The FastDay Forum

I would say, dont give up but then I guess its easy for me to say that because I dont have any health issues (touch wood). 10lbs is a great loss of weight, you may be just one of those people (like me) for whom the weight does not fly off consistently and in great amounts. I felt a little disheartened a few weeks back that my weightloss wasnt averaging 1lb a week and I was recycling the same old weight up and down, but I decided to stick with it and I cant imagine doing anything else now. I'm wanting the health benefits as well as the weight loss. I'm an old bird with young children and I want to be around as long as possible for them - thats my motivation.
Plus I love the fact I can eat what I like (and I truly do!).

I agree that it can get discouraging at times. In the big picture, I've been doing this for 4 1/2 months and have lost 17 lbs. For that I'm happy! But it does slow way down for long periods of time, and you tend to lose hope of losing more. I've stalled for several weeks and began to think it's not worth 2 days of being hungry to end up not losing. Then Sunday I had 2 friends tell me that my face is thinner. They didn't notice anything after I had lost 17 lbs., but now that I've gone weeks without a loss, they notice. My point is, that even though the scales might not say you're losing lbs., you are probably still losing fat and it's shifting. To muscle or to your big toe! The scales aren't the only way to tell if this is working. Don't give up!

Try giving up wheat, go gluten free for a while. Dr. Davis in his book 'Wheat Belly does a chapter on thyroid problems and has seen many of his patients have much better weight losses with carb control when they have problems with their thyroid.
Have you also tried taking iodine to give your thyroid something to work on. Lugols iodine is the best to use.

Lastly, if in the UK go and have a look on the forums of the TPA (thyroid patient Advocacy) as many of the people on there need T3 supplementation as well as thyroxine, or your dose could just need a tweak. http://tpauk.com/

Needing T3 is also a sign when normal thyroxine (pure T4)is seen by the body as toxic giving you sensitivity issues to the thyroxine. You are getting way too much T4 and not enough T3. It is very rare that you will get a endochrinologist with enough knowledge or balls to prescribe T3. But if you can't tolerate the T4 alone, get the natural extract (from pigs I'm afraid) as that has T3 in it as well, a much better balance where no balance was available before.

Sorry to hear you are struggling with fasting and low thyroid. You are not alone in that category, unfortunately. I am hypo and have had a few long stalls along the way myself. I am losing SO slowly, about a half pound a week. But, if I was on a different plan I would have given up long ago and I'd be gaining now, not losing.

What I have found to work for me is to just keep changing things up. I do 4:3 most of the time; but, I throw in a 5:2 week once or twice a month. I have added other IF plans into the mix occasionally. If things stall out I pick an area to focus on for a couple of weeks (exercise, low carbs, IF windows, yoga, gluten free, whole foods, paleo, etc.) My long term permanent commitment is 4:3 but I usually have to add in something to even get the slow losses that I have had. It can be depressing, but it is what it is.

I know that WHATEVER plan I choose I am going to have to work harder at it than others. Maybe it isn't fair or easy; but don't you usually find you appreciate the most things you have to work at to achieve? That was my epiphany one day...that I have had plenty of things that have come easier to me (like getting good grades without as much effort as some others.) Weight loss just doesn't come easy to me and I guess that is my cross to bear. I have tried all the plans and I honestly have never found any other that I could stick to for over a year.

My current tweak of the moment...I am experimenting with egg fasts, egg and meat fasts and maybe even a potato hack I have been readng about on a couple of Paleo sites. On my first fast day this week I had eggs scrambed with coconut oil for brunch and dinner. Tomorrow I may do that again and possibly add my 53 calorie thin sliced bacon. Next week I will probably move on to some other craziness along with my fast days. I may have to get even more creative; but I am determined. I am NOT. GIVING. UP. Never. Never. Never.

I have had a few excruciating weeks of putting on or losing 200g and wanting to give up. But then I thought about how, even though I hadnt lost weight and am not closer to my target, I have actually had a stable weight in this time. Something which did not happen before. I worry that leaving the 5.2 woe you might destabilize. Why dont you just give it another couple of weeks and really try to focus on more exercise. I have bought a pace counter and it is really pushing me on to get out there and walk. Walking is a very gentle way of exercising!!

All the very best!!! PS we are not all losing steadily so you are not alone!!!!

