The FastDay Forum

I've just got weighed this morning after my second fast of the week and I've put on 300g and I feel so disheartened I could cry.

Over Easter I went out four times for meals but I didn't go mad at home, I only had one hot cross bun and no chocolate at all plus, this week, I've done three 7.5k walks. I feel so despondent, especially when I hear how well the diet is working for other people who seem to be able to eat all sorts of things. I'm really happy for them, I just wonder why that isn't happening for me, what am I doing wrong? After five weeks on the 5.2 I am now only 400 grams lighter than when I started but even my losses were small, week 1: 900grams, week 2: 150 grams, week 3: 250 grams, week 4: gained 600 grams and today another gain of 300 grams! I saw the post about weighing yourself the day after the day after a fast as some people have been seeing a loss so for me that would be tomorrow but to be honest I'm scared to do that in case I see an even bigger gain!

I've been following a Slimming World diet for years now and I wonder whether that way of eating has affected how my body is reacting. I saw a post from a man whose wife had gained on this diet and was going to go back to SW so I wonder whether because of the SW free food allowances we have lost sight of what a normal portion is and are just simply eating far too much on feast days or whether there is something going on at a biochemical level. I read on MyFitnessPal about a lady who had been following a very low calorie diet but couldn't lose weight because her metabolism had slowed down and to kick start it back to normal levels she needed to increase her calories but in doing so, she needed to tolerate a weight gain for about 10 weeks. I wonder if something like this could be going on with SW people - or am I just clutching at straws? I know there are a lot of very clever people out there with this kind of knowledge, so what do you think - am I just eating too much on feast days or could there be a scientific explanation?

I don't want to stop doing the 5.2 because of the alleged health benefits but I can't afford to put weight on, my BMI is already in the overweight section and as we have Type 2 diabetes in the family, I need to lose five kilos to get into a normal range.

Sorry for the long post but I feel better already just having "someone" to talk to.

Carole x

I understand how you feel when you get on those scales and either they haven't moved or have gone up .... I only ever lose tiny bits at a time too - think it is being a woman! I have just started the 5:2 diet have done 2 fast days this week - I am also following the slimming world eating plan (or have been since Jan) I think what the fast days have shown me so far is actually how much I was eating on slimming world - basically grazing all day (on free stuff but still calories). I think the slimming world plan is good in terms of healthy eating but I think I have been taking advantage of the all you can eat aspect! It is still early days for me as started the beginning of this week but am hoping that by not over doing it on the feeding days this 'diet' will work for me. Will keep you posted. Hope your day improves and you get some other answers to your questions...

[janeg]

Och, Carole, what a rotten feeling and so disappointing that the scales aren't being kind to you.
Now, five weeks in is quite newish and, despite having had a reasonably good feeding over Easter etc , you have lost about a pound. So that's something.
HAve you worked out your TDEE? That's worth doing to give you an idea of what 'normal' is for you. It may also be worth counting calories for a week or two to get a handle on portion size etc if you have been SWing and having 'free' food.
Have you done any measuring? Are your clothes a wee bit looser? There are other ways of tracking that don't involve the scales!
Regarding metabolism slow down etc, there is lots of info in the nerdy stuff, but basically, with serious calorie restriction 2 days a week, it is thought that this can kick start metabolism and prevent it slowing, especially if we mix up our intake (if I've got it right)
We are all very interested in why some people find it harder to lose and Caroline has developed a questionnaire to be sent out after the monthly weigh in to gather some info and see if there is a pattern to it.
Please try not to lose heart and stick with it. You really don't have anything to lose by hanging in there and hopefully you'll see a downward trend on the scales.
COme back and let us know how it's going and what you decide.

[Moogie]

It can be upsetting when the scales don't give you a number you like, but please don't be disappointed. Scales are fickle beasts and given the natural fluctuations in body weight some days they may appear to show a gain when in reality this is just a bit of extra food which hasn't passed through yet, water retention etc. When the losses are generally quite small (average ~1lb a week), these are easily masked by the fluctuations in body weight. You can vary by several pounds or more a day, and if you've been eating out etc the sorts of food you've had will likely have been different than normal and be handled differently by the body. Don't worry too much if it looks like you're up 300g. The chances are this will be gone -with reinforcements!- next weigh day

Also remember that if you're exercising more you'll be converting fat to muscle, which weighs more. I understand when you build muscle, it first tears causing it to retain water, then when it's repaired you lose the water.

There are so many factors involved here that an apparent 300g gain is nothing to worry about.

The first 3-5 weeks can seem a bit random, with water weight being lost, then water coming back as fat is lost, so the weight can go up and down a bit before your balance is right and you're primarily only losing fat. Over the weeks you've still lost around a pound, and considering you've been able to enjoy your food most of the time isn't it wonderful to know you've lost weight in spite of that - and over a holiday season to boot?

I don't know how you do your fasts, but if you give us a bit more info we may be able to help with some tips to improve your results if possible. I see you only have around 10lbs to lose and I should mention then that those with less to lose will lose it more slowly than those of us who have stones and stones to lose!

