The FastDay Forum

Last week my first week I lost 6lbs, I went from 13st 31/2lbs to 12st 11 1/2lbs. I have only done one fasting day so far this week where I totally abstained from food for approx 36hrs the same as last week, got on the scales this morning and have gained 2 1/2lbs. I am devastated! After such a good loss last week I thought I had finally found a diet that works for me.

I now feel like giving up, I am so upset and embarrassed about my weight gain. Last week I couldn't wait to tell my family and friends how much weight I'd lost, this week I just hope no one asks me how I've done!

Has anyone else experienced the same as me and carried into achieve a good weight loss?

I just need a bit of encouragement to carry on. I was actually enjoying the days I wasn't eating and felt like I had proved to myself I don't need to eat all the time. I'm now going to get some chocolate to cheer myself up!!

Hey Paula,

You need to do 2 things: 1 - chill out and 2 - take the pressure off yourself. Did you overeat on your normal eating days? Are you sticking to your calorie allowance or exceeding it? Do you lead quite a active lifestyle, ex. stairs over lift and walking rather than car/bus? It helps to speed things up a little. I am fairly sure what you lost on the first week is water, which you probably replenished. You need to be consistent with it. Try fasting 2 days a week but don't take it to the extreme, cuz you won't be able to keep it up. Another thing is ... did you weigh yourself AFTER the toilet? Are you expecting period soon? For me, the ADF resulted in a bad constipation, so I am actually 1 kg heavier than 2 days ago, but I haven't been to toilet for the last 52 hours, so I know where it's coming from. Plus many women accumulate a lot of water before periods, so that might be it. C'mon, don't give up. Look at the forum, everyone is so supportive and everyone get's results, but many need to observe how their body responds and tailor fasting to their bodies. You may have to wait, but you only achieve something if you are strong and commit to it, like to a partner. I'm sure you'll be fine once you make some adjustments.

Now, stop beating yourself up, go out for a walk and start again tomorrow.

x Justina

*slaps Paula for feeling bad*

From what I've seen Paula it's completely normal, I had 7lb in my first week after 2 fasts and then nothing in my second week after 3 fast days. I'll admit I forgot to weigh myself first thing in the morning on the second week so I did it later in the day and then decided to leave weighing until after another week.

This is not a miracle 'drop a stone EVERY week' thing ... things like that never work and it's not how our bodies work neither.

Don't feel bad, your body is just being normal and give it time. Personally I'd recommend staying away from your scales and measure yourself instead and if anyone asks what you've lost this week it's ok just to say that you're not obsessing and weighing all the time!

I've a LOT to lose and I'm not measuring my overall health by a number on a little box in the corner of the bathroom ... I'm measuring it by how well I feel and how my attitude to food changes, once my brain is fixed and understands when/how/why I eat then my belly will follow

I'm sure someone else will post a more scientific reason for this but don't worry, stop feeling guilty and just look forward to better health

No on feed days I am having well under 2000 cals of good healthy food, with the odd treat which as I say is still less than 2000. Always go to the toilet first and weigh myself at the same time, as far as exercise goes I have increased my exercise but I am limited as I suffer from MS and I am unable to walk properly spending some time in a wheelchair.

I am able to cycle on an exercise bike and do 20 mins a day and 20 mins abs, bums and tums, davina McCall. As far as my period goes I don't really have one any more as I have got an IUD.
I am following the 5:2 diet as in the book, but totally fast 1 day a week and have the 500kcals on the other. Tomorrow is my next fast day so will weigh again on Sunday.

Nope, think I'm up this week too. If you think that the average weight loss of this entire group is less than a pound a week and my weight can fluctuate in a day by 5 lbs, not going to stress.

Feelings of failure = depression = big bag of crisps!

By the look of things you are doing it right. As BBT053 says, weight can fluctuate. Please do not weigh yourself so often, it will drive you mad. Just pick one day of the week and time and weight yourself on weekly basis.

Cheer up and try to focus on something else then weight loss, take your mind of it. Hope it works out for you!:)

Paula70, I lost 5 lbs in my first week, then regained 3 lbs over the subsequent few days. Over the second half of my second week, I have lost those regained pounds, and I am back to a net loss of 5 lbs (so no overall progress since last Friday). I think we have to view this process as a long-term thing, not on a day-by-day or even a week-by-week basis. And the key is to stick at it, and not give up hope, because it is the long-term results that matter and not the daily fluctuations.

