The FastDay Forum

Well September is not turning out great for me at all

Was very happy to lose my holiday weight in a week after coming back in August, but since then I've not lost, in fact I've gained a bit. I thought last week that maybe the batteries in the scales were going as they seemed a bit variable, but I replaced the batteries and it hasn't magically made me lose weight ( )

I don't think I've changed what I'm eating. Sticking to my normal two day fasts with one meal, and sensible eating most other days. I haven't been eating lots of puddings or drinking lots of alcohol.

The only thing I have had this month is a lot of work on, involving lots of late nights, so I'm wondering if it's just the lack of sleep and stress that's causing the problem...

The stress and lack of sleep will certainly affect how your body is working. Also I see you are at about 6 months on diet now, a known break point for all diets, where the body seems to stop and assess the story so far for a while.
May I suggest either changing to 16/8 for about a month or waiting until the stress and sleep are more contained then altering methodology?
A change can be as good as a rest, allowing you to maintain where you are and letting your metabolism sort through the changes and reset.
Hope Life settles to happiness soon :0)

[wildmissus]

Me too.....now at 5 weeks and no change. This is the second time this has happened. April/May/June I plateaued for 7 weeks. I believe my body was resetting itself. The first time it happened I was disheartened but then realised that I was maintaining the weight I had lost which was a result. So currently I have lost 2st 2lb and am maintaining it. The last time I kick started the weight loss by doing the Dukan Attack for 3 days (protein only). It wasn't the nicest of things for a carb lover to do but it worked. I'm not worried about it this time but may try 16:8 in a couple of weeks time to shock my body. Like you I'm under a bit of pressure and not sleeping well. Stick with it Mrs M - persistence and patience.

We could start a plateau club and I am a member, just used to it now and just push along thinking it will settle and the weight loss will resume. Probably need to track down a post from @Caroees about how to out fox the body and resume shedding

I will keep you company but let's hope the downward on scales happens soon. I have been stressed with some deadlines

I'm on one, about 6/8 weeks. Trend weight is still slightly down but actual weight is bobbing about.

Giving 16:8 a go now.

I'm actually at nearly nine months now. Did have a little plateau at six months but I never gained weight then, just stayed steady. The only times I've gained weight are whilst on holiday, so I'm finding it a bit disconcerting now. I think I'm going to give it another week and see what happens. Hopefully by then this hard work phase will be out of the way and I can catch up on sleep (currently mainlining caffeine...)

I'll see how I do and then consider 16:8, but I think I could only manage that during the week as weekends with the kids around would make it hard to stick to an 8 hour eating window. I only have a drink on a Fri/Sat/Sun night (and then only a glass) and I don't have that until after the boys are in bed. That's a real pleasure for me that I don't want to drop, so an 8 hour window would mean I couldn't eat until after 2pm, which is difficult with family lunches - we usually have one set of grandparents here or we are visiting them.

I have just replied on another post about how I crave high carb foods when tired, just to boost the batteries. It could be happening for you in the same way. The healthy choices may just have tipped a bit more towards carbs or the snacking may have incresed, just a bit. The cure isn't to stress out more about your eating, its to get more sleep. Try and get to bed at a stupidly early time sometime this week and see if it helps with work, stress levels and eating.

You've done brilliantly well
So focus on that we do hit plateaus along the way so on mine I did my next 3 fastdays as if they were my very first and watched my actual food intake on my other 4 days bingo I kicked back in
So my advice is to mix it up a little so as to confuse your body.
I'm doing 4:3 but also on the days after my fasts I do 16:8 this is what's worked for me because on my weekends Fri to Sunday I eat + drink what I want with family life etc. But one of the 16:8 I do a full 24 he fast followed by an evening meal of 3 courses and wine this is at least one of my weekend evenings sometimes two so mixing helps and if you can only manage 16:8 try to fit 4/5 in the weekdays and keep weekends for family meals and enjoying eating what you want.
Good Luck. Sue.

I'm also on a post holiday plateau. Just had a look at your tracker - it is very similar to mine. I was also pleased that I didn't put much on on holiday but I think that was a false reading in some way and that there have been other readjustments going on since I got back on 5:2. Also I have a problem with constipation whilst on the plan which was not the case on holiday so perhaps I am just 'filling up' again. I weigh every day although I only 'count' Mondays weight ( before my 1st fast of the week) and the way things are going this week I am hopeful things will start heading downwards again next week

Hi:

The key to 5:2 is doing the fast days properly. If you do, everything else will follow.

Here is what you might expect if you do the fast days properly:
post71147.html#p71147

Good Luck!

As a total newbie ..... and mathematically challenged.....if I need to do 16:8, does it mean 16 normal days and 8 fast days.....?

[Betsysgr8]

As a total newbie ..... and mathematically challenged.....if I need to do 16:8, does it mean 16 normal days and 8 fast days.....?

Welcome to the forum seabreeze! 16:8 refers the the 24 hours in a day, 16 hours fast and 8 hour eating period.

As a total newbie ..... and mathematically challenged.....if I need to do 16:8, does it mean 16 normal days and 8 fast days.....?

With 16:8 you don't eat for 16 consecutive hours and can eat as much of anything you want for 8 hours - each day. To lose weight with 16:8 you need to make sure you eat less than your TDEE every 8 hour period. It basically is an eat a little less each day diet, with no real relation to 'fasting'. Some people feel it helps because they skip a meal (usually breakfast), and get some calorie restriction from that.

Oh simcoeluv, I read your linked post when you first wrote it - it's very good. I am sticking to 5:2 - I have no intention of giving it up, I'm just thinking if I have another week with no weight loss then I might try a bit of 16:8 on the other three week days.

The main reason I'm doing the 5:2 is for the long term health benefits. Of course not being fat will go a long way towards that, but I'm also interested in keeping my body's cells as young as possible. I'm watching my father at the end stage of vascular dementia - he has been ill for 6 years and it is a horrible way to end your life. He is only 71, has never been overweight, nor smoked, but blood pressure issues, strokes and dementia run in his side of the family, so if I can do anything to mitigate that I will. So I'm going to make sure I get the right amount of sleep too!

Actually sea breeze my understanding of the 16:8 is that it is not about restricting the amount you eat as mentioned above but is about the fast eg 16 hours fasting each day. @Ballerina and @Caroees are having success maybe they can fill you in more

Simcoeluv it is not always as simple as you suggest some of us hit a plateau and even while we do a rigorous 5:2 the weight does not budge. I guess you have to reach a plateau to understand the phenomena and get the frustration. When you really experience one you begin to understand other factors are at play and 5:2 alone just doesn't cut it. You have to find what works for you as an individual and some times you actually have to feed up not restrict to flick the famine switch.

Men and women are different too as to how they shed. Lots of interesting info is in the 5:2 lab recently about what the researchers are beginning to find about why some people plateau eg the famine effect and looking at the length of fasting

Stress, how much you move, your carb consumption, medical conditions all add to the issue that plateaus are complex. But as this is a WOL and not a quick fix we push on. I for one am optimistic my body will respond and my plateau will lift. So onwards and downwards in good company