The FastDay Forum

I re started my 5:2 diet back in October and I have since lost 0. Yep a grand total of 0. My weight goes up and down through the week but always evens out at the same. After six weeks I'm so fed up again.

I have been doing 5:2 and even a few 4:3's when I can. My diet days have been under 500 and feed days about 1200. Last night I re read loads of info on the diet and have now readjusted the MyFitnessPal for 1650 on feed days and will aim for 400 on fast. I know I'm going to struggle with the 1650 as I can only just make it to the 1200 without feeling bloated. Do you think I didn't have a big enough difference between the fast and feed? I have a sedentary lifestyle not helped by health and knee problems but I now have a treadmill and have been using it daily several times to try and redress this.

Good on you @Milly107, that calorie adjustment sounds more the ticket, low carbs will help too. Eat protein and drop all grain carbs from that fast day food, keeping carbs below 100g total on feed days will also help. Eat good fats like extra virgin olive oil, avocados and pure butter to feed your brain too.
Persevere honey, slowly slowly, gently gently you are doing this :0)

@Milly107 I feel for you, you seem to be doing the right things. I can only ask if you have had your Thyroid checked?

Hi Milly,
I've only been following this program for 2 weeks so I am not really qualified to give you specific advice about your plan.
All I will say is that after only 2 weeks I am on the way to knowing how you feel, but please don't give up so soon.
May I ask if you measured (e.g. waist) before you started? Has there been any change there? Are you drinking plenty of water to mitigate any retention issues?
I am doing the ADF plan (every other day). I jog 3 times a week, adhere to 600 cals on fast days and only run on feed days. Normally I eat around 2000-2500 on feed days even though my running in theory would allow me to eat over 3000! But like you I find it impossible to eat that much food...
I too have seen my weight just going up and down by a pound or two with no significant loss. However, I am enjoying the feeling of control that 5:2 gives me and I now eat on my own terms. I can see things that the family are eating on my fast days and I feel a calmness knowing I can eat it tomorrow. Funny thing is that sometimes it takes me days to get around to it which feels great to have that self-control.
Also my diabetes control has improved in only two weeks. Maybe you can look if you have gained any subtle benefits since October?
Take care.
Wibbles

Thank you @Azureblue. I already avoid wheat type carbs like the plague because they make my joints swell and hardly ever touch potatoes. That’s where the MyFitnessPal is quite useful. Thank you for the other thoughts and support.

Yes @GMH I've had the works done over the past six months (including one sitting of 16 vials of blood) and other than going into menopause this summer and stomach ulcers needing balancing everything checks out fine.

Hi @Wibbles . Yes have taken measurements and they go in and out like the scales going up and down! Lol I too like the control feeling and food really doesn't bother me most of the time. I don't binge or buy sweet things. I’m glad your diabetes is improving!! It’s amazing what we can do to help ourselves. Any benefits I've seen I'm not sure if its down to diet or the new tablets for tummy or being put on HRT or maybe all three! And they are mainly just feeling more human than to do with size.

I wouldn't care if it was a regular half pound a week going down but this continuous going down and bouncing right back up again is demoralising.

Have a look on marksdailyapple.com website and see what he says about pre and probiotics for stomach ulcers, may help :0)
Also use the tracker on this site as it recommends the right level of daily feed and fast day calories, useful tool I've found.
Sorry to hear about your health problems, not fun, but real food will help I'm sure.
:0)

[carieoates]

Ok Milly. All is not lost.
Use the tracker, already been suggested I see.
Log all calories every day. Guessing your intake esp on non Fast days doesn't work for everyone.
Take a look at my tracker (press the cog) I've been at it over a year now, some would say it's slow and painful I don't see IT that way. I've learnt a lot in that time. Finding the right IFmethod can take a while.
This is a marathon and not a sprint.
Good luck.

