The FastDay Forum

It's taken me weeks to drop another pound! I finally did this morning. I'm happy for sure, I just wish it wasn't so slow. I still really like this WOE, and will continue. I hope it won't be weeks before I can update my progress tracker again!

My scale seems stuck! It's exactly what it was on Monday.

Keep at it and here's hoping for more progress next week!

Have you for curiosity checked out your calorie intake for the week ,it may be worth checking if you want to speed things up a bit

Plateaus happen for a variety of reasons. When one happens keep a food diary for a week and just double check that you are not exceeding your TDEE over the week span, or that you aren't starving yourself by not not eating enough up to your TDEE for the week. Both over and under eating can sabotage weight loss.
The heat in the last few weeks has caused a lot of plateaus as our bodies hold on to extra water in the heat, just in case its needed. Salty foods as well can cause water retention.

Stick to it, this WOE is a slow but steady weight loss plan. You are the tortoise, not the hare. You will get there, slower than maybe you thought, but in a controlled, maintainable manner.

Just a thought I've had recently and something I'm going to do but haven't needed to quite yet:

Try doing two fast days, back to back.

Then weigh yourself the morning after the second day. If that works it'd be evidence that overall calorie intake is too high.

HTH

sounds like a good idea but i weigh myself on Friday morning and usually fast Tuesday and Thursday so which 2 days do you suggest i fast so that i can tell if it is overall calorie intake,

I'd rather count calories for a week than back to back fast. I don't much like just a one day gap-though I will do it if life gets in the way. I don't find the fasts particularly difficult, but I definitely have a lot less energy after the 2nd fast.

I seem to be plateauing too. Its sooo slow. And confusing cause I thought the whole point was to "eat normally" on non fast days. Then I read maybe one is eating too much or not enough. Oh well I assume eventually the scales will creep down. Just wish it would steadily go in the right direction - down.

JKW, as you lose weight you need to check your TDEE as your metabolic needs will reduce as your body gets smaller.
Also, what is normal? If you were putting on weight before 5:2 then you still have to eat less than you were to lose weight on 5:2.
If you had a stable weight before 5:2 but were keeping to a particular form of eating eg. low carb or low fat eating, then when you go onto 5:2 and all restraints are off, you can sabotage yourself by adding the previously forbidden foods back into your diet.

So first of all spend a week or two finding out what is 'normal' for you and your body.

You know, I understand the frustration with plateaus, but if you accept that this is a WOL as well as a WOE, it gets easier, and what's more, it's sustainable!

What wasn't (and isn't) sustainable is eating the way that brought us to our overweight state in the first place.

Think about it. How can you expect a two day fast to make up for wildly overeating on a daily basis? Eating normally--i.e. what SHOULD be normal on your nonfast days--is what will bring you a slow but real downward trend until you eventually get to where you want to go. Then you'll need to tweak it to stay there.

Hi I'm stuck also I checked my TDEE and not changed anything since my start so I gather it's a plateau and having read moogies blog it appears we just have to hang on in there and wait, mines to be expected I suppose because I've lost fairly quickly, but yes very annoying , we will all have to play the waiting game together. Good luck Sue

Hi:

First, weight loss with 5:2 is very slow. A woman with an average TDEE of 2000 can expect to lose about 3/4 of a pound a week. Most women have TDEEs less than 2000 and lose less as a result. This will give you a hint of what to expect and how to speed things up if you want to: 5-2-diet-chat-f6/topic6600.html

Plateaus are common. I'm on my fourth in four months. Most can be explained by water weight. If they last longer than four weeks, then you have to check your TDEE and count your calories on your non fasting days: 5-2-diet-chat-f6/on-plateaus-t7102.html

I just weigh once a week and Plateaus do exist for a lot of people ,we are all different what works for one does not work for another its finding the right balance

have you tried doing 4:3 to try and boost your weight loss?

Hi romsmom Yes I'm already doing 4:3 have been since the start
But thanks Sue