Still no weight loss…

This topic contains 12 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by Weissdorn 10 years, 9 months ago.

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Mayski

9:32 am
21 Nov 13
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I’ve just completed my second week of the fast diet and I’ve lost nothing since starting. I’m trying to lose about 10kg (I’ve been stuck at 69kg for as long as I can remember and I know my ideal weight is somewhere between 58-62). I’ve had four fast days so far and I’ve never gone over my 500kcal. In fact, 2 of the 4 days I only had 400kcal. I’ve found the fast days relatively easy (a good tip for those who fancy a bit of carbs on fast days – try the boosch skinny pasta/rice/noodles. They’re only 24 kcal a pack and EXTREMELY filling).

I exercises on average around 3 times a week, each time for around 30 minutes, very vigorously (zumba, boxercise classes and time on the crosstrainer mainly) and I’ve been exercising on my fast days because I read it’s more effective that way. I walk on average around 30-45 minutes a day (to and from work) everyday. I calculated my TDEE which came out at 2200. My first week I think I may have gone overboard on my non fast days but this week I’ve not gone over 1800 kcal on my non fast days.

The scales say I’ve lost absolutely nothing at all and I feel fatter. My clothes feel tighter and my stomach feels more bloated (I don’t have a tape measure so haven’t been able to measure my waist). It’s really getting me down because I’ve really enjoyed it quite a bit and was starting to think I’ve finally found a diet that I can stick to long term, except that it’s done nothing for me so far except make me feel unattractive.

The only thing I can think to attribute it to is the fact that right before that, my diet was limited to 1300 kcal a day every day. I went well over that most weekends but during the week stuck religiously to 1300. Is it possible that my body has got so used to 1300 during the week that if I ever go over i’ll automatically gain weight?

I’d appreciate any advice! Should I continue with this or just give up? I have a wedding in four weeks and was really hoping I’d be able to shift some pounds before it…

Thanks.

Sam2bsvelte

10:00 am
21 Nov 13
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Hi Mayski, sorry to hear you’ve had no weight loss so far. You remind me of me, as I started out at 69 kilos, and wanted to lose weight for a wedding too! I don’t know how tall you are, but my TDEE is much lower – I think it is 1800, and I normally aim for 1200 on non-fast days. When I hit a plateau before the wedding, I had 2 weeks where I cut out carbs pretty much completely, and on my fast days I ate a small bowl of museli in the morning and then just water for the rest of the day. This seemed to kickstart things and I was able to get to 58.4 kgs for the wedding (started june 24, wedding was nov 9).
It sounds like you are doing lots of exercise, which is great, and so it is also possible that you have gained muscle, which weighs more than fat – sometimes measuring yourself is a good way to know if the fat is shifting.
I know it’s really hard to keep going in the face of no weight loss, but stick with it if you can, it really does work. The other option that some people have tried is to do 3 fast days a week for a while until the weight starts to shift – personally I found this much harder than just doing more strict fasting 2 days a week, but it seems to work well for some people.
Don’t give up, it will kick in soon and you will feel fabulous at that wedding. Please keep posting to let me know how it is going, Sam

ali43

10:12 am
21 Nov 13
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Hi Mayski, I agree with Sam. Restricting carbs should give you the boost you need and help in controlling appetite. My weight loss has slowed dramatically so I’ve cut back on the carbs and a week or so later have begun to feel the benefit. I love a glass of wine or 3 so I’m resisting temptation there as the carb content is high and needless to say, the calories. You may not be a drinker but I thought it might be worth a mention. Good luck.

etherial

5:44 pm
4 Dec 13
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Why not start a diary of what you’re eating. Sometimes, we don’t realize what we eat during the day. A diary of everything, no matter how small, you put in your mouth, should be recorded. I pretzel, a piece of candy, sweetened tea, creamer, EVERYTHING. They may not seem like much, but they add up.

I see you are really working out, you say your diet is really low, I mean you are required to eat at least 500 calories, but you’re eating even less and it looks like you’re fasting 4 days consecutively?

By what I’ve seen here, you should be rail-thin. Have you had a check-up lately? Your clothes are “tighter” means you are not eating as little as you think you are, because everything you’re doing, points to weightloss, but you’re getting the opposite effect.

Either start your diary or see your doctor. Something is not right.

Good luck.

Stef.

5:57 pm
4 Dec 13
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Hi Mayski,

I agree with all of the above comments and the tips. I am also wondering whether you have calculated your TDE correctly? Did you put athletics into the calculation? Then it is assumed that you are doing at least 15 hours off very active sports a week?

I walk every day one hour brisky with my dogs but I have put light activity into the calculation of the TDE and mine is 1759. (I am 170cm and 61kg)

Also are you calculating your daily calorie intake? It is very easy to miss on hidden calories such as in drinks?

As it has been suggested above I would probably note down everything I eat to see how many calories I really eat per day.

I hope that you start losing lbs soon as I understand this to be hard on you!

Do not despair and good luck with it!
Stef

Mayski

9:50 am
5 Dec 13
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Hi guys. Thanks so much for your responses. I’ve done everything you’ve advised me to do – I recalculated my TDE (put in lightly active instead of moderately active although I go to the gym at least 4 times a week)and have stayed well below my new calorie limit which is now 2000. I use the my fitness pal app to calculate every single calorie that goes in my mouth.

I have restricted carbs for the last two weeks, with the exception of last sunday when I caved in and had a burger and chips (on a non fast day which is definitely okay). I have also been fasting for four consecutive days this week alone (I’m so close to the wedding I’m getting desperate) combined with the gym, lots of water and lots of sleep. And guess what?

I’VE GAINED 2KG.

