Fast Diet didn't work…

This topic contains 32 replies, has 16 voices, and was last updated by TracyJ 10 years, 1 month ago.

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shenanigans

8:22 am
9 Oct 14
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Hi. I’m a 38 yo male from Australia. I’m 194cms tall and, five weeks ago, I weighed 95kgs. After five weeks on the Fast Diet I am still, as expected, 194cms tall but, more unexpectedly, I’m also still 95kgs. That’s right I lost nothing. Absolutely nothing. I don’t know how this even possible, but frankly I’m a little pissed off, and not just because I have a mild crush on Michael Moseley (it’s the lisp, the messy hair and the fact he used to be psychiatrist, which makes me think he’d be a good listener, though I know that psychiatrists are awful listeners).

Honestly, the fasting hasn’t been much of a challenge. In fact I’ve weirdly enjoyed it, and I’m sure I’m getting other health benefits from the diet. But I didn’t do 5:2 for those reasons – I did it to lose weight!

I’m the classic guy who never had to do anything to stay in shape, so I was always a bit lazy about looking after myself… until I got “skinny fat” in my late-20s. My partner is a superb cook (http://www.cookeatblog.com) and we like to eat and drink (I do a lot of food, wine and travel writing) and we both knew we were getting fat. So we took up cycling. We did lose weight, but couldn’t shift our guts. So we decided to try 5:2. Today is the last fasting day of five weeks and, as I said, I’ve lost nothing.

So what are we doing wrong? My partner has been responsible for the calorie-restricted meals on fasting days. We’ve been VERY strict – no cheating whatsoever. But he hasn’t lost anything either. Admittedly, we got slack with the cycling (we’ve been super busy with work) and we’re not exactly eating like birds on our normal days. Plus, we drink – though not half as much as we used to. But I swear: we’re not eating or drinking any more than we did before we started 5:2. In fact, I’d say we’re eating less (one noticeable benefit: I don’t feel as hungry as I used to). And we very rarely, if ever, eat junk food or sweets.

Frankly, it’s just weird. In fact I can’t believe this is even mathematically possible. Does anyone have any theories? Michael, can you hear me? Don’t make me fall out of love with you…

Countrygal

8:37 am
9 Oct 14
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Gee, that is so disappointing for you both. My suggestion would be to download MyFitnessPal, it will calculate what your daily calorie intake should be, you have to enter every possible thing you but in your mouth for the day including alcohol, you would be surprised how quickly it all adds up. Most of us are under the assumption we are eating healthy low cal meals….until you check out this app. Try it even just for a week and let us know how you go. The big thing of course is drinking heaps of water on fast days and pretty much eat normally on other days BUT if your intake is more than it should be, this app will point that out. Things just like a teaspoon of parsley on your salad has calories.Good luck, let us know how you go, my thread is AUSSIE DETERMINATION

Kvetina

9:18 am
9 Oct 14
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Hi Shenanigans, You may have to calorie count your normal days for a month or so (I know it sucks, but it can be surprising). Have you worked out your TDEE & BMR from the calculator on the side >>>.

We quite often underestimate the calories in what we eat and especially what we drink (truly scary even 😆

BTW, I am now in love with the blog you posted and shall now spend the night devouring it in all its deliciousness!

edit: Had a quick read of your twitter feed on the blog, and I can see why this is not working for you 😆 Oh yum, the mushroom lasagne has me salivating!

shenanigans

12:08 am
11 Oct 14
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Hi guys. As stated – we have VERY strict on our fasting days. Absolutely NO cheating whatsoever (I once didn’t eat a Mylanta tablet because it had ten calories). My BF has been checking and rechecking every calorie – and yes, we have an app for that.

As for calorie counting on the “off” days – what’s the point? Isn’t the whole point of the Fast Diet that we can eat whatever we like on our normal days? And as I pointed out, we eat “well”. No junk food, very few sweets. We like our wine, but other than that, our regular meals are pretty well balanced. besides, as I said, we’re not eating any differently than we did before – BUT WE HAVEN’T LOST ANYTHING. I have no theory for this. But Im seriously considering giving up the Fast Diet. It makes no sense to keep doing it when all we seem to be doing is forcing two unpleasant days a week on ourselves to no appreciable end.

