The FastDay Forum

started 5:2 about a month ago lost 4lbs 1st week YIPEE! I hear you say, but that,s it zilch- no more. Very disappointed to say the least as I am a serial dieter like many others and thought AGAIN that this was it, the diet for me. I do feel better in myself mood definitely lighter BUT I WANT A LIGHTER BODY TOO.Gonna try 4:3 this week.Has anybody else had the same experience? Am I taking the eat what you want on days off too literally? Help my husband has his usual face on when I don,t do as well as I,d hoped on every diet I,ve ever tried.In fairness he could fill a library with a history on my failures.yours hopefully everyone

"Am I taking the eat what you want on days off too literally?"

possibly, what does a typical feed day look like and how tall / light / young are you ?

Don't despair 'madwife'. I'm not losing weight either but feel trimmer. I am only 5'1" tall and at 55 don't expect to have a body of a 20 year old. However, I do believe that it's harder to shift the weight as you get older. I did my TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which is 1789.5 (IF light exercise) and 2017 (moderate exercise). My Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is 1301.5.

If my calculations are correct, I need to fast 3 times a week to shift about 1 lb of fat a week. I am not doing this primarily for weight loss although it would be great if I can lose 14 - 17 lbs. I want to have a healthier heart, lower cholesterol and all the other benefits from the 5:2 (or 4:3) way of eating.

Just keep on going and adjust your fasting days and what you eat to suit your lifestyle. This is not a "one size fits all" way of eating, we're all different with various lifestyles and commitments so we must adapt it to our needs. Good luck

Hi Madwife Like you I have dieted nearly all my life. On this plan I have been losing average 0.7lb per week. I had no big loss to start with like many do. Taken on a weekly basis your weight loss is what they say the average should be (1lb aweek) Ask yourself if you would be happy with that and if the answer is yea carry on. Some of the initial weight loss may have been water which has now been replace with fat loss. I know how difficult it is to motivate yourself when you see no loss but I think this one is worth sticking with for a bit longer.
You may also find that as time goes by your appetite narurally decreases so it is easier to control whatyou have on your eating days. Good Luck

Thanks all for replies ,feeling more positive as feeling more cheerful in self and feel happy to keep going 1lb a week acceptable as in this for the long haul. Fed up of quick fixes that don,t last.Definitely feel slimmer round middle madwife

[Moogie]

Hi and welcome
Don't despair, you're right on track. 4 lbs in 4 weeks is the average loss rate and it is quite normal in the early weeks to have a week or so where you regain of maintain. This is in part because the initial loss is predominantly water. Your body regains some water weight after this loss, buff it would seem you've gone on to lose some fat in these weeks too, hence the weight balancing out - water regained but fat lost.

As for whether you're taking feast days too literally, without knowing more about what you easy it's hard to know. Remember, its east what you like add in no foods are off limits, not eat as much as you like! Your normal intake should be about the same as it was before starting 5:2, assuming you were more or less maintaining weight rather than rapidly gaining (or losing).

If the scales don't shift in the next couple of weeks give us a bit more info and we'll try to help you make some adjustments meanwhile do check your measurements for inch loss which can be a better indicator than the scales. Also bear in mind if you've a lot of weight to lose, small losses can be masked on the scales by your natural variations in body weight. The downward trend on the scales should become clearer over a longer time frame.

I wasn't losing weight either on my past 2 weigh ins ( I weigh in once a week) I had gained the past 2 weeks so I upped my calories to over 2000 and I have already lost 3 pounds this week. Need to up your calories even though my TDEE is at 1770 I still ate over that and lost weight. Everyone is different but for me, I wasn't eating enough so my body was holding on to the weight instead of losing it.