Do I give up?

This topic contains 12 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by Jilly R 8 years ago.

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Mommypenney

6:59 pm
27 Mar 16
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Hi all. I started 5:2 before Christmas and lost approx. 7 points over 2 months. I was extremely pro 5:2 so much so that I probably over did it when telling people about it 😊. At Christmas I relaxed and suffice to say by Jan I had put the weight back on. I though hey-ho, it’s nothing that a bit of 5:2 won’t shift but so far not so good. I admittedly do 4:3 as I feel I have more freedom at the weekends if I do and to be fair I can cope with it pretty well. I’m aware of my TDEE but must admit although I have MFP I don’t always use it. It depends which way the wind is blowing 😉
Anyway (I’ll stop ranting) to date I have only lost 5lbs but have lost 11 inches. I exercise on and off and I’ll tell you why. I get disheartened very easily. I’ll have a top week where I’ll do my 30 Day Shred every morning , walk home from work more often than not (approx. 1.5 miles per walk) and I play squash once a week with my husband. I work full time and I have 2 young children so I’m always busy although my job is office based.
Now. If after what I call a successful week I get on the scales and see no weight loss it really gets me down. I stick with it and although my exercise is quite erratic (I might one week not do any of the above exercise except the squash) I think “don’t worry Nic, it will right itself next week” and then when it’s the same again I crash and burn. I think what’s the point? Yes the health benefits out weigh the weight loss but I’m truly after weight loss. I’m so down about it I’m just left a 5:2 Facebook page as I see lots of people losing weight and without sounding selfish it makes me feel like crap (can I say that 🙊).
My point is do I carry on and hope it speeds up a bit or do I accept that this might not be working for me? Have I given up to quickly (3 months). I guess without even thinking about it I’m comparing 5:2 to other diets (although I know this a wol and not a diet) but I know I’ve lost 1-2lbs s week doing other things and I feel I’m getting nowhere fast.
Any wise words/suggestions would be really welcome.
This is my first post so be gentle with me peeps 😊

NorthernGal

7:40 pm
27 Mar 16
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Hi Mommypenney, I can’t guarantee any wise words I’m afraid, but thought I’d pop in and say hello. First of all maybe you’re being a bit harsh on yourself. You’ve lost 11 inches!!! That is fantastic!!! It sounds as though the diet is working for you, but maybe if you find it hard to cope with zero weight loss on the scales, maybe don’t weigh yourself. I know that is a BIG deal and I weigh myself every week. However I’ve already decided that this is a way of life for me, know that I’m going to see a gain at some stage most likely and several plateaus, but that’s OK by me and I’ve accepted that (not saying I won’t tear my hair out in anguish when it does mind you!!).
I guess only you know the answer about whether this is right for you. Something that I do read on here is that many people have tried diet after diet after diet. I think the word “diet” says it all. I think whatever you choose has to be sustainable for the rest of your life.
Hope that helps a bit!
I LOVE playing squash by the way and isn’t it just the best way to burn sooooo many calories while having fun. Sadly my knee isn’t up to it anymore but I think this WOL might change that, fingers crossed.
All the best and focus on the amazing inch loss.

Mommypenney

7:52 pm
27 Mar 16
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Hi NorthenGal. Thank you for your lovely response. I think if I didn’t weigh myself weekly I’d become a little slack. I think I need to retrain my mindset to know that this a slow process in terms of loss and that I still get to eat the things I like within reason.
Like most things I worry I’m not doing something the right way and go into panic mode rather than trusting the process.
Squash is fab! The children go to a stageschool on a Tuesday so it’s our (me and my husbands) one opportunity to do something together and we love it.
Thank you again for responding x

NorthernGal

8:02 pm
27 Mar 16
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You’re welcome. Yes, I really think “long haul” mindset is crucial to this. One of the things I love about this is that it’s so flexible and there isn’t a right or wrong way to do it, bar a few guidelines, so no need to worry on that count.
I used to always beat my partner at squash and he’d get quite huffy about it hehe. It was a long time ago and I’m sure when I get this excess weight off and we start playing again he’ll slaughter me. I’m going to have to put up with some serious gloating! x

Mommypenney

8:42 pm
27 Mar 16
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I’m going to keep trying and hope for the best I guess.
On the squash front I’m sorry to say my husband kicks my arse! Lol x

annette52

8:46 pm
27 Mar 16
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Look at it a different way.
Losing visceral fat(belly fat) is THE indicator of health. It has been said that the goal is of a waist measurement that is less than half our height. Too lose 11 inches is wonderful and shows you that you are shrinking.
Scales are inaccurate and if a person can lose or gain 10 lb in a day, it is weird that we base so much store by what number it says at any given time. I have had a month when I lost nothing according to the scales, but lost 7 inches all over and times when the tape measure seems to be broken when I measure my vital statistics…and yet I find that my clothes are getting lose and my body shape is changing.
This is a way of life and a marathon rather than a sprint. No one got overweight overnight, there has to be a change in what and how much we eat to make the change. Problem is habits take time to change. Sounds like you are doing well.

