Hi all, started 5:2 with 2 fast days last week but this week I weigh more 🙁 what am I doing wrong? I have eaten as I would usually so do I need to be more careful on my non-fast days or am I expecting too much already?
This topic contains 25 replies, has 17 voices, and was last updated by wiltldnrUSA 11 years, 3 months ago.
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I share your pain, nickb! I am now in my 7th week and haven’t lost a single pound overall. I fast on Mondays and then Wednesdays or Thursdays depending on what’s most convenient, and NEVER go over my 500 calorie limit. However, I don’t count calories on the other days, which I thought was the beauty of this plan when I first embarked on it. I usually lose a couple of pounds straight after the fasting days but then by the time Monday morning comes round I’m back to square one again on the scales! Any advice, anyone?
Some people I have read about have had success when they exercise while on a fast day. I know discussing what is eaten can be controversial, as I haven’t counted calories on non-fast days and have lost weight, while others haven’t. I can sense that would be immensely frustrating! I’ve noticed I have started to eat less on non-fast days, I eat more vegetables and less fruit, and have lost the desire to some extent to eat high fat or high sugar foods, although I do eat chocolate, cheese, and drink wine when i want to. I also read a lot of of others posting about remembering the other health benefits aside from weight loss; cholesterol, blood sugars, and cognitive function all changing for the better, so maybe look to that too. OH, as well as measuring. They say losing cm/inches is a good sign things are heading in the right direction. Most of all, DON’T GIVE UP! Best of the best wishes to you on your journey.
I’ve been on the 5:2 for 6 weeks now and have only lost 3-4 lbs according to the scale. It was a little disheartening after losing more weight earlier in the diet, but I realized that if I calculated the difference in how much fat I was losing, then it all made sense. Since I’ve been watching my body fat % as calculated by my scale, I can say that I’ve lost a total of 8 lbs of fat – which is what I’m really happy about! So, if you’re not using a scale to measure your fat %, then it can be disheartening since you won’t likely see dramatic results. In fact, you may be losing more fat than someone who’s watching their numbers drop more suddenly.
Some posters here have written that it took them 8-12 weeks to start losing weight. It took me a couple of fasts before I started slowly losing weight. My weight loss pattern has been 3 lbs off after a fast day, then 2.5 lbs gained before my next fast day. I gross about a pound a week weight loss, so far. That is slow but healthy.
the book talks about a person’s body making many adjustments to fasting. Sometimes starting metabolic processes that have not been active for years (fat burning being one example). That takes time. I suggest giving your body the time it needs to adjust. Find a way to focus on it as a long-term process rather than an emergency.
I have focused on finding satisfying teas and delicious foods to eat and drink during my fasts. I am quite interested in working out during and between fasts. And as I have for so long, I focus on increasing my vegetable intake (aged balsamic vinegar is my latest favorite on veggies!). All that seems to be enough to keep me on the fast diet for 5 weeks. I hope you find a comfortable approach for yourself. It sure seems worth the effort in more ways than weight loss alone.
We have been fasting since February and have gradually lost 16 pounds each but have reached a plateau. This may be that we fast Monday and Tuesday, so next week I’m going to change to Monday and Wednesday to see if this can make a difference. We do not eat processed food or ready made meals. Last night we ate broad beans, peas and french beans from the garden with some pasta. perhaps we are now eating our own veg the weight might start disappearing again.
I’m into my 5th week doing this and I’ve lost almost a stone; 2 things though that I’ve been doing, I’ve been doing 4:3 and also making sure I keep under 2,500 cals on ‘feast’ days. I know I’m going above and beyond but I’ve accepted that I’m going to have to watch what I eat on non fast days aswell as fast days, which I suppose defeats the object, but it’s working for me.
Good luck to all.
This is my take on this “life plan.” I’m not losing quickly but I continue to lose weight. I can do this the rest of my life. There is no other “diet” that I felt I could take on as a lifestyle. If I get to my goal weight (we’re talking another 40 pounds) I will just go to one day a week.
I truly think sticking with it will pay off. I eat as healthy as possible on the other five days and I eat anything I want. On my two fast days I eat exactly the same thing. That way I know it is 500 calories.
I have been loosing weight by ensuring that on my non-fast days I eat smaller portions and have reduced high fat and processed foods. When I haven’t I have put on the weight I lost on the fast days.
When checking the calories for the food I could eat on the fast days made me aware of the high calories of some foods, which I still eat but have less of. For me its also a “life plan” and putting right some of the bad habits I had gotten into. Now I eat less and healthier, but still have the occasional weekend when I eat too much, knowing I will lose it the following week and sticking to that I’ve lost 35 lb in 3 months.
Thanks for all your words of advice and encouragement. I’m starting to conclude what I’ve suspected for a very long time – that I’m doomed to a life of either ‘dieting’ or ‘failing to diet’ 🙁 ! I’m going to persevere with this plan for another few months in the hope that my body is just taking its time to adjust. I’m 40 and have been yo-yo dieting since my teens. Not got loads to lose – ideally a stone, but even half a stone would be nice!
nickb & StephB & Mary Louise
u r no longer prisoners to dieting or failing. look @ ur calories as an average 4 the week or month. yes you will have 2 count calories, but have fun. let’s say you had a 2600 days and enjoyed every bit of that day great! like Mary Louise eating homemade bread w/ butter so what she loved it who wouldn’t.
u r definitely doing the 500 on fast days which is fantastic! that means u r succeeding & r successful.
yes, we r not part of the elitist group who do not have to count cals and losing lbs faster & faster. so count the cals it is now easier w/ all the helpful sites 2 count cals.(click on my name or anyone else’s 2 c my/their trials & tribulations)
look @ ur week and what do you want to average?
example i ate way 2 many nacho cheese doritos that day 2697 cals day,
yes, i felt guilty but not 4 long. i just adjusted the cals that wk & then i added another fastday instead and kept on enjoying whatever but counting.