Gosh, thank you for all your replies, logged on this morning and touched to see them all!
Ok, I will try and answer as many questions as I can
Propertypaul, thank you for your suggestions, I will be going back to my doctor asap and demanding an increase in my thryoid meds but with regards to cutting out sugar completely that is not gonna happen! I cannot realistically see myself sustaining that and when I tried in the past my resolve lasted couple of days but thanks anyway!

Navwoman, yes I probably will be taking a week off counting calories completely. Initially when I started 5:2 I didnt count all all on my feed days and was losing for the first 12 weeks and then stopped abruptly like turning off a light.

Yes, Moogie, the review will be posted today.

Madeysmoodeysmum, my bmi is 28.56 so still quite high, I initially wanted to lose 2 stone which I thought was quite realistic and gave myself until December this year (we are going away for xmas). I am now down to 13st 4 lbs so nowhere near my ideal weight.

Dhana, so sorry but low carb is not for me. I tried atkins way back when it first came about and it gave me the most terrible headaches and constipation so that was that. I did try swapping my normal 2 fast days for no carb fast days and that had no effect other than to bring on the dreaded constipation which I seem very prone to (sorry if tmi!!!) I will of course still check in from time to time and post progress, if any.

43tweaker, your post was very interesting, I may well try 4:3 in the future and see what happens with that.

All in all I am very glad to see that most everyone is losing, some more slowly than other and I honestly am pleased that is possible.

Out of curiosity I jumped on the scales this morning and was horrified to see my current weight is now showing as 13st 4 lbs instead of the 13st it has been for the past 11 weeks! So at the moment my overall loss is now 6 lbs - jeeeeez how bloody depressing. My usual fast day was going to be tomorrow (I usually do Mon and Thurs) so I am at a loss as to what has changed since my weigh in last Friday At the moment I am at the stage where this diet is making me feel very depressed and low which is not what I wanted it to be at all, this alone tells me to quit for the time being. So sorry again to be such a downer and hope you all have a lovely sunny weekend wherever you are!!
Off to cheer myself up with some sun in the garden! Thanks again guys xx

Hiya from a fellow thyroid-gone-mad faster.

I have an underactive thyroid (although it seems to do better since I started 5:2) and I have struggled a lot and lost weight against all odds...
The first thing I want to say to you is please DON'T start eating 1000 calories daily. It will kill whatever is left of your metabolism and it won't do your -already faulty- thyroid and favours.
I won't tell you to stop eating sugar (that would put off the best of us) or to do low carb forever but I will tell you what I did.

When I first started 5:2 I wasn't counting calories and I did very well. Then I stopped losing and I panicked and I started 4:3 and counting calories and feeling like a huge failure. Whatever I did, nothing worked until I bumped on the true weight calculator (on Dukan's website) which indicated that if I did the attack for two days I'd lose 700grams. I was like "whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat"? and I decided to give it a go.

Did it work? Oh yeah baby! I lost a kilo in 2 days and then my weight took a downhill road. I would have reached my goal weight ages ago if I hadn't stopped any form of watching what I'm eating one month ago because of entering a very stressful period.

After seeing the results of those two days, I decided to insert the two attack days in 5:2 and do my kind of 3:2:2. 2 fasts, 2 attacks and 3 normal days. The average loss of these weeks was 1 kilo, which is amazing for a person with thyroid problems!!!

Now, before you tell me that you can't do this let me tell you that you CAN. I am a carb girl. I love carbs, both good and bad ones! But it is only for two days and all you have to do is find the low fat protein that you like and eat them for two days. I ate kajun chicken, surimi (imitation) crab and omelettes.

Please give this a go before you give up. I am sure that you will be delighted with the results! But do try to do it without stressing too much. Stress is bad for weight loss!

Been following 5 2 since Feb 4th this year, lost 10 lbs by 3rd May and nothing since, not a job, not an ounce. I have a slightly underactive thryroid and am on meds for that. I have followed lots of suggestions to get some progress,i.e eating zero cals on fast days, eating increased on feed days, decreased on feed days, gentle daily excercise, and even did 2 days low carb 500 cal fast days and nothing, nada.

Well, I just logged on to say exactly the same thing and found your post sitting at the top of the list!

I also started in February and have lost a grand total of 7lb but all in the first month. Not a sausage since. Just lose and regain the same 2-3lbs.

The only thing I can see that I am doing differently is that, because I am more centred on calories, my carb count has gone up. I noticed too when I downloaded my BG meter that my overall readings are higher and I have a greater percentage of readings that are over my target. I don't want to give up on fasting as such because I feel its worth giving it a shot for the possible health benefits and that's only going to show over the long term, but I've pretty well given up on it for weight loss/BG control.

