Cry for help: non-fasting days!

This topic contains 6 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by And… exhale 8 years, 5 months ago.

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And… exhale

12:50 pm
5 Nov 15
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Hello to everyone,

I’ve been lurking on here for a couple of months, and love the positivity and enthusiasm of the posts I read. You guys rock!

Now I need a kick in the pants. My 5:2 journey has been a happy one, at least for the first three months. I stuck to the plan, kept within my TDEE on non-FDs and have really seen a difference with my weight, my health and my all-round wellbeing. I’m under BMI 30 for the first time in five years, and was amazed at how easy it was and how great I was feeling.

But now I’ve hit a wall: my motivation just seems to have fizzled out. I have stuck to my FDs, but suddenly find everything such a drag, including logging everything on my non-FDs, then end up sneaking food in, and back to the habits that lead to obesity in the first place. Weight loss has slowed to nil, and it’s only the FDs that are stopping me from piling the weight on again.

Also, because I’ve gone from BMI 33 to 28.9 (yay!), I’m still really very overweight, and I’m not at a stage where anyone outside my family has noticed the difference. I don’t want to make a fuss about it, but I need some encouragement to keep me going.

There are some really inspirational people on this site. I’m guessing I’m not the first person to hit this wall. Please if you have a minute, could you let me know how you got over this hump, or just tell me that I need to stick with it. I don’t want this to be ‘just another diet’ because I’ve been there many times before and have always put the weight on again, plus more.

Thank you!

Amazon

1:30 pm
5 Nov 15
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Hi and welcome,

The hard fact is that the only one who can do anything to overcome this is you. I’ve been struggling for a while due to personal circumstances but despite that am still trying and know that I’ve come too far to slip back into old habits which are difficult to get rid of as I’ve had them for so long.
Maybe if your FDs are going well you could add an extra one in to get the weight loss working again and once that happens you’ll find your way again. Or maybe you could set yourself a mini goal of how much you want to lose by Christmas.
I stopped this WOE for several months last year and started again in August. I had a holiday booked in 14 weeks and set myself a target of losing 28lbs by the time I went away and I succeeded.

You can do it, but you have to remember that you are only human and we all fail sometimes and forgive yourself. If we want it enough we keep trying until we succeed and you have to keep telling yourself that you can and you will do it.

Good luck.

And… exhale

3:52 pm
5 Nov 15
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Thanks Amazon – 28lbs in 14 weeks is really good going, good for you! A bit of motivational goal-setting sounds like a plan, and with Christmas coming up too. I think I just need to take myself seriously again!

HappyNow

5:25 pm
5 Nov 15
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Hi And…exhale,

Amazon’s right, you are the only one who can make the decision to carry on or give up and slip back into bad habits.

But ask yourself, what sort of future do you want?

Do you want to be slim and fit, with less pressure on your joints, and reduced risk of metabolic syndrome and ill health in later years? And to be around, and healthy, with your family for as long as possible?

Or do you want to be overweight/ obese, with increasingly limited mobility/ joint problems, at risk (or with) diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, fatty liver disease, etc?

I don’t know how old you are, or what family you have, but I was 40 when my Mum died of cancer (she was only 70, obese, high cholesterol, high BP, hypothyroidism). She lacked the motivation to tackle her weight, although her weight impacted on her quality of life for a lot of years. Maybe she still wouldn’t have been able to dodge the cancer, even if she’d been a healthy weight, but she might not have had her other health issues. Sadly we’ll never know. But I don’t want that to be my future. That’s my motivation.

Good luck finding yours.

And… exhale

6:08 pm
5 Nov 15
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Oh HappyNow, so sorry to hear about your Mum. It can so difficult to take your own health/weight seriously, especially when you have other people to look after. I’m 42 with two preteen kids, but apart from making sure any worrying about weight/weighing of food goes on without their knowledge, I’ve never factored them into this. But you’re right, decisions I make now about my health will affect how long I get to spend with them. I’m really impressed that you found such positive motivation in your loss. Thank you for your encouragement.

HappyNow

9:11 am
8 Nov 15
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Hi And…

It isn’t easy, a lot of people here have a lot of years of bad habits to try and change. You’ve made a fantastic start, you just need to keep that momentum going now. The results really will be worth the effort.

I was only a couple of stone (13kg ish) overweight when I found 5:2, but my weight had started creeping up through my early 40s and I felt powerless to stop/reverse that trend. I’ve been below my goal weight now since April 2014 and I still consciously enjoy being slim and feeling healthy every day.

My eating habits have changed for the better, much less refined carbohydrate and sugar, and I’m (mostly!) in control of food now.

I feel so much healthier (more energy, massively reduced menstrual symptoms, reduction in asthma and allergies), and the reduced weight/bulk makes exercise and every day activities (bending/ kneeling down!) so much easier. I actually want to move more not less!

And not to mention the increased confidence (everything fits!), and no longer feeling that I’m defined by my excess weight…

Good luck.

And… exhale

8:01 pm
8 Nov 15
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Yes, Happy, you’re right – there are so many benefits to 5:2. I’m sleeping better than I have done for years, and my knees have stopped hurting. I feel brighter and more alert, especially on FDs. And there’s a lot to be said for feeling in control of food at last.

I’ve had a bit of an overhaul, stepped back and looked at the last three/four weeks. Sure enough, my logging of food was getting a bit flaky and some of my food choices were pretty dire, although within my TDEE, mostly. Quite a bit of fibbing to myself, which got worse when we didn’t get many Trick-or-Treaters : a whole bowl of sweets sat in the corner of the kitchen (now happily rehomed). I think I just went on a huge sugar downer – at least I felt AWFUL at the the beginning of the week.

So, back to basics – lots more veggies, meticulous logging and possibly 4:3 in a couple of weeks if the scales still don’t budge. It’s lovely to hear that you’ve stuck with the plan and kept at a healthy weight. I’m 12 kgs down, but need another 12kgs off to get to BMI 24.9, which is my current goal. Taking responsibility for this is part of looking after myself and, as Amazon said, no one else is going to step up and do it for me.

Have a great week.