Mommypenney

8:58 pm
27 Mar 16
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Hi annette52. Thank you for that. That’s really made me think. You obviously know your stuff. I think you’re completely right in what you’ve said and it’s made me look at things differently. I’m so glad I posted the question.
People at work tell each other all the time how skinny each other are looking and are they dieting or the diet is going well and I think my loss is slow so that no one can really tell at the moment. Oh well, maybe they will one day x

NorthernGal

9:27 pm
27 Mar 16
Permalink

Try not to worry about other people and whether they notice or not Mommypenney. So far I’ve lost just over 2 1/2 stone (sorry, not trying to boast) and not one single person has noticed. I really don’t care because I’m doing this for me and so that my son has a healthy mum and nobody else. Conversely no-one noticed when I put the weight on either. I might have a load of very unobservant friends but I think it’s because I carry the extra weight very evenly and I’m quite tall so the loss isn’t very obvious (and sadly any gain which is how I got myself to this point in the first place!) Maybe you’re the same and any weight loss just isn’t noticeable for a while? You have to want to lose it for you.
Plus if no-one notices, the expression on their faces when you do eventually tell them how much you’ve lost is absolutely priceless!
I’m off to bed. Goodnight! x

Cinque

10:11 pm
27 Mar 16
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Hi Mommypenney,
I am another one who argues for the long term view.

If 5:2 is treated like a fad diet, the results will be the same as a fad diet. This works for some people, but like other fad diets, when people are in it for a quick fix, a picture book success, a deadline, results, results, results – well ofcourse the likely result is to be disillusioned and to give up.

To make a sustainable change of life, in the way you eat, and plan to eat for the future, is a completely different decision.
The decisions you make about which days you fast, what you eat on fast days, how you manage habits, what you do over Christmas, how you react when you have a binge day, whether you weigh yourself, and how often, whether you measure yourself.

It is a journey for getting to know hunger, to have space in your eating, to discover your rhythms and preferences, to notice changes and learn from them. It is about picking yourself up again when things go awry, and taking an adult view of what good eating is.

5:2 is the best tool I have found for this journey. It is a most precious gift that has been given to me. It is the last thing I would throw away.

Oryx

6:42 am
28 Mar 16
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Cinque wrote:
“If 5:2 is treated like a fad diet, the results will be the same as a fad diet.”

I’m going to print it and hang on my refrigerator. 😉 I get a lot of compliments because I lost a lot of weight during the last two years but the compliments are not as important as how I’m feeling. And two years are a long time but I had to lose a lot of weight. So only the long term counts. A few weeks are nothing. And what other people say … not important. Even if compliments make me smile every time. 😉

Mommypenney

6:06 pm
28 Mar 16
Permalink

Thank you Cinque. I’m trying to change my mindset and as much as I don’t want to count calories I think I will have to for now until I learn what I can and cannot do. I do 4:3 as I feel I can be more flexible on NFD’s. I wonder who else does that? x

Cinque

10:06 pm
28 Mar 16
Permalink

Hello again,
That is a good idea Mommypenney. And if 4:3 starts feeling unsustainable, you can go back to 5:2. You can keep trying things until you work out what suits you and your lifestyle. Best wishes! Lots of people here do 4:3, either at times, or continually, because it suits them better.

Oryx, that is cool that you will put those words on the fridge! Congratulations on your two years! I’ve been going 8 months and I agree that what I feel trumps what other people say… but compliments always welcome! 🙂

Jilly R

6:06 am
29 Mar 16
Permalink

Hiya
I have been going 3 months now. I lost a good amount in the first couple of weeks then nothing for about 3 weeks but I knew I was eating way less and doing good exercise so I persevered. I was also noticed my clothes get looser which kept me motivated. Since then I have been right on track with the 1 lb a week loss even when I thought it may slow down a little. My advice is to keep going, be positive about what you are doing and keep busy 🙂
All the best