I am feeling really discouraged

This topic contains 30 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by bigbooty 7 years, 1 month ago.

Viewing 31 posts - 1 through 31 (of 31 total)

heavens-hazzard

2:07 pm
27 Aug 17
Permalink

I did the 5:2 diet a few years ago after gaining weight due to medications and got really good results, down from 12 stone to 8 stone.
I unfortunately fell ill again and put on a bit of weight over the last year up to 140lbs and am now hoping to shift it.

I have been doing it two weeks now and nothing is really budging, sometimes I weigh and I am 138 other times I am 141 obviously I am fluctuating, but not really loosing.

I do two fast days a week where I don’t go over 500 calories and I eat quite well during the other five days, with maybe a treat once a week.

Does anyone have any tips or encouraging words other than adding fast days?

heavens-hazzard

2:08 pm
27 Aug 17
Permalink

It’s mostly that before I lost weight very quickly, and was very happy with progress. This time nothing seems to be happening and I feel fat and awful

fasting_me

9:46 pm
27 Aug 17
Permalink

Heavens, do you have any idea how many calories you eat on non-Fast days? Eating ‘quite well’ could be the problem… As could some medications, some of which promote weight gain and retention. How much of a “Treat” is that once a week? Perhaps you are ingesting more calories/week than the 2 Fast Days can compensate for.

Go to the Resources button at the top of the Forum page, and hit the BMI Calculator. That page will give you a way to calculate your TDEE [too many acronyms for me!], which is the number of calories to eat on non-Fast days to get to your target weight.

Also, on non-Fast AND Fast days, are you getting enough protein? And fruit/vegetables?

Good luck.

bigbooty

1:18 am
28 Aug 17
Permalink

There is no magic involved. It boils down to what you eat and how much you eat. Not all foods (calories) are equal. Do you drink alcohol at all? Right there you can get rid of empty calories. Do you drink sports/soft drinks? Empty calories again. Describe a typical days food intake. Do you eat grain based products? Bread, pasta, breakfast cereals? All will spike your insulin production.

heavens-hazzard

7:00 pm
28 Aug 17
Permalink

Medication wise, some can cause weight gain but I wanted to check I wasn’t doing it wrong before blaming the medications, one is known to cause weight loss too, never know with medications,I have a meal replacement shake in the morning because I can’t stomach solid food before midday, that is 200kcal.
Lunchtime if I am well I have a salad, tomato, cucumber, celery, spinach, olives, various things depending on what I have in the cupboard. With either some tofu or quorn. I don’t use dressings or oils because I don’t like them, but I sometimes make a Greek yogurt and curry sauce.
I have an afternoon snack, generally those snap peas with flavourings or plain with hummus. Or an apple, some other kind of fruit.
In the evening it really depends, I usually make something like a chilli or curry from scratch.

If I am ill during the day I replace a meal with half a pack of those super noodles.

I drink water, black coffee and fruit tea, nothing else.
No alcohol unless it is a special occasion.
My treat on Thursdays is usually a bun or something from the bakery section, which averages at 400 calories, but I need to have something sometime.

I know I am below my TDEE because I track my calories, even on Thursdays I usually change my evening meal for something lighter to accommodate for the treat

heavens-hazzard

7:03 pm
28 Aug 17
Permalink

Sorry for the late reply. I am having internet issues.
For the record I wasn’t expecting magic, I work really hard with my figure and it isn’t easy to do when I’ve got all my medication working against me making mw feel rubbish as well as constantly having seizures.

Amazon

7:43 pm
28 Aug 17
Permalink

Hi h-h,

Sounds like you are having a tough time at the moment.

I would suggest that you continue with what you are doing and give your body another couple of weeks to get its act together before you start thinking about whether you need to change anything.

Why do you eat super noodles if you’ve been unwell, do you need to eat with your medication? If you don’t and can cope without eating maybe you should fast until the next day.

I hope you start to see some progress soon as you are obviously making a real effort.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

heavens-hazzard

7:55 pm
28 Aug 17
Permalink

After I’ve had seizures I crave those curry super noodles.
Dr says a lot of people crave that sort of thing after seizures something to do with salt and hormones.

Usually seizures happen quite early in the day, so I just have the noodles and then fast the day after.