Dummerchen

9:50 am
11 Oct 14
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“As for calorie counting on the “off” days – what’s the point? Isn’t the whole point of the Fast Diet that we can eat whatever we like on our normal days? ”

That only works if your normal intake is in fact “normal”. But for a travelling food writer who likes a glass of wine, or two or three, this might not be the case.
Michael and Mimi never said that you can guzzle down 1000 kcals in wine to wash down 3000 kcals of food every non fast day and lose weight. The explicitly state that you can eat everything in moderation.

“Everything” on 5:2 refers to the type of food and their preparation, not the amount. Calorie counting for a while is therefore a very valid point as most of us have no idea what we are eating and drinking in general.
You can blame the diet for your lack of weight loss and continue to gain. Or you can take a critical look at what you are doing and then make sustainable changes.

Your choice.

Moogie

10:52 am
11 Oct 14
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There are lots of factors which affect weight which could be at play here.

From the stats we’ve been gathering at FastDay we’ve seen that loss is considerably slower in those starting with an already healthy BMI – yours is around 25 which is the top end of healthy, but healthy none the less. You may have lost a pound or two bit small losses can often be masked on the scales by other factors.

You might find this interesting:
Why the scales don’t tell the truth http://www.fastday.com/fasting/why-the-scales-dont-tell-the-truth/

There are more helpful docs in the FastDay troubleshooting section 🙂

Dishys

11:28 am
11 Oct 14
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Hi, this is my first post but thought I would comment on shenanigans thread. I started the 5:2 diet back in May this year as my son announced his engagement and wedding plans. I have around four and half stone to lose. I read up on the 5:2 diet after meeting up with a friend that had lost two stone.

My first week showed results of 3lb and then 2lb but after that, three weeks went by without any further weight loss. It was only when I started to read some of the other threads that I realised that I had to stick to a certain number of calories on the other 5 days!

I thought I could just eat and drink what ever I wanted.

I set about planning the following;

Monday 500 calories
Tuesday 800 calories
Wednesday 500 calories
Thursday to Sunday no more than 1500 calories.

I have now lost 22 lbs. Yes it’s slow but for the first time in years I can do this. I have been able to get back in jeans I had sitting in the wardrobe from 7 years ago.

To really learn about ths diet. Read the forums successes and people’s experience. Then put a plan into place. Good luck x

shenanigans

2:11 am
13 Oct 14
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Thankyou for your slightly condescending response, Dummerchen. It fails to take into account, however, one important fact: ie. that had I simply not done the fast diet and just kept up with my cycling, it would have had exactly the same effect. If this travelling food writer who enjoys a glass of wine or three is now supposed to calorie count on his off days then this seems to go against the very essence of the Fast Diet and starts to just look like any old calorie-counting diet of the Weight Watchers school. Suddenly the image of Dr Moseley tucking into a breakfast hamburger on his non-fasting day doesn’t look very realistic and might, indeed, be deliberately misleading. I’ve written for television and understand that I’m not supposed believe everything I see, but it doesn’t change the fact calorie counting on off days isn’t the Fast Diet – it’s something we’re all very familiar with and it’s nothing very revolutionary at all.

Do I eat well? Yes, very. I often eat at top restaurants around the world and my partner cooks this: http://www.cookeatblog.com I don’t, however, “guzzle” wine or eat 3000 cals of food a day. In fact, the food I eat is, for the most, very healthy. I almost never eat junk food, soft drinks or sweets. (In fact, I’m a complete food snob) So, basically, there’s only one conclusion I can come to – the Fast Diet didn’t work for me, for whatever reason. I’m going back to exercise and bidding adieu to the diet.

brawlo

4:12 am
13 Oct 14
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So, I found this little discussion intriguing as I’m new here and about to start my first fast as of tomorrow. I’m about to turn 37 and am just a little taller than you at 196cm, but I weigh a fair bit more at 120kg ATM.

