The FastDay Forum

Hi,

I started off at 17st 3lbs with an aim to gradually go down to around 12st.

I've been on the fast diet for almost 4 weeks. I lost 10lb in the first two weeks and 1" off my waistline but I've now found that my weightloss has stopped but my waistline has decreased by another inch.

I generally feel healthier, feel "lighter" but the scales don't show it.

I'm sticking to almost bang on 600 calories on Monday and Thursday every week and generally eating around 1500 calories on my non fast days. I've cut out crisps, biscuits and the majority of achohol (apart from the three or four pints once a week).

I feel that things are working but I wonder why my weightloss has stopped... my job is fairly sedentary and wonder if I should up my exercise as well as continue on the fast diet.

Any thoughts welcome!

Thanks,

FL

[carorees]

Hi Frootloop!

Congrats on your decreasing waistline! I don't think your weightloss has stopped at all (in the sense of weightloss meaning fat loss)! What has happened is that the first 10lb loss was part fat part water, since then the water has returned but more fat has come off, this is shown up by the decrease in your waist, but the swap between the two means the scales say the same.

Upping exercise is good so don't let my comments above put you off! Exercise does help the weightloss but mainly it has lots of other health benefits. Just be warned though that suddenly increasing exercise can result in increased fluid retention (and increased muscle) so the scales may show an increase but the waistline should continue to decrease.

Keep up the good work!

Hi Frootloop, congratulations on your succes so far! Good idea to measure your waist, that shows you something is happening. Is 1500 kcal matching your TDEE, or are you calorie restricting on those days as well?

Just using the opportunity to ask Caroline: Why is this waterloss so pronounced only in the first week in 5:2? In CR diets you change a factor (calorie intake) on a permanent and daily basis, while in 5:2 it's only on a weekly average basis. Why doesn't the body react with an equally pronounced effect every time? And like you, I now regularly lose weight 2 days after a fast.
Or did we all just not drink enough the first weeks

[carorees]

I believe it is to do with burning glycogen which releases so much water. Fasting results in depleting glycogen reserves considerably more than just lowering the calories a bit so you get a big water loss. When you eat again you restore your glycogen stores along with its associated water and so you gain water weight. *However, I think that as the body adapts to fasting it turns to using fat for fuel (which doesn't release so much water) a lot sooner into the fast so that the amount of glycogen used is less and so you lose less water in subsequent fasts.

*That sentence is a guess, BTW!

Hi,
I've been on the fast diet for almost 4 weeks. I lost 10lb in the first two weeks and 1" off my waistline but I've now found that my weightloss has stopped but my waistline has decreased by another inch.

Have a look at this thread: Why do the scales show an increase when I've been so good?

There is lots of info about the apparent non loss of weight.

Assuming an average loss of 1lb per week. You lost 10lbs in the first 2 weeks, then your body must catch up. Your drop in waistline shows you are still losing weight.

Seems like a combination of scales and tape measure would be really good

Thanks everyone for your replies, I've lost another 3lb now and hopefully it will continue for a while!