The FastDay Forum

I started 5:2 on 1 August. I've been absolutely rigorous about sticking to 500 cals on fasting days. I'm not calorie counting on normal days, just eating as normal - although I'm definitely more aware of what I'm eating, making better choices and also even eating less as I feel less hungry a lot of the time on normal days.

I'm not seeing any change in 3 weeks. About 10 days ago, I lost a kilo, then it went back on again and since then nothing.

My weight has been 77.5-78.5kg for months and my starting weight was actually 77.3kg. My BMI is 27.7. The dip 10 days ago, my weight dropped to 76.4kg for 2 days, then it went back up to 77.8kg and since then has never been lower than 77.1kg. Today I'm at 77.4kg again. (I weigh myself daily on my Aria and have done for months.) My body fat % has also remained stubborn at around 43.3%. I have epilepsy but it's very well controlled with medication and hasn't been affected at all by fasting.

I do have a FitBit Zip and I strive to do 10,000 steps a day but rarely hit it as I work from home in a sedentary job, for long hours and with deadlines. I don't get as much exercise as I want, or should. Yesterday I hit just under 7,500 steps which was quite good for me.

I just don't know why I'm not losing anything. I'd hoped to have lost 2kg by now and kept it off. I'm frustrated.

Me, too. I've been doing 5:2 since April, and weigh more now than when I started!
Like you, I count calories, even on non-fast days, though I am more sedentery.
I'm giving it till the end of the month, then, if no result, I think I'm giving up (:
You have only just started, so I think there is hope for you yet, though.
All best wishes

Vildekhaya- don't despair- everyone has different experiences. things to try are reducing carbs on your fast days- aim for calories from vegetables instead. Drink your fluids and hang in there. It seems that exercising is not the key to losing weight so perhaps play with doing abit less of that? I am sure you will get lots more advice from other forum members (you too lornameg) but don't despair. This does work and from yoru posts there is no reason for both of you to lose weight. Perhaps post some info on what exactly you are eating so you can get some wise advice.

A couple of weeks isn't very long to see an impact. That's only a few low cal days. I would say it's closer to 10 weeks to allow your body to get into the new routine and see a clear result.
When you say that you are eating normally on feed days, what does that mean? If you are doing calorie restriction for weight loss, then was "normal" more than the calories you need? I don't suggest rigorous calorie checking on normal days, but it's worth determining your own personal TDEE (Total Daily Calorie Expenditure) and making sure that you are in the right ball park.
I know thatthis isn't a very exciting answer, but the system is pretty good as far as eating habits go and as you say, you start being much more aware of the nutritional value of foods and making better choices. I'd say stick with it for a couple of months and see how you like it. All you've got to lose is weight and there are plenty of much more important gains in terms of health.

Hi Lornameg,
I'm a bit surprised that it has had a negative impact since April. If you are at 500 cals on fast days and are around your TDEE on feed days, it's quite a calorie deficit that would normally result in fat burn. Could you post details of your typical regime? Be 100% honest about it making sure you inlude any drinks (alcoholic, fruit or fizzy are the worst), fruit and dressings to salads and veg.
I'd disagree that exercise isn't useful. Maybe not as a direct burn of calories, but it is for raising metabolic rate and other health issues.
If everything checks out, it may be worth getting thyroid function etc tested.......... or your scales!!!

Hi there! How do you structure your Fast Days? What was working really well for me was a 24hr fast, dinner to dinner. And also 500ckal low-carb meal on the fast day (i.e. only meat and veg, no starchy carbs).

General advice for weight loss, that I've been following, is EAT LESS. To me it means that I let myself get hungry from meal to meal and go to bed slightly hungry but not ravenous on most normal days. You have to feel it for yourself. Some very small people have to eat very little in order to lose weight. It's tough but that's the reality.

