If your clothes are looser but the scales are the same, read on

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If your clothes are looser but the scales are the same, read on

This topic contains 3,749 replies, has 216 voices, and was last updated by  annette52 1 week, 5 days ago.

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  • Hi maybe you need to compare your body composition with your pre-commencement stats. You sound as if you have stepped up your exercise and maybe have converted to more muscle which weighs heavier than fat. Body composition information may give you a more accurate picture rather than just looking at the numbers on the scales. You sound as though you have been really successful! 🙂

    Hi.How do I compare my body composition with pre-commencement stats?
    I have just been weighing myself and measuring once a week since January.

    Hi Annette, I’m doing pretty well. Tomorrow is weigh in and measure day. seem to be handling the fast days pretty well. on other days I’m just eating when I’m hungry and decreasing breads and such. not sure I’m eating up to my TDEE, but I’m not hungry. don’t know if that will adversely affect my weight loss or not.

    my goals.. I would love to loose about 25-30 lbs, but mostly I would like to be able to get off blood pressure meds. also hoping to decrease heart attack and stroke risk. 5:2 seems to already have eliminated my daily heartburn. I’ll be sticking with it, no matter what, just for that reason.

    would love to be able to walk more than a couple hundred feet, and clean my house. LOL. I haven’t seen a lot of people with great improvements in their M.E/CFS as yet, but I hope to be one who does. don’t think I’ll be running any marathons, but a nice walk in the mountains would be lovely( I live near the Smokey Mountains). Hope you are having a great day.

    Hi MountainMyst. Glad to hear that you are doing well.That all sounds great. I think that it is really important to have goals.It sounds lovely to walk up the Smokey Mountains and no doubt you will be doing that with ease in the coming months.

    It is quite possible to lose 25-30 lbs by the Spring, working on a maximum of 1 lb a week. I wonder how many inches you would lose??????

    How long have you been doing the 5:2? How much have you lost on Monday?

    Just eaten a roast dinner and pud. First fast day in 3 weeks and I feel a bit worried about it, no idea why.

    Hi Annette, I have been doing 5:2 for 3 weeks today, I’ve lost 3 lbs, and 5 inches. I’m really pleased. It’s not a massive loss, but it hasn’t been a struggle, and I’m thinking I can do this for the rest of my life.

    How are you doing?

    Thank you so much Annette for being so inspirational. I am measuring myself in cms each week (thighs, hips, waist etc etc) and record the grand total as one figure. It’s amazing how that grand total is falling! I just worked out that I have lost a total of 24cms in 3 weeks! I will keep weighing myself once a week (I can’t help it!) but my motivation is going to be my shrinking measurements and not an arbitrary reading on the scales.

    Well done MountainMyst! That is an amazing loss in weight and inches.You must be thrilled.
    Thanks and well done Lucyglos, that is a fantastic achievement.Don’t forget your upper arms. Weighing once a week is fine, weighing every day is a recipe for despair!
    I have really struggled today with my first fast day in 3 weeks. Started OK missing breakfast,Lunch was going well with salmon salad and then before I knew it I had eaten bread…and 2 biscuits.Late home and starving, chicken salad fine, but then there were crackers and a slice of bakewell tart. Not quite so inspirational now eh?!
    Never mind, I am not falling into the trap of making myself feel completely demoralized. I will try harder on Thursday. There is still 23″/59cms less of me…this remains a marathon and not a sprint.

    Hi Lucyglos, you are doing great! congratulations!

    Annette, I think you are indeed inspirational! you aren’t perfect(thank goodness, that would be so hard on the rest of us ) but you do have the perfect attitude! one day at a time and adjust as needed. it’s the getting down on ourselves that is the real secret to this lifestyle. thanks for being such a shining example.

    fast day tomorrow for me. take care

    hi Annette, Lucy, MountainMyst, you are ALL inspirational ! I am not sure I could do this without the forum for support and motivation.

    I am also 3 weeks in, and have shed a few lbs, and an inch or two, but my biggest upside is that my ankle bones & collar bones have re-appeared !!

    hooray for the 5:2 diet !

    Definition of happiness:

    Getting my autumn wardrobe out of the loft and finding a size 8 suit from 3 years ago now fits again.

    My actual weight loss has been relatively slow but this has given me a huge boost.

    MountainMyst Thank you. Very sweet of you.
    tomtommum Well done! Measure bust, waist, hips, thighs, upper arms. You can then track the shrinkage as the weeks go by.
    Annie Somerset Fantastic news! You must be thrilled.

    I think that I need a new goal to strive for and focus on. Before the Half it was about reaching the 2 stone(28lbs) loss and avoiding drugs for high blood pressure. Well I did loss 23lb and 23 inches and get my BP down to normal.
    The next goal was to run the Half in 2.30…we did it in 2.36….and I was very pleased that we got round with no injuries and were fine afterwards.
    I did try on 3 suits that have been gathering dust at the back of the wardrobe and they all fit/bit big, so that was a great boost too.

    Until I find my Mojo…I shall rely on you all for inspiration and have another bash on Thursday.

    @mountainmyst
    “Keep the jeans and enjoy them for a bit and before they are too big. ”

    I’ve noticed that I’ve outgrown my dishes also.

    I will be shopping for smaller plates later this year.

    âž°

    Hi tomtommum, I do love the support and encouragement that we all share here. I enjoy reading your posts, and I love that your collar bones and ankles have put in an appearance!! way to go!

    Annie, wow size 8 !!! I think I wore a size eight once, I was probably eight yrs old. LOL. congratulations!