Everyone has given great advice. oh I do feel for you, its so frustrating at times. But I feel sure that if you just stick to your routine you will start to see more weight loss. This is a slow process, which is why 5:2 is so good long-term. We are just adjusting the way we eat for the rest of our lives, so it is bound to take time to get into the rhythm.
I wish you all the best and hope the scales will be kinder come next weigh-in!
Bean

It's really really hard to lose post menopause if you don't have much to lose but not impossible. Unless I count absolutely everything every single day, keep carbs low and calories at 1350 or below on feed days I will not lose, and most possibly gain. If I zero calorie fast on fast days it helps alot. Your HRT may be working against you with increased fluid retention from the oestrogen and progesterone. I don't take it but there may be people on this forum that may be able to help. At least you are not gaining.

It's all so individual isn't it? I've been using HRT for 20+ years (I'm pushing 74) and found it very easy to lose the 14 pounds at age 72 in order to go down a dress size. (I use the estradiol transdermal patch and the progesterone capsule--they are not synthetic hormones) I did have to increase my dose of estrogen (estradiol as mentioned) after losing 10 pounds, because I began having hot flashes again--something to do with estrogen being stored in fat tissue--losing fat tissue means less estrogen is then readily available to the body. My doctor is worried about someone my age still being on HRT, but I'm all for quality of life as opposed to longevity. My HRT helps make me feel good, physically and mentally.

I've been very lucky in not having serious chronic illnesses and in never being overweight. I know it's much harder to lose when one has a long history of struggling with weight. I don't know if any of my experience might be helpful to you, but perhaps others could chime in, too.

Many here have had very slow starts, eventually winning through. I hope that happens for you

[Moogie]

Hi @Milly107 & welcome to the forum. As you've probably already seen, we're a friendly bunch who are keen to help! Now, unless it's just my afternoon brain playing tricks on me, I haven't spotted any mention as yet of your current weight/BMI and it would be helpful to know what that is - those with less to lose will tend to lose it more slowly.

I'd also mention that some folks found they didn't lose anything for the first few weeks (or more!) and then it started coming off. I think some of that is to do with already being pretty good with your fluid intake, therefore not having much water weight to drop off in the early days. If you then started doing some exercise it's important to remember that you may be converting fat to muscle which would have an impact on the scales - as well as the fact that as you exercise, your muscles tear & repair, retaining water along the way.

Defo good advice to measure yourself as well as weighing - and if you do weigh, please bear the info in this article in mind!
https://www.fastday.com/fasting/why-the ... the-truth/
It's our most popular article, and for good reason

Hope you start to notice some changes soon, be they on the scales or on the tape measure!

Haven't really got anything else to add other than that I feel for you. It must be frustrating not seeing any results, but I would urge you to stick at it, as some people have found it takes a while to see any change. Sending positve thoughts and best wishes. Hope things start to shift for you soon.

Hi Milly, no new suggestions to offer, but thinking of you and wishing you luck. Do stick with the program for a while longer, and build up to the 10000 steps a day on your treadmill. Join us in the 'fasting today' threads, and keep reading and participating in this form for continued support along the way.

Thank you everyone. I'm determined this week to make those numbers go down!

I had a look at the site @Azureblue and it's an interesting read, thank you. I do sometimes have a Probiotic but my ulcers are from 15 years of drug abuse (diclofenac) and not bacterial based (see next post). Those NSAIDS have burnt me out and it doesn't help that I over produce acid which I now take pills to stop as it burns through too easily. I'm sure hardly any acid doesn't help with food breakdown but that's just something else to add to the growing pile of possible why's!

Yes @rawkaren it is hard, I'm going to try to widen that gap between feed and fast with just liquids on the fast. I have the reduced salt Marigold on standby. I cannot stand Miso, don't know how some of you do it! Any other suggestions for options would be gratefully received.

@Marybeth I'm on the estridol too, only a low dose at the moment, but I'm only 48 so a way to go yet me thinks. I had a hysto at 30 and this has been a long time coming! Now it's here though I think it can pack it's bags and go again! Lol

Hi @Moogie my BMi is 32.49 and I'm at the top end of 14 stone which can flash into 15 on the rare occasion which is infuriating. At 5' 7" I have plenty to loose! I would really love to see an 11 at the front of my weight again even if it's followed by a 13! Three stone is my goal and were also spending next August back in Australia so that is my aim. Or at least to be a lot more comfortable than I am now at any rate!

Fast day today so on with the show. Xxx