This topic contains 20 replies, has 11 voices, and was last updated by FatGraham 9 years, 8 months ago.
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Well done to all of you & best of luck with it. I haven’t lost all of my weight yet and I didn’t have quite as much to lose when I started but I thought my input might be useful (inspirational ??) for you as I started out (somewhere) over 15 stone and have lost 4 stone so far (so about 70lb to lose to be within a good ‘healthy’ BMI and so far about 50lb down).
Initially I lost about a stone (probably a little more) in the first 2 months. So it took me twice as long as you JohEls, to lose about the same amount. After that initial loss it slowed down proportionally, as I became smaller. So please don’t set yourself up for failure by setting crazy-optimistic goals that you wont reach – your losses might be pretty big for a long time (as you have more to lose) but they WILL slow down, so please expect it.
Through the next 6 months or so I lost coming up to another 2 stone and dropped from a UK dress size 16 to a comfortable 12. I lost a further stone or so in the following year and then stopped at about 11st 4lb. This was because I didn’t want to be all wobbly and loose skinned, so I’d taken to the gym and pool with a vengeance. Initially I did lose a few lb but since then I’ve been lucky to maintain and have actually put on a few lb in the past year.
BUT – I have NEVER lost weight through exercise – it just doesn’t work for me and I am firmer and in very good physical shape. Considering I didn’t change my exercise habits for those first 2 years on 5:2 and lost the weight purely by the 5:2 lifestyle I’m happy despite the year long plateau.
Hopefully this will help you see that you will have ‘stages’ of your weight loss. You may drop stones to start with but be aware and sanguine about the fact that it wont last. Be prepared to tweak your fasting habits and non-fastday calorie allowance as you drop and don’t be afraid of starting up exercise as you shrink. It IS great for you and even if you don’t LOSE weight (like me) you will still convert fat to muscle and reshape your new healthy body. So it is worth doing, even if it takes you a while to get past that stage as a plateau.
Best of luck to you all š
That was my total ..I’ve lost 114 doing atkins then gained back 60 when I went off it so I’m here finding a method I can do for life .. I’ve lost 14 lbs since I started here .. Slowly but I’m losing and I don’t feel crazy deprived .. I may decide to go a little lower when I reach goal sometime in the future lol. But I will reevaluate as I get closer to the numbers I’ve set …
I’m really trying to not obsess over the numbers this time .. I weigh daily but since I treated myself to an aria scale that syncs to my phone I don’t stress about the numbers .. I want to be able to look back later on and note the trends of losing .. I’m also measuring monthly to see how that changes … Truth be told if I could wear a 12-14 US size at this weight I wouldn’t care about the numbers at all so why do I stress over them …
I’m trying 4:3 for a few weeks because we go on a short vacation with friends every year in April
and I’m working on having a few menus for fast days that I can alternate out that make it easy for me and that hubs will enjoy too.
This method makes so much sense to me and I swear it was how we all ate when I was young – no one stressed about food – there were no real “diet” foods and we ate more veggies and fruit and almost no junk foods (they were a treat) and if I wasn’t hungry I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch I didn’t force myself to eat BECAUSE IT WAS TIME TO EAT! I want that back and it is mainly what I’m doing.. I’m using full fat foods and no diet foods and if I’m not actually hungry I don’t eat … If I’m feeling peckish I have something small not a whole meal .. Salads are my friend with homemade salad dressing – and eggs are wonderful .. Always have a few hard boiled to grab one, pickles satisfy me if I think I want something sweet … Don’t know if it is the rich or sharp taste or the brine but it seems my brain says chocolate when it means pickles heheheh
We can do this and we can be healthy and happy doing it … Fast days are made less painful by knowing that tomorrow I can have whatever I’m craving today if I still want it .. And I’m finding lots of times I just don’t want it the next day too …. And you have to admit it doesn’t matter what you are having for your evening meal it tastes spectacular on a fast day doesn’t it … And I get up and brush my teeth and rinse with listerine mouthwash right after so I don’t want more of it …
Hola JoEls,
Good for you! I (only!) have around 70lbs to lose, but IĀ“ve been carrying most of it around for nearly 60 years, so I empathise with you all the way. For me, this is a bigger dream by far than, say, wining millions on the Lottery.
