Why am I not loosing weight?

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Why am I not loosing weight?

This topic contains 19 replies, has 12 voices, and was last updated by  Border954 9 years, 9 months ago.

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  • I have been doing 5:2 for three weeks and am exactly the same weight as I started. I am trying much harder to watch my calories on my feed days and I only weigh myself once a week on a Monday, so hoping I will have lost something by then. It’s frustrating to see everyone else’s good news stories and not have one of my own to share yet.Has anyone else had this issue and then seen things turn around?

    Hi Fairz, sorry you have seen no results yet. Have you looked at your tracker, above right, to check your height and weight in?
    We all need to eat below our tdee on feast days and stay with 500 cals on fast days, it can be slow but helps if you add some exercise.
    A lot of people using the blog put all their food into a tracker system like, myfitnesspal, I use, tescohealthandwellbeing, I have it as an app and put every item I eat or drink into my food diary there. Most feast days I undereat.
    It’s surprising how it adds up and helps you to shop more wisely. Hope this helps.

    Kirsty, well done on your weight loss, I’d take and grin.

    I’m a bit bummed today too. This is my third week (day after my 6th fast day) and I gained 3 lbs. 3! I was down a total of 4 lbs. over the first 2 weeks and now this gain. I work out 3-4 times/week-mostly cardio (35-50 mins/workout) with some hand weight exercises, stretching targeted strength exercises (abs, exercise ball, etc.). I didn’t change with my eating this week (stuck to the 2 days at 500 cals). The only thing I can think is I ate a bit more over the weekend (non-fast days) due to being really active Saturday and some boredom, BUT ugh…it is demotivating and I am weigh you, Fairz.

    Thanks Cakey42.

    ray2015, can understand you must be disappointed. I think my problem is I haven’t been watching my calories on my feed days enough. As you are exercising maybe your’re having the same issue as me. I had an indian meal and a bottle of wine last Sat and pizza this Sunday so I haven’t been doing myself any favours. Since Monday I’ve been careful to keep under my TDEE’s. If the scales don’t give me good news on Monday I’ll be miffed.

    Fairz, I supposed it’s important to remember that weight can fluctuate within a day, time of month (for ladies), etc. and your body sometimes does its own thing, despite our greatest efforts. Are you feeling any different physically? Better, worse, etc.? Even though I am stuck with this gain, I think I’m still feeling better and I feel like my clothes are fitting better-what about you? The scale shouldn’t dictate our feelings, but that school of thought is easier said than done. Part of me wants to do a third fast day, but I’m not sure if that’s the right approach.

    Can’t say I’ve noticed any difference in the way my clothes fit or physically, (although i think I do get a smidge grumpy on fast days, i.e today). As far as I can tell the only way to be sure I’m loosing weight is to see it on the scales.

    I’ve thought about 4:3 too. Think I’ll wait until weigh in Monday and if I still haven’t lost anything I guess I need to take more drastic measures and 4:3 would make sense.

    Let me know how you get on after week 4.

    I’m definitely more grumpy on fast days and try to stay away from people as much as possible and go to bed early 🙂 Let me know how Monday pans out for you as well.

    Hey, how is it going Fairz? Any updates on your progress since last week? I know you were frustrated-I hope things have gotten better!

    I am only finishing my third week, so no expert here, but I didn’t do well my first week (stayed same weight). I didn’t have any problem with fasting (well, a headache the first time) but I had more difficulty on eating days. I track calories now (never really have before) and found that they add up pretty quickly! I was eating more than I realized on eating days, and was over my TDEE. Rather than have to worry too much about everything I eat every day (which was the reason I was attracted to try 5:2 in the first place!) I added the third fasting day. Now I’m doing a 4:3. I am not sure I will necessarily keep doing it, but I did it these past two weeks and I find it easier. I’ve lost 6 out of the 20 pounds that I am hoping to lose, so I’m pretty satisfied. I’d love to be one of those people who can eat literally whatever they want 5 days a week, but I’m afraid I’m not one of them!

    Hi, I’m on week 4 of the 5:2 and have seen a very fluctuating result on the scales. Over all no loss. I had not been keeping track of my calorie intake on feed days but have started to this week. I am considering bumping up to 4:3.

    How are you all getting on now? I am particularly interested with your change to 4:3 Kiminma. Also does anyone find that on your feed days you can’can’t seem to satisfy your hunger? I currently am fine till I start eating then I can’t seem to stop.

    I actually find it easier to eat less the day after a fast day. The “hungry” feeling is more acceptable to me for some reason.
    If you over-eat on your non-fast days it will negate the weight loss effects of a fast day. The reason you lose weight isn’t because you fasted for 2 days but because overall you are eating at a deficit – so burning more calories than you eat. If you eat too many on non-fast days you don’t keep that deficit.
    The myfitnesspal free ap allows you to track the calories for what you eat pretty easily and this site will tell you what you should eat on a non-fast day. For me it is 500kcal on a fast day and 1700kcal on a non-fast day. It is surprising how fast those sneaky calories add up!

