Finding it difficult to lose weight because im not overweight???

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Finding it difficult to lose weight because im not overweight???

This topic contains 18 replies, has 15 voices, and was last updated by  atcgirl 7 years, 11 months ago.

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  • Ok so long story short this is my third week doing the 500 calories 2 days a week and up to 2000 calories for the remaining 5 days of the week. I will be starting my first 500 calories of the week tomorrow and then again on Thursday!

    I am 5ft 3 inches and weigh (according to my mothers weighing scales that I have religiously weighed myself on) a few pounds below 10 stone IN THE MORNING but I still weigh about a pound less than 10 stone according to my mothers weighing scales in the evening which I am almost 100% sure is accurate even if it is quite old because my sister weighs the same on that weighing scales as the one at the gym!

    However when I went into the doc’s today the dial weighing scales said I weighed 64 kg which is 10 stone 1 pound which I think is wrong particularly because I hadn’t eaten anything all day for personal reasons! So I can assure you I do get frustrated when I don’t know what is my true weight but I still like to believe that my mothers one is my true weight!!

    So I am just about a healthy weight BUT I still want to lose between 10/12 pounds to a stone IF my weight at the doc’s is correct but I honestly don’t think it is!!

    So my main question is, is it harder to lose weight when you aren’t exactly overweight and will it take longer?? Also I haven’t exactly been pigging out on ALL my fast days at all, for example I consumed near to 2000 calories yesterday probably less ( my daily calorie intake on non fast days is 1860 calories) and I probably consumed up to 2500 max on Saturday BUT on my other days I only consumed 1500/1600 calories max, so I think im doing ok!!

    The only downfall is that I haven’t done ANY exercise in about 5 weeks but should I still be losing weight gradually anyway because of the drastic decrease of calories during 2 days of the week??? I do plan on going back to the exercise soon but first I am going to finish this week off and the following week and then check my weight on my mothers weighing scales that following weekend to see if there is any downwards movement on the scales.

    Hi and welcome:

    It is harder to lose weight if you are lighter.

    I took your numbers and guessed at your age and got a TDEE of under 1600 from the calculator on this site. If you are eating over that number of calories per non diet day on average, you are probably not losing weight too fast.

    Here is some information on TDEE: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/tdee-for-the-curious-or-why-dont-i-lose-weight-faster/

    And here is some information for those just starting 5:2: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/warnings-to-newbies/

    Good Luck!

    Eat right and exercise as consistently as possible and apply both moderation and portion control when it comes to indulging. When you have less fat to lose, the road may be harder; consistency is key.

    You definitely need to work out your TDEE and stick to that as by eating 2000 calories or there abouts when you don’t weigh that much is far too many and so you will not lose weight.
    Try not to focus solely on what the scales say. Listen to your body, how it feels and what it looks like. You’ll soon know when you’re comfortable in your own skin!

    Good luck

    It is almost impossible to lose weight without exercising regularly. Proper workouts are necessary to burn fat to reduce weight. Follow this habit of Counting calories to know what kind of food you are eating. You should know how to locate a food’s caloric content and its serving amount.
    http://femmefitalefitclub.com/2014/07/surprising-reasons-youre-losing-weight/

    The role of exercise for health and weight loss is discussed repeatedly elsewhere. I think we are all agreed that exercise, if you are able, is really important for health and well being. However, you do not need to exercise to lose weight. 5:2 works with or without exercise. Sorry Carlos.

    Sassy, Im now a 22.3 bmi so well in the healthy zone, Im still losing 2lbs a week but using 4:3 and long fasts (24 hour total fasts then eating in the evening)

    fasting 4:3 and the long fast 24 hours. That sounds quite tough which is the opposite of why I am attracted to 5:2 at the beginning.

    I am just starting this week and on my first fast day today. Just within my healthy weight.

    Anyone able to lose weight using standard 5:2 and having 2 meals on fast day?

    Gerry, as long as you are in a deficit you will lose weight, whether one or three meals.
    OP: I have been in the healthy range to begin with and I have steadily lost weight over the last 9 months, down from 65kg to now 56kg (170cm ), so yes you can lose weight, albeit a little bit slower.
    My BMI is down from 22.5 to 19.5.
    Stef.

    Hi Stef, thanks for the reply. Your result is what I am hoping for. 🙂 May I ask that if you simply stay within your TDEE on non-fast day? Did you included alot of exercise? Look forward to hear from you. 🙂

    Hey guys,

    My BMI is around 21-22 mark and i can nver shift any weight on all diets i have tried. I seem to have dropped about 4 pounds since starting this diet 3 weeks ago and also with no exercise (I do plan on making a comeback at the gym soon!) I seem to find that if i do my fast days 2 days per week but also cut down on other days so i am around 1200 calories on some of them. Just thought I would share my own experience as I usually really struggle to lose a single pound! 🙂

    You can help stop overeating and maintain blood sugar levels by eating a little about every three hours. Getting too hungry will backfire on your planning on eating healthy and diet control .