There is no need to be embarrassed about temporary weight gain over the course of just a few days. What matters is not any individual day's measurement, but that the trend of weight loss is ever downward. Like me, you have already seen a nett weight loss since you started 5:2 only a short time ago, so I think we should give it a few weeks before leaping to conclusions about whether it is working for us or not.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Last week my first week I lost 6lbs, I went from 13st 31/2lbs to 12st 11 1/2lbs. ... I was actually enjoying the days I wasn't eating and felt like I had proved to myself I don't need to eat all the time.

Hi Paula

You are certainly not a failure - you lost 3.5-lbs in just over a week by fasting for (?) 2-3 days. The statements you made above are such positive endorsements of this way of eating. Can you see how brilliant it is that you have lost 3.5-lbs so quickly and easily? Because of the way this works there are bound to be fluctuations and it is too soon for you to beat yourself up about having 'regained' 2.5-lbs of what was probably water lost. 6-lbs was a lot to lose in the first week so was probably mostly water.

As you have said "you enjoyed the days you were not eating and you proved to yourself you don't need to eat all the time". Take it from there and carry on with it. I recommend doing 5:2 if you have a lot to lose as I think 6:1 is recommended for people who wish to maintain their existing weight. I also recommend eating something on your fast days, but keep it down to 500 cals or under.

By the way, the same thing happened to me last week, I regained 3 of the 4-lbs I had lost the first week. This week I lost the 3 pounds again plus another 0.5-lb. I feel great today and I feel optimistic it will work long term (but with plenty of hiccups no doubt!). Don't give in to comfort eating. You Are Not a Failure!

Good Luck!

*Hugely sympathetic wave and smile to Paula*

Hi Paula

You are not alone! Me too! See my spookily similar post today under Progress Reports ('Anyone else PUT ON weight?')

This is the end of week three for me. I lost 4 pounds in week one (woo hoo! ), half a pound in week two (hmmmm! ) and put on one and a half pounds today (no! )

I DID feel deflated. But you know what? I'm not going to let it derail me. I have enjoyed the process. It's taught me a lot about my eating, my hunger and why I eat.

My husband, who had lost the same amount as me both weeks only lost half a pound this week. And he's been super strict!

We had a chat about it and both decided we look and feel less bloated. OK, so the scales don't agree but something positive is definitely happening!

We have just decided to carry on doing what we were doing, fasting Mondays and Thursdays and trust that our weight will trend down.

I think that in future, I will be more neutral about weight loss/gain. That is, not massively celebrate the losses or get too depressed about the gains.

Paula, there is definitely some adjustment with water levels in the first weeks, so I'm sure this is partly responsible.

Don't feel like a failure - you're not! You're just trying your best like the rest of us!

Keep going!

*Massive smile and thumbs up*

Paula, I would urge you not to give up. Don't think of weight loss over a week but over a month. That's where a graph is helpful. Seven pounds is a heck of a lot to lose in one week and not all of that can be fat, so the bit you put back on is probably some of the water back.

I've been doing this since the end of September and have hardly lost anything at all - only about 4 pounds. But I have lost inches from everywhere. measure your bust, waist, tummy and hips today and check them again at the end of Feb. Meanwhile keep up the 5:2. There are more good things to be had from it than just the weight loss, remember, especially for someone like yourself not in the best of health. Good luck!

Thanks for your comments, you have definitely given me some encouragement. I will persevere and keep you posted. In the mean time I will try and stay off the scales.
Fast day again tomorrow think I will have the 500 cals rather than completely starve myself!

Yes, just keep going Paula and I would have the 500 cals.

Good luck!

Eat. Think how long it takes to put weight on. Diets work best like saving. Little steps...it all adds up over time.

Thanks BBT053 the reasons why I have failed in previous diets is not seeing results straight away. This diet is really sustainable and I am determined to continue with it even if it is only for health benefits but I would also like to see the weight coming off. I know it won't happen magically over night but hope to see at least some progress in about another month!

I have stuck to the diet for 5 weeks and have not [ost any weight...maybe it doesn.t work for everyone?