The FastDay Forum

I am SO upset

I've been doing 5:2 for a year now, religiously. At first I lost weight and was so happy. I can't say that I felt amazing like many people say they do, as I always felt tired and moody on fast days, but at least I managed to fast well enough and some of the symptoms disappeared after a few weeks (headaches, hunger).

Now, it's as if my body had gotten used to fasting. I have put all the weight back on, and I am heavier than I was when I started.

I haven't changed anything, I'm eating healthily on non-fast days, with the occasional party meal. I dance and run regularly. I've just had my blood checked and all is normal, including my thyroid. There is just no explanation.

The weight has crept back on slowly, like it did after I tried other diets (I haven't done that many, but I always lost weight initially and a year later I was heavier than ever).

Dare I ask whether this is just another diet, that works at the beginning and then simply stops working? I am so disappointed, I really believed in fasting, but all I seem to have got is an extra kilo and two days a week of moodiness and misery (because fasting truly is miserable for me when I know I'm doing it for no reason).

Typically, I lose a tiny bit on fast day and put it all back on the next day, despite eating well. If I have a big meal at the weekend, I end up with a positive balance and put on weight. My body has become unforgiving. I tried to stop fasting, but pile on the pounds even faster when I do. I feel trapped in this no-longer-efficient lifestyle and have no idea what to do

Not sure if I will be of any help but for some of us it is a much slower journey that is why I started up 'The Scenic Route' Tent so pop on over and keep company of likewise frustrated but cheerful people who have a space to rant.

You are not alone

Not alone, me too honey. I've tried changing to 16/8 with low calorie intake, works for a while then my body got used to it again. Now back on 5/2 and under 350 cals on fast days, though this tends to make me constipated which has a knock on effect for 3-4 days :0(
We will find a way which suits each of us, certainly no sugar, low carbohydrate intake (under 150g a day) and a daily teaspoon of coconut butter makes sense to me.
Best of luck m'dear :0)

Maybe take a break from fasting and eat normally so your body gets used to that way of eating and then introduce fasting again. Have you tried 4:3? I find that's the only way it works for me 5:2 just had me bouncing around the same numbers constantly, whereas with 4:3 I constantly see a small decrease. I'm sorry you're having a hard time hun, keep at it though xx

Hello @Nanou
Is your BMI 22'ish?
Because if it is, from my point of view, you can't expect 5:2 (alone) to get you lower.

The good question is: Why do you want to get lower?

As you say your are active and maybe you weigh the same or a bit more, but now it's muscle vs. fat before?
Depending on body type (I will never be able to drop below 20 BMI) some can achieve lower BMI than others more easily. That's the "hand of genes" you are dealt when you are born.
From my experience, the lower you want, the harder it comes, progressively. "Eating healthily on non-fast days" will simply not make the cut for getting you below 22 BMI.
This is not 5:2's fault, on the contrary, it aims to give you an overall healthy body and life. The health benefits from having lower BMI than yours are probably tiny, if any.

@Nanou I have done nearly every diet in the book and like you have always ended up eventually heavier than I started although unlike you I ended up with a BMI in the obese range. I have been doing 5:2 for 16 months now and if I am doing it properly I am still losing weight very slowly (has been slow all the way along for me). When I stop doing 5:2 - summer holiday last year, christmas etc I put on weight and then hit a bit of a plateau before the weight starts creeping off again. So I firmly believe that it doesn't 'stop working' Your BMI looks to be right in the normal range - maybe just concentrate on the fact that what you are doing is letting you have your 'party meals' I would also advocate weiging yourself at the start of your fasting week as your weight after a fast day will always be lower because of water loss so if you stop fasting you will instantly get a 2-3lb gain.

Good points, everyone. there are always kind souls on here

I don't think I have more muscle than before, as I was always active. But I see what you mean about the last few kilos being the hardest ones to lose. My worry is the fact that I keep putting on weight, very slowly. My mum has diabetes and I was always told to be careful not to put on weight. I guess a complicating factor is that I have hypothyroidism.

