The FastDay Forum

Hi all, the title says it all really.

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.

I am now at the stage as in every other diet in that I am totally fed up and frustrated with the lack of progress, initially when I started I was over the moon at the freedoms this diet gave me, but now if I am fasting 2 days a week for nothing there seems no point in continuing.
I have finally admitted defeat with 5:2 and I am going to just try a bog-standard 1000 cal a day and see if anything happens with that.

Whilst I am very pleased to have lost 10 lbs it has been a very long and tedious process and my motivation has finally left me.

Hubbie has been doing 5:2 with me and he is going to carry on, not for weight loss (although he has lost a stone) but he is doing it for the health benefits as a few in his family have diabetes,etc.

I am very surprised to see that almost everyone posting here seems to be losing weight, even when doing this for a long time, and very best wishes to all you very determined folks! xx

10 pounds is a great lump of fat to lose and there is no need to give up, there must be a reason its not working. Try ramping up your exercise a bit as long as the doctor says its ok. Or try a detox month while still having 2 fast days.
Another one is sugar try cutting sugar out of your diet completely It is the best thing I ever did for so many reasons You can sneak so many calories into yourself with sugar that it is unbelievable.

[carorees]

So sorry to hear this, @Cakegroupy. Having an underactive thyroid is the pits! I hope you get somewhere with 1000 cal per day but I fear you may slow your thyroid further by following that path. Perhaps if you feel your TDEE is really so very low, an alternative would be to aim for 7000 cals per week and perhaps continue fasting on some days so that on others you can have a higher calorie intake, which I feel might be the best way to prevent your thyroid from slowing down even more. At least with the fasting experience you have an extra tool to use in your fight with the thyroid.

ppropertypaul has a good point about sugar. Anything that needs insulin to process it will prevent fat being used as fuel so it is not possible to lose weight.

The other thing is to try to get a review of your thyroid function at the doctor in case your meds need adjusting.

Wishing you all the best

I also have an under active thyroid (not being treated)and found that working towards a weekly calorie goal was better than a daily target. Luckily I didn't have much to lose, but for many weeks nothing happened and then all of a sudden the weight started to go. I find that any carbohydrates (apart from those found in vegetables) stops my weight loss and my tummy swells, and agree that sugar is the number one enemy for insulin to operate efficiently. Maybe a complete break from calorie counting for a week so you can just enjoy eating without keeping records will give you the incentive to try a fast day?
You are not alone!

I do not have an under active thyroid, thank goodness. I would like to mention however that I hit a long wall with this WOE that I began to think I would never break through for about 2 months and then suddenly I began to lose again. I also feel so much better. I understand why you are going and of course this is not for everyone and I cannot begin to know what it would be like with your condition. All the best and good luck.

[Moogie]

Sorry to hear that Cakegroupy Hope you'll still be willing to post up a review of the Actiderm stuff you were sent even if you're not going to be hanging around here much anymore (don't want the Actiderm guy shouting at me about it!!).

I know a few folks have experienced plateaus for as much as 9 weeks and then found the weight started to come off again, so maybe giving it another week or two just to see if this happens might be worthwhile?

I've been on a bit of a plateau recently but I know it's because I'm going too wa-hey at weekends!

I have no thyroid gland and am on a low dose of thyroxine - I am very sensitive to it and get side effects - so I know what it feels like to have to work twice as determinedly as normal to get weight off. The 5:2 diet, combined with consistent gym circuit workouts is the only time I have had success, very slowly, but it is working. Last visit to my doctor I mentioned my despair at slow weight loss and she very quickly commented that raising the dosage of meds would solve that problem, have you spoken to your doctor? I agree with others that giving up sugar is a good idea. I wish you well, but encourage you to stay with 5:2.

Oh dear cakegroupy sorry to hear that you might be giving up the 5:2. Hope the suggestions given above help you. All the best with your decision

What's Yr bmi. Maybe you are closer to Yr ideal weight than you think hence the stall

I had a stall perviously. Now on maintainence 6.1 but I am amazed to find I'm still loosing a few oz a week.

10lbs is a lot to loose. It's a heavy bowling ball remember.
You've done great.

