Thought it might be useful and motivational for us to post our results good or bad ! I shall add to this next thus after weigh in…
This topic contains 20 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by Nika 10 years, 11 months ago.
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Hi betalean, and welcome! How have you been getting on? Have you found it easier than you thought or harder? When I first started I would panic-eat on the night before a fast in case I was starving in the morning! Stopped that after first few fasts when I realised it wasn’t actually going to kill me to feel a little hungry!
I’ve just finished 4 weeks and have lost 5 pounds and 5 1/2 inches between bust, waist, hips and thighs so I’m really pleased adn motivated to keep going.
Don’t think of it as a diet just a new way of life! To quote USA- happy fast days and non-fast days! Claire
Hi Claire,
Well done on your results! It’s so great to hear that. I love hearing results it motivates me to keep going. I am actually finding it easy to manage. I had a fast day yesterday and I had a funeral to attend and I thought my tummy would be rumbling loudly but I managed to get through it avoid the open bar, sandwiches and fried food! My saving grace was the super large salad and vegetables with egg and prawns I had planned for dinner. I practically inhaled it! I think I have learnt to be more organised and appreciate food more rather than use it as a way to fill a void or pass the time away. The best part is not feeling guilty anymore when I eat food I have been craving like a meat pie or nachos I had last week. Now once I have it I enjoy it and have actually had less cravings for takeaways. I definitely agree this is a new way of life or WOL as I read the other day 😉 I’m looking forward to getting some good results in week 3 before I go on holiday. I’ll post my measurements up then as I’ll be on holiday in week 4. All the best for this week! Happy fasting and feeding days! Tina
Hi Tina, Thanks! There are some great experiences on here, I especially enjoy reading about those who have been on 5:2 for more than 6 months and how well they’ve progressed. You did very well to not give in to temptation at the funeral! Being able to eat reasonably normally for 5 days was what appealed to me about this WOL and I find I am making better choices on non-fast days. I’ve stopped eating between meals, if I’m really hungry I’ll have an apple, but at the same time I do enjoy a few treats 😉
Looking forward to hearing your results. Happy fasting and non-fasting days. Claire
Hi Claire,
I hope you are continuing to have success. I’m back from my holiday so thought I would post up my results so far. It’s actually week 5 results as week 4 I was on holiday.
Body fat start 30.4% now 27.5%, converts to 2.1 kg fat lost, 0.4 kg muscle gained. Measurements waist -4 cm, Belly -5 cm, upper hips -6 cm, lower hips -3.5 cm, thigh -3.5 cm total 22 cm. My aim is to get down to around 20% body fat, so still a bit to go but I know I’ll got there.
I would be keen to hear how you are getting on. Are these type of results typical for 5 weeks?
All the best for rest of your week. Tina
Hi Tina, yes your results sound good 🙂 Dr Mosely said in the book to expect around 1 pound (1/2 kilo) per week. You’ve been good on holiday so well done for that! Your body fat % has really come down! My scales are the old fashioned type so I can’t measure body fat but I take measurements every 4 weeks. After 8 weeks I’ve lost 8 pounds (just under 4 kilos?) and 10 inches (25cm). I’m really pleased because I still have treats and haven’t been doing a lot of exercise so to lose anything is amazing! I plan to start being a bit more strict in the new year, limiting the treats and increasing the exercise because I don’t want to plateau. I have quite a bit to lose – about 28 pounds (13kilos?) more but I’m happy to do this reasonably slowly as I’ve yo-yo dieted a lot in the past. My work trousers are getting really loose and I’ve had to tighten my jeans belt by a notch and these little achievements spur me on 😀 Happy fasting, Claire
Hi everyone! I am on week three at the minute but will try to remember to post back next week, so far I have lost half a stone but this week seem to be really bloated and not sure why and so far not gone down on the scales at all. I also struggle to make sure I eat properly on non fast days. I tend to fast for about 36 hours and whilst haven’t stuck to the same days each week I have to tried to have three fast days a week.
I just struggle with exercising the day after a fast, fast days are fine to exercise. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s results! I have also took measurement but don’t know my body fat. The only thing is I have only just took my measurements yesterday, I have lost 12 inches in total since August just by running so hope this carries on coming down!
Alex
Hi Claire, well done on your loss so far. That’s fantastic to hear. Keep it up and you’ll get the next 13 kilos off and keep it off. I have been eating treats too and doing small amount of biking here and there. It’s so good to finally have a plan that works for me and fits into my lifestyle and enjoy all the foods I crave. I actually find that I want to eat healthier and have been craving junk food less and less. But when I do have it I enjoy it and savour each bite 🙂
I am going to increase exercise in the new year and start Pilates classes again. Happy fasting for next month and Merry Christmas . I’ll post up my results at 8 week mark too 🙂 Tina
I already posted on a separate thread and I’m sorry to acid-rain on the parade, but I’m at 4.5 weeks with no appreciable results yet.
I’m having trouble sleeping, which was a big problem at first but is finally getting better. My chronic headaches haven’t gotten better or worse since starting 5:2. I have no problem with hunger while fasting, at least. I’m still up one pound overall. My husband’s total weight loss was close to five pounds for a short while but then it went in the other direction and is now within the amount he can fluctuate daily. Unlike me, he does still find the fasting days difficult. It’s all frustrating because we were very hopeful.