My eating habits on fast days are generally that I live on black coffee (no sugar) in the morning, which I do every day. I've been holding back my first meal until 2-3pm, which again is quite normal for me. I wouldn't say I eat that late every day - sometimes I'll eat at 10am or so - but it's fairly typical for me. I have 3 recipe books for 5:2 and I'm using them on fast days as I find it much easier (my usual style of cooking is to judge amounts and cook what I fancy, mostly meat and veg - I'm not keen on many fruit, very rarely eat desserts and only have a takeaway about once a month).

Yesterday I fasted and I had black coffee during the morning, plus water at regular intervals after that. I had a chicken couscous salad at around 3pm (289 cals from the recipe book) - I like this one as I find it really filling. I snacked early evening on 100g of strawberries then a little later 40g cooked turkey, then I had two slices of very lean parma ham, a boiled egg and 60g leaf salad (no dressing) for supper at around 9pm. Total 497 cals.

Other days I'm eating shakshuka for breakfast at mid-afternoon or a half portion of porridge with blueberries - both around 170 cals. Dinner being the chicken couscous or a fish curry, soup or a bean salad. Sometimes I have a piece of steamed fish with asparagus and an egg, or some berries with fat-free greek yoghurt. I'm barely touching carbs except for the occasional solitary ricecake of 30 cals.

I'm not drinking alcohol on fast days.

Today, not fasting, I've just had a light but filling breakfast of a one-portion can of baked beans plus a plain slice, no butter, of pumpernickel. Total of around 200 cals.

That sounds excellent Vildekhaya. If you keep going with that I'm sure you will succeed.

Are you actually having enough on feast days? The items you listed there can't come to more than 1000. This could be the problem.

I didn't say I was eating the same on normal days. I listed the kind of things I normally eat - meat and veg, not much fruit and rarely anything else sweet as I don't have a sweet tooth. On normal days, breakfast can vary a lot - a bacon sandwich, some granola with unsweetened soya milk, a couple of slices of toast and marmalade (or baked beans), two scrambled eggs. Dinner is usually meat or fish of some sort with vegetables - I make a lot of one-pots as there's only me, and every couple of weeks I roast a chicken or small joint of something as I can feed myself on that for up to 5 days, using the leftovers for various meals. I do eat more carbs on normal days - my weakness is bread, although I'm a bit of a bread snob - it has to be a decent proper loaf and not factory white sliced rubbish.

I'm probably having around 2-2,500 cals on feast days. More if I drink alcohol, which I do maybe 3 nights a week (might be more if I have a busy social week).

Have you calculated your TDEE yet Vildekhaya? I am 248 lbs, with a 40+ BMI and my TDEE is only 2150 kcals a day, so your 2000, to 2500 PLUS wine would have me not losing weight, in fact I would probably put on weight, even with 2 or 3 fast days a week. I would say that you need to look at your 'normal' days and cut down a bit there.

Hi Vildekhaya, i realise that I seem to have hijacked your thread, and that your worries are nowhere like mine....I'm really sorry, and wish you all the best. You have had some great answers here, and I feel that you will go on to succeed
All the best

As I said in my OP I'm eating less on my normal days. And I'm not having alcohol every night - I never do anyway (it depends on my social life - sometimes I don't drink at all for a week or more, other times I might be in the pub 4-5 nights a week, but I've also been out on a fast night and stuck to mineral water). FitBit reckons my TDEE is 2,100.

Actually, I feel like I'm being criticised now, Lornameg - not by you, I hasten to add.

I posted for help and advice not to be told I'm drinking too much and that I'll be putting weight on, because as I said in my OP my weight has been constant for months, yes months. So I feel a bit kicked in the teeth.

Please don't give up. Stick with it and don't get discouraged. It is often just before the magic happens that we give up. From everything that I have read on these forums, weight loss is not always immediate and sometimes takes awhile. Everyone is different and we can't expect our experience to or results to be the same as anyone else. Give this a chance, a bit more time. We're all pulling for you. Stay with it and BELIEVE.