The FastDay Forum

I've been doing the 5:2 diet for 4 weeks now:

Week 1 - no weight change
Week 2 - no weight change
Week 3 - 1.5lb loss (phew..!)
Week 4 - 0.5lb gain (s**t!)

On my fast days I'm now eating 420 cals (the first 2 weeks I ate 500 cals) and on my eating days I'm eating 1650 cals which gives me very little for 'treats' to compensate in some way for my fasts!

I've been keeping a diary of exactly what I've eaten on Myfitnesspal and looked to see what I ate on my good week and it was very similar to my bad week. I'm stumped!

I also go to the gym twice a week and swim twice a week.

I have lost half inch from my waist and same from hips.

Can anyone suggest what more I can do? I don't think I can face the 4:3 option as, unlike most people who post, I struggle sleeping on my fast days as I'm so hungry though I don't find the daytime too difficult. I'm also ravenous all day following fast day.

HELP!!

[carorees]

What its your TDEE?

Hi Caroline
My TDEE is 1781.

Lynne

Lynne, I don't have an explanation but a quick calc suggests that you have taken in just under 35000 cals over 4 weeks whereas your TDEE would be just shy of 50000 cals, that means you have an shortage of 15000 cals which should be roughly 4 lbs weight loss, instead of 1 lb as you are seeing.

So it does seem strange that you haven't lost weight. It could just be unlucky timing (of measuring your weight I mean, e.g. you started at an unusually low weight reading).

Assuming your totting up is right, I am sure that the weight gains will start to show through, and maybe you will even see some catch-up from previous weeks where weight loss through 5:2 has been masked by other effects. So don't let the frustration, understandable though it is, take over!

Don't give up Lynne - it is frustrating but you have lost some inches so don't worry about the weight. That seems to be slower to lose for a lot of us - next week you will probably find you have lost 2lbs miraculously. It is frustrating, but you just have to stick with it and be patient.
Did you read this post by Carorees? I found it very helpful when the scales didn't move for me
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1006

Thanks for your support. I'm not giving in just yet as I'm doing this for the health reasons too. I've recently had a cholesterol test which showed that it's 6.2. As I'm not in any of the high risk categories, ie eat very little fat, exercise frequently, don't have a high BMI, don't smoke and drink little alcohol, I need to find some way to reduce it.

Do you have less than a stone to lose? I'm in the same boat. This morning I was heavier than when i started this five weeks ago! Too much cake at the weekend?? Hopefully after today's fast the lost pounds will "reveal" themselves...

Izbiz - I have exactly a stone to lose! I lost 8lb initially with Slimming World but I plateaued with that. The loss was slow there too but at least I lost!! The day after a fast I usually weigh 1 - 1.5lb less but after my 3 day feed it just comes back.

I have under a stone to lose - lost 2kgs the first week then nothing for 2 weeks, then another kg the the 4th week. Weight can fluctuate enormously, but you can't mistake the losing of inches. Keep going!

[carorees]

The inch loss is a giveaway that the scales are not telling the full story. I would just keep on doing what you are and not try to restrict calories any on feed days. I think in time the scales will show a loss as well as the tape measure.

Well this morning I had "lost" 4 pounds - giving me a net loss of three pounds from the start, so I'm not heavier than when I started, just the same as last week! At least the weekend wasn't a bust after all. I think I may have worked out what the problem is though...I have to be honest and the main appeal of this WOE was that I could "eat what I like" on the off-days - and I've been taking it a bit too literally. It's easy to forget that excess calories will still lead to weight gain - even when at ideal weight. So I'm not saying we need to count calories religiously all the time, because quite frankly that way madness lies...just be aware of natural appetite, be a bit more mindful on the off-days and not be piggy! I hope I'm right...part of me can't quite believe I will be able to lose the excess as I've been carrying it around for nearly 20 years. I hope I'm not self-sabotaging because I can't "believe" in it? Mind games...

I lost nothing at all for the first two weeks, then only 1/2 lb over the next two and was also getting frustrated having read all the posts from people who seemed to drop pounds. Looking back I can see that I was overeating on non-fast days by having things that I wouldn't normally have eaten - biscuits, crisps etc. as well as my meals. Last week I told myself I could have the treats as part of a meal, if I really wanted them, and stopped the snacking. Result - 1 lb loss over the week . This is week 6 for me and I feel that I am only just getting to grips with 5:2. Don't lose heart!

Frustration is setting in for me too. In the first 2 weeks I saw good weight loss and lost inches off my waist, but have stalled in both over the last 2 weeks. My TDEE is around 2100 and I have kept under 500 cals on Fast days, gradually moving more calories to my evening meal. On Feast days I have eaten in the range 1500 to 1800 calories a day. I exercise every day (30 mins on a Cross Trainer and some toning exercises) but have been doing that since before I started 5:2.
I am not giving up on it as I feel it is benefiting me in health terms, but I'd be grateful for any pointers of things I could do differently. The only change I can see in my Fast day behaviour is not eating in the mornings, could that be having an effect?

Sian

I definitely need to be more careful on my eat what I like days. Not lost anything this week, probably as I was losing again what I'd put on over the non diet days this last week.

So...as my d-days are Tues and Thurs, I am going to try and be very mindful about what I eat on M,W and F, and not worry about the weekends. Shall see how that goes.

Hey Bella,

Just read your last post, prehaps if you stopped calling it 'eat what I like days' it might put you in a better mind set, just a thought.