Stalling weight loss

This topic contains 16 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by PaulAndCarol 9 years, 3 months ago.

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FailedAgainJenny

4:38 pm
7 Jul 15
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Hi Everyone
I hope someone can help me. I have been following the 5:2 diet for a couple of months now (with a little dispirited break recently, but not a binge break)and I have stalled.
I’ve lost 12lb in all which is brilliant but now its not working! I’ve even tried alternate day fasting which I found suited me quite well, but I’m still not losing any more weight. This week I’ve taken to eating nothing on my fasting days.
I have trouble with exercise after 4 back operations, a nerve damaged leg and foot and the inability to walk very far or stand for more than a couple of minutes without pain and numbness.
What can I do to kickstart weight loss again?

CiesseJ

9:02 am
8 Jul 15
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Hi there, there’s a whole thread on ‘plateaus’ – if you put that in the search bar, you might find some of the info others have posted quite useful. Good luck.

Randi

2:52 pm
8 Jul 15
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You’re not alone, FailedAgainJenny… err, maybe it’s your discouraging, self-deprecating username? Haha j/k (But maybe?!) 🙂

I’m in the same boat here – stalled after a few months. I fast Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. There were a couple vacations this month that did not help and I probably need to count calories on my off days… *sigh* Boo.

No gain, though! Hope is not lost!

FailedAgainJenny

4:51 pm
8 Jul 15
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Thank you CiesseJ, I’ll have a search around.

Hi Randi 🙂 my username is a kind of liberating statement of truth, everytime I see it on the screen it reminds me that that is the old me and spurs me on to create a new me!
Strangely enough I’ve been fasting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays too, with no vacations, and I’ve also been watching how many calories I have on my non-fasting days but after losing 5lbs last week I have now put 3lbs back on! Why? I don’t feel as though I’m going anywhere and it is starting to feel rather worryingly like a straightforward counting the calories every day diet which is what I wanted freedom from. I know that most people would say ‘Well done, you lost 2lb that didn’t go back on’ and if that were happening every week it would be positive but its not. Some weeks I take off 2lb on Monday and its right back on by Friday.
I hope I don’t sound like I’m moaning, and if you have any ideas I’d be really happy to hear them.
Good luck with your own weight loss, I’ll be thinking of you on our fasting days – like today, tummy is rumbling already! 🙂

NofOne

6:06 am
9 Jul 15
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@failedagainjenny, unfortunately, your history of weight cycling (a.k.a. yo-yo dieting) has in all likelihood made whatever metabolic derangement that you might have suffered originally much worse. The 5:2 worked well for DrM and Mimi, but both were near ideal weight and didn’t have a history of weight cycling. I haven’t read all of Dr Varady’s research, but I don’t recall any mention of weight cycling. It’s possible that her lab has selected for subjects with less of this in their past, as it’s well known to make subsequent weightloss efforts significantly more difficult.

You might be better off seeking out an endocrinologist who specializes on metabolic issues and weight management, rather than trying to work this out on your own. If your cortisol levels are already chronically high, if you’re (pre-)diabetic, if you have impaired thyroid function, etc, you’re likely to make yourself sicker, and ultimately fatter, by trying to lose weight through calorie restriction. Dieting is a major physical stressor all by itself.

Losing weight to get healthy works for a lot of people, but many people need to get healthy in order to lose weight. You might be one of the latter, but you’ll need individual, professional attention to sort that out.

fitnfast

8:22 am
9 Jul 15
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Excellent advice from NofOne.

I would also add that counting calories does not lead to weight loss. Calorie restriction only makes your metabolism slow down.

You need to eat fewer carbs, and more fats and protein. No snacking between meals, no eating after dinner, and go as long as possible before breakfast. Every day.

I believe we are both doing 16:8 along with alternate day fasting, although I have switched to 19:5 for the next 2 weeks. I see consistent losses of between 1.5 and 3 lbs a week.

Check out the blogs at http://www.intensivedietarymanagement.com . Search “calories”, and you start at the beginning to finally understand how we gain weight.

