The FastDay Forum

Keep going ive been around for a year or so and could have done LOTS better ..but sometimes events and our own self sabotage happens. Thats life i guess.

You've lost five lbs and kept them off...well done! ...
take every day as a new chance for change,and follow the advice here,keep calling by for support and focus,and celebrate every small achievement..enjoy the journey, and you' ll reach your destination ! X

Perhaps the very high carb food needed to eat a vegan diet is pushing your insulin resistance up to where it defeats weight loss?

Around menopause IR goes up, sometimes dramatically.

You don't have to be very high carb as a vegan. Drop the grains for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Eat more veggies than fruit, good fats and a vegan protein shake or two if you are working out.

The problem comes when vegans are getting most of their protein from eating soy products. Soy depresses thyroid function which will not only slow metabolism but raise insulin resistance. Not only that, but soy foods tend to contain a substance which damages the lining of the gut, which allows proteins through into the blood stream. This probably accounts for why so many vegans develop autoimmune problems.

I live in a region full of vegans and most of the ones I encounter have developed serious food sensitivities. The soy industry has promoted quite a lot of bogus health misinformation about soy, using studies that were debunked when academic researchers, not affiliated with the companies, reproduced them. Academic research has found serious problems with the kinds of soy protein that are most commonly eaten.

This is all documented very well in a book called, The Whole Soy Story, by Dr. Kaayla Daniels. Since I have personally experienced several of the problems she documents with lots of solid research cites and my son had terrible problems with allergy after being put on a soy formula, I take her findings very seriously.

But if you eliminate soy, getting enough protein without eggs, meat, and cheese becomes very difficult and requires that you eat a lot of beans and lentils which are carby.

But if you eliminate soy, getting enough protein without eggs, meat, and cheese becomes very difficult and requires that you eat a lot of beans and lentils which are carby.

I'm not vegan (and don't really eat soy), but I've found the protein section on No Meat Athlete useful: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein-primer/

[carorees]

Hi @dancinhamster

I see from a previous post of yours earlier in the year that your BMI is around the 22 to 23 mark. Have you considered that, as you are already at a healthy weight according to the BMI calculation, your body might be resisting going lower? And, if that is the case, perhaps it would be wiser to attempt to maintain your loss rather than try to reduce further? As others have pointed out, a gradual weight gain with the passing years is normal and so to complete a year having achieved a loss or even staying the same weight is an achievement in itself!

Also, you should ask yourself whether, if you have to work really hard to lose those last 7lb, you will be able to continue with this hard work for the rest of your life? It is better to find a way of eating that will maintain your weight and prevent weight gain than to struggle to lose a few pounds and then gain them back and more.

You might like to read my articles on setting a weight loss target: https://www.fastday.com/fasting/what-sh ... al-weight/
And when to enter maintenance: https://www.fastday.com/fasting/when-sh ... intenance/

Just sayin'

@Egduf

I read the vegan article you pointed to, but there is a huge problem with it, which is that his numbers only work if your TDEE is in the mid 2000 calorie range.

Menopausal women generally need far less calories to maintain the same weight as young male athletes, but they require the same amount of protein. So if your TDEE was 1400 and you weigh 140 lbs you would need at least 50 g of protein, but you'd be getting only 35 using his 10%.

And he's talking about getting much of that protein from soy milk, a processed food that usually contains a lot of white sugar and "natural flavoring" which is a form of MSG, a substance proven to cause weight gain even when not consumed with extra calories. Many brands have added inorganic phosphate, which is damaging to arteries and kidneys.

Most of what he eats is carbs, which you can get away with when you are a lean, young, male. For older women, all those carbs with the proinflammatory omega-6 vegetable oils are a prescription for heart disease.

Vegetarian diets have a long history, and they appear to be safe, when constructed with some understsnding of nutrition. But it is worth noting that India has the highest rate of diabetes in the world, which should dispose of the fantasy that vegetarian diets can cure high blood sugar. But this vegan fad is fairly recent and is promoted with fanaticism and unsupportable claims that make me think it is very unhealthy.

And don't get me started on what too much soy and a low fat/high carb diet do to women's emotions!

It is possible not to have soy. Most of the newer vegan protein powders are soy free. My favourite is sun warrior. I was skeptical initally but wanted to build muscle and I am converted. However it's not just soy. One night having coconut aminos on my stir fry and I gained two pounds. So salt is salt...

Hi @dancinhamster

I see from a previous post of yours earlier in the year that your BMI is around the 22 to 23 mark. Have you considered that, as you are already at a healthy weight according to the BMI calculation, your body might be resisting going lower? And, if that is the case, perhaps it would be wiser to attempt to maintain your loss rather than try to reduce further? As others have pointed out, a gradual weight gain with the passing years is normal and so to complete a year having achieved a loss or even staying the same weight is an achievement in itself!