Why not try for another
Month if you do t find the diet to hard

We are alway at hand for advise or a encouraging word

I dont have a problem with my thyroid and have found that instead of maintaining I have now gained, I am determined to make this work but if after a couple months I dont see some improvement then I think I'll be following you too - its very frustrating especially when you're doing everything right.

Good luck with what every you decide to do next just remember you've done amazingly well to lose 10lbs

Oh no Cakegroupy that's a shame. I too have an underactive thyroid and I take thyroxine. I have had no problem losing on this WOE. I've lost far more than when I was on the very restricted diet given to me by the dietician attached to my endo's practice. I mean...either a small apple or 1 slice of diet bread a day for carbs just wasn't sustainable for me. I have averaged a bit over a pound per week loss since I started at the end of March....I'm thrilled. I will say that I don't go crazy on non-fast days and I do eat more fruit and veg than I used to instead of sweets. I also do a liquid fast for one of my fast days a week...sometimes both days. Maybe you need your meds increased? Best of luck on your new diet and don't be a stranger

Hi all, the title says it all really.

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.

I am now at the stage as in every other diet in that I am totally fed up and frustrated with the lack of progress, initially when I started I was over the moon at the freedoms this diet gave me, but now if I am fasting 2 days a week for nothing there seems no point in continuing.
I have finally admitted defeat with 5:2 and I am going to just try a bog-standard 1000 cal a day and see if anything happens with that.

Whilst I am very pleased to have lost 10 lbs it has been a very long and tedious process and my motivation has finally left me.

Hubbie has been doing 5:2 with me and he is going to carry on, not for weight loss (although he has lost a stone) but he is doing it for the health benefits as a few in his family have diabetes,etc.

I am very surprised to see that almost everyone posting here seems to be losing weight, even when doing this for a long time, and very best wishes to all you very determined folks! xx

No.

Please don't.

It just makes so much sense even wihtout any (current) weight-loss.

Maybe..... don't feel you've got to hang onto every calory...

Just portion control as much as poss on "fast" days, hitting on veggies and just enough protein to keep going through the day.

On "feed" days just eat normally (but try to avoid sweets/cakes)

Hi cakegroupy,
Sorry to hear your news. Do you think it would be a step too far to go extremely low carb for a couple of weeks? Not just cutting out sugar but also grains, and upping veg and fats? It can actually be filling and very tasty and you don't have to massively increase protein. I am eating more good fats like grass fed butter, olive oil and coconut oil and eating walnuts and feta in salads, cashews in stirfries, almonds and seeds as snacks, and have found it makes not eating bread, biscuits, pasta and rice etc. so much easier. I don't eat much fruit, apart from berries (and always with a bit of cream or full fat yogurt) and this weather is perfect for lots of salad leaves - I try to make zingy, tasty dressings with walnut oil, avocado oil or olive oil, lemon zest, mustard, herbs etc. I had a great strawberry salad with mixed leaves and balsamic dressing, plus a bit of Danish blue cheese and walnuts and it was gorgeous and very filling. I know it sounds counter intuitive to increase fats, as we are led to believe that they're the root of all evil, but they are so satiating that overall your calorie consumption actually decreases as long as you're not adding many carbs to the mix. If you are leaving us please post sometimes to let us know of your progress. best wishes and good luck.

I understand how you feel. I have underactive thyroid myself and am taking medicine for that. In the beginning I didn't loose weight and I was very frustrated. Tried different kind of ways and found my own way to succeed. Like Carorees wrote, try 7000 calories a week, take away 2 days for fasting ( max.1000 cals) and divide the rest in 5 days. Don't use same amount every day, a zig-zag intake for me is the best. I mix, so I have lower in weekdays and a little more in weekends. This has worked for me. I have lost about 13 kilo since the beginning of April.

After some weeks I did a check with my doctor too, and it seems I was a little low in medicine so she put me on 75mg per day instead of 50mg.. I am using Eltroxin.

Wishing you all the best xx

Pia

Hi. I started the same time as you and lost about the same amount in the same time. Since then nothing, just bouncing up and down a kilo. However I'm not stopping because for the first time I've lost the weight and it stayed lost.
But whatever you decide I hope everything goes well for you.