I desperately want to just cry. I have no idea why my body is doing this and not doing what it’s supposed to. I don’t want to give up because, logically, THIS SHOULD WORK! I am hungry all the time, which leads to me being tired and grumpy. Last time I was this hungry all the time I lost a tremendous amount of weight. I just don’t understand why it’s not working for me.

Mayski

9:52 am
5 Dec 13
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Also, I went to see my GP about this (as advised by etherial. Excuse my language but he was a total prat about it. He just told me off for going on what he describes as a “radical diet”, told me it would never work, assumed that I was lying about the gym and my food and then printed me off a standard NHS document on ‘how to live better’ and ‘what food to eat’. He infuriated me but there’s now nothing I can do about it.

Lindyw

6:36 pm
5 Dec 13
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Where are you weighing yourself Mayski?
If on your home scales try the ones in the gym or local chemist.
Have you measured yourself and had inch loss?

I would take a week off but not to extremes then start again – it might just give your body a boot up the ****

ahem I a totally out of order here but you couldn’t be pregnant could you?

Stef.

6:45 pm
5 Dec 13
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Lindyw, your question made me laugh out loud! But then it is a very valid question! It is just when you all 48 years old that this kind of question does never crosses my mind anymore. If I gain weight than it is definitely too much food!

Anyhow back to the topic. The ignorance of some GPs is sometimes really horrible. Sometime ago I had to go to the GP because of throat pain. He asked me when I got my tonsils out… Well never, I had to tell him. When I asked him something about the chickenpox he had to literally look it up in the book… Needless to say I changed my GP.

As suggested above I woud check my scales, perhaps back off for a week and then start again?

Good luck with it!
Stef.

etherial

5:01 am
6 Dec 13
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OMG, what an idiot!!! For years, dietitians and doctors have been pushing literal crap down our throats which in turn, make us fat, but then they continue pointing the proverbial “blame finger” at us.

CHANGE DOCTORS, IMMEDIATELY! RUN, DON’T WALK!

Michael Moseley IS a successful doctor so much so, I first heard of his way of eating on the CBS Evening News while I was cooking dinner (funny), and simultaneously, trying to figure out my husband’s and my next approach to permanent weight loss, when I heard the newscaster announce this new eating breakthrough that not only promotes weight loss, but improves your health, too. I listened, learned, practice, and have so far lost 12.5 lbs. I feel great and people are starting to comment about me and husband. My sister-in-law thinks I lost a lot more.

Doctors have huge egos and God help us if we challenge it. I’m happy you are here doing the best you can and your doctor needs to be schooled. He shouldn’t make you feel bad about trying a new approach. Remember, they thought the Earth was flat until someone proved them wrong, right?

Forget about him and his Ego. Perhaps you need a new physician or if you rather not bother changing doctors, then show this doctor the facts. I mean, tell him about the Eat, Lose, and Live Longer documentary, tell him about the cookbook, tell him about the scientific data available to him in The New England Journal of Medicine. The way of eating is still nuevo, but so was a child taking it’s first step.

Suggest this: Take medical work-ups now and then after 6 months, compare them.

Nika

7:06 am
9 Dec 13
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God Mayski, I can completely understand your frustration. It sounds like you should be losing weight, definitely not gaining.

The thing I could say is trying one meal a day for a while, if you haven’t already, and make sure you drink loads of water. 3Liters a day or something of just water.

By the way, you could try reducing your calories on normal days. If you make a simple calculation, previously you were cutting 4900 calories from your diet a week (2000-1300 = 700 a day, *7 days = 4900). Your body got used to that. Then you suddenly started eating more on a weekly basis, seeing how you now cut 3000 calories from your weekly diet instead of 4900. (1500 x 2 days a week). So it’s not that strange that your body has to re-adjust to this new way of eating, and may retain weight – you didn’t start eating less!
A way to kickstart things again could be to cut on your normal days as well, maybe 300-400 calories below your TDEE – so having 1600 calories on normal days, still quite above the 1300 you were used to for a while 😉
Then, like said, maybe restrict your food intake to one meal a day for a while. On fast days definitely! I do it on normal days as well and I notice that I’m hardly hungry during the day, however when I start eating I become ravenous and want to eat everything in sight. So for me it works best to have one large meal, that way I’m full and satisfied.

But god all that’s been said already, I’m so sorry but I am too at a loss besides the things I just mentioned.

Yeah change GP. That too.

dopeydonblue

1:15 am
29 Jan 14
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Just wandering if you have ever had your thyroid tested as I couldn’t loose weight and was gaining rapidly. I had an underactive thyroid.

Weissdorn

4:48 pm
1 Feb 14
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Every nutrition plan in the world will admit, that the closer you get to your “dream” weight, the harder it will be to achieve it.

You have just 10 kg to lose. I, on the other hand have already lost 10 kg, but I have to lose another 30 kg to go. I make no illusion that it’s going to take place within the next 2 weeks (although that would be lovely, wouldn’t it).

In the FAQ they suggest that if this isn’t working out like you’d hope it would after a couple of weeks, you might want to consider a couple of things:

1) You will gain weight as you approach you mensus if you are female. Retaining water in the form of blood is normal. You’ll lose it later.

2) Calories do seem to mater on feed days. So you either have to count them or do more exercise.

3) In the FAQ they suggest that if your body is “playing obstinante” when it comes to giving up pounds, then you have to resort to “dirty tricks”, which include:
a) 4:3 instead of 5:2 – Fasting 3 days a week.
b) Zero calorie intake on your fast days.
c) Exercising at least 90 minutes 5-6 days a week.
d) Reverting to fasting every other day.

I know how you feel. In week 1 I lost 6 kgs, but in Week 2 I gained 3 kilos (yes, it was Christmas), and in Week 6 I lost ZERO kgs, because I slacked off on my exercise.

Try something new, to “wake up” your metabolism.