My first question for you would be what was your weight doing before you started the fast diet? I am guessing, but was your weight sitting at 95kg? If so, I would guess that your cycling was helping you to maintain your weight while you were consuming too many calories. When you say that you started the diet and stopped cycling but didn’t lose any weight, I would say the diet is just offsetting the calorie benefit you gained from the cycling.

I am in a situation myself where I am an avid cyclist. I am 120kg ATM but was down to 113kg near the start of this year (I added weight lifting to my activities over winter which would account for most of the gain). I carry a significant amount of muscle and am quite fit but carry too much fat around my gut. I will happily admit I don’t eat poorly, but I know I eat too much which is why my weight is where it is. I think you are in a similar situation where if you actually counted the calories you are consuming on a regular basis, you are just consuming too much. If you had continued to cycle through your diet, I would say your outcome would have changed. I am about to start the diet as I am seeking the extra benefits associated with the fast rather than purely looking to lose weight. Losing weight on its own is easy if you can realistically monitor what you eat

shenanigans

4:50 am
13 Oct 14
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Hi Brawlo. I agree with you – that’s almost definitely what was happening. Which is fine. But my point is – if I have to monitor what I eat on non-fast days then the Fast Diet isn’t anything new or radical at all, it’s just calorie counting. And that’s been around for, like, ever. if I’m not losing ANY weight on the fast diet by simply replacing starving myself for two days a week with cycling four days a week, frankly I’d prefer to cycle. It’s much more fun!

brawlo

5:10 am
13 Oct 14
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Which is why I have found this discussion interesting. Having just read through the book, I see the diet benefits in the repair mechanisms rather than the weight loss. The weight loss to me is a bit of a side benefit, but from your experience it’s not cut and dried eat what you want. I think it’s not really said in either the book or the doco, but could be implied that Michael made an effort to improve his eating habits on the whole, as well as doing the fast days. It’s the repair machanisms that makes this diet different form most others. Enjoy the cycling.

shenanigans

5:16 am
13 Oct 14
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Yes, I don’t dispute that there are probably “repair” benefits from fasting. But I can’t really measure those, short of doing comparative blood tests. But as I said – the only reason I did it was to lose my gut! And that didn’t happen…

bayleafoz

6:21 am
13 Oct 14
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Hi there

Someone just posted this on another thread. It seems to apply to this discussion as well.

“A lot of people see weight loss as very complicated thing to achieve when in fact it’s not. It just takes a little dedication to exercise and strict diet to lose weight fast as what is expected. The great combination of a workout routine and a healthy diet will help you lose fat. The thought of reducing the food while maintaining a hardcore workout will definitely lead you to your success in weight loss. By doing this ideal combination, you will get fit, lose weight fast and make the production of fats effete. It is the simplest and easiest way to lose weight without any surgeries and maintenance of pills. Oftentimes hectic schedules hinder a person to exercise that’s why a lot of professionals or working people easily gain weight. Maneuvering your physique helps you sweat out the toxins and by product of the physique’s system. In this way as well, the fuel that was converted from the accumulated fats of the body will be utilized hence averting the possibility of fat build up. Doing this with proper diet will let you shed some pounds off.

Among all diets that are touted as the best one with the most efficacies, diet with low carbohydrates intake remains to be the most popular. As what its name conveys, it is a diet that controls the intake of carbohydrates substituting it with protein and other nourishment instead. It still has an intake of carbs though but it is reduced compared to other nutrients that are indicated in the diet. The consumption of rice, bread, and pasta is lessened and the intake of fruits, vegetable and other food that is rich in proteins is raised. Though carbs triggers the production of fats, prohibiting the intake of it is blatantly risky and unhealthy for carbs are the food of the brain. Absence of carbs may cause severe complications especially in the mental health.”

