The FastDay Forum

Ehm...
I don't know how to start...
First of all, good morning all and Happy April Fool's Day!
Now, I started 5:2 13 days ago. First week was -2 kilos and I started the second week quite well with losing another kilo on the 5th day but then I gained half of it (I weigh meself everyday), after a FAST day.
I know that ups and downs are usual and I wouldn't be posting my question if I hadn't realised that I haven't hit the loo for you-know-what for 3 days.
Without wasting any time, I popped a couple of aloe vera tablets (the Colax ones, from Holland and Barretts) but I was wondering if one of our nerds (or non-nerds) has an idea of how much our... nuclear waste weights and if it is possible to gain half a kilo from not going to the toilet.
Thank you all for tolerating such a... crappy post!

Yes. Your body weight can fluctuate wildly depending on how much food there is in your digestive tract and also how well hydrated you are. 5:2 is about long-term, not day-to-day weight loss.

My husband loves weighing himself before and after sit down toilet trips - he reports between 400 and 800 gms difference.
Boy will be boys, always fascinated with toilet events.
So I imagine TML13 that your weight fluctuation certainly are influenced by your toilet or lack of toilet trips.

It's difficult to know how to reply to you without sounding crude!!! Many years ago when I was on one particular diet this issue came up and it would appear that your toxic waste don't make much of a difference. It sometimes floats which means it is lighter than water!!! There we, I kept that clean.

Dear Uncle, I know what 5:2 is all about, weighing myself everyday is something that I always do, even back when I had no weight problems and wasn't on a diet.

Marie, indeed men have this weird relationship with their bowels and their products, LOL. Good for them though because now we have a reference point from your husband. a 400-800grams difference sounds quite significant. I hope that the Aloe Vera tablets work pretty soon!!!

It floats? YIKES!!!
Please feel free to sound crude if you must, this is serious sh!t!!!

A friend just sent me this:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/sho ... p?t=427582

Perhaps I should have kept this between me and the forum...

My comment was not meant as a criticism. Just saying that you should expect daily fluctuations and that yes how much food is in your gut does play a role in that. As to floaters, lighter than water does not mean light! Water is very heavy (Think how much a big bottle weighs!) and it only takes something slightly less dense to float!

No, no, no, I didn't receive it as criticism, I just explained that weighing myself everyday is not a new/diet thing, it's a habit of years.

I too would think that the fact the something floats doesn't mean something. I mean, I float and I'm quite heavy!

TML13. This is very interesting, the link certainly indicates that there can be quite a bit of weight to our poo after all. I must keep that in mind when my weight fluctuates.

My mum says that there is no better way to lose weight than a mild gastroenteritis. Keeping in mind that by "mild" she means not getting sick, just diarrhoea (sorry), I'm thinking that perhaps not going for 2-3 days might make a significant difference to our weight.

It's just hit me that I'm expecting my period tomorrow (apologies to men). I think that both situations messed up with my weight.
Arrghhhhhhhh...

Yup TML13 would say that was definitely a double whammy.....big weight loss coming up!

Yes, it is a good question.
I am a Registered Nurse. I used to work with brain injured clients, we needed to weigh one of our clients weekly to ascertain how diet changes were going. I noted that his weight would vary by + or - 2.5 kg so only in the long term (6 weeks to 2 months) was it possible to spot diet trends. The weight of some clients was always consistently within 100gm.
A full bowel can weigh well over 1kg. A full bladder also well over 1kg. Let alone food contents still in the stomach.
So Yes, don't be surprised if you gain weight at times.
Advice for constipation: Eat plenty of fibre on non diet days, drink plent of fluids to keep your urine pale yellow. That will soften faeces. I don't think it is unusual to miss a day passing a motion. Don't worry about missing a day or 2's pooing provided you are not experiencing discomfort.
Hope that helps

Ginty, I really hope so!!!

Peter, thanks so much! A friend of mine weighs werself before and after going to the loo and she saud she notices differences from -0,5 to -1 kilo so it does make a difference after all!
Do you consider oats to be fibre? I eat lots of them. And green veggies.

To be honest, I feel like I've swallowed a balloon...