The FastDay Forum

Hi! I did 5:2 from Jan 2013 to sometime that summer, then took a break (still had another stone or so to go) having lost about 3 stone - a couple of pounds every week, it worked like a dream!
Stupidly put about 1.5 stone back on again over the following year, and started again in September.
Not working. Lost a few pounds, but have put them back on again.
I know I know I must look at what I eat on non-fasting days and probably curb carbs and alcohol.....but it's hard, especially as I didn't really have to think about it last time! I was amazed at how well it worked, continuing "normal" life five days a week.
Fasting today, but feeling really down.
Sorry, moan over. Back to work.

Hi Swedey,
Sorry you're feeling down about the fast, so am I today as I seem to keep losing the same few lbs and putting it back on again!
But, you've lost a whole load of weight - 3 stone is still a huge achievement even if you've put some back on. I wish I had anything like you're strength of character to stick with it and keep going. I don't have any expert advice, this is my second time trying this and I'm really hoping that it works but it is hard going and you are not alone!!
Ruby

Ohhhh poor you, you sound miserable! I have just come back too having not really started properly last year (well,that's my excuse to myself!). I have just been reading about using windows, I was worrying about what I'll do over Christmas and though this could work. It might be good for you to start with, at least to get you going? You can eat what you like (within reason of course) for an 8 hour window, so say from 1.00pm till 9.00pm. I'm doing 5:2 (lunch and dinner) and I'll try the window thing over Xmas. Come on, get back onto that wagon! Read some of the success stories, they did it, SO CAN WE!!! Good luck and let me know what you decide to do.
Gaynor

[carieoates]

Sorry it's not going well. I have been here over a year now and it's taken me this long to realise that even though IF doesn't involve much calorie counting you have to be mindful on all days of what you're consuming. It's all to easy to eat everything in sight as you're "allowed" more food on feast days. Our TDEE Is worked out from average daily cal usages. Mine is 2400 but I try to eat up to 1800. With up to and around 6-700 on fast days. It's high as I exercise 4 times a week
So try logging cals on All days. You'd be amazed how many you absentmindedly put in your mouth, those biscuits ,crisps takeaway as all add up.
Go check out my tracker. It's ok its visible for all to see.

Hi there..plenty of peep including me have done well on IF,then things have slipped..
Its not as easy second time round..dont know why,but i'm finding that too!
All we can do is climb back in the saddle,grit our teeth and trot off,clippety clop!
Remember you did it before and did very well! X
I' m reading a book called the Chimp Paradox which i think is gonna help..i highly recommend reading it!
Good luck,keep positive, remember all the health benefits IF brings! We're all in this together so you're never alone when any problems crop up x

Come on Swedey. Chin up. Your loss was amazing. As others said, just remember what you did last time and in particular watch your TDEE. I lost 15lb's in 4 months last year; promptly put it all back on when I moved to the US but now lost 6lbs of it again just by remembering what I did last time. This is not hard. Going to war is hard.

Don't be downhearted. You're back in the right place and you need to look at the positives - you didn't put it all back on. I did, all 7 stone of it.

I suspect you're looking back at your previous fasting through rose tinted specs and it wasn't as easy as you remember. You will have put an awful lot of hard work into it at the time.

I agree with comments above in that you need to look at what you're eating. I'm guessing that you're just eating too much. Those little snacks and slightly too large portion sizes. As for booze!! Lol. Keep a track on it and log everything. I do and find it extremely helpful.

No diet/WOE is easy. It's why so many diets fail. It promises so much and then the reality of the work involved hits home and suddenly that diet doesn't seem quite so appealing anymore. It's just the same with fasting. It takes willpower and determination.

You can do it. 2.5 stones is very easily achievable you just need to dig deep. Short term sacrifice for long term benefit!!