HappyNow

6:23 am
13 Oct 14
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Hi, I don’t know what sort of cycling you do shenanigans, but I’ve found that losing 30ish lbs of fat while maintaining muscle (no calorie counting, but 5:2 and portion size control/mindfulness on non fast days) has been hugely beneficial to my cycling performance, hill climbing in particular.

Matrika

6:37 am
13 Oct 14
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Honestly not sure how this forum will manage without your bright cheery positive presence shenanigans but I guess we will just have to soldier on, sadly losing weight and getting healthier without you. 🙂

“Frankly, it’s just weird. In fact I can’t believe this is even mathematically possible. Does anyone have any theories?”

I do…I thought you posted here just to link to “my partners blog”. Shameless. 🙂

bayleafoz

6:42 am
13 Oct 14
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I have looked at the cookeatblog with its yummy food and really am amazed that you aren’t a lot heavier. The food is beautiful and could be eaten by a person seeking to control their weight, maybe once a week.

From what you’ve written, I’m guessing that you want to lose weight without reducing your food and wine intake. This is just not possible. Energy in has to equal energy out. The balance of energy not required for daily living will be taken and stored as fat. By the sound of it, your cycling is just keeping pace with your normal five day food intake.

Why did you stop cycling when you began fasting? As Happy says, combining cycling with fasting will produce results.

People who stick with 5:2 discover that what we have regarded as normal is way more food than our body requires. My health is better and I have lost 17 kg. the weight loss has come from eating less food every day of the week, and eating half the portion size I used to eat. Once my stomach shrank on the first two weeks of fasting, I have been quite satisfied with less food. Food tastes better. I do not count calories, but I listen to my stomach and do not overfill it.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. This way of life is not for all.

shenanigans

6:58 am
13 Oct 14
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Hi Bayleaf. I’d love to lose weight while not reducing my intake at all, but I realise that’s just not possible. It’s just that I thought that fasting two days a week would be enough. The media around the Fast Diet has certainly given that impression. As I said previously: if all we’re doing is calorie counting on every day, then that’s not the Fast Diet. That’s just good old fashioned calorie counting, as practised by Weight Watchers etc for many years. I will credit the Fast Diet for making me feel more full after less food. However, I lost nothing, so I can only conclude that it was the exercise that was doing me the most benefit in the first place.

My cycling dropped off for a couple of reasons: it rained here in Sydney for five weeks solid and I got a sudden rush of new clients and became super busy with work. It wasn’t a conscious thing, I just got too busy (I’m a freelancer so my work comes in waves). I’m starting cycling again this week. Once again, however, the Fast Diet does not emphasise exercise, and while I think that exercise is an obvious ingredient in weight loss, it certainly gives the impression that it’s not NECESSARY to lose weight while fasting – thus the point of the Fast Diet.

And yes, my BF is an insane cook.

Matrika: I don’t entirely understand your post. My partner’s blog does fine without me. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and just decide you were being sincere.

HappyNow

7:00 am
13 Oct 14
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Hi again shenanigans,

Having established that cycling is a more enjoyable experience without lugging the excess fat around, I should probably mention that it’s also more enjoyable because I look good in my lycra now. Shallow I know…! But just thought I’d mention it in case you are a MAMIL..

shenanigans

7:06 am
13 Oct 14
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No way, dude. Keep the lycra. I’m strictly a footy shorts and gross T-shirt guy.

TracyJ

11:02 am
13 Oct 14
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Hiya Shenanigans, I get that you thought 5:2 was some kind of miracle cure ‘diet’ or something, many wander this way and promptly give up when it ‘doesn’t work’ for them, having assumed the same thing. But yes, as far as the weight loss aspect is concerned it is basically a numbers game with the calories.

For most people this is not too hard to grasp and get on with. Many people eat convenience or packaged foods which are easy to calorie count or (like me) put in a few minutes to calorie counting some of their favourite recipes and box up portions of those in the freezer so that they know roughly what they are consuming, not just on fastdays but on all other days too. Also, many who are interested mainly in the weight loss side are coming from other diets and grasp the calorie aspect easily and find it a nice relaxing break from whatever restrictive regime they’ve come from.