IĀ“m just starting, and have everything crossed. If I lose steadily, IĀ“ll stick to it. If I can stop myself leaping on the scales every day and getting upset when I havenĀ“t lost a stone overnight, it might be a good idea….
I often think that people look at me and wonder how I could possibly let myself get in this fat, wobbly state. If youĀ“ve never been there, you canĀ“t make “normal” people understand it isnĀ“t like giving up smoking or even coming off drugs. ItĀ“s not a one off. Would they like to think about every, single mouthful that goes between their lips? And live with the guilt when you feel you shouldnĀ“t have eaten or drunk that? I donĀ“t thinks so.
Anyway, good luck. If you post, IĀ“ll follow it and reply.
We are all in this together.
Wetherbycat
When I was 16 years old I saw a late middle aged man sat on a bench in the local park and he looked like he weighed about 20 stones and I thought to myself that I will never allow myself to get to that size and weight. And guess what…
So, I now have about 126lbs to lose to get my weight down to 12 stones and make my doctor happy (and my knees and hips), so I think I shall keep popping in for inspiration from you all on this thread.
The only pleasure I get nowadays is when young people say to me that they will never let themselves get to my size…yes, I used to think that too!
I know, I used to feel like that. You play a game with yourself; when I get to so much, I really will diet. You get past that mark, and so you do it again. And again. And again.
Speaking for myself, the main problem I have is that being obese (not fat, not overweight, obese) is a way of life. I think I have been merely plump perhaps twice in my life, but then not for long. I have never, ever been SLIM. Because of that, itĀ“s a dream with as much substance as writing a best seller, or being on the first flight to Mars. I just literally cannot envisage being slim, I donĀ“t know what it feels like, what it looks like. Very nice, I imagine!
IĀ“ve already had a couple of warnings; I had to have a knee replacement two years ago, and then an emergency gall bladder removal. Following the gall bladder removal, I had a hernia popped up. And horror of horrors, a week after the operation for the hernia patch I quite literally burst all over the kitchen floor. I had built up what the doctor called “a bag of blood” in the site of the repair. Very common, the doctor said, in people who had too much belly fat (they donĀ“t bother being polite here in Spain). I spent the next 12 weeks having the wound dressed every day, but the worst point was when the doctor showed me his surgical scissors and told me he could barely reach the site of the wound with the tips; weĀ“re talking 6″ of belly fat here!
But did it make me lose weight? What do you think? ThatĀ“s why IĀ“m here.
Altogether boys and girls; if we hopeless cases pull together, weĀ“ll show Ā“em all yet!
Wetherbycat
Wetherbycat, I know how you feel regarding a hernia, I gave myself an umbilical hernia bending down to put on my socks one morning and the doctor said that because there was so much fat they couldn’t do anything about it; “if it turns black, pop back in”.
“So how do I lose the weight doctor?” “Eat less, take more exercise.” “Okay, thanks doc, that’ll be really easy”. (Exercise makes me hungry, so the more I exercise the more I eat, the more I eat the more weight I put on, the more weight I put on the more I have to exercise) It takes more than ten years to become a doctor, yet they still don’t know anything about how to lose weight effectively.
My doctor in Leeds would tell me “if you don’t lose weight now you’ll never see (insert rounded up age here, eg 30, 40 or 50)” so in the end I just stopped listening. It’s a real pity that the Fast Diet wasn’t around thirty years ago
as I imagine that it would have been a lot easier for me then than it is now.
With you there, Graham! My doctor in Wetherby was about as round as she was tall, and she still insisted on sitting there and lecturing me about my weight!
Why is it thin folks simply think youĀ“re a glutton without will power if you are fat? I donĀ“t want to be fat. I would rather have a wooden leg than be fat. Come to think of it, that would probably be preferable, as at least I would get some sympathy!
If I do manage to lose my 70lbs – or anything like it – I think I will simply sit and cry. IĀ“ve carried this burden all my life, if I lose it now IĀ“m going to regret all those lost years. Still, fingers crossed….
Of course, if you cut your leg off you would lose quite a lot of weight straight away! A bit extreme perhaps.
I can’t help thinking about all those years of pausing half way up a flight of stairs waiting for my breathing to slow and thinking I was doing the right thing by not using the lift, yet all I needed to do was just not eat very much one day a week and I would now be slim! If only I had got the right advice.
