5:2 didn't work so trying 4:3 on Fast Beach Diet. Join me?

This topic contains 25 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by desperate but driven 9 years, 3 months ago.

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Sourcat

12:20 am
8 Jul 14
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I don’t have a lot of weight to lose. Ideally 4-5kg to put me at my pre-baby weight. My weight has been creeping up 1-2 kg per year & is currently 61kg. I was hoping to drop at least 2-3 kg on 5:2 and followed this for 4 weeks with no result, not even 0.5kg. I am not totally surprised, I have tried low carb & ketosis and other styles of intermittent fasting also with no result. At least the weight has been stable for the last six months, which is something.

Anyway, have just read the Fast Beach Diet & I am going to try 4:3. So my plan is to try 4:3 for the next four weeks & see how I go. My first fast day was yesterday.

bananafan

9:24 am
8 Jul 14
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I’m in! You sound similar to me, I don’t have a huge amount to lose but my weight has been creeping up (I don’t even have baby weight as an excuse!) I would like to get back to where I was a few years ago & happy with my body.

I am planning to do 4:3 too & track my ‘feed’ days as I have been compensating for 5:2 by eating junk on the days in-between.

Are you doing Mon, Weds, Fri?

Sourcat

8:46 pm
8 Jul 14
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I’ll be mostly doing MWF, and I’m based in Melbourne, are you in the UK?

When I did 5:2 I split my meals into 200 cal in the morning and 500 at night. I am considering doing just the evening meal this time as it seems less complicated. I’ll do that this week and decide if it is manageable. I’ll probably post my weight on Saturday mornings.

ARKKICO

6:21 am
9 Jul 14
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Hi Guys,

Like you I’ve not put any weight on in the last six months of fasting but I haven’t lost any either.

I’ll to MWF with you too.

Fingers Crossed.
M

Sourcat

10:07 pm
11 Jul 14
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Ok, weigh in today.

Start: 61.0
Week 1: 60.1

I fasted on MWF as planned, with just one meal at the end of the day on M&W. I found the hunger really distracting from about 11am until 4pm so I don’t think that is the ideal technique for me. Yesterday I had one egg white and a cup of coffee with 20g pure cream which really helped.

Even so, I would really like to keep trying for a full 24hr fast to maximise the health benefits of fasting. I also prefer having a higher calorie meal (400-500) right before bed as I sleep really well. It is also nicer being able to eat a light normal meal with the family.

I have been researching fats/ proteins/ carbs and their effect on insulin release, appetite suppression & fat burning. Although protein gives more satiety, I think this only works if there is actual food in your stomach. It still causes an insulin release which will break the fast and make you hungry. The only macronutrient that doesn’t do this at all is fat. So this week I am going to try just having tea/coffee with a dash of pure cream to keep the hunger at bay.

Anyone have any tips on what works for them?
I was on holidays at home last week, so it was a bit difficult not hitting the fridge as I usually do. Next week I am fasting M/TH/Sa which are all evening shifts for me, which means I can’t snack even if I wanted to.

Sourcat

10:09 pm
16 Jul 14
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ARIA fitbit scale just arrived. Very excited, also because it says I am 0.2kg lighter than my older scale.
I have found fasting much easier with a tbs of cream in my coffee/ tea during the day. It kills the hunger for a couple of hours. I am fasting today (th) and sat, so will post my weight sunday morning.

Sourcat

10:46 pm
19 Jul 14
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Hi guys, it is my weekly check in and I’m happy to report ongoing success.

Start: 61.0
Week 1: 60.1
Week 2: 58.7

So more than 2kg drop in two weeks. According to my fitbit aria, which I started using a week ago at least 0.5kg of this weeks loss is fat (the rest water – muscle mass seems stable).
I am definitely finding the fast days easier. I have two coffees with 3tsp cream and 1 tsp MCT oil during the day, then salad & chicken for dinner. The coffees do kill my hunger, other than that herbal teas and sparkling water have been working well.

I’ve been feeling fine working out four times per week as usual, even when fasted. I am definitely not restricting food at all on the non-fast days, which is keeping me sane. I start night shift at the end of this week, which usually makes my weight go up. Fast days will be Tues/ Thurs/ Sat again.

Sourcat

12:28 am
28 Jul 14
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Week 3! I blame night shift.

Start: 61.0
Week 1: 60.1
Week 2: 58.7
Week 3: 59.0

I did dip down to 58.5 before going back up as soon as I started night shift.
Often I seem to gain weight on nights, I think it is the cortisol/stress response. I’ll just stick it out, 3 more nights to go. Technically I have lost two kilograms in three weeks, so that is actually fantastic.