I expect that any level of calorie counting would be more of a bother for you and your partner, as many of the meals on the blog are described as off the cuff ideas thrown together on the spur of the moment and I didn’t see one that I could really describe as low calorie. Don’t get me wrong, they look AMAZEBALLS but if you’re making bechemel sauce with cream (I was very intrigued by the sound of mushroom lasagna – YUM!)then that’s going to tip it well over my ‘700kcal MAX for a main meal’ quota so it’s a non-starter. I’ll stick to my mum’s old Weight Watchers Tuna lasagna – also YUM!!! – which I can have with a handfull of oven fries for less than 800 calories AND tastes even better from frozen than it does freshly made (winner).

I’m really pleased for you that exercise seems to work for helping you keep in some kind of shape. Exercise has never done anything but hinder weight loss for me. Even now, after 2 years on 5:2 and 3 stone lost through diet alone, as soon as I upped my exercise regime the weight loss screeched to a halt and hasn’t yet recovered (since about April). Nevermind – as another poster mentioned above, weight loss itself is a nice-to-have side effect of what is really going on with the fasting and it’s health benefits. As long as I stick to 5:2 I can look forward to perfect BP, blood sugar levels and calm moods, my periods are regular and light, my skin is clear and soft and my eczema is a thing of the past. Those are well worth doing 5:2 for on their own.

Best of luck to you and your partner, I hope the cycling continues to help mitigate the wine 😉

bayleafoz

11:25 am
13 Oct 14
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Hi Shenanigans

We are all our own experiment in 5:2 so my suggestion (if you’re interested) is to make a four week trial of fasting plus cycling.

You broke the rule for a simple trial in that you changed two variables at once, you subtracted cycling and you added fasting. So now you know that fasting on its own keeps you at 95 kgs, and you know that cycling on its own keeps you at 95 kg.

So now try both cycling and fasting for four weeks and see what the result is. Only you will know if the result is worth the effort.

Good luck, Bayleaf

Poot09

11:52 am
13 Oct 14
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Oh Shenanigans! Please don’t lose heart!!!! My big question for you is have you measured yourself? After 2 weeks I was about to throw it away cause I was annoyed I hadn’t lost any weight…Low and behold, I hadn’t lost weight, but I had lost centimetres from my waist.

I’m not going to tell you my measurements, cause I see you could be a little on the edge with this! But… measure, measure, measure! My friends and I have been doing this and have not seen the scales move much at all, but the measurements have gone down!

If you have the discpline to refuse a 10 calorie mylanta then I reckon you could smash the 4:3 program which is what I am doing. I fast Mon, Wed, Fri and eat what I want on the other days.

How are you fasting? Are you spreading your calories through the day or having them in bulk? The first week or so I spread the 500 out…crap decision. I now fast for almost 24 hours and only eat dinner on fast day. So much easier and I know I am not going over the calorie amount. I drink coffee during the day to get me through!

If you can’t get out to cycle, try some HIIT 3 minutes a day….apparently that has huge benefits.

Maybe try find a photo of you from 5 weeks ago and take a photo now…I am thinking you might see some difference, even if its only a little.

I hang my tape measure in between my fridge and pantry so everytime I feel a little disheartened I measure my waist and love the s#%^ out of it!

Don’t give up!!!!!!!!!!

Lichtle

1:50 pm
13 Oct 14
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I will just add my two pennies’ worth. Whilst I get your point and disappointment with what you thought was a ‘non calorie counting diet’ I have found that this is not the case.

