The FastDay Forum

Morning everyone.

This is my first post although I've been lurking here for ages.

I've run into a demotivating up and down plateau and was hoping for some advice.

I've been on the 5:2 diet since about mid February. Started at 74kg, now down to 65kg (on average).

I am 46, female and usually sedentary. My TDEE is 1627 and BMR is 1356. I have been deliberatly pesimistic working these figures out as although I do long dog walks on the weekend, they tend to be slow (done with a big group) and my Mon-Fri is spent in front of a computer working from home.

I fast on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Until a month ago I was eating just less than 500 calories on fast days and definitely not stuffing myself on non fast days.

Weight loss stalled in July at around 66kg. So I thought I'd try really cutting down on fast days. For the last month I have been on less than 100 calories on fast days. Again I have been careful not to overdo it the rest of the week (honestly!)

I weigh myself on Sunday nights and Wednesday mornings so my heaviest and lightest and take an average.

What's been happening is that on my fast days I go down to about 64.5 kg and then by the end of the week I am back up to 66.5kg. 2kg yoyo in a week!

I assume that most of this is water rather than fat, but there is no overall movement down in weight and I am not getting smaller sizewise.

It seems that my body has reached an equillibrium with a quite low overall calorie intake which is pretty depressing.

Thanks for bearing with me and any advice would be gratefully accepted.

I'd suggest getting a Fitbit, a step counter, and adding some arbitrary "friends" to compete with. You get some incentive for raising your activity level, which might lead to changing other habits.

Generally speaking, if what you're doing isn't working, you should do something different.

Hi Helena and Welcome from the lurking status well it could be your body saying enough, but have you signed up to the tracker because that gives you the TDEE you're entitled to maybe 500 is to many now, I only weigh in once per week morning after my 2 nd fast after the loo, like you I'd get demoralized seeing scales go up. Also I recently thought I'd hit a plateau so I did my next 3 fasts as if they were my very first calorie wise and low & behold I lost weight ( few to many treats creaping back in ) I'm doing 4:3 because I have loads to lose, but if its an option doing 3 may kick start you losing again. Sue.

I have had the same thing for the past 6 months now, fluctuating between the same 2 kilos

The weight came off so quickly at first, now I feel like I am punishing myself not eating twice a week and remaining the same for so long. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to come off of 5:2 for a month or so and then go back on it? Will my body then treat the diet as if it is new? Has anyone tried this?

Part of me is too scared in case I regain the 7 kilos I have lost

I was just wondering why you chose Monday and Tuesday to fast? I think consecutive days are more likely to cause a reduction in metabolic rate. Can you do Mon/Thurs or Mon/Weds instead?

True, consecutive days seems odd. You can also try zero calorie fasts, I do it every time and believe the idea of it is worse than the actual reality.

It's easier, you don't turn on the hunger switch and just forget about food.

Again, you can't expect different results if you continue doing the same thing. I have my doubts about all this "plateau" thing in general really.