Sourcat

11:15 am
3 Aug 14
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Well, week 4 – holding strong. It was not a great week, I probably went over for the fast days. As I was on night shift it was all just a bit tricky figuring out when to eat.

Start: 61.0
Week 1: 60.1
Week 2: 58.7
Week 3: 59.0
Week 4: 58.8

I have decided to keep going though until the end of August. If I plateau from now until then I’ll need a new plan.

luckylucy

12:13 pm
4 Aug 14
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Hi Sourcat! I thought I would say hello on your thread. Nights shifts also wreak havoc on my body & weight too… I used to drink my version of ‘bulletproof’ coffee when I was more paleo, as a pre-workout thing – hot coffee with a teaspoon of coconut oil. I had never thought about using it as an appetite suppressant on fasting days until I read this thread. I am tempted to try it on the morning of my next fast day!

Otherwise re: proteins, carbs, fats etc. I stick to high protein, low carb on fasting days. Personally, I find that it fills me up the most & if I choose lean proteins I get more meat for my buck so to speak. Fish & seafood is the way for me I think!

Sourcat

5:28 am
9 Aug 14
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Start: 61.0
Week 1: 60.1
Week 2: 58.7
Week 3: 59.0
Week 4: 58.8
Week 5: 58.2

I seem to be back on track. I haven’t been below 58kg for almost two years, so very happy to be nearly there, hopefully next week. I find the fast days easiest when I am at work. Still having most of the calories at dinner time, that is definitely my preference.

luckylucy

7:49 am
9 Aug 14
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Congratulations @sourcat that’s some fab progress! I too have not been down to 58kg for quite a while so hoping to follow suit 🙂 How tall are you & what’s your goal weight? I’m still at 60kg at the moment but my measurements have slimmed down so happy. May try a 4:3 next week as a little boost!

Sourcat

10:57 pm
9 Aug 14
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I’m 166cm and my goal is to sit around 56kg. At this rate it will be another 6 weeks or so. I will switch to 5:2 once I get below that number and see if I can maintain. I have a weeks holiday booked at the end of September, so I’ll call that my deadline.

luckylucy

7:42 pm
10 Aug 14
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You are doing great @sourcat ! You are also inspiring me as our starting stats are essentially identical… I’m not sure yet what my goal weight will be but will see how the weight loss goes. Am still on 60kg but my measurements are getting smaller so still a happy bunny!

Sourcat

1:40 am
17 Aug 14
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Start: 61.0
Week 1: 60.1
Week 2: 58.7
Week 3: 59.0
Week 4: 58.8
Week 5: 58.2
Week 6: 59.3

Amazing, I’m back up again. My metabolism astounds me sometimes. It seems like my body can adjust to anything without losing weight. I usually gain 1kg for my first feed day & often another 500gm the second, but I don’t feel like I’m eating that abnormally. I do snack, maybe that is my problem.

I have a dexa body scan next week, so at least I’ll be able to tell if I have lost body fat at all. If I can’t lose weight on this I suppose I drop back to fasting 2 days/ week for the health benefits only. Frustrating though.

Amy C.

1:51 am
17 Aug 14
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I found I needed to go on a fast every other day (some weeks 3 days, some weeks 4 days), but to really eat a lot on the non fast days to lose weight. Just a suggestion…

Tmadl

2:10 am
17 Aug 14
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Congrats! That’s great.

Sourcat

8:27 pm
17 Aug 14
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Amy C. Thanks, that does make sense to me. I feel like I drop my metabolism too much by fasting. I can tell as my body temperature drops and I stop fidgeting fasting days, I probably move less without noticing. I may not be eating enough, especilly protein on my non-fast days, Ill try increasing that for a couple of weeks. Then maybe true alternate day fasting if that isnt working.

luckylucy

8:31 pm
18 Aug 14
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Sourcat how often do you weigh yourself? I find the scales can vary so much sometimes depending on what I’ve eaten the day before! I too find that my metabolism slows on a fast day – I feel SO cold! I eat a lot of protein so I don’t think it is that… Best of luck for this week 🙂

Sourcat

11:50 pm
18 Aug 14
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I have an aria fit bit scale, so weigh myself most days. Always at the same time of day, right when I wake up. The scale is great, it automatically uploads via wifi so you can more easily see trends. My weight varies about 1.5kg depending on whether I ate the day before or not.

