The FastDay Forum

[Tracieknits]

I've got a few stone to lose myself, and I'm only down 3.5 pounds since January 8. I'm choosing not to be disappointed in this as I think it's a very sensible diet and should still be making me healthier. I plan to give it some time.

I'm also not entirely convinced my scales are correct since they give a different weight if they are moved - and they get moved around a lot.

I went through a phase of this during November / December. I think I was eating too much on the fast days and maybe on the normal eating days too! I've cut down on the fast days to 500 calories or just under and the weight is coming off again slowly.

I'm also not entirely convinced my scales are correct since they give a different weight if they are moved - and they get moved around a lot.

I have the same problem Tracieknits, I know our scales are not accurate, I have a built-in correction formula based on once when I also weighed myself at the local gym, but I don't know if this is really right.

Does anyone have any advice about how to pick some accurate scales. If they measured body fat% that would be good too. Alternatively are there any good tips on how to calibrate one's existing scales?

It kinda makes the whole thing pointless if the readings are all wrong, and especially if one fears that the scales are inconsistent.

I've got some really ropey scales that can add several pounds between consecutive measurements.

I bought some:

http://www.omronwebshop.co.uk/product-details.asp?category=Wellness&type=Body-Composition-Monitors-and-Scales&c=1

but I still use the ropey ones usually as they are easier. Interesting (in a bad way) to find out I was pretty much half-fat!

Hi I need to lose approx 3 stone & I have just finished week four of 5.2. I was disappointed in the first couple of weeks as i would lose a 1lb after fast day &put it back on again after eating normally. The good news is after week 4 I am 3lb down. It isn't the 3 or 4lb a week I have seen from others but its the right direction & so I will continue & think about the health benefits as well as weight loss.Good luck!

I am a HUGE believer in "only weigh once a week!" and more important is to use a tape measure...But that applies to the over 60's !!!

Hi everyone, I'm a new member and really want to believe in this "doable" diet. I lost 1.4kg in the first week. Now I'm starting my 4th week but haven't lost anything since. I'm doing the 5:2 and although I haven't got much time to do exercise I try and go for walks. It's very disheartening to see the scales stay the same or even go up a bit!!! I started at 74kg, went down to 72.6 and now I'm at 73!!!! and want to get down to 65. (I forgot to measure my waist at the beginning - didn't have the book until now...) I don't mind if it takes longer as I believe it'll stay off longer. But what am I doing wrong???
eve

[carorees]

Hi eve

Sorry to hear you haven't seen any weightloss. Do get the tape measure out and start to track that too. If you have been increasing your exercise you may be gaining muscle and losing fat, the tape measure will reveal that.

We need to know a bit more about what you are doing in order to make a guess as to what, if anything, you might be doing wrong!

First thing is to make a rough calculation of how many calories you are consuming on feed days and to see how that compares with your TDEE. There is a link to the TDEE calculator in the FAQ (link in my signature) and you can use the www.fatsecret.co.uk or the www.myfitnesspal.com websites to work out your feed day calories.

There are several reasons why you might not be losing weight. One is that you are not all that far off your target weight so you might expect it to be slower than for people like me who have a lot to lose. Also if you have been dieting a lot in the past you may have a slower metabolism as dieting results in your body making a lot of changes to try to get you to put weight back on. You may have some medical reason for being slow to lose weight, such as thyroid problems. Lastly, you don't say how old you are but the older you are the slower your metabolism and the harder it is to shift the weight (but the TDEE calculation will account for your age).

So, don't panic, keep on keeping on and for peace of mind do the calculations and measurements I've suggested and we'll take it from there.

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I'll do that. (By the way what does TDEE mean??? Sorry to be so ignorant - new at this....)
eve

[carorees]

TDEE = Total daily energy expenditure (how many calories you burn up in a day).

This is all very heartening. I started 5:2ing a month ago - saw an initial loss, then Easter happened and I regained it all. Have lost half a kilo since then and have stuck there.

I blame a few things - overeating on feed days, mainly, plus sometimes I've cut the fast day short due to debilitating hypoglycaemic migraines, which can be demoralising when you've put in all that effort, and can lead straight back to miserable overeating on feed days (for me).

But! I'm no longer getting migraines on my fast days; I think my body's got used to fast days, and I feel quite good on them now. I'm trying to eat less refined sugar on feed days and focus more on greens and low GI stuff, and bringing my feed day calories down slightly (just by eliminating snacking and that sort of thing).

I've been on a variety of diets in the past, including a very low calorie diet (twice), I'm used to a panicky sort of "oh crap!" approach to weight loss. It's becoming clear to me that my relationship with food (and sugar!) is seriously out of whack, so I'm seeing this period as me "recalibrating" that. And, now that I'm gently sorting out things like portion sizes (and adding a running programme), at some point I'll start to lose.

At least, that is the *plan*....

Ooh Beeswax ! I also am a migraine sufferer BUT Having been on this 5:2 since January I dont get them on fasting days..I fast Mondays and Thursday or Friday depending on diary and I feel wonderful on Mondays and enjoy the fast day but I still struggle with the second fast day. I have lost over 3 bags of sugar (being 6 lbs) since I started which I think is NOTHING..BUT the Doctor has said that it is far better to loose less than 1lb each week as losing over that amount and quickly at my age (65) it will come bounding back on again. This is my way of life for life, people are watching me and I can hear the giggling about the small amount of weight I have lost but I cant wait to smile quietly at the end of next year when they have all struggled with calorie counting daily diets, and generally being ripped off by the diet industry!! Keep going and ENJOY it !!

You're an inspiration Tarty

I'm pretty sure my migraines are down to having too much sugar in my diet generally (I'm not diabetic but v susceptible to refined sugar) and then suddenly not having any on fast days. Hopefully they're a thing of the past though!

Slow and sure is the way, and you're doing amazingly! Let the others laugh - as you say - we'll see who's still going strong in a year

I've been discouraged recently too...I started my weight loss programme back in September, calorie counting/eating healthily/ using the Hairy Dieters - and between then and February I lost 6 kg. In February I started the 5:2 WOE and in that time I've lost 2.5 kg over 12 weeks. It's not a great weight loss, and it has slowed down to practically nothing in the past few weeks. At 6 foot, I really want to get down to about 80 kg, but that's still 12 kg to go.

I've recently worked out that my TDEE is 1942 calories - and maybe I've been going a bit wild with the wine and nibbles on feed days, so I think I need to be a bit more careful with what I'm eating on feed days. But I will still be having my Lindor balls!

My one encouragement is that trousers are getting looser, & there are a couple of pairs that I can't wear now as they are just TOO loose, even with a belt. This is the thing that's keeping me going on with this WOE. I seem to be loosing inches even if I'm not loosing kilos!

I started after the Horizon programme (UK) and I have lost steadily about 1lb per monthe but I have lost 5 inches in waist measurement. I like wine and am not willing to give it up tbh. I don't eat cake, choc, chips, fizzy drinks - wine is my horribilus.

Also I don't do fasting on holidays. So I expect a slow loss. Also as an older person (60's) I expect my metabolism to be slower. I have a sedentry job (when I retire I will be more active).

So don't dispair - this is a way of life (wol). Just keep at it.