9625cals (1375cals * 7 days) -2697cals-1631cals-502cals-1941cals-500cals-1854cals-500cals = 0
i don’t really exercise. i know i should probably would lose more.
hope this helps
this the 1st time i do not feel like a failure or a prisoner or on a diet
this is the best lifestyle ever & 4ever
success & fun 2all
this string is like a microcosm of the variety of experiences people are having with this diet. How kind of you all to write out your experiences. And what a differing bunch of experiences you have had. there are plenty of tweaks to be done and plenty of observations to be made. Quite encouraging to be aware of different things to try and to be sensitive to my body while I continue IF.
StephB, it has been a while but you are not the only poster who has had a slow start. It must be something that is just slow to switch over to weight loss. Duh, sorry to state the obvious but you do seem to be on the longer end of the weight loss starting. Maybe it is because you have less to lose. those last few lbs can hang on tight, I hear (it’s been a while since I’ve been down there). I agree with your decision to press on and hope it kicks in for you. Couple questions: Have you checked your BMI to be certain you have weight that should come off? Have you considered some exercise to help flip your metabolism over?
I’ve been losing weight a bit too fast, more than 12 pounds in 2 months. I think if you’re very small or large, you should consider departing from the 500-600 guideline. The idea is that it’s 1/4 of what you would “normally” eat. If your small or have a low metabolic rate, you may need to go lower to really be fasting. I’m also fasting until at least early afternoon on most of my non-fast days because I’m used to doing that and it has worked for me. I’ve also tried to cut the percentage of fat in my diet. But I still break all of my rules occasionally, to have fun.
You’re right, greenT, the hugely wide-ranging experiences and backgrounds discussed in this website’s forum section make fascinating reading. I have to confess to being a tad jealous of the large number of people documenting their weight loss, though!
According to the site’s calculator, my BMI is 24.7, BMR is 1308 and TDEE is 1570 calories. And I suspect therein lies my problem: I don’t have loads to lose (I am at the very top end of ‘healthy’ weight range), I don’t do any exercise and, whilst I consider myself a very healthy eater, I do like my food and my calorie intake must simply be too large compared to the lack of exercise. Sadly I can’t relate to other people’s declarations of diminishing appetite whilst following this plan, mine is as hearty as it always has been 🙁 However, I would be unhappy at the prospect of having to count my calorie intake every single day – that would make this plan like virtually every other diet I’ve been on!
So, like I say, since I’m not finding the fasts in any way gruelling I shall continue to follow this plan for the time being – at least until I jump onto the next dieting bandwagon 😉 Well done to everyone out there, though, let’s hang on in there together!
Hi nickb and all, I totally empathise with those who have not achieved the desired weight loss – I’m on the 4th week and after a 3 lbs loss in the first week was blase, but then the weight loss plateaued – so frustrating! Especially as I certainly have a good 2 stone / 28 lbs to lose.
It’s good to read the posts and see that it can take longer to kick in for some people. Mimi, thank you for your advice about giving it 6 weeks and then reassessing.
I have a myfitnessplan page and this is helping me track my calories. I’ve noticed that my average was 1405 cals in the first week and has crept up to 1688, so I’m going to reduce.
But honestly I do feel much healthier and I have more control over my food intake then I have ever had in my life…so as long as I can get over the annoyance of the non budging scales – grrr – then I can certainly see myself carrying on.
nickb – Hi there. I usually have cereal for breakfast – Special K Red Berries with 1/2 banana, but since I started the fast diet at end of Feb, on my fast days I go along the protein route. I tend to have the same thing : a piece of banana about 30-40 cals,followed by a soft boiled egg of 90 cals and a cup of tea. I allow myself a daily allowance of about 50 cals worth of semi-skimmed milk. I munch the banana whilst the egg and the kettle are boiling. It is amazing how filling this is and I have no problem lasting out till a late lunch (necessary because I’m a migraine sufferer and need regular food) which is usually a few cherry tomatoes or strawberries or the like. I once had a slice of ham instead of the egg and was happy with that too. I started out as a UK size 13 ( that’s still a 12 but nearly 14!!), 10st 9lbs,(149lbs),34″waist. Now I am size 11 lol, ok 12 really, 9st 10lbs,(136lbs), 31″waist. I wondered whether, maybe if you gave the protein a go instead of the oatibix, though I know they are low GI carbs, 189 cals + milk is a huge slice of your daily allowance. For my main meal I have e.g.chicken and salad or green veg and have ditched potatoes completely whatever day it is. I eat pretty much as I used to on other days though my appetite has diminished slightly and portions are smaller. The main attraction to the Fast Diet was the health benefits, with the weight loss an attractive side effect. I have reached a bit of a plateau but will continue. Good luck to you and everyone else. Don’t give up.
Is anyone else ‘charting’ their progress? For my own curiosity I have been entering my daily weight into a spreadsheet and generating a chart from day 1 to now – about 16 weeks (which was when East, Fast and Live Longer aired in Australia). It has been really encouraging because although my weight each week bounces around by about 1.5 kg, the chart looks like a mountain range where the top of the weekly peak and the bottom of each valley just keep getting lower and lower. I’ve lost 4kg overall, which is a dress size for me.
I’m fasting on two consecutive days, and I’m not resticting what I eat on the other 5 days at all.
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