It is interesting how much emphasis people put on trying to calculate their metabolic rate. It clearly isn’t just eat less calories to lose weight. If I eat a lot my metabolism clearly speeds up to accommodate the extra calories. I am warmer and more active. It makes losing a bit of fat very tricky, but probably protects against being able to become significantly overweight.

Sourcat

10:37 pm
22 Aug 14
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Start: 61.0
Week 1: 60.1
Week 2: 58.7
Week 3: 59.0
Week 4: 58.8
Week 5: 58.2
Week 6: 59.3
Week 7: 57.6

The last week was true alternate day fasting (sat, mon, wed, fri). It is actually much easier than having a break from fasting, the hunger is much more manageable. I have to have this weekend off, but as much as possible will continue with this style of fasting. I have also tightened up my calories as well. Although the scale was really low today I think I am a bit dehydrated as I have had a cold, so probably not a true reflection of weight loss. Either way, I’m happy with the general direction anyway.

Sourcat

2:09 am
10 Sep 14
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Well, I have concluded that this hasn’t really worked for me. I did the fasting very strictly for 3 days per week, for 8 weeks in total. During the fast I bounced between 58kg – 59kg (max) depending on the time of day & normal variation.

After 8 weeks I did hit a low of 57.6, but that was when I became unwell, so probably was dehydration. My cold developed into bronchitis and I was sick for a good 2-3 weeks. I hadn’t been this sick for years. The fasting may have elevated my cortisol levels and suppressed my immune system. Three weeks after going off the fasting my weight is still stable between 59-60kg, so only a gain of 1kg with no fasting.

The difference of one kilogram is probably just an increase in my bowel contents & associated water, as now I am eating a larger amount of food. It probably isn’t fat gain.

The main benefit of fasting was probably the fact I spent less on groceries. Considering I ended up sick for the first time in years, I am giving up on regular fasting and will go back to skipping breakfast most days, which has always been my natural way of eating.

holidayfan

10:03 am
10 Sep 14
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Did you lose any more body fat though and do any clothes feel better?? I’ve been going for 8 weeks and my weight hasn’t changed much either but I can now do up some trousers which were too tight and my bra feels better so I’m guessing small (and I mean very small) amounts of body fat are going from somewhere slowly. I’ve decided to give it until I go on holiday in December in the hope that I may look a bit better on the beach! I am only doing 5-2 as I don’t think I could do 4-3. I did read on a facebook link Michael said we shouldn’t get hung up on weight and that body fat is incredibly dense and so goes slowly. Don’t give up hope.

SSure

11:06 am
10 Sep 14
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Sourcat, you mentioned that you were having a Dexa scan (17 August). Did you have it? What were the results if it’s not intrusive to ask?

Sarah67

12:13 am
19 Sep 14
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I’m doing the 4:3 beach fast and so far so good. Into my second week and I’ve lost 2k. I’m not finding it too difficult, though I am hungry. It’s only for a day, I get to eat tomorrow – I keep telling myself that.

Sourcat

11:13 am
23 Sep 14
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Hi there. I had my dexa scan and despite the fasting it showed 0.5kg fat gain, but pretty much the same overall (this could just be normal variation). I have stopped the fasting as getting sick actually worried me more than the fact that I wasn’t losing weight. I do worry that fasting is a stress on the body for women more than for men, especially if you are already a healthy weight. I have gone back to eating a lowish carb, mostly paleo diet, which makes me feel the best. I am still sitting between 59-61kg so I guess that is a healthy weight for me.

Sarah67 – 2kg is great, I hope it keeps working for you.

desperate but driven

4:27 pm
16 Jan 15
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hi Sourcat!

My name is desperate but driven. I was looking for inspiration and partners and came across your posts. I have tried tons of fad diets over the years! I work in fashion, so everyone I know seems to always be doing some type of juice fast or latest eating craze. While I am not a heavy person, I wear a size US 6 or UK 38 I am currently about 10 pounds over my usual goal weight. I’m 46 years old and think it might be due to metabolism changes but still…I want to get back to my prefered weight. I had read so many positive things online that I’ve decided to try and want to have some friends and support. I began on January 2nd and was fasting 2 days a week. the last weigh in I had lost 3 pounds which seems kind of slow so I’ve decided this week to fast for 3 days! One note, I am finding it most helpful to begin the fast after a 7pm meal. Then the next day I only have black coffee and liquids until about 1 or 2pm. At that time I eat a big salad with chicken, fish, or whatever lean protein for about 500 calories. This is my one meal. I feel very full and satisfied. Then I just have liquids that night and can eat again the next morning,…will post my progress! I am fasting today and weighing tomorrow! hopefully I will lose more!