Good luck

@Swedey you are not on your lonesome! It is the usual diet scenario. I like you lost my weight last year, only 9kg, then out on 7kg. All through the putting on phase I tried to fast and failed. When the scales hit the 7kg + Mark, something kicked in and I got my head n the right place. I did exactly what I did last time: 4:3. I lost 5kg in 8 weeks. Try to do exactly what you did last time, remember how great it felt to be losing and know you can do it. The one thing I now know is that you can do things you thought you couldn't, so good luck, Swedey you can do it!

You are a victim of a well-known phenomenon: dieter's beginner's luck.

For some reason, when you try a brand new diet approach it seems to trick your metabolism for a while, and you can have those dramatic drops very fast. After a while, though, your body catches on, and you never again get that dramatic drop.

The good news is that if you do things the way you are supposed to, you can lose the second time, perhaps more slowly, but you will lose. And this time, because you appreciate that it won't be easy to get rid of that weight again, you are going to be more motivated to keep it off!

I think it just points to the fact that this is not a diet: it's a lifestyle. I know with out trying it that if I stopped fasting 2 days a week, I would put on all the weight I've lost. I keep it off by continuing to fast. I'm not losing, and probably to lose, I'll have to up the ante and fast 3 days a week or do 16:8. I'm just not ready to do that yet.

I think it just points to the fact that this is not a diet: it's a lifestyle. I know with out trying it that if I stopped fasting 2 days a week, I would put on all the weight I've lost. I keep it off by continuing to fast. I'm not losing, and probably to lose, I'll have to up the ante and fast 3 days a week or do 16:8. I'm just not ready to do that yet.

Yeah, as I've said elsewhere, I don't see the point of losing weight I can't keep off. Since I am not willing to do ADF or other restrictive regimens, I'm going to have to be OK with my current very slow loss. But...I've lost enough that I'm under what seems to be my "magic" number (under 190lbs) for NOT having knee and foot pain. That's enough to keep me motivated to fast 2 days a week, even though I'm not losing much. I know if I stopped fasting, the weight would come back really fast.

Last week I was musing about my slow loss, and realized I was doing a couple of things "wrong":
• Not counting cals on light (fast) days, and allowing a tiny nibble extra, that added up to about 100 extra cals.
• Allowing myself a "treat" late if I have the extra cals. Nothing wrong with that, except I was having it even when I wasn't actually hungry.

So, I've been tracking my cals on light days again, and no more treats unless I'm actually hungry for it (and have the cals remaining, of course!).
Though I'm unwilling to track cals on normal days, if I'm going to bother fasting, I might as well do it "right!" After all, eating a extra 100 or less cals won't make me "not hungry" on those days, but it WILL undermine my efforts.

Thanks everybody. I'm very careful about sticking to less than 500 cals on fast days, don't think I ever go over that. I usually leave 30 cals "spare" for a couple of splashes of milk in tea (and I don't always have those).

And I'm coping OK with the fast days, so I think I just need to watch it on non-fast days. And try to do some exercise - last time I wasn't working, so did more walking, a couple of classes, and work in the garden.

Anyhoo, will try not to moan and just get on with it!

[carorees]

After all, eating a extra 100 or less cals won't make me "not hungry" on those days, but it WILL undermine my efforts.

This is a great insight @ferretgal and will help to avoid 'calorie-creep'. Definitely worth remembering when our brains are trying to persuade us to have 'just one more bite' of x, y or z!

Unfortunately I've had a disaster and I ve got an epidemic ......not as bad as it was but bad enough.
Disasters happen.
Back in the saddle unfortunately and no sweeties, no cakies.
Bin the booze completely.

Hi @Swedey - sorry only just seen your post and that things haven't been going so well for you.

The main thing is you're back here now and there is loads of inspiration and support to keep you going.

If you look at my tracker you'll see that I went off the rails for a bit and regained some weight but I have since got back on the wagon and my tools for success have been i) having a MyFitnessPal buddy to review my food b) exercising up to 4 times a week c) no alcohol. I think this is how I have lost a stone and a half in the last 3 months and I intend to keep it up, although I will allow myself a little alcohol towards Christmas.
Best of luck!


B