The FastDay Forum

Hi there

Does anyone else think we're being too hard on ourselves by focusing mainly (or for some of us, solely) on the weight loss. I thought this was a life style change and should be focusing on ALL the health benefits.

I did two consecutive days fasting last week and woke up the next morning feeling ecstatic, more slender around the tummy and positively bouncing around - until that was, I jumped on the scales and hadn't lost an ounce!!! That set me up for a VERY bad day and then I pretty much ate everything in sight. Oops!

My Husband, bless him, is beside himself with all my failed attempts as losing weight over the years (I have nearly 3 stone to lose). And in desperation said 'just throw the bloody scales away and go by how you feel - which up to the point you jumped on those scales was jubilant. You would have had a brilliant day if you hadn't weighed yourself and would have continued to be good and probably would have lost weight. You did so well fasting for two days, but you've not given yourself any credit for that, all you're focusing on is the lack of weight loss - stop it now!'.

So now that's what I am doing. We have put the scales in the garden shed and I am going to go by how I feel. I am aiming to do a 4:3 week next week as it suits me, but the week after it will only be 5:2. I am doing this to suit my life.

Having read most of the posts on here, we all seem to be falling in to the same trap of beating ourselves up because we haven't, or don't appear to have lost any weight. Like I said, what about all the other health benefits we're probably getting, and let's face it, if we're overweight, then we've probably got all those ailments too.

Come on, stop beating ourselves up. Be positive about all the other changes and let's stop worrying about if we're losing weight so much.

Rant over!

Yep, I ditched the scales then I'll weigh myself in 3 months time. I had enough to be disappointed by numbers. I have to say at the end of every day I see how many calories I used. I try not to go over 2000cal. I know it's best not to count calories but when I did that I realized I ate 300 to 400 cal too many on normal days. Good luck and let's have a happy 5:2 Xx

I totally agree Sunshine24! I thought this diet was about
a) a healthier way to live by triggering repair mode through limiting calories a couple of times a week
b) being able to eat more or less whatever you liked the rest of the time!

Why are people counting calories on non-fast days? I think many of you aren't losing weight because you're not eating enough on off days so your bodies are maybe storing fat because they are in starvation mode. Stepping up exercise and becoming more aware of what you eat is gonna help, but obsessing over every calorie seems counter-productive to me. Throw away your scales, or hide them for a month or so and measure the success of the regime by how you look and feel! You probably won't like me much either, sorry, but I ses it how I sees it!

If you've read my other posts too, I'm in this camp. If I wanted to be on a diet for 6 months and then fall off, putting an extra stone back on in the process, I would calorie restrict every day. But I'm not in a rush to lose weight, like the discipline of eating little some days and enjoying my other days, it's easier mentally and I'm finding it physically easier as time goes on.

People take something simple, make it complicated and miss the point. If we could all calorie-restrict on a long-term basis, we wouldn't be fat in the first place.

I'm enjoying being the awkward squad today, so here goes.

I agree about the dangers of obsessing about the scales and especially about calorie counting all the time, because that is why all those other diets failed. We need to be living our lives, not serving a gaol sentence. Also agree about the other benefits of intermittent fasting, including 5:2, which I think will be proven in due course.

But the reality is that we lose weight because we take in fewer calories than we burn, and it is surely a myth (and a dangerous one) to think that maybe we need to eat more on feed days to lose more weight.

5:2 will fail as a diet if people feel that they can overeat on feed days. It only works if we eat normally on the other 5 days - that is, an amount that would (if eaten 7/7) maintain our body weight - or less. And many of us I think overestimate the amount of calories we should be eating normally.

Ok, rant over...

Sunshine I do like you because I think that this is more about health than weight loss. after spending or rather wasting most of my life counting calories and obsessing about scales I feel that this change to the way I eat has liberated me from the tyranny of dieting. Thanks for the post.

Thanks everyone for your positive comments here.

I have been (fairly) careful since Friday, eating I reckon between 1800 - 2000 calories each day before starting on my next fast day on Monday - BUT I haven't counted calories. Aiming to do three fast days this week, and do agree, we can't eat anything and everything on these feed days, but having around 1800 calories a day does allow you to have that treat if you want it. As a part time dog walker and career of the elderly, I am quite active too and do 30 mins of stretching / pilates 4 times a week too.

As I say, I am trying to focus on all the health benefits, not just losing weight ( but I do hope this happens too), although I won't be weighing myself anytime soon!

Good luck everyone, keep positive and let's hope we're all healthier some time real soon x

I posted a couple of days ago about having lost 6lbs in the first week and after jumping on the scales this week gained 2 of those lbs back. I was really upset after having felt so jubilant and pleased with myself. I have consequently not done my second fast day this week and have eaten everything I shouldn't.

I am hoping to get back to the 5:2 this week as yes your right it isn't all about what the scales say, it is the potential health benefits but added weight loss would be good because losing that weight is part of the health benefits.

Paula isn't it horrible we rely so much on those scales. I did too so suggest you put them away and do as Dr M did and weigh yourself in about five weeks and see what happens. Just don't overdo the feed days and do some exercise if you can. Good luck and hope to hear you've had some more success! Good luck