The FastDay Forum

Paula keep going, as others have said there are sometimes went fluctuations. I'm weighing out of interest but the real test is inches and clothes fitting again.
Come on here for all the support you need and you'll get there
Xx

[carorees]

Flower: could you give us some more info so we can see if anyone has any ideas why you have not lost weight after 5 weeks? Could you tell us your age, height, weight, how many cals you are having on fast days and what your diet is like on feed days and whether you have lost lots of weight already on another plan plus anything else you think might be relevant!

Dr M says to keep an eye on calorie-containing drinks on feed days add they can add a lot.

Lots of good and sane advice already given here. There are many factors which can affect weight loss in the short term and mean that the numbers move around, and everyone is quite right to stress these, because we all have bad weeks!

In the long run though it surely comes down to energy in (calories) against energy out (metabolism). The 5:2 diet imposes about a 20% cut in calorie intake, so logically if our normal level of intake is maintaining our weight at a steady level, a 20% reduction must reduce our weight - unless something else changes or there is some underlying medical problem.

But that depends on our personal normal calorie requirement. There is a handy calculator at http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and I was quite surprised when I ran it to find out that my needs were much less than the 2500 which is usually quoted for a man.

So although we have been told that 5:2 is '500 for a woman, 600 for a man' the idea behind it is 25% of our normal calorie requirement on 2 days, and 100% on the other 5 days. The big problem is not so much that the 500 or 600 might be too high (though they might), but that our intake on the other days might be.

For anyone finding that 5:2 is not producing weight loss after a period of 4+ weeks, I would suggest reducing intake modestly on the feed days too (unless a medical condition is suspected, in which case: see a doctor).

I know that seems to go against the idea of 5:2 but in the end - considered purely as a diet - 5:2 is just a way of reducing our overall energy intake. (5:2 is not just a diet, of course, and there are other health benefits too.)

Hi Carorees and thank you for your reply. I have been a size 12 all my life but I put on a few pounds and then go on a diet and lose them. This time I have 9 pounds to lose. I am rigid on fast days...I eat one meal at 6pm. Feed days range between 1000 cals and 1 6000 if I am drinking wine. I have been strict for past 5 weeks.I usually lose weight on a diet but I have to be strict.I exercise regularly. To be fair I feel less frumpy and friends have said that I look slimmer , I will wait til this Fri before saying for certain that it's not working but it's certainly not happening quickly! I'm earl fifties which doesn't help. My health is excellent.Thank you for your time...perhaps the scales will surprise me this week!

[carorees]

Hi Flower

Well, TBH, 9lb is not all that much compared with what many of us (me included) have to lose so I think it will never be that easy especially at our age! I presume the upper calorie intake you gave was a misprint?! Have you worked out your TDEE? At the moment there are two camps here on the forum...those who believe that calorie restricting on feed days helps weight loss and those who feel that restricting calories below one's TDEE can actually slow weight loss. Although maths and logic say that restricting on feed days should speed weight loss, the strange ways our metabolism works means that this is not necessarily the case.

So, I would suggest that you first work out your TDEE (link in the essential links post in the Resources forum), then calorie count on all days for a week and see what your calorie intake per day is when averaged over the whole week. We can then debate what the best thing to do is once we know your average intake.

The second thing to do is to remember that on fast days you should be having a quarter of your TDEE, so if your TDEE is under 2000 cals/day then 500 on fast days is too many (sorry).

Third, measure your waist and see if it has reduced. It sounds like it may have since your friends say you look slimmer, so if you have been exercising more than you were, it is most likely that you have lost fat and gained muscle...as muscle weighs much more than fat you would look slimmer but weigh the same.

After you have done all that, come back to us and we'll have a think...

Good luck!

Hey Paula,

DON'T PANIC !!! I put 8lbs on over Christmas (to much homemade xmas pud and cake and choc's......) I’m back where I started and its ok like everyone on here says you will fluctuate so don't worry your not going anywhere and your weight will drop slowly but surely. I'm disabled too and I know that this changes how I am and how slowly I loose weight (I’m no spring chicken either)

So take everyone’s advice and DON'T Weigh yourself keep trying this it may not work for you the first couple of weeks it may take time.

Take care of yourself you will be a skinny mini in the future

Hi. Hope you're all hanging in there.
A tip from me would be to get rid of your weighing scales! For us women (not sure it's the same for men) the monthly cycle means that what the scales tells you isn't always accurate, but it can have such a huge effect on the mood. I know because my Mum was a serial weigher (several times a day) and so I won't have them in the house. I weigh once a month at the local supermarket...

Hi

I do sympathise. However, this is a lifestyle and one you have to experiment with. Be your own scientist and don't think of it as a weekly thing but something that changes over months. It's taken years for me to finally come to the conclusion that sustainable weight loss happens over a long period of time and if you focus on a weekly result you will cave in and destroy everything you have achieved.

My advice is to experiment with it and do what works for you. A diet book is written with the average person in mind, but who really is average? Take the advice you are given in books and by other people and incorporate them into your life slowly and see if it works for you, if it doesn't then you need to do something different. Research is essential and will help you become informed, therefore, becoming a better scientist.

I would also encourage you to look at the paleo way of eating, as it cuts out the cravings and puts your body into fat burning mode. You can do this with the 5.2 diet. This is a great place to start - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2KfqMIFku

This is only advice, do what works for you.

Good luck and stop being so hard on yourself.

Michelle xx

[wildmissus]

Don't despair same thing happened to me, look at my progress chart. I feel that it has taken my body 4 weeks to adjust to this new way of eating. Week 5 weigh in yeasterday I lost 4lb which is fat loss not the water of the first week. If from now on I can lose 1lb a week I'd be very happy Don't give up.

A couple of things.

Weight loss is a positive side effect of 5:2 fasting - but the long term health benefits are more important. So every completed fast day is a success in itself.

You say you are keeping within 2000 calories.
Is that your actual TDEE or just the figure off the side of a cereal packet?
If you are under 5'5" and not a gym bunny, your daily requirement will be significantly less.

Finally. Lock the scales away - I do not actually own a set. I weigh myself once a week at the gym and only look at the long term pattern.