The FastDay Forum

I stepped on the scales this morning and now so disappointed.

They have not moved.

Is this a normal body adjusting period or am I going to have to accept that I am not going to lose these 10 kilos?

Did my first week of fasting - Monday and Thursday fast days, watched what I ate the rest of the week, as I did not want to un-do all my good work.

Have cut out the majority of white sugar from my diet, over the last few months.

I feel like crying my eye out, I thought I was doing so well. I lost .7kgs the week before starting the 5:2 fast diet.

How much weight you lose from week to week can vary. I look for a general trend over one month as there are many factors that can lead to the scales not moving e.g. Fluid retention from hormonal changes, fluid retention from eating very salty foods, the body adjusting to the new way of life etc.

In my first week of 5:2 I lost 1kg but in the first four weeks I lost 1.5kg. Given that I lost 1 kg in one week and then only 0.5kg in the following three weeks my weight loss was quite slow.

Why and how fast we lose weight can vary greatly given how much weight you have to lose, any hormonal issues that may play a part in preventing weight loss e.g. PCOS, thyroid issues, some medications may make it hard to lose weight (check side effects with your doctor/pharmacist).

When I started 5:2 I told myself that I was going to give it six months to see if it will or will not work for me. Three months in and so far I am very happy but it has taken some experimenting to see what eating plan works best for me.

Add your stats to your profile e.g. BMI etc and maybe someone with similar stats may be able to pipe up and give you some ideas to help you on your way.

[Betsysgr8]

Everything TheFrog said plus:
Have you calculated your TDEE? Staying at or near you TDEE calories should help your weight loss but it can take a little time for it all to be set into motion.
Did you take measurements when you started? Are your clothes any looser? Often times while the scales (evil things ) don't shift your measurements do.
Also, it has only been a week, everything TheFrog said about hormones, time of the month, salt intake, etc is true. Give it a bit more time.

I stepped on the scales this morning and now so disappointed.

They have not moved.

I have exactly the same situation . Little worse because after second fast it is 0,4 kg +. Hope it is water retention (I've read the topic about amount of consumed water and maybe should pay more attention here) , and I hope for same results in longer period (hope we all should...)
I do not have much to lose (6-10kg) so it may also makes things harder.
As maybe I am used to less then 2000 cal on daily basis, I think 450 cal. or even 400 would be more effective for fast. Maybe it's similar for you?

[janeg]

Scales are evil! Well, not really but I don;t like them much and measure instead- it seems to be much kinder.
Some people lose a lot of weight on 5:2 in the first weeks and then it slows down, others lose very slowly but reasonably steadily and others struggle. We're (well, Caroline and the other nerds are looking at this)
You might like to have a wee look at a thread called why the scales lie that carorees posted which explains a lot.
Keep at it, this way of eating does work - it's not a miracle though.
And the extra weight we are carrying didn't go on in a week, so it ain't gonna shift in a week either.

You have to give it a few weeks. Most people lose the first week and then it can take a few weeks to lose any more weight because the first week's loss is mainly water. It isn't a quick fix starvation diet. Please don't be disappointed, what you have found is completely normal and you have to be patient for a couple of weeks at least. I was the same, but stuck with it and after week 4 I lost weight weekly.

Hang in there and don't give up. Everyone is different in how they lose weight. I think the trend that I've seen is that most lose weight in the first week or two and then plateau. But after a period of time... it all averages out to about 1 pound per week. Like others have said before, it's not a quick fix. Remember, slow and steady wins the race!

Thank you to all of you for your kind words of support.

I know that it will take time and to keep at it, it will happen. Maybe not today. I want that silver bullet to weight loss, but it does not exist.

I know hormones are my biggest enemy at the moment, suck in the middle of menopause. Been told it can be harder to shift extra kilos at this time due to all the changes happening in the body.

Thanks again everyone and good luck with all your weight loss journeys.

Don't focus to much on the scales - it's not the whole truth. I haven't lost in 2 weeks but my waist is smaller and my fat % is also lower. So something is changing even if the scales doesn't show it. Hang in there!

Join the gang, I think we've all been there & will probably be visiting again, I know I did. I just think of it as my body having a rest before getting to work again. It's a consolidation period, don't worry, it'll move again soon

Some weeks I gain a pound. Some weeks I lose a pound. However over all I have lost a stone, so far. Your body randomly varies a bit so its the long term trend you're looking for.

Don't be discouraged. I lost 7 lbs in the first 5 weeks and then I didn't lose anything for 3 weeks. This week's weigh-in, I'm down 2 lbs. So my average weight loss is still 1 lb a week.

I am now on maintenance, in fact I am now below my target weight but, I had a really slow start and almost gave up, lost some weight then plateaued, almost gave up, then lost some more, need I go on? A lot of people get off to a flying start and that keeps them going, I got off to a painfully slow start so I know what it feels like. Just gird your loins and keep going, not easy when you feel like a failure, I know, but, HONESTLY, if you stick at it......IT WILL WORK, eventually, and then there will be no going back, you will love it!

Ballerina x