While we already exercise, try to eat whole foods, and try to avoid overindulging on the eating days, it’s looking more and more like we’re going to have to add yet another component in order for the weight loss to happen. I am not ready, willing or interested in doing 4:3. I hope I don’t have to resort to tracking every calorie every day again. Boo.
Oh well. I’m holding on for a while longer since nearly every member of my family has Alzheimer’s and this may help me avoid that. At some point if I continue not to lose weight, I’m going to need a lot more research showing this is definitely improving my health in order to continue. I just ordered Dr. Fuhrman’s book on fasting & health. It’s older than Dr. Mosley’s book and maybe out of date, but it might have some encouraging info I haven’t yet read yet.
A friend of mine has done I.F. for several years now (started with Fast-5, then Eat Stop Eat, then finally her favorite, Leangains) and has lost nine pounds in all. That’s not nearly what she’d hoped for, not even a third of what she’d hoped for, but it’s enough for her to want to continue. She’s better now about eating only when she’s hungry, not just when food is available or customary. Food is pretty much always available and customary in the U.S.!
Hi SusanP.. I am sorry about your lack of progress but please stick with it. The main reason for my response to your post is your comments re Alzheimers. I have made the same comment on a previous post elswhere but can I suggest you research Turmeric in relation to its possible effect on preventing Alzheimers. Apparently there is a slow take up of the disease among 70yr olds in India. It is thought that the high intake of Turmeric in the diet may be a factor. As a result I try to take a daily dose (half a teaspoon) in a Broccoli smoothy. An aquired taste but please do your research and make up your own mind.
I hope Lizy also reads my comments re Turmeric and likewise makes up her own mind on its possible preventive properties.
Good luck.
Hi SusanP
I understand your frustration but I don’t quite understand why you wouldn’t be losing weight. If you’re doing the diet the way you’re supposed to you should have quite a calorie deficit in your weekly intake and this can only lead to weight loss. Did you calculate your TDEE? If it’s a lot lower than you think you could be undoing your fast days with eating too much on non-fast days. I understand that you don’t want to start calorie tracking every day, but doing it for a week (combined with knowing your TDEE) may help you understand if the fault is in there or not.
On fast days, how do you spread your food? Do you eat it in several meals? I can suggest saving everything and having one meal at night and only drinking water during the day. Having your body really run on empty from dinner to dinner can kickstart fat loss. You could also try lowering your carb intake. If you don’t want to do this on your non-fast days, do it on your fast days. This way you get 36 hours of zero carbs and this can also kickstart your fat loss.
From your post I sense a lot of negativity, also with the program. I understand your frustration, of course! But before this program becoming a breeze, everyone has to experiment, tweak and work on it. Only when you find a way that works for you (in regards to weight loss and other benefits) can you really sit back and enjoy. If you’re not willing to work hard at it for the first few weeks I can understand why the results are not to your liking.
It’s one of the best, easiest and sustainable programs out there (as far as I’m concerned), but you still have to work at it!
I am working hard at it, Nika. It comes as no surprise to me (or anyone) that weight loss is hard. That’s why I’ve read every single thing about this that I can and that’s why I’m here asking questions — to figure out where I’m going wrong and why I’m not seeing results despite putting in the work.
I’m not eating more than I did on a regular day in the six months before this when my weight loss was stalled. Maybe in the first week but not at all since. My husband has definitely lowered his calories significantly throughout the entire month. Metabolic syndrome (applies to him, not me) will make weight loss exceptionally difficult, so that might explain his slow results.
I don’t spread out my food on fast days. I always eat it all in the late afternoon so I can get that number of hours (18-24) of fasting that Eat Stop Eat says is needed to see the health benefits. It doesn’t bother me to do that.
I barely had to calculate my TDEE actually because I share nearly the exacts stats Kate Harrison did, so reading her book back at the beginning made it very easy. I’m eating under 400 calories on fast days, all compromised of whole foods: raw fruit and raw almonds.
Anyway the OP stated to post results “good or bad,” so I don’t feel the need to apologize for my negativity. I had hoped I made it clear that I’m just a struggling newcomer trying to find what I’m missing. Somehow that seems to have offended?
Hi Susan and welcome.
Have you calculated your TDEE for your actual weight now?How low are the calories that you are consuming on a fast day?It may be that you are consuming calorie dense food and a little too much. If you reduce the calorie intake too much then the body will hang onto the calories that it has.
A week of counting calories of everything that you eat and drink may well help to see where any the calories are. Nuts and fruit can be rather high.
May I suggest that you have a look at the FAQ’s on not losing weight and try them all? It worked for me. I am 23lb lighter and 23 inches less of me and have been doing this since January.
Any help?
Hey Susan,
Ofcourse you don’t need to apologize for anything, that’s not at all what I was getting at. And what the OP states is absolutely true. I’m not sure where you get the “offended” bit from though, if I were offended I wouldn’t have offered all the tips and information I did, would I?
I stated a few things, because in your post you named more things you weren’t willing to do than things you were willing to do. Hence part of the negativity.
I still feel like you haven’t dropped that though, so I’ll leave the posting from now on to someone else who may be more to your liking. I do hope you get the results you’re after and that you find the way that works for you.
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We pay tribute to our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Michael Mosley. Michael was an integral part of our lives, […]
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12 Oct 13