And exercise is not required to lose weight. So don’t worry about it. I had 2 back surgeries, and quit the gym. Down 25 lbs in 3 months.

JET1

12:09 pm
9 Jul 15
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I too have to “count” calories on my normal days. I say “count”, but after a while it’s easy to guess/remember how many calories are in certain meals. However, this is NOT the same as dieting or calorie restriction – it’s just to make sure I don’t overdo it. As I am a petite, middle-aged and fairly sedentary woman I accept that my BMR may be much lower than average. So take heart if you have to do the same as we are not all average. After a few failed experiments, I now allow myself up to 1400 calories on normal days and 350 calories on fasting days and I find this formula works for me and maintains my weight loss. It also encourages me to eat healthier, more filling foods. I don’t ever go hungry on normal days and I eat sweets, chips etc – just in smaller portions. I agree with some of the comments on here that calorie restriction and deprivation just do not work long term! I think you just have to experiment and find a balance that works for you.

FailedAgainJenny

5:23 pm
9 Jul 15
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Hi NofOne. Thank you so much for all the advice.
In the past I haven’t actually yoyo dieted in the true sense. The dispirited break was just a couple of missed fasting days because events overtook me. I do have hypothyroidism for which I am monitored and take Levothyroxine daily. Consequently I have had regular blood tests and am not aware of any other problems and am generally quite healthy, just a couple of stones overweight.
On fasting days my diary shows I’ve had between 400 and 460 calories each fasting day; and on non-fasting days it shows an intake on average of 960 to 1060 calories. I have counted everything.
I must be doing something wrong but just don’t understand what it is!

Amazon

5:39 pm
9 Jul 15
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The average weight loss for women doing 5:2 is 1lb per week. Extra fast days will increase the rate of loss but it takes a deficit of more than 3000 calories to lose a single pound. Weight can vary by several pounds in a single day and it stands to reason that you will weigh less the morning after a fast day when there is less food in transit, and as soon as you eat it can go up by several pounds. Weight can also vary for numerous other reasons, constipation, water retention and medication are but a few. This variation has little to do with weight loss. You’ve lost 12lb in two months which is an excellent result. I think that all you need to do is be more patient and less concerned with what the scales say on a day to day basis, but take note of the overall trend which will be in a downward direcrion. Weight loss is not always regular either and you might lose a few pounds and then nothing for a couple of weeks. This WOE is a marathon not a sprint and it works.
You’ll get there.

FailedAgainJenny

5:42 pm
9 Jul 15
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Thanks fitnfast. I’ll check out those blogs this evening. The following quote is from your reply and it sounds like a plan to me – “You need to eat fewer carbs, and more fats and protein. No snacking between meals, no eating after dinner, and go as long as possible before breakfast. Every day.” – I am assuming this is 16:8 where I will have an 8 hour window to eat and 16 hours of fasting – I will try this on alternate days for a few weeks and let you know how I get along. Thank you so much 🙂

FailedAgainJenny

5:48 pm
9 Jul 15
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Hi Jet1. Thanks for your encouragement. I too am a middle-aged woman and fairly sedentary. What you say makes sense to me but trying to eat normally with puddings and sweets on non-fast days is not working at the moment, so I am committed for the next couple of weeks to cutting carbs and eating more fats and protein, particularly on my non-fasting days as suggested by fitnfast. I’ll let everyone know how I get on and good luck with your own fasting 🙂

FailedAgainJenny

5:52 pm
9 Jul 15
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Thanks Amazon. Your really supportive and encouraging reply has made me feel that I’m not doing too badly at all, I just have to be patient. I think a looming holiday (8 weeks away) is putting me into panic mode 🙁

NofOne

6:31 am
10 Jul 15
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@failedagainjenny, while I’m *generally* in agreement with fitnfast, I think *you* should be extremely cautious about self experimentation of the sort that I’m doing.

I really wonder if you have come clean to your endocrinologist about your intermittent fasting and overall caloric restriction. (I know that I’m often a little reticent about my lifestyle experiments when dealing with doctors.)