Funny really, because I retired to the Lake District so I could ‘do the Wainwrights’ and I haven’t done one yet, my legs can’t cope with it. Hopefully when I’ve lost a few stones I can start climbing the fells and get fitter too.
I asked that same question in a thread of its own but I only got one reply and I’m not even certain what she advised.
I tried my first 500 fast day and it was a disaster. I could not stop thinking about food all day. I did ok with the food till about 3pm then I cracked and binged.
I will try again, on 700c and see if that helps.
366 – the guide of 500 or 600 is given as a quarter of the recommended daily cals for men and women (2000, 2400) so I would say 700 would be right for you.
Most importantly is to do what is right for you. If having 700 or even 800/900 on your fast days help you stick at it and you are losing weight, then that’s what you should do xx
I started with a higher number and worked my way down to 500 and if I go over a bit I don’t stress about it .. I figure 500-600 and I’ll take it … Make sure you figure things that go as far as possible and have things ready for fast day so you don’t have to think about it .. And I always have a few things on hand to grab quick .. Boiled eggs and dill pickles are lifesavers for me .. And I found for myself that only having coffee during the day and water and then eating a small normal dinner that is about 500 calories works best for me .. If I eat during the day like breakfast or lunch I find I am way hungrier …
I’m still in the learning stage myself and know it will work for me I’m not obsessing about food anymore
Oh the dill pickle helps lots of things but especially if I’m headachy I find it helps and the egg cut into 4 pieces with mustard on it helps if I’m losing it during the day .. So I don’t do it all the time but I have it ready in case I need it
Hi all, 366to266 – in answer to your question I would also advise that you do 700kcal on fastdays if that’s going to help you stick with 5:2. It IS a quarter of your TDEE so it isn’t cheating. As you lose weight you can reduce the number down if you feel comfortable doing that.
I would recommend that you aim to stick to the ‘standard’ 2000kcal (or perhaps a little over) on non-fastdays though. It may seem harsh but you’ll drop the weight so quickly the bigger your deficit (compared to the ‘maintaining’ calorie level you were on before 5:2) is. Don’t go too far, you don’t want to feel like you’re starving yourself on non-fastdays TOO. Stay a little above your BMR and you should be good – it’ll also prepare you for your long-term, rest-of-life diet and get you used to the portion sizes you ‘should’ be eating.
I did all of this by total accident on my first year of 5:2. š
Hi, all – just joined the forums for the first time today. I am 50, widowed mom with two boys (11 and 14). I’ve been morbidly obese all my life, except for about one year (2006/7) when I lost weight through stringent calorie counting. Well, since then many thing happened and I’ve gained all the weight back – I’m at 327 pounds.
I’ve had many a failed start and you know what? I have a horrible time losing weight even when the numbers say I should. I’m thinking my post-menopausal body and low metabolism are to blame. (Low body temperature, low pulse, etc.)
So I’m trying fasting. I’m doing total fasts (water/coffee only) on my fast days – not because I think I’ll lose much faster but for me, it’s slightly less obsessive. On those fast days I don’t think about food because nothing is an option. If that turns out to be too hard, I’ll move to the 500 calories or so.
Anyway, good to see others here in the same boat. Hopefully not for long though!
Hi Chris
Lots of us on here with a hunk of weight to move, you have certainly come to the right place.
I have done a couple of water only fast days, Quite enjoyed them, it’s good to not count at all, but I do 400 days too.
Worth reading the maintenance thread, some awesome folk on there, and they have done it. Gives us all hope.
Just don’t be hard on yourself if it goes pear shaped occasionally, this is a way of life, no failure just sometimes a little less successful than other days.
Have a great week and travel hopefully
Hi Chris,
I do a water only (well, decaff coffee only) fast on the ADF which I find quite easy, though admittedly I’ve only been doing it since Monday. I weigh just short of 21st (about 292lbs) and I am aiming for 12st which I have worked out should take me round about 12 months. It will probably take me longer, I assume, because as my weight decreases my TDEE will decrease with it and I’ll possibly lose a little less weight every FD. Don’t trust me, I’m not a doctor.
I’d also suggest the mid fifties thread too. Everybody is around the same age with very similar lifestyles.
Good luck.
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