The FastDay Forum

Hello everyone! I am having similar problem as TracE. Yesterday it was my 7th fast and I was excited today for my weigh in. I can not tell you how disappointed I am because I have not lost even one pound from the start. I dont have much to lose, my BMI is 22,3 and I just want to lose 4 to 6 pounds. On feed days I dont get over my TDEE in average. I will try to increase my exercise. I anyone has advice for me, please let me know.

Was thinking of giving spinning a go but not sure i'd come out alive

Spinning is a fantastic idea. Don't be afraid. You can go at your own intensity as you control the bike's resistance. Give it a shot I go spinning every Friday.

Hiya!
Do me a favour and calculate your TDEE on this website:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
It is the only one that gave me a realistic result...

I calculated my TDEE on this website to, other ones gave me much biger numbers so i follow this to make sure I dont overeat.

Perhaps I'm wrong but I think that my TDEE on that website was the only one that made sense. See how you do with this TDEE as your guide.

Hello everyone! I am having similar problem as TracE. Yesterday it was my 7th fast and I was excited today for my weigh in. I can not tell you how disappointed I am because I have not lost even one pound from the start. I dont have much to lose, my BMI is 22,3 and I just want to lose 4 to 6 pounds. On feed days I dont get over my TDEE in average. I will try to increase my exercise. I anyone has advice for me, please let me know.

Are you sure it is weight you need to lose - by your BMI, you seem pretty healthy - maybe you are trying too hard? Try your measurements, what is your ultimate goal and is it achievable... maybe your goal should be fitness based as you know muscle by volume is a lot heavier than fat... think of a pound of butter... vs a pound of lean steak... Next time you are in your gym ask them to do the full measurements for you... i.e., Body fat percentage.... see f they do a visceral fat measurement too. You may find you are surprised.

UPDATE
I've done a week of upping my calories on feed days as suggested by some - i've changed my fast days to mix it up. I've been eating diff types of food i.e. cutting down on carbs and meat and am tryin Quorn (not a fan) and Weight In this morning........
I've GAINED another pound

So this coming week i am trying different Calories on my 4 feed days
Maybe 2 days of 1900 (nearly my TDEE) and 2 days at 1600

Also going to try to eat just one 500 cal meal on my fast days as i had been splitting it between lunch and dinner

Wish me luck all
T

Oh dear, sorry it hasn't been working TraceE, how frustrating!

I've done a week of upping my calories on feed days as suggested by some

I hope you didn't misunderstand what I said. I did write:

Eat more to lose more - not! Personally I think this is voodoo and not good voodoo either.

I am afraid that in the end it is going to come down mostly to how many calories you take in over the whole week and they will have to go down not up I think...

Hi Dominic

I was very much DOWN on my weekly calories before usually a weekly defecit of between 3500 - 4500

And no i'm grateful for everybodies input and think its trial and error. i'm not one to be defeated.

I do wonder if my body has been used to low cals (1300ish) for so long that its being stubborn because of it (as read in a post on here somehwere) so going to try to really shake up the daily amounts so it confuses it into NOT knowing lol IYKWIM

I've got 5 weeks until my holiday in the sun to Turkey and i want to be rid of at least 6 lb's ........so there's my challenge

Thanks TracE for the explanation. Personally I think mixing it up on the different days is a good idea, combined with lots of exercise. You might be right about your body having adapted to lower calorie intake by lowering its RMR (resting metabolic rate) - the comforting thought is that although this is frustrating for weight loss it may be good for long-term health. And you don't look like an apple shape to me, so that is really good too from a health point of view.

Still in the end it comes back to the same formula which I know some don't like:
calories in - energy used = weight gained

So I will stick to my suggestion that (as well as mixing it up and exercising) you also cut calories overall (i.e. on the non-fast days). If you can cut carbs and especially high GI ones that will probably be the most sustainable.

I was just in Turkey and it is warming up nicely for you!

Hi TracE. It's very frustrating isn't it? You give me the impression that you had a pretty healthy diet and reasonably active lifestyle before 5:2, yet are in the overweight BMI category. I am in exactly the same boat as you. For me it takes a mammoth effort to shift any weight because I wasn't doing anything particularly wrong in the first place. Personally, I don't think 5:2 is working any better than other diet regimes I have embarked on in the past BUT it does have long term sustainability. I'm now into week 11 and still feeling strong and good about it. I've lost 8lb during that time so you can see that I fall into the less-than-average weight loss category but I've accepted the fact that it's going to be slow and steady. You just need to stick with it and be patient. Good luck!

Hi Madge

We do sound very similar and thats nice to know as i feel so alone in my quest at times - and boy its frustrating but i guess we are still losing weight at the end of the day and its good to see that your that bit further on and have lost 8lb's in 11 weeks.

I walk every lunch time at work 20 mins brisk walking. I walk in the evening 3 times a week half an hour or so. I do a zumba class once a week too.

I have to say though i def feel better for this Way of Eating i find i dont feel so sluggish on fast days so thats a bonus
Please keep in touch and if you fancy a moan or want to share something that you have found helps would be great
T x

Yes, I'm sure there's a few others out there like us - we are not alone! I think the problem with me is having spent the best part of my life subconsciously counting calories all the time so my body is used to quite a low amount. This is also combined with a sedentary desk job which doesn't help (although I walk to work and back Mon-Fri about 20 mins each way - and I walk fast like you). I've had spates of going to the gym in the past and although it's improved my fitness the weight has never drastically dropped off. I do quite like the fasts though and get through them pretty easily. I like the fact that it has taken away the temptation to snack between meals and eating for the sake of eating when not really hungry - and that has got to have a positive effect over time. Maybe we should start a slow losers thread .. Best wishes, Julie

[carorees]

Did you try going over TDEE on a couple of days? I don't think your body is going to break out of starvation mode if you never eat more than your daily requirement! If you could eat over some days and under on others it might jog something! Also try the high intensity exercise. Also cold exposure simulates the thyroid and increases metabolic rate (that does take a while though)...just not being too cosy is enough...take off the jumper! These little things might add up to enough to get things going.

I have to admit to being quite discouraged too. I had a promising start but then just froze. I'm really disappointed that I need to count calories too. Even then I haven't been eating anything like my TDEE. I shall persevere as I'm hoping to go some way towards reversing health issues but after feeling so ill yesterday I'm not so sure thats happening either.

Maybe we can prop each other up!