The FastDay Forum

Hi all,
I'm sorry to introduce myself in such a negative way but I just found your forum through Google this morning.
I am so upset this morning! It's my second week of the 5:2 diet and I have GAINED 4lbs!!
I started on a basic calorie counting diet at the beginning of this year using the my fitness pal app and I had done really well on that, losing 13 lbs through calorie reduction alone. I am obese - I have about 5 stone to lose. And I was on about 1300 calories a day.
Then my friends told me about the 5:2 diet and I liked the sound of it. Not only that, my husband wanted to join in too. So I bought the book and we started at the beginning of this month (March).
I really enjoyed fasting and was very surprised to see that I didn't completely hog out on the 'eating days' (I probably stayed under the 1600 cal mark on eating days).
So I am so sad and fed up that I'm putting weight back on at a tremendous speed.
The thought of a calorie-counting only diet now fills me with dread - this is why I embraced the 5:2 diet - it seemed so manageable and something that I could stick to easily for the rest of my life.
I don't wantto give up but I'm also scared to carry on in case I undo all of my good work in the past couple of months.
Anyone go through something similar?

[carorees]

Hi peapod and welcome to the forum!

Please don't worry about the fact that the scales say 4lb more. It is definitely not fat, probably water. Just think about it for a second: 1lb of fat is 'worth' 3500 calories so to gain 4lb you would have to have overeaten by a massive 14000 calories! If you were on 1300 cals per day before you were only eating 9100 per week so to gain 4lb you would have had to have eaten more than double your previous intake!!! Also if you were eating 1600 on feed days plus 500 on fast days your week would have added up to 9000 cals so that's 100 less than before. So, logically, it is impossible for you to have actually gained 4lb of fat! If you were to weigh yourself everyday on a maintenance diet you would find your weight would vary by over 4lb from day to day anyway. The body does not respond to food intake with immediate responses of increased/decreased weight, it takes much longer for weight changes to become apparent.


Please read my post here about how your weight on the scales is pretty meaningless on a day to day basis.
Please also measure your waist and see if it has gone down. Your waistline is a much better indicator of weightloss than the scales.

You need to weigh no more often than once a month or if you want to weigh daily use an app, like Libra (android app), that can trend your weight over several days which will give a more realistic idea of where you are because it discounts the day to day variations.

So, don't give up, there is no need to. As you have been eating less than before the drop in weight will show up soon!

[Moogie]

Couldn't have said it better myself Caro

When you've got a lot to lose, your natural weight variation will be higher. I know I can easily vary by a few lbs from day to day, and I've only got a stone left until my goal weight (though an extra one after that would be nice!). Keep at it and please don't fret

Thanks so much for your replies.
When I calmed down a bit (I posted my initial post within 5 minutes of weighing myself!!) I did realise that the maths didn't work out.
When I first read about and started the 5:2 diet I did have that nagging 'too good to be true' feeling and the scales this morning seemed to back that up.
I will keep going though as it feels right.
Also, so as not to kid myself- I 'probably' did have a couple of splurge moments after being on a calorie-restricted diet since the beginning of the year.
Anyway, I'm glad to have found this forum. I do tend to find it much easier with a virtual support system

It does work but it's very much "watching the pot boil", weightloss is little and often, even with splurge moments but it is over the longer-term, not day to day.

I'm heavier today than I was earlier in the week but will probably be lighter on Thursday on official stats day.