The FastDay Forum

Hey everyone,

Ok, so I have been IF since beginning of Feb, I have adapted the diet to suit my lifestyle. I'm doing 6:1 (I was finding it quite stressful trying to do 5:2 - for many reasons) so because I was missing a full fast day I was also doing 3 x 14-16 hour fasts during the week & had taken up running (C25K - week 3 training, 4 or 5 times a week) so all good, feeling great, energy levels up, feeling positive etc.
I got on the scales this morning and I have put ON 3 lbs since last week-ish! It was just SO demotivating! It seems like no matter how hard I try (without actually feeling like I am completely punishing myself & thus feeling unhappy), I can never get below a certain weight - and I am not skinny so it's not as if my body daren't lose anymore!
I'm just not sure what to do, because the situation is kind of making me want to say "Sod it!" and eat twenty Wispa bars!
Sorry for rant, just really frustrated!

Hi Sophie, Sorry to hear you are having a hard time.
One thing that can really affect your weight loss is hormones, and also you seem to be doing lots of excercise so some of the weight may be added muscle.
Hang in there, you will surely lose it soon!
Gigi

[Moogie]

Sophie, it sounds to me as though with all this extra exercise you've probably turned some fat into muscle - do you scales measure body fat and water % too? That can help you to get an idea of where the fluctuation lies.

I wouldn't worry too much when it's just one week, but keep an eye over the next few weeks and see what happens- don't forget to measure too, the scales can lie

By any chance is it that time of the month? You may be holding extra water too. Don't give up. You're already in the healthy BMI range so your loss will be slower - and if you're building muscle too you may well find you don't lose weight, but your body shape will change.

Sophie don't give up, you've said you're feeling great, energy levels up etc. so why not concentrate on those benefits instead? Today is probably just one of your heavier days, last week out of interest I got the "true weight" app &have been amazed how much my weight has fluctuated over the week but the trend line is still a slight decline.
Also if you're doing a lot of exercise that will make a difference, I'm sure there is a post about that in the nerdy stuff.

Hang on in there Sophie, I'm still experimenting and have loads to lose.
Today is only my 4th fast of the month, out of curiosity I got on the scales a couple of days ago and have lost just 1lb, which is fine as I was curious. Thing is to find a way that suites you and go with it

You look fabulous and your bmi is within the healthy range. Perhaps you are toning up and building muscle.

Thanks guys, I think I'm just having one of those days, feeling very frustrated all round over all sorts - money, time, job etc - think this just added to it. It's so helpful to come on here and have some support - thanks so much.

Moogie - no my scales are really bog standard and the battery needs replacing!
Ginty - you're so right, I should be concentrating on the benefits, I just picked out the only negative
Maybe I am building muscle, I don't feel like I am by looking at myself but I suppose I must be! I haven't measured myself today (and no, not time of month yet), but maybe I will do that.

Thanks again for your words of encouragement - I love this website & the fact that we are all there for each other.
Have a great day everyone xx

[Moogie]

I blame the battery!
No, really!
When battery on my old scales ran low, it would show all kinds of crazy figures. I could get on and off a dozen times in a row and have the weight vary by a stone or more either way!

Defo replace your batteries

xx

Sophie you sound a bit like me at the moment, especially as I'm starting week 3 of C25K too today after work

My weight seems to be a bit up and down by a few pounds each week - it feels a bit like one step forward then two steps back!

Did you read the post Caroline put in FAQ's called 'Why do the scales show an increase when I've been so good?' http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1006. Reminded me of lots of things (and learned new things too!) that made me feel better about where I'm at on my 'body overhaul' journey.

Keep at it though, it sounds like you're doing really well

Muscle gain is pretty slow. It would be very hard, if not impossible, to gain three pounds of muscle in a week or so. But water retention varies all over the place.

I weigh myself every day. I know many people don't like to do this, because it can be discouraging, but it doesn't bother me. My weight can and does vary 3-4 pounds from one day to the next. In fact, this morning I was 3.4 lbs. more than yesterday. That's just the way it is, because we tend to shed water on fasting days and retain it on feeding days. But the general trend is downward, and that's all that matters.

When I was doing very low-carb, it was different. The scarcity of carbs caused the dramatic initial water loss, and it pretty much stayed that way.

Glucose is stored as glycogen, which is bound to water. When you fast, you burn glycogen and release that water. When you eat again, you store glycogen and bind that water back up. See http://www.carbs-information.com/glycogen-glucose-energy-store.htm. Note "the ratio 1 gram of carbohydrates to 3 grams of water."

Whenever I start a serious exercise program I gain at first. I was told my muscles were probably holding water weight because of the extra. It did go away, but I've seen it happen to others too. After really exercising hard and thinking wow now I the scale will really show a drop .... and nope. It goes UP! BUT it's only temporary. Hopefully this will happen to you too. Best wishes.

Sophie, - with respect, the Diet is proving very succesful for lots of people as a 5:2 plan, and so clearly a 6:1 and a bit of fiddling around isnt proving anywhere near as predictable.

I'd reccommend you find a way of making the 5;2 work for you, and see if those results prove better.

I'm 6 weeks in, and 11lbs lighter, with strict 5:2.

Good luck.

Hi Sophie!I know the feeling!I started 5:2 in jan and am now heavier than I was starting despite re jigging my feast day allowance.Its very frustrating..so over the last week I was toying with the idea of going back to SW or US..thankfully I've come to my senses..I don't want to so a programme like that for the rest of my life,it's why the 5:2 appealed so much(partly).Im giving this another shot.I feel like such a failure when I see all the weight other 5:2'ers are losing but ultimately this is something I could do long term..I just need to figure out how to make it work for me.Anyways hope it helps to know you're not alone!Good luck:)

[carorees]

Which way did you rejig your feast day allowance, by the way? I have been using the TDEE calculator from the fat secret website and gives me a bigger allowance than the other calculators I've used and this seems to work best for me. My average intake over the week is around what the fat secret app says I need to lose weight. All the other online calculators give a lower figure and when I keep to that I lose less weight! Weird I know...

Have you done any measurements? I've only lost 1-2 kg in the 4 or so weeks I've been doing 5:2, but I've lost 7cm around my waist.

I'd love to just throw the scales away tbh, but I can't quite do it, and find myself getting on them every day, which has absolutely no benefit to me at all.