The FastDay Forum

Hi all,

I am relatively new to 5:2 and have been doing it for almost 5 weeks now. I love (like most people seem to) that I only need to restrict on 2 days of the week and no food groups are off the table. Having said that my results have been mixed. I have definitely lost about 1.5 to 1.8kg which I am really happy about but I seem to have reached a bit of a plateau.

I want to lose another 1.5 to 2kg but in the last 10 days I just seem to be going up and down. In fairness I think a treat or two too many may be making its way into my non fast days but the book advocates free eating on these days - within reason of course.

I am keen to hear from other 5:2ers who started this with a desired weight loss of less than 5kg and hear about their experiences.

When I joined the forum I wanted to lose just under 5kgs (I had a BMI of nearly 21 and wanted to get down to 19) and ended up losing 6kgs over 8 weeks. I did 5:2 throughout and it worked very efficiently for me.

Yes, me. I started 5:2 for the long-term health benefits, and if I managed to lose 4kg that would be a bonus. For the first 4 or 5 weeks my weight went up and down by the same 1.5kg. I'd lose it, then gain it again, then lose it. Then I think my body figured out what it was supposed to be doing and I started losing around 500g a week. Things went a bit awry with a three day birthday celebration this past weekend, oops, but I'm still on track.

From reading others' experiences, it seems perhaps this is quite a common experience for those of us who start out with less to lose. Persistence is the key; I'm confident that this way of eating is doing me so much good and the weight loss is the (metaphorical) cherry on top.

That's great to know Tara. I feel like I am doing just that - up and down in the 1.5 to 2kg range.

Totally agree on health benefits side. I shall keep on keeping on then.

Thanks ,franglaise and Tara
My BMI is around 21 but until recently has always been 20 or less.i was inspired to do this bt Mimi, s story as I don't often hear of people loosing those last few kilos unless they starve themselves
Franglaise your story inspires me and keeps me going.i have been doing this for 4 weeks and plan to weigh at 6weeks but from what Tara say it looks like it may take longer to get my BMI under 20
I am afraid to weigh and be disappointed.

Hi Sarahg

I am in the same situation than you are at the moment. I am on it almost 6 weeks. I did not weigh myself the last 2 Saturdays, because I knew if I haven's lost, I will go over board with the eating and damage any positive change that might have been lingering in the back ground. It works for me. Just hang in there and don't weigh until you feel a difference in those jeans.

This is a way of living. If you enjoy food and still want to be on the lower end of BMI for the rest of your life, once you have lost that last few kilos, I am sure it will be easier to maintain as you weight goes up and down due to loving your food!

I am adding the 16:8 to my routine now to see if that gives a breakthrough

All the best for you!

Thanks for the support,un2net
It's hard to loose those lat few kilos.i fasted yesterday,second this week and today started as a 16/8 but then didnt have time for lunch until 4 pm so think I will make this third fast of the week
Will continue with 16/8 tomorrow.i am finding it quite easy to skip breakfast.
Good luck

Hi there,
I posted about this topic a while ago

viewtopic.php?t=5984&p=64292

I don't have an awful lot of weight to lose, I would just love to lean down in the tummy/upper hip area where I have a spare tyre or two. Is it just persistence at this point or has anyone found that weight loss just peters out? Does the weight loss actually continue, just at a snails pace? I understand how the 5:2 ultimately leads to a calorie deficit at the end of your week and that is how the weight loss occurs but I also thought that it was so effective because it "revs up" your metabolism to stimulate weight loss. I'm not going down the road of fasting on two days and then eating like a bird on all the other days, I thought the beauty of this woe was that you could relax and eat normally on other days.
Anyway, Mimi Spencer is a bit of a poster girl for having gone from a medium size right down to svelte minx. I see those articles in women's magazines, how women that were 20 stone slimmed down to a size ten and have flat tummies and no excess fat anywhere and I just don't know how they do it! I can't seem to get from a size 10 with a flabby tummy to a size 10 without a flabby tummy!

Your opinions, advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks so much!

I found nothing happened for the first four weeks and then suddenly the weight dropped off in just under two weeks and has remained off. I just stuck to the basic two days a week fast (330 - 500 cals) and kept within my TDEE.

I found,too that I lost nothing the first 5weeks.so then I started weighing regularly,i watched what I ate on non fast days,trying to skip breakfast eat I light lunch and enjoy dinner ,even a bit of choc and finally dropped about a kilo and a half
I do think its harder to lose that last bit of weight and we have to persevere.and although I don't count calories on non fast days I am eating less and not eating fattening foods which lets face it we all know what those are.
I don't really like junk food but I can eat way over my daily calorie allowance by eating bread ,crackers ,seeds ,nuts and cheese
That is where I have been fooling myself the last few years,thinking of myself as a healthy eater but eating lots and lots of calories.
Hope that answers your question.good luck

I don't have a lot to loose. I have been going 8 weeks on 5/2. I lost a lot the first 3 weeks then plateaued a bit and this week dropped a 700g. I find exercising in the evening on fast days helps the weight drop.

I started with a BMI of about 21.5 and now am at about 19.5. 21.5 was my low weight for many years and I didn't mind how I looked or felt, but obviously this is nicer . I've been doing 5:2 for 20 weeks and the weight loss after the first month has been incredibly slow--1-2 pounds a MONTH. But I've kept with it and haven't done any extreme side diets (like on feast days) because I know that the way I maintain is not by "dieting" but by having a lifestyle I can maintain at all times (which is how I kept things at 21.5 too--not effortless for me either!).

So don't get frustrated, the change will be seen over months not weeks. I also feel like the faster I lose weight the less I can see it in my body and the quicker things can rebound. Like, I lost 15 pounds to be in a wedding once and I feel like I looked better a few months later, once I normalized at that weight than I did in the wedding. So the pay off from slow weight loss is greater in the end.

last time I lost the dreaded last five kilos I ran 15km per week, two years ago. this time (yes it creeped back on) I did 5:2 and rode my bike 15mins a day, lost just under 1kg perweek and so much easier, still had chocolate, wine and cake each weekend. I eat very healthily all week and have maintained for one month now. I'm still doing 5:2. it's awesome. well done to you too:)

These posts were really helpful as I was wondering if people with BMIs around 20, like myself, were seeing any results and in how much time. I understand now tht this is more of a "steady but sure" kind of deal, which is fine since it really doesn't feel like dieting when I am eating as normal 5 times a week. Thanks for the input!