The FastDay Forum

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, but have been following the plan since feb, have just completed my seventeeth fast today, which has been fine - even managed a trip to the gym after work.

I've been reading all your posts about your weight loss and wonder if I'm the only one who has decided to completely avoid the scales?

I've tried and failed at so many diets over the past 30 years or so, partly because I get despondent if I don't see a weight loss. If I lose ANY weight it is always very slow. However, I am so impressed by the numerous other health benefits of this plan, that I thought I would just stick with it and see what happens. Whatever weight loss I may manage seems just part of the overall benefits. I thought I'd weigh in in mid August - that is six months in. I can easily stick to this WOE, I love it (though I had a shaky fast day on Monday and felt dreadful on Tues). Usually, I'm fine.

Of course, I really want to be slim!! I've noticed a slight difference in the way my clothes feel and the twelfth stair has stopped creaking when I stand on it!

So....any one else as scale phobic as me?

I absolutely feel the same way as you! Weighing myself makes me think about food and weight loss all the time and I don't want to do that. Now I've got into a routine (10 weeks in), I don't even have to think about it on fast days. Much better for my mental health! Not that I don't need to lose weight, I do, I just don't want to obsess about it. Like you I'm hoping for other health benefits. A drop in cholesterol would be nice to get my doctor off my back.

I was not weighing myself, because I was fearful of being disappointed. When I finally did weigh myself I learned I had not lost any weight in over a month. I have since adjusted how many calories I take in on feed days, and now I am losing again. I plan to weigh myself every morning from now on to monitor my progress.

Amy, I could have written your post. I am starting 5:2 tomorrow, and if I weigh myself it will be no more than once a month, if that.

From everything I'm reading about intermittent fasting, folks are just weighing themselves too much and setting themselves up for disappointment. On 5:2 dieting our weight will fluctuate a lot from day to day. I suppose I could weigh in once a week, after a fast day, but I just won't do it! I've had a lifetime of dieting failure, and sometimes the number on the scale can just make me throw in the towel. I refuse to do it this time.

I am obsessively weighing myself. So far though, I am seeing results. So good I started thinking maybe I had an incurable disease. LOL (knock on wood).

I think the important thing is what works for you and makes you comfortable with your lifestyle. I catch myself "avoiding" the scale when I know I'm not eating right or gaining. For me, I need *something* to be a progress-tracker so that I can tweak my activity to work toward the goal I want.

But do what works for you! Perhaps you might choose to check your measurements once in a while to see if that has changed, or put on a pair of trousers that were uncomfortably too-tight last month.

But yes. Definitely. The health benefits are totally worth the effort even if you don't lose.

No, I don't weigh myself - we do have scales somewhere - my husband has hidden them somewhere in the back cupboard in the bathroom - my clothes feel a bit looser, there is this one pair of blue trousers that fit okay (I hoped they'd be too big . . but not yet, maybe next month) - that's how I judge and I'm quite pleased. I've always lost weight very slowly and don't expect this to be any different and don't want to "weigh in" and be disappointed. I'm just taking it day by day - I have 5 months til my holiday and am hoping to feel slimmer by then - don't have any big expectations (fasting tomorrow) and see how it goes !!!!!

I weighed myself at the start (only 2 weeks in at the moment) and am also wary of weighing myself to check progress. I had thought I might weigh myself every 4 weeks but I'm not sure yet - maybe a few months would be even better. I don't want the scales to rule my life like they have in the past and risk a bad weight in sending into stuffing my face mode!

Don't look, it will only depress you. I only ever measured my waist whilst I was fasting as I could not bear to fail again. To be honest, I didn't actually need to measure my waist as I could feel, by my clothes, that I was losing weight. It was only when I had lost about 7 " from my waist that I finally plucked up the courage to get on the scales, the first time in about 10 years and WOW, what a wonderful moment that was.

Hope you have a good journey and get to where you want to be, I have no doubt you will do it, good luck,

Ballerina x

I absolutely feel the same way as you! Weighing myself makes me think about food and weight loss all the time and I don't want to do that. Now I've got into a routine (10 weeks in), I don't even have to think about it on fast days. Much better for my mental health! Not that I don't need to lose weight, I do, I just don't want to obsess about it. Like you I'm hoping for other health benefits. A drop in cholesterol would be nice to get my doctor off my back.

Hi Chook,

We are at about the same point in this process 9 weeks in for me 10 for you. It'll be good to hear your progress, especially with regard to the cholesterol. Do you plan to get it checked again at some point? Good luck and keep off the scales!

Amy

No, I don't weigh myself - we do have scales somewhere - my husband has hidden them somewhere in the back cupboard in the bathroom - my clothes feel a bit looser, there is this one pair of blue trousers that fit okay (I hoped they'd be too big . . but not yet, maybe next month) - that's how I judge and I'm quite pleased. I've always lost weight very slowly and don't expect this to be any different and don't want to "weigh in" and be disappointed. I'm just taking it day by day - I have 5 months til my holiday and am hoping to feel slimmer by then - don't have any big expectations (fasting tomorrow) and see how it goes !!!!!

Hi lovemyparrot,

Great user name by the way - do you have a parrot?

A husband who hides the scales is very helpful. I too, have been trying on clothes to assess my progress and, like you, some that were way too tight are now a bit looser. I have a pair of trousers that were so tight, I had to breathe in so hard to get them done up I went purple! Well, I still couldn't be seen in public wearing them, but I can get them on now and continue breathing - so I think that is progress....

Hope your fast is going well today and I am sure you will be MUCH slimmer for your holiday,

Keep me posted, Amy

Don't look, it will only depress you. I only ever measured my waist whilst I was fasting as I could not bear to fail again. To be honest, I didn't actually need to measure my waist as I could feel, by my clothes, that I was losing weight. It was only when I had lost about 7 " from my waist that I finally plucked up the courage to get on the scales, the first time in about 10 years and WOW, what a wonderful moment that was.

Hope you have a good journey and get to where you want to be, I have no doubt you will do it, good luck,

Ballerina x

Blimey Ballerina!!

7 inches off your waist, that 's amazing. You must be so proud of yourself, I'm impressed and inspired, thank you.

Amy