From what you have said, your average daily caloric intake is 843 calories = [(2*450) + (5*1000)]/7

850 calories per day, average? Even allowing for your limited mobility, that’s well below what the longevity oriented, chronic CR people recommend.

I think that Dr. Fung’s stuff at his Intensive Dietary Management Blog is pretty good, but you should keep in mind that he’s a nephrologist who specializes in treatment of Type II diabetes. From what you’ve said, your situation is quite different from that of his primary audience. Even very ketogenic diet friendly experts, such as Dr. Peter Attia, do not advocate ketogenic diets for everyone under all circumstances. Specifically, carbohydrate restriction, caloric restriction and intermittent fasting are *all* known to (independently) suppress thyroid function. In combination, it sure seems like something that might not be ideal for someone with a pre-existing thyroid issue.

A collection of links to primary sources can be found here: http://bjjcaveman.com/2013/04/28/the-effect-of-a-ketogenic-diet-on-thyroid-hormone/

I still think you should consult with you endocrinologist, and fully disclose what you’ve been trying with your diet. There are lots of great sources of information available online, but there is no substitute for an actual doctor who can examine you and your lab results personally.

fitnfast

8:22 am
10 Jul 15
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Jenny, I also have hypothyroidism and have been on Levo since way before I started this way of eating. All of my drs know what I am doing, and are 100% in agreement that I am healthier and better off losing the weight. Especially my pain management Dr, who is now recommending it to others.

Everybody has to find what works for them. And not every way will work for everybody. You just sounded do much like what I was going through!

Let me know how you get on.

FailedAgainJenny

9:31 pm
10 Jul 15
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Hi NofOne. Thanks for all the advice.
I am resident in the UK and things are done a little differently here. I don’t have an endocrinologist. My GP performs regular blood tests every 3 to 6 months to keep a check on my thyroid etc., and if he thought there was something wrong,in any area,that needed a specialist then he would refer me to one. All of my blood tests are coming back as stable.
As I said previously, apart from my back I am pretty healthy. I will continue on the 5:2 for another couple of weeks and see what happens.

FailedAgainJenny

10:37 pm
10 Jul 15
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Hi fitnfast
Yes, you do sound as though you are on a parallel with me. My GP said I should try to lose a bit of weight and to cut carbs! The pain management is a bit complex as I am allergic to opiate based medication so I can’t have things like Tramadol or Codeine. Paracetamol is my only choice (even when I had my operations I had I.V. Paracetamol and nothing stronger). This is why I take Pregabalin, it is a nerve blocker and is wonderful for neuropathic/neurogenic pain.
Thanks for your comments and support, I’ll let you know how I get on.

PaulAndCarol

7:15 pm
26 Jul 15
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We both lost weight but ‘bottomed out’ when we got down to our teenage/twenties weight. Luckily we are happy with that. (I don’t like people talking about ‘plateauing’ – you go UP and reach a plateau)

Normal reduced calorie diets fail because the body reduces your metabolic rate to match your reduced calorie intake. The thing with the 5:2 diet is to reduce your calories ONLY on two days each week and eat normally on the others. This fools your body into thinking that food is plentiful and there is no need to reduce the metabolic rate for the occasional shortage of calories. If you reduce calories on your non-fasting days as well, your metabolic rate will go down and you will stop losing weight!

Be aware that your weight will vary a lot due to all sorts of things. To understand what is happening you need:-
– A good pair of scales that can measure to 0.2 or 0.1 pounds
– Weigh every morning, after going to the loo, before eating or drinking anything (ie empty), wearing the same things eg pyjamas
– Plot the weights on a graph & calculate a 7-day average.

If you don’t want to mess around with graphs & 7-day averages, weigh yourself the morning BEFORE fasting and the morning AFTER fasting and write them down in two columns. There will be 3 or 4 pounds difference between the two columns, but they should both reduce about 1/2 pound for each fasting day. However, there will be lots of variation due to other factors.