Also, you should ask yourself whether, if you have to work really hard to lose those last 7lb, you will be able to continue with this hard work for the rest of your life? It is better to find a way of eating that will maintain your weight and prevent weight gain than to struggle to lose a few pounds and then gain them back and more.

You might like to read my articles on setting a weight loss target: https://www.fastday.com/fasting/what-sh ... al-weight/
And when to enter maintenance: https://www.fastday.com/fasting/when-sh ... intenance/

Just sayin'

agree carorees.

So sorry I haven't got back sooner - my wifi died. Once again, thank you for all your comments and encouragement.
I've been trying very hard for the past 3 weeks, cutting down on grains and sticking mostly to salads, and veg stir fries. Still no weight loss but an inch back on my hips and waist.
I lowered my TDEE in the summer, did 4:3, and 6:18. I'm still in the overweight range for my height and age. My partner has a week off next week, so I think I'll be sensible but re-start 4:3 the week after.

You're all such lovely people

I've been trying very hard for the past 3 weeks, cutting down on grains and sticking mostly to salads, and veg stir fries. Still no weight loss but an inch back on my hips and waist.
I lowered my TDEE in the summer, did 4:3, and 6:18. I'm still in the overweight range for my height and age.

@dancinhamster, I apologise for this because it's probably clear to everybody else, but I can't tell from reading that if you've gained an inch on your hips and waist or if you've dropped an inch on both?

I know that I hit peri-menopause to the month on my 45th birthday and that is a time with its own challenges (as distinct from every other phase in our lives ) and wonder if that might be influencing your current body habitus, in which case, you're managing well if you're not gaining.

I would definitely check your TDEE. Mine is 1700 and I'm not sure, but I think I weight a lot more than you.
I haven't lost much in a year either. I lost about 10 lbs. from Jan. to June. which didn't seem like much. And then I gained a bunch back over the summer, which is my own fault. I'm back on track though. It is a slow weight loss, but like you said, you get to enjoy good food while doing it.
It sounds like you don't have much to lose and that is always harder too. I definitely think trying to get in more protein and lowering your TDEE will help. I actually go a little lower on my TDEE during the week on non-fast days to about 1500, so that if I go over on the weekends it all balances out!
Hang in there!

Are you a vegan or vegetarian?

Good morning fellow 5:2ers!
The scales show another gain, so I'm nearly back at my starting weight, despite being so diligent & careful. I reduced my TDEE to 1600, and have only been running & cross training 3 x per week.
However.....I've not been 'right' since April, so after a visit to my GP, it would appear that I've started an early menopause. A bit depressing, to be honest as I thought I'd have at least 10 years before this.
So....started HRT last week.
I'm absolutely dreading this as I feel this is part of the reason I've gained....but other older ladies have had a lot of success, so I'm hoping someone can advise?

Hope you're all well & happy xxx

[carieoates]

I feel for you dancing hamster. But at least you are now being cared for by the docs. This is almost certainly the reason why you couldn't shift the weight. There are ladies here who have and are on HRT so a quick bit of research and you'll find them.
Good luck.

It's helpful to remember that our bodies store estrogen in subcutaneous fat. So if your estrogen has suddenly dropped, it may have kicked your body into a panicky state of "gotta save what we can, while we can, so put on more fat".

I had started hot flashing in the weeks before my recent stall kicked in, and had lost some tummy fat, too, which hadn't happened in many, many years. So this raises some interesting questions.

Hopefully, once you get your HRT worked out things will be better. It took quite a few different tries for my doctor to find the kind of hormone replacement that would work for me, as the standard doses were too much. But we finally found a protocol that worked and I have had no problem with weight loss since then, save that I live or die by calories.

Try to go with the very lowest doses you can tolerate that still give results. Almost all the bad results seen in studies with HRT appear to be caused by using doses that are much higher than needed to avoid symptoms. I only take pill every other day and I take a hormone vacation for a few days each month. This has worked brilliantly for me. If I take too much, I end up feeling as if I wasn't taking any, which is odd, but repeatable.

Sounds like I'm a lot older than you--I'm pushing 74, still on HRT after more than 20 years, so I don't know if my experience could be of any help. I had no trouble using 5:2 to lose 14 pounds at age 72. I began flashing again after losing 10 pounds and had to increase the dose of my estradiol patch, presumably for the fatty tissue estrogen storage issue that peebles mentioned.

As peebles says, it may take some experimenting to get your dosage right and to settle on the right form of HRT. I'm using hormones that are the same, chemically, as those produced by the human body--the afore-mentioned estradiol patch and the progesterone capsule. They work really well for me.

Hope you will start to have a smoother transition to this next stage of life