    @sassiegirlie89 I wonder if it might help you to weigh yourself at Boots or another pharmacy that has their scale calibrated on a regular basis, that would give you a good baseline and tell you which of the scales that you use is more accurate.

    Unless you’re very experienced at estimating kcals, in addition to following the advice to calculate your probably BMR and TDEE, you might be well advised to track your food intake so that you have a good idea of how much you’re consuming.

    As for whether it’s harder to lose when you’re overweight or moving down the ‘healthy BMI’ continuum, I plateaued for lengthy periods throughout my weight loss and that was true when I had more to lose and when there was a lot less. Some people lose predictably and consistently, it’s very much an individual response.

    There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to lose weight when you’re already at an acceptable weight. But, when you only have only a little body fat to lose, it can be extremely challenging for you.

    Hi Guys
    I have been doing the diet now for 2 weeks but I have followed the Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) and have lost 4lbs in total which I consider an excellent rate to diet. I am also 5ft 2″ and weigh 9st with a BMI of 23 and I also find it hard to lose those last few extra lbs. When using the ready reckoner on the home page it says my TDEE is 1471 calories on my non fast days and when deciding upon the number of calories to be eaten on a fast day (being a quarter of your TDEE) I decided to eat 350 calories on my fast days. I lost weight on my fast days but found I put the weight back on again on my non-fast days, so I decided to eat around 1250 – 1300 calories on my non-fast days and 325 calories on my fast days. I decided upon this figure being a quarter of a TDEE of 1300. I now maintain my weight loss on a non-fast day and lose on my fast day which I am sure is what it is all about. We are all different shapes and sizes and so I think we need to customise our daily intake of calories to suit our dieting needs. If you manage to find the number of calories you can eat and maintain weight then a fasting number of calories will be one quarter of that amount. I hope this all makes sense to you all, but I feel this is what works for me.
    When considering exercise, I do not attend a gym but I love walking and therefore I have upped my walking regime taking a few extra walks and speeding up a little every time. I am feeling really fit and energised so again, I think that is what it is all about.
    Happy dieting!!

    I see the TDEE as a guide because if I ate my daily TDEE allowance I would put on weight due to my sluggish metabolism. However, I still aim for 500 calories on the fast days. We are all different and the beauty of 5:2 is that we make eating and drinking fit round our lifestyle rather than have to conform by counting points or going without certain food groups and the beauty is that the two fast days per week can be flexible to fit in with social activities so I never feel restricted and other people don’t even know I’m doing 5:2.

    @fastshirl – your point about eating a quarter of TDEE is just what I needed to read. I only have 3kg to go to my goal weight and I’ve been hovering around the 55kg mark for 6 months, even though i’ve been fasting and eating just over 500 cal on fast days. I even changed to eating very low carb to combat the hunger and cravings but with no success, although I do feel a lot better and less bloated since.

    So, my TDEE is 1490 (sedentary, although I’m only sedentary on the weekends) and today I fasted through until dinner time and had a small low carb stew at 325 cal. Here’s hoping this is the end of my frustration!

    Oh gosh I’m so glad to find this post. I was 200g from my goal weight in November, three months later I’m still going up and down from 300 g on fast days to 1.7kg on no fast days despite fasting for two days. In an effort to hit the mark I tried 4:3 a few weeks ago – no success. I have to say I am not losing muscle, I weight train on non fasting days so that slows the rate of weight loss but surely not by this much! I will try paying attention to my TDEE which is around 1900. I am already feeling great though, and getting lots of compliments on how I look. In my case it’s just been 3 to 4 kilos, but it’s taken 9 months.

    I’ve got my bmi down from 23.9 to 21.2 and it has been so so slow. I don’t know how much more weight I need to lose, but I need to get my belly down to 32″ from 36″ to be deemed healthy – my belly has barely budged since I started back in September.

    Definitely going to be a long slow process for me, especially as exercise is problematic – I’d do weights if I was physically able.

    Can you swim? I have the feeling exercise may be a key to stomach girth.

    Swimming gives me too much joint and nerve pain. Exercise generally wipes me out so much that I can’t get out of bed to go to work. Developed fibromyalgia after an accident when I was in the military.

    My chiropractor is trying to get me exercising agin but it’s been a long road. Interestingly I’ve only lost a stone but she reckons I’ve been in less pain, seen her less often and been easier to adjust since being on the 5:2 diet but she can’t decide if that’s the weight loss or the ‘autophagy’ and ‘neuroplasticity’ that can be induced by fasting.

    I’m going to reasses my TDEE more often too, I think it’s really important when you are a normal weight and trying to lose.

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