I am repeating here what I have mentioned in another thread. I don’t think tall people as yourselve have quite got the same need for 5:2 as smaller people, simply because your TDEE is already pretty high and if you are even slightly active or play sports you should have no problems reducing your weekly calories by 3500 per week (=1lb) in order to lose weight. I should think you would get this from your cycling.
However for small people like myself (moderately active) with a TDEE of under 1500 it is virtually the only option to lose or maintain weight for any length of time without being permanently deprived. 5:2 is essentially a restrictive diet but psychologically we find it very hard to maintain permanently restricted diets for months on end. This is why 5:2 is so successful; it restricts calorie intake drastically on two days only (or three days), allowing reasonable portions on the other days. All diets work, the question is whether we can make the diet a way of life. Without sustainability we will give up and return to our old eating habits which made us overweight. Many people have found that they can sustain this for life.
But I do get your disappointment following the documentary, because Michael Mosely did have a massive breakfast after fasting. However they also mentioned that they found that on average people don’t over eat too much which would provide an overall calorie deficit. However I am not so sure this is always the case, because the calories saved on fasting days can easily be absorbed by overeating on the 5 remaining days. If you save 3000kcals on 2 FD you only need to overeat by 600kcals on the other 5 days. I hope this helps and good luck with your weight loss, whatever you chose to do.

shenanigans

11:10 pm
13 Oct 14
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Hi Tracy. Obviously we are not eating these foods on fast days – and yes, the mushroom lasagne is a top-ten this year. There are many of them packed in the freezer. Did I mention he makes his own pasta? Ridic.

However… of course we don’t eat that stuff on fast days. In fact, as previously stated, we were very strict. Our usual pattern was: no breakfast, just a macchiato coffee (30 cals). Lunch at about 1.30pm – usually a salad with a small can of tuna. About 150 cals. Another coffee @ 5pm to keep off until hunger. Dinner at about 8pm – usually a very low cal curry with prawns or fish and tiny serve of rice. All up: 600 cals. The recommended amount for men. Nothing else, just Japanese green tea and water. I never cheated. Not ever.

My point, then, is simply this: the Fast Diet quite explicitly states that you can eat like a normal person on your off days. Which we do. In fact, we eat far more sensibly than most people – no fast food, no ready meals, no soft drinks or lollies. Certainly no hamburger breakfasts, ala Michael Moseley. We just don’t like that stuff. But if I have to start calorie counting on my non-fast days then… the Fast Diet isn’t really anything new or radical at all, contrary to Moseley’s claims. Yes, I accept I may have “invisible” benefits that may be doing me wonders. But screw that. I’m here to to get rid of my gut. And yes, Bayleaf, I agree. I have considered doing it again but with exercise; I’m sure I’d lose more weight. However… The Fast Diet doesn’t really promote exercise as an integral part of the regime. So, once again, my point is simply this: if we have to exercise AND calorie count on our non-fast days, then how is the Fast Diet any different to simple calorie counting diets we’ve seen a million times? It just doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Poot9 – no we didn’t measure. But my jean size didn’t change. So I can only assume it didn’t have any appreciable effect. Then again, men don’t vary around their middles quite as much as women.

Conclusion: I probably would have lost more weight if I’d had time to exercise during my experiment with the Fast Diet. But in that case, the Fast Diet isn’t very different to many diets we’ve seen before. Therefore, I’m not really going to bother continuing. Instead, I’m just going to cut down portion sizes and make time for cycling again.

thanks everyone. I hope my experience has sparked some thoughts and discussion.

kzee

11:56 pm
13 Oct 14
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Dear shenanigans I too have your problem to a certain extent.I am overweight and was eating too well and not exercising much. For the last three weeks I lost over a kilo and then suddenly I put 300g on, and this week only one 100g came off. For me I think it was perhaps the old bod decided I was losing too much too quickly but I have also done a lot more exercise so that may be a factor – more muscle? I had been eating normally on my off days – no calorie counting as I hate it – but the stomach has shrunk and I am naturally eating less. But I have lost some cms around the tum etc so have you measured those. Stick it out a bit longer – internally you may be doing great things.

simcoeluv

12:19 am
14 Oct 14
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Hi shenan:

I assume you know that the 5:2 diet was not created as a weight loss diet. It was created as a life extension diet that had weight loss as a side effect. The person that popularized it was not fat, gaining weight and wanting to lose weight. He was reasonably thin and his normal eating pattern was not causing weight gain. Put in diet language, he was eating to his TDEE.

