The FastDay Forum

My second week on 5:2 (fasting Tuesdays and Thursdays) and second weigh-in this morning (I didn't weigh before starting out):

I'm down 2 lbs on this time last week!!

Hey well done you. I did my weigh in this morning and i'm 3lbs down this week (my 1st week) May it continue

Hey well done you. I did my weigh in this morning and i'm 3lbs down this week (my 1st week) May it continue

shazyone, that's good to hear!

Updated my progress tracker to go public. Noted that the overall average loss for the group membership is about a pound a week.

So there it is then, a starting BMI of 36+ currently at 35.93

Well done, it's going in the right direction

Great! Well done Lastchance - sounds like its going well x

Hit the gym this morning, or rather it hit me! I haven't been for a while. Decided to just have a quick hour and a bit session, so did 4 sets of cardio (bike, stepper, cross-trainer and treadmill) alternating with some upper body arm exercises. Lowerered all the levels and intensity, but feel shattered.... anyhow, onwards and downwards

Weighed this morning and found I'd put 1.5 lbs on this week.

Feeling very down and depressed. So for three weeks of 5:2 and 6 fasts I feel I've very little to show for it. OK, I'll admit that I've cheated on Fast days, but only by a small amount (<60 cals). I'm a big bloke and in direct proportion to Dr M's 600 cals could be on 850

My wife hasn't lost anything for the second week running (and doesn't cheat). However, she also exercises very heavily on the Tuesday & Thursday Fast days (cardio and weight machines in the Gym). She also has a very active job, whereas mine is very sedentary, desk bound, driving 4 PCs. But we do enjoy our "Feast" days though

On the fast days we've been eating breakfast/evening meals and following the recipes in the book to the letter (weighing food with digital balance etc).

Started considering the options:
a) keep going for several more weeks and see what happens.
b) Start calorie counting on the 5 meal days.
c) Start calorie restricting on the meal days.
d) 4:3?
e) Increase levels of exercise.

We would welcome your thoughts....

[carorees]

Hi LastChance, don't be downhearted!

First, have you measured your waist? Many people are finding they are losing inches but not poundage.

Second, try weighing again tomorrow. I sometimes go down a kilo after the first feed day...probably something to do with water retention.

Third, if neither of the above show any change, try your option b) just to see.

Fourth, go with option a)

You mention that you have been to the gym as a new thing. This will result in a) water retention due to damaged muscles needing repairing and b) some muscle bulk being added. Both these will mask any loss of fat.

HTH

Hi Caroline,

Many thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

BW..

For interest sake, yesterday I logged everything consumed on "Myfitnesspal" and it was 3506 cals

I guess it's important that on the "5" meal days you "eat normally" rather than "eat as you normally would"?

I suppose, it shouldn't come as a surprise, since my BMI is where it is and my target weight is around Dr M's starting weight!

[carorees]

Oops!

The diet as "prescribed" by Dr M should cut your overall calories by 20%. So if you could cut your feed day cals by about 20% I'm sure you'd see a weight loss.

Yesterday I continued logging all my food on MyFitnessPal and kept it to 1850 cals to redress the balance a bit. Seems to have helped and today my weight is back down! My wife's is down and back on track as well.

Completed seventh fast yesterday. So part way through the fourth week. The next fast day is tomorrow (Thursday). Monitoring calories on feed days seems to have done the trick.

Progress to date : 1.72 kg/3.79 lbs lost in 2.5 weeks.

Completed eighth fast so end of 4 weeks. But just realised that it's only 3 weeks of measurements .

Progress to date : 2.18 kg/4.8 lbs in 3 weeks.

I'm very pleased with this