I don’t usually have seizures on fast days, I fast Mondays and wednesday, and I usually have seizures Friday’s and Tuesday’s, so it’s rare that it interupta my fast days.

heavens-hazzard

7:57 pm
28 Aug 17
Permalink

When I am generally just ill and I need painkillers then I usually have a cracker with it, if it is not around meal time.
I try to leave calories spare incase I need to have any food with pills, since crackers arent too much I wouldn’t think that would make too much difference

MrsPotter

1:20 am
29 Aug 17
Permalink

I feel exactly the same! I did the 5:2 2 years ago and the weight fell off but since then I’ve had 6 surgeries (breast cancer)so I am now fat and flabby from all the lying around/recovering. I have started back at the gym and am working my butt off and fasting 2 days a week and watching what I eat on other days and now I HAVE PUT WEIGHT ON. I just about threw the scales out the window when I got on them this morning. It’s one thing to not lose weight but to put it on????? Seriously????

heavens-hazzard

10:58 am
29 Aug 17
Permalink

MrsPotterI cannot understand it, it is really frustrating.
Sounds like we have had the same timeline, two years ago I had a very successful time, then I fell ill and needed a lot of recovery time, mine was complications with a seizure disorder though and a lot of broken bones.
Now the tables seem to have flipped.
Everytime I get to 138, the next time I weigh myself it bumps back up to 143, I was 140 when I started.

It is infuriating! Just have to keep on at it and hope it turns around.

I hope that you’ve fully recovered from your breast cancer, I care for my mum who has it.
It’s an awful thing, however those that have experienced it are often much more determined to get where they want to in life.

I hope you start to loose the pounds soon! X

fasting_me

3:00 pm
29 Aug 17
Permalink

H-H, from what you describe, you are ingesting very few calories. But also NO protein. Did I miss something? Your muscles will atrophy. Protein helps keep you feeling full and is GOOD for you.
Are you obliged to eat something in the morning? Many Fasters put off eating until late morning. Would that work for you? A brief ‘eating window’ might help you to lose.

heavens-hazzard

4:00 pm
29 Aug 17
Permalink

I eat enough Protien. My breakfast has Protien (and added protien) any tofu or quorn I have has Protien and I take supplements and drinks for Protien.
On paper all my nutrients are what they should be for my height and weight.
I did actually see a dietition after my surgery to speak about nutrients and how my tablets effect them.

I do need to eat in the mornings, I have the shake because I can’t take medication on an empty stomach but I cannot stomach solid food before midday.

heavens-hazzard

4:07 pm
29 Aug 17
Permalink

Although I do have my breakfast at 11 with my pills, so it is late morning anyway.

fasting_me

2:06 pm
30 Aug 17
Permalink

Good luck, Heavens. Keep us posted on your progress.

heavens-hazzard

2:51 pm
30 Aug 17
Permalink

Thankyou for your help, hope it is just trouble getting going! May be because i dont have too much to loose anyway.
Have a great day!

SlimlineMoggy

4:32 pm
31 Aug 17
Permalink

I am late coming in on this, but don’t be discouraged, it really is early days yet – I would love to be your weight! I have a long way to go til I get there. I’ll bet it’s a nuisance having to save some of your food allowance for medication but some fruits are really low calorie, you can eat whole bowlfuls, so unless you have a clash with the medication, take a look at what you can have. Also, if after a couple more weeks you still don’t seem to be losing much weight, try 4:3, I have been doing that now and then and it seems to give my metabolism a bit of a kick-start. As long as you find fasting easy, then stick at it – I am viewing it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet, but then, I have a lot of weight to lose!
Good luck.

SlimlineMoggy

4:35 pm
31 Aug 17
Permalink

Good luck to everyone else too!
Additional – on those occasions when I find I haven’t lost weight (and sometimes even gone up a wee bit) I think about the other benefits of fasting (although they aren’t so visible as those numbers on the bathroom scales, are they).

heavens-hazzard

4:58 pm
31 Aug 17
Permalink

Thankyou Moggy- it is probably because I don’t have much to loose.