The great mistake of the book in my opinion was the use of the word ‘normal’. For Dr. M., ‘normal’ meant eating to his TDEE. Not being fat, not gaining weight, he didn’t realize (apparently) that for many people coming to a weight loss diet, ‘normal’ eating meant eating too much (consistently over their TDEE). That is why they were overweight and gaining weight to begin with. When those people come to 5:2 expecting to continue to eat as usual five days a week they find they don’t lose weight, or lose very slowly. Like you, however, they usually stop their weight gain because of the calories taken out of their diet by eating less two days a week.

You are clearly eating too much food, too many calories, to lose weight. Your constant refrain that you are eating well and not eating junk food is baseless, because ‘good’ food can have as many or more calories as ‘junk’ food.

As you don’t want to eat less to lose weight using 5:2, I suggest you go back to the way you were eating. It apparently has caused you to become overweight, or you wouldn’t be looking for a weight loss diet. But it is easy and fun to eat as much good food as you want, as opposed to hard and not fun to eat less. And life is for living, not for depriving yourself of what you want! And life is too short for us having to listen to your refrain that the diet is a hoax because it says you can eat normally, but when you do you don’t lose any weight. I really don’t think you understand how that sounds.

If you ever become interested again in losing weight with 5:2, here are some tips: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

shenanigans

12:41 am
14 Oct 14
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Ah, simcoeluv… calm down, baby. My questioning of the Fast Diet is not a constant “refrain”, simply my own observation that it didn’t work. Do I eat too much? probably. Do I care? Not really. is that anyone’s fault but mine? Nope. However… the Fast Diet quite clearly asserts certain things to be true, especially that you can eat “anything you like” on your off day. Clearly THAT ISN’T TRUE. And while I accept that it’s probably true that the Fast Diet has life-extending properties, it is quite clearly being sold as a weight loss diet. It would be utterly disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

A lot of the people on this site seem to be life-long dieters. The sort of people who have always struggled with their weight. The Fast Diet just seems to be their latest chapter. I’m not a dieter. I never have been. In fact the Fast Diet is the first diet I’ve ever been on in my life – I’m one of those naturally skinny people that got fat after working behind a desk for ten years. And even then, I’m not really “fat”. It’s been interesting for me, therefore, to peek into the world of dieting. It seems to me that many people seem to take it very personally when you tell them the diet didn’t work for you, as if you’re somehow negating their experience or putting down their efforts. Unless you believe I’m doing that, or unless you’re married to Michael Moseley, can I suggest that you stop taking it personally? I have NOT claimed that the Fat Diet is a fraud – simply that, from a weight loss perspective, it offers no great benefits over old-fashioned calorie counting and exercise – an observation that no one seems to have contradicted. And although I accept that it probably has other, invisible health benefits (as I have also stated on may occasions) I’m not here for that. I’m here to lose my gut.

So, in short, and ONCE AGAIN – I’m going to stop the Fast Diet. Instead, I’m simply going to reduce portion sizes (it did have that affect) and go back to exercise. I’m sorry if you feel that this is some sort of reflection upon you and your own efforts. I’ve never been that insecure, so I have no idea what that must be like.

simcoeluv

12:43 am
14 Oct 14
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Shenan:

‘insecure’?

LOL

Good Bye!

mamaleish

2:28 am
14 Oct 14
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This has been an interesting conversation.
I was initially sceptical when I heard you could eat ‘normally’ on a non-fast day. ‘Normal’ means too many different things and for people who are overweight and used to big portions, it can be disastrous.
I remember going into Susie Orbach’s ‘Fat is a Feminist Issue’ back in the ’70s when I was really overweight. ‘Learning to trust your appetite’ and ‘stop eating when you are full’ just do not apply to people whose eating is out of control as mine was. And in that respect I did not eat fast foods, lots of sweets or soft drinks. I knew the foods to eat, I could not control the portions.
Since doing WW (lots of weighing) and Sally Asher’s ‘fist size’ measurements, I have reduced my weight considerably.
Now I am on the Fast Diet primarily for health reasons, but am also enjoying getting rid of those last 5kg slowly and surely.
But it was not until discovering this site and helpful advice from other fasters that I realised the ‘normal’ eating was actually TDEE. I had still been overdoing my TDEE. It is very easy to do when it is just 1500 cals. So the solution is to ramp up the exercise.
This does sound like other diets when you look at it that way, but once it has become something you do automatically, there is no need to calorie count.
The greatest revelation for me has been to realise that Susie Orbach was right – but only for people who understood ‘normal’ for their own body and way of life.

