The FastDay Forum

It is 2 years today since I had my first fast and I am still here. I am posting to encourage those for whom this is not a quick fix. I was nearly 14 1/2 stone when I started wearing 18/20 tops and 20/22 bottoms. My aim was just to get to a relatively normal size and I set myself a target to lose 2 1/2 stone and be a size 16. I almost made it in my first year. Encouraged I set myself a new target to lose another 1 1/2 stone aiming for a size 14. The second year has been much slower and I have lost about 12 - 13 lbs. I do basic 5:2 counting my calories on fast days - now trying to stick to under 400 - but eat mindfully the rest of the time , drinking alcohol at weekends . I don't fast when I am on holiday and that is what has made it more difficult this year as it seems to take about 3 times as long to lose the small resultant weight gain as to acquire it! I have 2 regular fasting days - Monday and Wednesday and only shift from that pattern for exceptional circumstances. My current target is still 10 1/2 stone but I am thinking MAYBE 10 stone might be achievable and POSSIBLY size 12 on top at least. My tracker is flattening out and it maybe that it will tell me when I have reached a weight I can maintain.
So I am entering my 3rd year of this way of life hoping to still lose some more weight but not setting any rigid targets

Three years is awesome, @Lil, super well done! To still be in control and losing weight, that's fabulous. Not to forget the health benefits for you either.

Hello there, and congratulations on your progress. There's a substantial enough difference in your last 2 photographs to make me wonder if you've had some significant body recomposition this year that expresses more than your scale changes, IYSWIM.

My current target is still 10 1/2 stone but I am thinking MAYBE 10 stone might be achievable and POSSIBLY size 12 on top at least.

My original target was 130lbs. I re-thought that target after having a body composition analysis and learning that I was 42% body fat at 127lbs. I stabilised at 127lbs for 6 months before deciding to reduce my body fat down to my current level. Long-winded way of saying that targets can be fluid, depending on how we feel at particular stages or what we learn about ourselves.

I'm so impressed that you've achieved this with 5:2 - it's testament to the method as well as to your own skill in implementing it in a manner that is so suited to you. Well Done!

Lil,
How inspiring, thank you so much! Your pictures are wonderful & your words have given me the boost I needed for today. Continued success !

[wildmissus]

Lovely to see you @Lil and what a difference. I am in much the same situation as yourself. First year I lost lots of weight but this year I haven't lost much but I do think that maybe the fat cells have been reducing. I started at a size 16 and now wear size 12 with a few tops bring a size 10 which is unbelievable. I'll have been fasting for 2 years in January and can still see myself being here indefinitely as fasting is just what I do now.

[carieoates]

Well done that woman. @Moogie, you need to see this. What a fine example of good old basic 5.2. Keep it up and keep taking the photos

Impressive results!

A case could be made that not only have you lost weight successfully, you have been maintaining brilliantly for the past year and a half.

Well done @Lil - you are an inspiration!

Big thankyou for this post, @lil. It is so helpful to hear from people who have been fasting for so long. Inspiring and strenthening. I will follow your lead.

And I thought you were just a pair if shapely legs poking skywards, but no, there's a shapely upward bod to match!

Happy fastaversary to my buddie @Lil. You've got curves girl. And it is so nice to put a face with a name. You have done such a very nice job over the past two years and I know that you will continue to make sustainable progress. The fact that you can "vacation" from fasting and go right back to it is so inspiring. I raise my glass to you in hopes that the next year brings you the completion of your goal. Together we can do it!

Wow! You're looking great, @Lil! Congrats and well done!

You look so great. Keep going you are inspirational. Well done.

Even if your scale doesn't agree, your body has definitely changed this past year. There are so many differences in the 2 last pictures on your upper body....

I understand it can be frustrating but, I promise you, it really is worth it and your body will keep changing, even when you will reach your goal.

After 21 months since I began losing weight and 11 months since I reached my goal, I am now a 8 UK size but my body is still changing. I lost most of my belly fat and the thighs cellulite in the last year. It doesn't show on the scale, my weight doesn't change, but the differences in the measurements are enormous and a bit overwhelming. Maybe your body is simply catching up with the weight you already lost and is taking the time to deal properly with the changes ? I do feel that it's better that way because, believe me, losing weight too fast can trigger some strange reactions...

Congratulations and keep up the good work

Yes, the good work does show, so keep it up and keep us posted. It is a way of life!