The FastDay Forum

Feeling a bit despondent. Weighed in this morning, 1lb gain, updated the tracker and the summary as follows:

"Well done juliebulie10! You've lost 5lbs since starting your diet 7 weeks 0 days ago (your start date to last recorded weigh in). That's a mean average of 0.714lbs lost per week.
Keep at it, that's 43.98lbs until you reach your goal weight!"

Now, at the end of week 1, I had lost 6lbs......... since then........ I've stayed the same, and now this week, up 1lb (even after being ill and having 3 impromptu fast days.

Its so good to read peoples stories of 'it took a few weeks for my consistent weight loss to happen' but 7 weeks in, there's no sign of it for me. (oh, I do sound like 'poor me'!! lol)

And while its ok to say "yey, that's 5lbs in 7 weeks" ordinarily, if this was 0.7 of a pound every week lost, then yes, I would agree and say, yes, if it carries on at this 'just less than a lb each week lost' I would be chuffed.
I only see that, over 7 weeks, my weight has gone UP, if my progress follows THIS pattern over time, I will gain weight not lose it....
Will next weeks weight in say "well done, you've lost 4lbs in 8 weeks.....lost 3lbs in 9 weeks....lost 2lb in 10 weeks.......lost 1lb in 11 weeks......you're the same as you were 12 weeks ago!?!?!?!?! Do you get where I'm coming from????

flipping-ummer......... no diet seems to work for me, other than just eating chicken and salad - and what kind of lifelong way of eating is that to look forward to?

jb x

Is it worth, writing up what you eat on here and seeing if any of the clever bods can make suggestions as to what might be going wrong or what might make it go better for you?

[Moogie]

Don't lose heart Julie. I'm sure this can be explained by the fact that you had a massive (mainly water) loss in week one, and have since regained some water but lost some fat. So yes, it probably has worked out at just under 1lb a week fat loss, but a little bit of water regained too.

We've all I'm sure had the occasional week where the scales crept up again a little, but that doesn't mean anything in the long term, unless it keeps going up. Which it almost certainly won't unless you're binging every feast day!

That 'extra' lb this week was probably just a bit of natural variation in your weight. Just wait and see what the scales say next week I'm sure it will be better.

Also bear in mind that if you've been poorly you won't always be able to lost weight in that time as your body is fighting off a bug. I struggled to lose weight last year before 5:2 in part because it turned out I'd had a virus for a while!


...and in those 7 weeks I'm assuming you've had at least one period (forgive me, I don't know your age) - that will also have an impact on the scales, usually not for the better

So, keep at it my dear, You're about on track considering your exceptional loss in the first week. Your body is probably just balancing everything out now and is ready to start shedding the fat!

Hi juliebulie..........ME TOO !! so I went to Doc who was brilliant as totally agrees with this eating plan...HOWEVER....she said the word I hate more than anything in the world...EXERCISE !!!....eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew !! I burst into tears, hoping she would say oh go and eat choccy and sit in a corner..but she said I didnt have to join a Gym or run a marathon..she said make the heart beat fast 5 times each week..ie run up stairs, DANCE to the radio, wash the kitchen floor, clean the car..just make sure than you do something that makes you break out into a sweat and your metabolism will kick in...This makes SO much sense doesnt it? I hoped aged 65 I had grown out of sweating (unless a hot flush...yes! I still get those!!!) but the body needs encouragement and that means WAKE IT UP !!..So I am now off to dance to the wii for 4 songs...(on Just Dance 2)..then I will know I have made the heart beat faster and encouraged a pound to leave me!! Good luck!! we can all do this..........EASILY !!! x x x

aaaaaahhhh ((hug everyone)) thanks for replying guys, even that makes me feel encouraged and better about the situation.

Hahaha ha ha ha Tarty, thanks for your story too, you are right, exercise is not on my list of priorities at the moment or really for the last 7 weeks as I am moving abroad in 2 weeks and so have been consumed with all the necessaries of that (taking the 2 cats too!!)
Early weeks however, I did swim twice a week, I'm a pretty good swimmer and do fast crawl for 30-45 mins.... prob not been for the last 4 weeks though....I will defo be upping the exercise at the new house though, as I will have a free gym to use and a choice of 8 swimming pools to use!!

Thanks again,..... very much appreciated x x x

Do you know how many calories you are consuming each day? I'm assuming you're only eating the requisite 500 on your fast days, but what about the others? If you are eating an amount on the other 5 days that would normally maintain your weight (if you ate that same amount for each of the 7 days), then the fasting days should result in a deficit of about 3000 calories a week, which should amount to a loss of just under one lb a week, on average.

As someone said above, the chances are you lost a lot of water weight in week 1, so don't expect that to be indicative of the the way it will go for the rest of the diet.

I have been eating between 1500 - 2000 calories on non fast days..so.....but am now going to do MM's HI exercise....20 seconds of pain will either kill me or make me win this game!!!

Tarty,
I just LOVE your story about you and the doctor and exercise. I just laughed, i too am not a lover of exercise, BUT have tried to embrace it for my health's sake, its amazing how the body responds quickly and improves. I'm just walking (unfortunately for me but fortunately for fitness i live in a hilly area) i also do a few squats, and arm thingys at home with resistance bands. I've just hit 60 (sighs deeply) People tell me kindly i don't look my age but the old bod sure was feeling it. So good luck to you!!