I was put off because I started to loose quickly before, this time I’ve lost nearly two pounds.
But I’ve been told I look smaller, so maybe it isn’t all scale and I should measure myself

SlimlineMoggy

5:01 pm
31 Aug 17
Permalink

You really must measure as well as weigh. I have been discouraged by lack of weight loss on several occasions and the tape measure has come to the rescue! My old jeans have recently gone to the charity shop, they were too baggy! Hurrah!

heavens-hazzard

5:08 pm
31 Aug 17
Permalink

I usually measure once a week, on Saturday’s, so I’ve not got to my measuring day yet.

I am hoping to be able to get my jeans on, that would be nice.
I spent a fortune on my clothes and now I can’t fit into them I am too cheap to buy more haha

SlimlineMoggy

12:29 pm
2 Sep 17
Permalink

Charity shops are a real blessing when you are losing weight! I shall treat myself to new stuff when my goal (size ) is reached – except shoes cos my feet aren’t fat.

heavens-hazzard

12:58 pm
2 Sep 17
Permalink

All my clothes are size 8, so I am aiming to get back into them. I don’t want to buy new clothes.

fasting_me

1:42 pm
2 Sep 17
Permalink

When we began Fasting in 2013, we measured and weighed and wrote it all down. Then we weighed daily and measured monthly. Now we measure every 6 months, on the ‘anniversary’ and the 1/2-year of it. I still weigh daily, just to check. Dear Husband weighs on Fast Days and day after. My DH took a LOT of clothes to Goodwill, as did I.

Good luck, h-h, getting back to size 8. You can do it.

fastdutchgirl

7:39 pm
5 Sep 17
Permalink

Heavens-hazard, do you eat enough real food? Stuff like meal replacement shakes, protein supplements, Quorn and super noodles are ultraprocessed and not very nutritious of healthy.

heavens-hazzard

7:55 pm
5 Sep 17
Permalink

Most of my diet is fruit/vegetables, beans lentils, stuff like that.
Quorn and tofu is used as Protien in my chillis, curries and larger meals that I do in large batches.
Meal replacement shakes from my doctor is better than nothing when I can’t eat and are prescribed by my doctor.

I did already say that all my macros are balanced and I have a nutritionist.

sarah091

12:17 pm
29 Sep 17
Permalink

Just get back to life and identify real motivating reasons why would you lose weight. Don’t stress too much on past and failures.

Sometimes even little incidents can be motivting. I had to go to a meeting on the 3rd floor of an office building. The lift was broken, so I climbed the stairs. I really truly thought that I was having a heart attack by the time I got to the top sad. I was 13 1/2 st at the time and in a very sedentary job.

I was in Tesco that evening and saw the signs going up for the Race For Life.

I did that, sveral other 5ks, some 10ks and a 1/2 marathon! I occasionally did the 5:2.

And lost 2 stone in the process.

I then quit my job and retrained as a teacher, using my new-found confidence … and lost another 2 stone during the training!

fasting_me

1:23 pm
29 Sep 17
Permalink

Good story, Sarah. Good weight loss, too. Good advice about looking forward and not backward.

H-h, do an analysis of how many calories you ingest on non-Fast Days, just to get an idea of what might be done to nudge your weight downwards. It can be an eye-opener.

dooneymom

9:56 am
13 Nov 17
Permalink

I did 5:2 after baby no 2 a few yrs ago and lost the weight quite quickly. Ive5since had 2 more kids in quick succession. I’ve been trying to 5:2 now since may and I’d say I’ve lost a miserable 8 or 10 lbs. I don’t get a full nights sleep. I could be up 3 or 4 times. My non fast days are not outlandish I have done exactly the same as last time but it doesn’t want to go anywhere. Going to get tested for hypothyroid as there is a family history in the females. I’m clinging to the hope that that is the reason for poor results. Christmas is coming and I’m fed up looking overweight.

simcoeluv

6:46 pm
13 Nov 17
Permalink

Hi dooney:

The diet is working because you are losing weight. If you want to lose weight more quickly, you will, unfortunately, have to start eating less. You might compute your TDEE, and count calories for a week, and that will show you why you are not losing as fast as you would like.

Here are some tips: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

bigbooty

8:40 pm
13 Nov 17
Permalink

Lack of sleep doesn’t help. Is that because of the kids or other reasons? What do you eat? Get your carbs from veggies and not processed grain based foods.