I had decided on something similar to Dhana's suggestion. I am doing 16:8 on most days, I seem to have fallen naturally into that pattern, and I am going back to a low carb/high fat diet as that has served me well in the past for weight and BG control.

Perhaps we could compare notes on how we get on. I certainly feel better for knowing that I'm not the only one who is stuck and fed up!

Just to reassure you that we aren't all losing weight ad infinitum ;>) I got to 61kg in the first 10 weeks and the last 7 weeks I have gone up/down and have lost only .5kg in that time. Also under active thyroid and fiddling with meds (I am on Thyroid Extract - T3 & T4 replicating human thyroid rather than Thyroxine - T3 only). BUT I don't care so much - although I feel hungry on fast days, I actually feel good after fasting. So it really is a WOE for me not a 'diet', however I understand your frustration when u have a lot to lose. I believe that I will lose the last bit of weight at some point and I'm sure you will too. For me it's working thru the eating issues that are the interesting part. Like why do I eat too much after fasting/how do I stop this behaviour etc. Also not having counted calories for 30 years it's interesting to realise how easy it is to over eat. So whilst there is frustration in not getting all he weight off, the positive side is learning about our eating habits. Good luck with whatever path you chose.

Was going to start my own post but decided to join this one instead since I'm having the same issue. I lost 9 pounds in March & April and nothing since. I took gain & lose the same 2-3 pounds. I have no thyroid so am on meds and in the hyper range actually for cancer suppression. Obviously being hyperthyroid in a number sense does not mean my body sees it that way, I'm sure the whole T4/T3 conversion thing comes into play but getting the dr to add T3 is probably next to impossible since I feel ok with just the T4 replacement.

But, I honestly believe the bigger part of my problem is my eating habits and just eating too much on feed days. I've done the whole tracking on MFP in the past but I've been reluctant to make myself do that every day on top of fast days. It's probably what I need and I therefore I need to change my frame of mind if I want to start losing again. On the other shoulder is the little demon saying Oh just give up already, but I don't want to do that either because if I'm just maintaining with 2 fasting days it's a given I'll gain again if I quit.

So, just feeling really frustrated with myself today.

Nodakmom, don't give up! You know you've been indulging a bit too much on feast days, so you know what you have to do - so go ahead and do it! What other diet gives you so much freedom? Be a little bit stricter on 3 days, and give yourself a treat one or two days a week ONLY, and you probably won't even have to count calories. Hope your treatment is going well and keep posting when you need a talking to!

This was a really interesting thread to peruse. Thanks to everyone sharing frustrations and advice.

I will only add that what personally keeps me going, despite being a slow-ish loser in her 40's, is that I am finally staying below 200 lbs on this WoE. Despite tracking on MFP (who knows how accurately, but point being I was trying to lose weight and work out etc), my weight had only been climbing.

So for me, even staying in the 190's or losing slowly is a huge improvement and heading in the right direction.

I also feel ridiculously proud of myself when I wake up after a fast day haha.

Nodakmom, you are so lucky because you know what's wrong and how to fix it! Most of us just guess and experiment.
IMO, two "feast" days are enough. Try to be sensible on 3 days and I'm sure you'll succeed.

But, I honestly believe the bigger part of my problem is my eating habits and just eating too much on feed days. I've done the whole tracking on MFP in the past but I've been reluctant to make myself do that every day on top of fast days. It's probably what I need and I therefore I need to change my frame of mind if I want to start losing again. On the other shoulder is the little demon saying Oh just give up already, but I don't want to do that either because if I'm just maintaining with 2 fasting days it's a given I'll gain again if I quit.

So, just feeling really frustrated with myself today.

This one is an easy fix.

Go immediately to a grocery store and pick up 5 kg of sugar or flour. Get as close to this weight as you can, even if you have to pick up smaller boxes.

Now walk down every isle in the store. DO NOT put the items in a cart of basket; carry them in your arms. Now take the 5kg (flour or sugar) back to where you picked it up. Put it back on the shelf.

We'll wait for you to get back. ... No cheating now. We're watching. No peeking below either....






I mean it.





Now read this post:

blog/ADFnFuel/re_what_is_wrong_with_me%CA%94%CA%94_r-799.html#r799


HTH

John

I would say, if you in a heatwave area right now you may be suffering from water retention. I and others on here have a had a halt if not put on a pound or two due to the heat causing a bit of puffiness.