The FastDay Forum

Hi,

I have been doing the 5:2 program for 5 weeks and have lost a total of 5kgs / 11 pounds which I am really happy about. I have spent lots of time looking through this forum and reading other material, so I feel like I have a good idea about what I should/shouldnt be doing. Having said that, I would love it if people could comment on my experiences and maybe shed some light on my concerns!

I fast twice a week - Mon and Thurs, eating nothing until the evening and, then, eating 500 cals or just under. I find this ok, especially by the afternoon when I know that mealtime is getting closer! 5:2 has helped in terms of chronic health issues I have and the boost to how I feel about myself has been great (very much a scales driven person, something I wish I wasnt!).

My worry is that on non-fasting days, the scales can show as much as a 1.5kg / 3.3 pound difference to my overall lowest recorded weight. Why the difference? Can I really "claim" my weight loss if there is so much fluctuation? I find the fluctuation very disheartening and promise myself that I will only weigh after my second fast day (where the biggest losses are evident), but still manage to still step on them every Mon morning! Is this fluctuation normal?

Any advice / insight would be gratefully received!

[Moogie]

Hi & welcome!

First of all, congrats on your fantastic weight loss, that's some great progress

Your weight will vary naturally depending on all sorts of factors - time of day, time of the month, what you've eaten, water retention, muscles repairing from exercise, and more besides. Of course, the more you have to lose, the more this variation can potentially be. I know that even with only a stone until I reach my 'happy to maintain at' weight, I can still vary by 3-4lbs during the week - but come weigh day it's always back down

I prefer to weigh just once a week so that I can see the downward trend. If I weigh between times I don't put any stock in it, it can vary so much. By weighing after my second fast each week I minimise the variables affecting my weight the next day to try to get a more true reading.

So, all in all, don't worry about the fluctuations as long as the trend is downward Have a look at a few members graphs on here and you'll find a lot of up-and-downing from those who weigh more often, but the trendline heads downwards

Hi Lotstogo and basically so have I But I do only weigh myself on Friday morning, yes after my 3rd fast ( doing 4:3) + also changed to Fri coz forum weigh-ins seem to be on that day and more importantly when I see it going down I know my week was worth it and motivates me for the next batch of fast days, do try I know it's not easy but give them a rest Sue

I alway count the morning weighing.

I weigh myself twice a day: first thing in the morning and again just before bed. I treat these numbers as curiosities - data points that I track and graph in a spreadsheet, not as something to be overly concerned about. The trend is what really matters. Morning weight is always 2-3 pounds (1-1.5 kg) lower than the night before. And bed time weight is most always 1-4 pounds (~.5 - 1.8 kg) higher representing the accumulated weight of the days' meals and drinks. And it doesn't seem to matter whether it's a fast or feast day.

So you're doing great. Dont' let the variance get you down.

Weighing yourself frequently is a sure track to madness, I find! Unless you are just curious, and able to not worry about the inevitable fluctuations. I try to get weighed only on the mornings after fast days, and always with the same routine - out of bed, trip to the loo, then weighed, naked, always on the same scales.

As long as the weight is going down overall, week by week, that is all that matters.

Weighing yourself frequently is a sure track to madness, I find!

Ditto! The fluctuations, especially early on, got to me so I stopped weighing myself.

You might try a weight loss tracking app, such as Libra. That will give you a trend line of your weight measurements over time and even out those fluctuations.

Hi:

You have proven to yourself that 5:2 works for you - you are losing weight.

You have also proven that weighing yourself often bothers you because of your weight fluctuations.

See "5:2 Diet FAQ" at the top of this page for more info.

As weighing yourself often bothers you, and there is no reason to be bothered while losing weight, trust that you will lose weight and just weigh yourself once a month or so.