    Thank you Cath2907. I am using myfitnesspal to count cals but was only really concentrating on fast days. So have now started to monitor feed days. I am quiet active so the tracker has caluculated my TDEE is 2500cals which i think is very high so i’m goimg to stick to around 2000 cals on feed days and the 500cals on fast days. Going to try it for a few weeks before pushing on to 4:3.

    It seeems that peoples bodies very quickly acclimatise themselves to this way of eating. Our bodies are for the most part designed to conserve energy in whatever way possible in order to keep us alive as long as possible this is simply an evolutionary response.

    The issue with keeping such a scheduled programmed fast and feed days is that your body quickly learns your trickery and as a result tries to hold onto your precious reserves (remaining fat on your body). The other issue here is cardio exercise with fasting. If you are working out depleted of glycogen this actually places a great deal of stress on the body which ironically makes you gain weight. People are divided on whether this stress is helpful. Through personal experience i feel this to not be the case.

    May i humbly assume that maybe you are in this situation due to many years of dietary neglect. My only suggestion is to be kind with your body and do not punish it with extreme dieting/exercise. Maybe it took you several years of poor eating and neglect to feel overweight, sluggish and horrible? It may take just as long to reverse this process. If you are patient with yourself, your body and mind will thank you for it, if not well i guess same time, same place, next year?

    Whilst the scales and calorie counting can be a good beginning point it is often more reliable to sense how you feel in your body. If you are drained, lethargic, lacking motivation or feeling under the weather you could be placing too much stress on your body – it may be time to back off a little. If it is time for a break maybe try skipping the fasting for a week or go back to one day a week. It really isnt a religion and the fasting police wont pick up on this – hopefully 😉

    Thankfully there is no time limit by which we have to become healthy

    Not loosing weight? could it be your scales. I started the fast diet in Aug 2013 at 5ft 10 and 86kg, eg overweight. I’m now 75kg and very happily within the weight range for my height. Now the scales. Mine are ordinary Salter digital bathroom scales, and I get consecutive readings up to 2kg apart. To counter this, I, believe it or not, take 5 consecutive readings every day and average them. I enjoy doing it and find I can track my progress very well. I have maintained my weight for 12 months with 5-2 including an extra, semi fast day when needed, by this I mean normal porridge breakfast,only liquid during the day and a normal meal in the evening rather than a reduced meal. For me it works fine and can see me eating this way for the rest of my life. I must thank my son Noel for telling me about the Fast Diet in 2013, and Michael Mosley for making the Horizon programme.This is my first and probably last post, good luck to you all out there on the fasting way of eating.

    Hi ray2015.

    Well the scales say I’m down another pound which I’m happy with. Since then I think i’ve crept over my TDEE’s a couple of times and we’re having friends round for dinner on Sat night so I know I’ll be blowing my TDEE’s then. I’ve decided to stick at it though and start doing 4:3 if my weight creeps back the other way.

    what about you?

    Fairz, hey nice work! Let me know how 4:3 works and what your results are like. Last week I was down 1.5lbs after the 3lb gain the previous week. This week I’ve been hormonal (yay for being a girl) with an insatiable appetite so I don’t expect to lose anything, fingers crossed I don’t gain-although would not be surprised.

    Hi Mrs SP,
    Good to read somebody else can’t stop eating on feed days. I am only on week 2 of the diet (today is my second fast day of the week). I find it really easy not to eat on fast days, I just don’t eat anything until dinner and it doesn’t even bother me to cook for the kids and hand out snacks etc. But once it’s a feed day I feel constantly hungry and even faint about an hour after I have eaten. Unsurprisingly I have also not lost any weight whatsoever.
    I will definitely give this a go for at least another 2 weeks but I don’t think I will carry on of no weight loss materializes.

    I am feeling very disappointed. I am at the tail end of my 7 th week and I have snot really lost any appreciable weight. From my highest reading to my lowest over the past 7 weeks I have fluctuated by 2 lbs. I find fast days fairly manageable but I must be well above my TDEE on my food days. I am also very sedentary right now (winter in Canada). I have 40 lbs to lose and I guess I expected to be closer to my correct weight by now. Guess I have more changes to make. Weigh in tomorrow morning, so need some good news.

    I am also six weeks into the 5/2 and overall have lost only 2lbs…. Really disappointed as I initially lost 3lbs and then no more since. I am 60 and underactive thyroid, have about 2 stone to lose, never dieted until after I hit the menopause and stopped smoking .. Ha ha recipe for weight gain!
    Not found this difficult to do but losing hope now, will carry on for another couple of weeks and then may have to try a different diet.
    Can’t do much exercise due arthritic hip, swim when I can.

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