The FastDay Forum

Having started 5:2 (again) 2 weeks ago I may have made a cardinal sin - I didn't weigh in! After 2 weeks and 4 successful Fasts I weighed in today and I must say I was dissapointed with my weight as I 'felt' I had lost weight but the weight I was today (and with a rough idea of my weight history) I must say I was disappointed. I am trying to convince myself to push on and that it would be unfair to benchmark this result with much at all given I didn't weigh in initially - anyway interested to hear from others as to how often people weigh etc.

Thanks
Wilson

If you didn't weigh when you started you can't know if you have lost or not-guessing doesn't work! It may be that you were mentally underestimating your start weight, or you may be right and have not lost much. Who knows? Note your current weight and weigh with a frequency you are comfortable with. I weigh daily but some way weekly, monthly or never, preferring to measure inches. Not very helpful, but you need to find a system that suits you not me or anyone else.

When I started I weighed weekly, on Friday morning, the morning after my second fast. After awhile I felt that was making numbers on the scale too important, so I now weigh on the first Friday of the month. Consider that I NEVER weighed myself before, didn't want to know...

When I started back in March, '13 I didn't weigh. I didn't measure either. I used as an initial weight the last time I had weighed myself, which was sometime in the few months before starting 5:2. That time was such a shock that I just plain was afraid to weigh myself again, till I knew I must have lost something. When I finally got back on the scales it was June, three months into fasting, at which point I had lost (about)11 pounds, half of what I eventually lost.
But that's just me. You really do have to do things your own way.

Thanks to you all!!!!

I would say monitor your progress somehow: weighing, waist measurements, how your clothes fit. If weighing is likely to drag you down, don't do it. If you think you will find it motivating, but can handle the inevitable glitches (weeks of not losing and maybe even gaining), then do it. Progress is slow on this diet compared to others, but that is what makes it more sustainable.

From my experience, the only things I will add to what have already been said are:

Do your waist measurement! I didn't do this my first time on 5:2 and I really wish I had as I reckon it did change even when the scales didn't.

Whether you go for weekly/fortnightly/monthly wighting or whatever else, weigh yourself the same no. of days after a fast day each time. I went for fortnightly, the morning after my second fast of that week (to maximise the chances of a good number on the scales!). Being consistent with this will help you see through weight fluctuations that happen through the week.

When I started back in March, '13 I didn't weigh. I didn't measure either. I used as an initial weight the last time I had weighed myself, which was sometime in the few months before starting 5:2. That time was such a shock that I just plain was afraid to weigh myself again, till I knew I must have lost something. When I finally got back on the scales it was June, three months into fasting, at which point I had lost (about)11 pounds, half of what I eventually lost.
But that's just me. You really do have to do things your own way.

I should have added that now I weigh myself religiously, because I do believe that's the key to remaining my current weight for life. I always weigh the morning after a fast. I generally fast once a week, sometimes twice if my weight is above my "acceptable range".

I'm still weighing daily but recording my weight on the tracker on a weekly basis (usually a Friday or Saturday) just because it's become part of my daily routine. I can't believe how well I have adapted to 5:2 and am pleased with my weight loss - just don't want the lbs to go back on. I have recently stopped logging foods daily on a food tracker and just use the scales as a guide as well as checking how well my clothes fit round my waist.

Hi Wilson
I weighed every morning during 2014 when I was in loss mode, and logged in my public tracker once a week. Now I am maintaining I record in my tracker weekly, well try to! Generally I weigh myself less, cos I can 'feel' where I am and if it does not feel good to me I jump on the scales and then take action. Finding the space to keep focused and mindful works for me. Also I benefit from a weekly/daily routine of planning the menu and food shop. Have a look at my tracker.

PS - 7 months into maintenance I don't feel deprived

Hi @Wilson

It really is about what will work for you, and I like lots of the comments already made.

When losing weight I weighed weekly, and then on maintenance I weighed daily for ages, and now am being weighed from time to time, but I am not finding out the weight, my OH is just recording it for me for if and when I decide to find out!

I now feel rather conflicted about weighing. The research shows that most successful maintainers regularly weigh. I also understand that it can be rewarding and motivating to see the numbers go down. BUT I have come to the conclusion that ideally we should not weigh, because it means we are focusing on the numbers rather than the eating behaviour. We have no direct contol over what the numbers are, and we see in the forum time and again the angst over even a small gain, even though we know that there can be daily variation of a few lbs due to water, body waste etc. And it is not only the angst that is the problem - frustration with what the scales are saying can lead to people "giving up" and returning to poor eating behaviour, or maybe even more extreme behaviours. And getting depressed, etc.

What we should be concentrating on is living a healthy lifestyle, listening to our bodies, making good food choices most the time but still allowing ourselves occasional "fun" foods if that is what we want, doing a sensible amount of exercise, and so on. And finding a way to reward ourselves for that. And learning to forgive ourselves if we stray from a healthy lifestyle, and just getting back to it when we can. (As others have said, clothes can be a good enough guide to what is happening to your weight.)

Having said all that, I repeat that I totally understand that weighing works for many people.

NB Part of my issue with weighing is that initially on 5:2 I reached quite a low weight, but have not been able to keep at that low weight. I anguished over this and kept trying to get back to it but not managing. Many of my posts have been about this. And I began to feel bad going on about it because so many on the forum were nowhere near this weight. If I had never weighed, I would never have known about that weight and therefore would not have got obsessed about it. What do a few pounds matter if I know I am living a happy healthy lifestyle (most of the time!)?