Keep at it, and don't forget to measure yourself too - very often you'll find you're losing inches if not weight - and that's the ultimate goal anyway for most of us isn't it? To improve our shape & how much fat we're carrying. If you can see an inch loss it's obviously working, it may just take a bit longer to show up on the scales.

Also, what scales are you using? Mechanical ones can be unreliable, and if they are digital have you tested them out on different parts of the floor to see if the reading is consistent? Some scales can give different readings if they shift a little, which is annoying. I usually test mine with a few bags of flour or similar so I know how much they should be saying for the weight. My old scales were terrible for having to be in the right place to weigh correctly. My new Salter ones were only £20 from Argos and don't care where you put them, they read the same.

[carorees]

Hi there

Have you read this thread? viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2566&p=21718#p21718

Swisscall, I feel your pain, it's really demotivating isn't it! I weighed this morning to find I had gained 1b after two previous weeks of no loss! I don't have any technical advice to offer, I am trying to experiment with my own regime and just hanging in there. Have you measured your waist? I have had a loss here despite losing very little weight over the month.
I have a stone or maybe a bit more to lose and my body defies every diet known to man (or woman!) so I just have to commit to the long haul.
Stay positive, you might settle into a small but steady downward trend as others have.

Please try to stick at this for longer...even if you just think that it is for health rather than weight loss.

It can be hard to get beyond the habits of grazing all day but 3 decent meals are much more satisfying. If SW have taught you to graze on 'free food' it will take a while to change that habit. I tried WW and it does work but their 'products' are rubbish and it always feels like a diet.

I have been doing 5:2 since September and it has been a rollercoaster. Not rapid loss. Some weeks I gain! Overall I have lost just over a stone. That is only about 2 pounds (1 kg?) a month on average. However it includes Christmas and Easter and it has been very manageable so that I can imagine doing it forever. Yes I sometimes feel very hungry on fast days but that does generally get better.

The best bit is that I look so much better. All my clothes are too loose. The ones that were tight now look great. Everything is 'pulled in' as if I were wearing a corset. Basically I feel like I have lost real fat in all the right places.

Recently I was on a plateau for about 6 weeks which was disheartening. I decided to weigh every day to see how the weight went up and down and that was amazing (and not as scary as you think). Now suddenly it has started to slowly drop again and also I seem to have suddenly lost inches.

Good luck. The support here is really helpful and I hope we can all help you.

Thanks everyone for your kind replies. I feel a lot better now, I think I was just so disappointed earlier but I'm back in charge and I'm going to keep going. I've taken your advice and checked out my TDEE which I hadn't really heard of before and I find its around 1800 calories a day. Now, is that what I should be consuming on feed days or should I reduce that count by 15-20%?
I didn't really want to calorie count on my 5 days as I wanted to relax around food but I realise that as you say, it'll give me a good measure of what normal portions are. As far as my thyroid goes, that is usually functioning normally as I have annual checkups at the doctors but I will have it checked next week as I have a doctors appointment. Moogie, my scales are digital and I weigh myself on the same bathroom tile every time (sad I know!). This week I also bought scales which measure fat, water and muscle content and they showed the same weight too (unfortunately haha).

Thank you so much for your support and advice, this forum is just brilliant and I'm so glad I'm a part of it.

Carole x

[carorees]

You should aim to have around your TDEE on non-fast days. It's fine, or even advisable, to go over on some days and under on others. I don't think you need to count calories long-term just for a week or so to get a handle on what 1800 cals looks like.

Good luck!

I weighed at the start and end of the day yesterday, just for fun and there was a 2kg difference. Hang in there to get some meaningful results over a longer term.

I tend to lose weight on the day after the fast day so please don't feel discouraged.
Also, do make sure that you have the correct number for your TDEE.

Don't feel discouraged. Throw out your scales. Follow the diet and have a look in 3 months time. Then you'll see the difference.

This diet is a long term commitment. When I started this diet I took some measurements and realised it would take a long while for me to see a body shape change. That helped me. You should use scales in the same way.

"Caution diet in progress, use scales with care!"

I have an admiration for people who don't weigh everyday. I have a sick relationship with my scales but I feel that this relationship has kept from getting very fat all my life.

Hang on in their swisscal - give it longer and take your measurements - I'm sure given time you'll see a steady downward trend in your weight - slowly, slowly catchee monkey as they say! Have your TDEE on feast days (approximately) and then 25% of that figure on fast days and I'm sure you'll start to notice a difference. Goodluck - see what's happening in a couple of months time - you're sure to notice a difference then. Look forward to hearing how you're doing

I weight myself all the time too but I try not to let it get to me. Weighing so often I really do see the crazy fluctuations throughout the week. I just put my weight down in a spreadsheet once a week (always Friday morning before breakfast) and look for an overall trend downward over time. Lots of ups and downs in between are bound to happen. I had a slight up this week too, but I know I have been good and it will show up on the scale eventually.