HappyNow

6:21 am
14 Oct 14
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Shenanigans,

For info, and cf your earlier comments, I have not been a life long dieter and was not very overweight. I gained weight for a number of reasons I think (reduced exercise, eating too many processed carbs, and increasing portion sizes), but was only just in the overweight BMI category when I decided enough was enough.
This has been the only diet I have ever done, and I was attracted to it for the ‘other’ benefits (if it promised weight loss only, it would just be another ‘diet’ and I would have been no more interested in it than in any other diet. At 45 I now know I’m not immortal, and I’d like to age healthily. IF increases the chances of that happening).
I didn’t do any exercise while losing weight, you don’t need to.
And I didn’t calorie count, on any day. But I was mindful that maintaining a healthy weight does require a bit of self control…And you can’t expect to overeat on a regular basis.

My own experience before starting 5:2 was that I had to do a hell of a lot of exercise to be able to eat whatever and however much I wanted. I was cycling 100 miles per week, and running 15 or so. And while I could maintain my weight with that exercise, I wasn’t as slim as I am now. And any reduction in exercise without a similar reduction in food lead to weight gain.

Good luck with the cycling.

Moogie

8:30 am
14 Oct 14
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Looks to be to be the classic case of ‘anything you like’ being misunderstood to mean ‘as much as you like’. They are not the same thing! No foods are forbidden, but that doesn’t mean that eating more than your body’s ‘normal’ needs will result magically in weight loss. Simcoeluv, as always you’re right on the money!

Lichtle

9:34 am
14 Oct 14
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@shenanigans This seems to sum you up: “Do I eat too much? probably. Do I care? Not really. is that anyone’s fault but mine? Nope.”

It is a shame you did not lose weight. You are posting a claim on a forum dedicated to fasting, people try to help and you are not really interested in what anybody says. That is the real shame.

TracyJ

11:12 am
14 Oct 14
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Quite right Lichtle, I think that’s a great summing up of the root issue. I don’t and never have cared what it says in any of the 5:2 books, noone has ‘sold’ me this diet and I’m well aware that it’s not a miracle. I watched a documentary, wanted the health benefits it seemed to offer and thought it was a regimen I could easily follow. The vast amounts of weight I’ve lost from following it are extremely happy side-effects as far as I’m concerned. I never expected to lose any weight, as I’d always thought I ate well (no junk, no convenience rubbish etc. etc. very similar to what shenanigans describes as a good diet) and I exercised a reasonable amount (at least 1 hour at a time, at least 3 times a week).

For the first year or so I did get away with good weight loss without paying any special attention on non-fastdays but I was VERY overweight, so without realising it I was eating WAY below my weekly total (TDEE x 7) just by having 2 ‘diet’ days. Eventually you plateau, or you start out eating too much on non-fastdays in the first place and you DO have to pay attention on non-fastdays too. It’s not rocket science and it’s not a miracle. If you want to lose weight you have to take responsibility for that yourself. Michael and Mimi are not responsible for our existing hang-ups, issues and pre-conceived convictions about food, which affect our concept of what ‘normal’ is. To them, ‘normal’ is your TDEE. If you don’t know what that looks like on a non-fastday then you need to find out quick or you won’t lose any weight.

On the up side, it looks like (for shenanigans at least) 5:2 will cover you for a short period if you suddenly stop doing the exercise that has been hitherto mitigating your overeating. Nice to know.

Best of luck everyone 😉