I'm just worried that if I put on 1 or 2 kilo a year for the next 10 years, I will be properly overweight. My philosophy has always been that it's easier to lose 3 or 4 kilos than 15, so I go on diets whenever I have reached that stage. It seems to me that the amount of effort I put into losing those few kilos is totally disproportionate.

I've accepted that I'll never be "tiny" again (I really was, for years). I'm 38 and have 2 kids, so I need to add 3 or 4 kilos to my "dream" weight to be realistic. But even that seems unreachable now, I don't know why.

I'll keep trying, thanks all for your support.

@Nanou I agree with @RunningOlsen you are at a perfect BMI now what you have to do is find a way to maintain ( not so easy) but it is possible read the maintenance thread. I am maintaining, when I started 5/2 I decided to do it until I stopped loosing then carry on with the same eating pattern to maintain. It seems to have worked. If fasting really is uncomfortable for you there are lots of other options. I do hope you manage to feel comfortable in your body and find a way that will maintain the perfect BMI you have now.

Nanou, I am so sorry that you are having such a hard time with this. I have no magic formula except to say that by fasting you are at least allowing your body to take advantage of any perceived long term health benefits and surely that is as good a reason as any to continue? As others have said, your BMI is well within the normal range but if you are still heavier than you wish to be, and used to be, then that is a very real frustration and I DO understand how you feel. Have you taken any measurements? Are your clothes any looser than they were because sometimes we get thinner on IF rather than lighter. Good luck with whatever you decide to do but I hope, for your general health's sake, you continue with some sort of fasting.

Ballerina x

Hello @Nanou

In that case I think you should try strength training 3 or 4 times a week:
- A program like Jillian Michaels dvd
- Les Mills Body pump in a gym
- Some of the free strength circuit videos on Livestrong

I had a program made at a gym and once I knew it, I could do it in 25 minutes. Made wonders.
I'd also take a look at the carbs you eat on normal days, given diabetes is in your family.

[carieoates]

I believe that maybe your body is ready to stop at this healthy BMI. Our bodies are very clever aren't they.

Caroline, if only my body was stopping, but it's not, it's getting heavier all the time...

RunningOlsen, I really appreciate your practical suggestions. It's a good idea, and I think strength training would also improve my self-esteem. I used to box and was heavy because of the muscle mass, but felt fabulous as I was so strong and firm. I'll try, thanks again everyone, your words make all the difference

For some reason my earlier attempt to post didn't come through so lots has already been said.
Weight is only one measure of our body composition and a look at your graphs shows that your weight hasn't really fluctuated too much but that your waist measurment has dropped and stayed down. This suggests to me that body composition is better than it was before. Your weight and BMI look pretty good, and for me the biggest reason for doing this is health. If your health check up shows that everything is normal or better, then it's also likely that you are getting the critical health benefits of 5:2.
If you really, really want to lose more pounds, I'd echo what RunningOlsen said about reducing carbs on normal eating days, cutting out sugar as much as possible, increasing resistance training (to increase muscle mass and thereby reduce the metabolism slowdown), or even chucking in the odd additional skipping of breakfast. It might also be worth rechecking your TDEE as this may have changed or not have been correct in the first place as everyone is so different. Everyone's body seems to react slightly differently so it's up to all of us to find the right system that works for us. Good luck.

Hello everybody - Well I am back here - again!

I am struggling big time with 5:2, 16/8 and the Easter Challenge.

I have gained during the Easter Challenge and am back up to 93.5kg this morning.

Either I need a break from Fasting altogether, and hence a break from this forum, or I need to stay here doing the scenic route for a much longer time.

I will do some reading of a couple of books that may inspire me, read and work through some old posts on here, and see if I can get some motivation back, and to stop eating hot buttered toast!!

I am emotional eating, trying to work through some family (mother and father issues) stuff!!

Well that's my sorry excuse and it will have to do at the moment until I can ride it out.

thanks for listening everybody.

cheers Maggie

Hi @maggiee, sorry to hear that it's not going as well as you were hoping for. Have you got something coming up so you can have a true break from fasting, like a few days away from your daily routine? And then go back to it? You probably know what you should and shouldn't eat too much of so a diary won't help. Can't give you much advice other than to say chin up.