 months came to a crashing halt last fall after which I slowly started regaining, despite continuing to eat the way I had before. I then took off 2 months to deal with any starvation response. After that pause I went back to 5:2. My weight crept up to 148--4 lbs under where I had started and 10 above my lowest weight for the year. I kept on fasting because I figured if I stopped I'd only get fatter.

Then, for some reason, things reversed again. I was 143 lbs this morning after my Thursday fast, and this is the third time I have seen that weight over the past few weeks. What makes this even better is that this is after my visit to my son where I dined out quite a lot.

The only negative is that I definitely have more fat on my tummy than I did when I last weighed this amount. I attribute that to my body fighting for estrogen. I had taken the tummy fat off last year only to start having intense hot flashes and dry eye.

So this time I am going to be smart. I am NOT going to try to get back into the 130s as every time I have been down to the level for the past decade I have ALWAYS regained. Plus, I like having enough estrogen in my system to avoid hot flashes.

I have my annual conference at the resort with the huge buffets coming up in a bit more than a month. It was that conference that marked the end of my weight loss last year, so I am going to try to knock off another pound or two with 5:2 this month in the hope of leaving myself some margin of safety.

But after that I am going to aim for a maintenance weight of 142-143 lbs, which I am hoping means I can skip a fast every other week for a while.

I'm really glad that sticking with this has been productive, though I have also learned some more lessons about weight loss for post-menopausal old ladies. You young women out there (anyone under 53!) lose the weight now, as it is SO-O-O-O much tougher when you let to my age (late 60s).

[wildmissus]

Oooo....@peebles, I'm really encouraged by your comments and a little intrigued as to why you have started losing weight again. Unfortunately I have put on quite a lot of weight recently and just haven't been able to fast properly, at best I have ditched breakfasts. I am in the process of psyching myself up to re-starting fasting and am very concious of my age (48) for the reasons you have mentioned. Thanks for a great post.

That is fantastic news! I admire your perseverance, and so happy it has paid off!

[carieoates]

That's great news Peebles? I don't have tummy fat, it's attached to my thighs and bottom. I hope your plan is something others in your situation can adopt and do well on.

@carieoates,

Its a stretch to call what I'm doing a "plan." I have been eating a bit closer to 600 rather than 430 calories on fast days since I started back, but beyond fasting twice a week I'm just trudging along, often eating more than I intended on nonfast days.

I am also working at a standing desk most of the time now. I don't know if that counts as exercise, but it is a change I've made.

[carieoates]

I'd say it's a plan, if it's something you do regularly...Be proud of your achievement Peebles

@Peebles, how did you manage to get the tummy fat off the last time? My fat has always gone straight to my tummy and I hate it. Nothing I do seems to make it get smaller.

[carorees]

Everyone: Remember that tummy fat below the belly button, which lies under the skin, is not the same as the harmful visceral fat which causes a large belly higher up. This is why you should measure your waist at 1" above the belly button as that is a reasonable guide to hoe much visceral fat you have. It is pretty much impossible to spot reduce certain areas of fat, but it IS possible to reduce visceral fat which is fat deposited around the organs due to insulin resistance, which increases as you age and particularly after the menopause. Fasting and/or low carbing will preferentially reduce the visceral fat, but if you tend towards putting fat on your thighs or boobs, there is no reliable way of ensuring that your diet will cause fat loss from those areas more than anywhere else!

So glad you have suddenly made some progress @peebles, sometimes just hanging on and chilling about the whole thing can work out! When you say fat on your tummy, I presume you mean subcutaneous fat? If you think that having more fat means more oestrogen and fewer hot flushes, maybe I should aim to increase slightly? 8 years since the first hot flushes and I still get them regularly and wake every couple of hours all through the night due to being too hot. If it meant sleeping better, I would be happy to add a couple of pounds of fat!

The subject of hot flashes intrigues me; I do get them, but have gotten used to it and seldom find them disruptive. My sister, though, is getting a little desperate about them and is considering hormone treatment. She is quite thin (has been for many years)...I wonder if a few pounds would help her? She is 55.

Thanks @peebles. It's good to know you have made some progress. I stepped on the scales this morning, following yesterday's fast: 75kg, up 5 kg from what I believed was my weight. I don't know what to do about it. I have not stopped fasting although my fasts are a bit sloppy. It all feels a bit hard. But perhaps you have the answer: keep on keeping on. I am 63 on Saturday.

Re Tummy Fat: During the first 7 months I ate 5:2 the subcutaneous tummy fat just came off, which shocked me, as nothing had ever budged it before. And I had eaten very low carb for years on end without it making any change in it either.

I haven't had a problem with hot flashes since I was 52 becaue I have been taking a very low dose of unopposed estrogen (about 1/3 of the lowest dose usually prescribed) since then. This is nonstandard as I still have a uterus, but I can't take progesterone in any form without horrendous things happening. Hemorrhages to start with followed by intense suicidal thoughts. After we tried all the various alternatives, my doctor said I could take the low dose as long as I have a uterine wall scan every year or two. So far they have always been completely normal. That tiny bit of supplemental estrogen keeps me from having hot flashes, and dryness/urinary tract infections and more importantly, from having problems with verbal memory. Without estrogen I have a really tough time pursuing my profession, which is writing. Words just don't come.

So it was a surprise when 5:2 suddenly took off that tummy fat and then I was back to having the hot flashes that I had last had 15 years ago. It was even more of an unpleasant surprise to see the tummy fat pile back on while I didn't change my eating patterns. I must have triggered some kind of "Estrogen low! Pack on Fat!" signal. Because my tummy is now so jiggly and hangs over my waistband even though I am a bit below target weight. The hot flashes are gone.

Lesson learned!

Peebles, I am so inspired by your ability to stick to it through all that time! I'm glad you're getting results and will be interested to read how this all plays out for you. Thanks for sharing!
Dee

I, too had a bit of a fasting hitch for the past 2-3 months. The good news is that I didn't gain very much 1-2lb and that overall my eating was more restraint - no feast days etc.

I could not figure out why mentally I could not fast and therefore gave myself a break resolving to get back in September. I don't know if it is this "being kind to myself" and/or the "time frame of my fasting holiday" are the reason why I was able to fast on Monday with almost no problems. I also realised that as a very unorganised person (I don't count calories exactly) I left myself open to self deception. Now I promise to have a meal ready at the beginning of my fast day (cooked the night before when I am not hungry - so that I can look forward and be encouraged by the amount of food I am ALLOWED to eat.

As always with fasting these things are all trial and error. But finding new ways of thinking and new strategies are obviously necessary for me. Different plans work at different times in our yearly cycle.