Stalled fat loss: any suggestions?

This topic contains 5 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by Merryme 7 years, 9 months ago.

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PurpleWendy

10:50 am
11 Feb 17
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Hi everyone, I’ve been doing 5:2 (and occasionally 4:3) since September and initially saw pleasing results: I started at 58kg and am aiming to lose at least 8kg. Between September and Christmas I lost 3.5kg, but this all went back in over the two-week holiday period! I’ve now lost around 3.5kg again, but fir the past two weeks my weight has just moved up and down repeatedly between 54.5 – 56 kg. I’m eating really carefully – I never go over 500 calories on my fast days – and even on non-fast days I eat relatively low-carb foods, with the odd treat here and there, but I don’t go over my 1700 calorie limit. I also exercise regularly – I was doing 3-4 HIIT workouts weekly and have increased this to 6 x weekly HIIT plus weights in the last two weeks, averaging an hour per session (Insanity initially, and now some slightly lower-impact work due to an old knee injury flaring up). I don’t really know what else I can do, but I still want to lose around 5kg and my wobbly belly! Any suggestions? Thanks 😃

Amazon

1:30 pm
11 Feb 17
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Hi, as you have increased your exercise significantly in recent weeks you’ll be giving your muscles a real workout and in order for them to recover your body will retain fluid, so that might explain why your weight has stalled.

Have you re-calculated your TDEE since your initial weight loss? If not you should do so as it will have decreased, and bear in mind that the majority of people over estimate the amount of exercise they do. I would suggest moderate for what you are doing.

Current thinking is that exercise impacts very little on weight loss around 5-10% and the rest being down to caloric restriction ie 90-95%.
IMHO exercise shouldn’t even be considered in terms of weight loss but we should view it as a way of ensuring we get and then keep our bodies as fit and toned as possible and enjoy the buzz we get from doing it.

Good luck 🙂

Amazon

8:05 pm
11 Feb 17
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You might want to take a look at this too

https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/exercise-is-dangerous-for-your-diet/

PurpleWendy

9:55 pm
11 Feb 17
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Thanks Amazon, that’s really interesting – I had no idea about the water retention. I’m going to keep going with the exercise, as I enjoy it and feel mentally much clearer for it (and I’ve made sure I don’t in any way compensate by eating more!), but I will re-calculate my TDEE to allow for my initial weight loss. Thus far, I’ve been restricting calories to under 500 on fast days and ensuring I stay within my TDEE on non-fast days – is that the right course of action? I know the Fast Diet books say that eating can be unrestricted on non-fast days, but I found that I didn’t lose any weight at all until I reigned the non-fast days in a bit!

Thanks again for your help! 🙂

Merryme

1:05 am
12 Feb 17
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Hi PurpleWendy,

You’re going really well, and your exercise will help to keep you healthier. It may help to do a couple of other things, and think of yourself experimenting to find your best fit on 5:2.

1. 500 is the limit for FDs for you, but if your TDEE is lower than 2000 cals then you can use 1/4 of your TDEE for your FD calorie limit.

2. Cut out the occasional treats on nonFDs for about 2 weeks and see what happens. If you need something “treatish”. Try to find something more low calorie and non-starchy carb that you enjoy but don’t have very often. With the money you’re saving on food on FDs you may be able to afford something more pricey as your treat food.

Merry

PurpleWendy

12:52 pm
12 Feb 17
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Hi Merry, thank you for your advice. I’ve recalculated my TDEE and it’s now 1711 (it was previously 1758), so 1/4 will be 427. I’ll stick below that, which won’t be difficult, as my calorie intake on FDs over the last few weeks has ranged between 339 – 467.

I’ll also cut the weekend treats – usually oatcakes with cheese and a bit of chocolate – although I’ll admit this is going to be tough, as it helps me tho get through the very austere weeks knowing I can let up a bit at the weekend!

Merryme

9:55 am
13 Feb 17
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Hi Wendy – remember at this point the change of dropping the treat things on nonFDs is an experiment for a little while and that you then use the information you’ve learned from there. I’ve been on 5:2 for over 2 yrs now and still do the occasional self-experiment. Sounds like your FDs have been going quite well.