    Annette, I’m sure you will find that new goal. for now, celebrate all those too big clothes! you will get back in the swing of things in no time I’m sure.

    Rockyromero, know what you mean about the dishes. they are sooo much larger than they used to be. I’m thinking of looking around at some the antique/second hand stores around here and finding some older plates that I like. Kind of mix and match thing. I love eating on smaller plates, makes the food look so much bigger. LOL.

    Did another fast day yesterday. so far so good. hope everyone is having a great day.

    You are all such a fantastic support…thank you.You have helped me find my Mojo!

    I have found this a really tough week. Work has been mad and home equally challenging. I am very aware of a 4 pm wobble, so will have to have food then to stop it all going to the wall.Although I have certainly gone over 500 cals on both days,the scales have gone down 1 lb and the measurements stayed the same.

    The very tight size 10 jeans are on and I am delighted. Certainly need some trimming off the waist…so that is the next goal.It has taken around 6 months to lose 4 inches off my waist, so perhaps it will take another 6 to lose the next and final 4?

    What will we achieve by Christmas, 12 ish weeks away. Does anyone have a goal for then?

    Annette,

    Yay!!!! Sounds like you are doing great…and yes…between 4 and 5 PM on my Fast Days seem to be my “wobble” as well. So I try to reserve my bulk of the 500 calories for dinner at that time. It seems to help.

    My Christmas Goal is losing 30 pounds and re-establish my IBW. And to fit back into this pair of amazing black leather pants I bought several years back.

    My long term goal is to return to a size 7/8 and maintain it. Tired of the yo-yo dieting.

    Here’s to US!

    Carla

    Carla,
    I have lunch at work, so really have 250/300 cals to play with when I get home.I will try eating the rest then and see how that works out.

    How many more pounds do you have to go to reach that Christmas goal?Will there be a picture of you in those leather trousers?

    Annette,

    I’ve 17 pounds to go now.

    And yes…as soon as I fit back into them 🙂 And figure out how to post a picture here…lol

    Carla,
    well done on the lbs and inches lost to date.

    Looking forward to seeing you in them!I have no idea how to post a pic, my kids will have to help with that one.

    Hello on this thread. I started 5:2 some months ago, not sure exactly when, and I’m not sure what I weighed exactly. I don’t count calories or measure anything very much. That way lies danger. That way is doom. I have to sort of sneak up on myself by pretending I’m not dieting, not changing anything really. I certainly wouldn’t tell anyone that I’m dieting. I mean, what if I fail!?

    5:2 is easier to be sneaky about than, say, a watermelon diet.

    So, annette52, putting on clothes is how I track performance, and putting fat clothes in the charity bin is how I know I’m never going back over 80kg again ever ever ever. Finding a much loved red dress stuffed away in the back of a cupboard that I haven’t worn in maybe five years, and finding it fits again is true happiness.

    Hi RoBa,
    I began this way of life(not dieting) in January when I couldn’t understand why there was all this fat hanging over the top of my trousers, which I was also struggling to do up. I had to stand on the scales to see exactly how bad it was and how much I needed to lose to be a healthy weight. I just focused on the 2 stone goal and never really considered how that loss might equate to inches lost, it simply never occurred to me that there would be any!I never told anyone what I was doing because I simply didn’t believe that it would work.There was a slow and steady weight loss but I noticed over the weeks that although progress may have been slow on the scales it was clear that I was shrinking as the inches were starting to shrink or my clothes were getting too big. It became clear on this forum that many folk were only focusing on a loss in terms of the scales rather than inches lost or the piles of clothes on their way to charity shops…hence this thread.I ‘came out’ about the 5:2 over the summer when I was continually asked by work colleagues how I had lost weight. I have always been keen to stress that although the weight is down by 23 lb, the really amazing part is that my blood pressure is normal now and there is 23 inches less of me.True happiness for me was getting back into some rather lovely dresses that I was too fat to wear for several years…those dresses are now hanging off me!I agree that trying on clothes and measuring are the best way to track shrinkage and have urged folk to step away from the tyranny of daily weighing. I am finding a new me too in the form of the clothes that I now wear. I may have far less, but they look so much better and generally fit.I still find it extraordinary that this works….but it does.

    annette52,
    I can’t even begin to thank you enough for your posts. First of all, I joined the forum just to say thank you! Today, a fast day for me, I was a little discouraged. I don’t have much weight to lose (just under a stone, as you Brits say!) & was beginning to wonder if the 5:2 was working for me. I started 3 weeks ago & have lost weight & inches, although I can’t find my tape measure & keep forgetting to buy a new one!! But I noticed that when I used to fast dinner only I lost weight faster than fasting all day. So today I started to quit the 5:2. But then I stumbled on this post & was encouraged to keep going.

    It’s only been 3 weeks, but I have lost about 3 pounds. I need to take your suggestion and weigh/measure only once a week. That might help me see the real progress.

    As usual, I feel great on my fast day! And I’m encouraged to persevere. Good luck finding a new goal for motivation. I mostly wear skirts & maxi dresses (I live in the South in the US & it is HOT here in the summer!!) so I’m not noticing a big difference in my clothes. However, at my match this morning, I noticed my tummy was flatter & there was more room in my favorite tennis skirt!!

    Thanks again!! And a shout out to MountainMyst…I’m in Arkansas. 🙂

    Wow mommabear that is a lovely thing to say.I am rather stunned.

    A 3lb loss in 3 weeks is wonderful.There was a month when I didn’t loss any weight but lost 7 inches!!!!!!!

    I operate on mini goals. So rather than see the weight as a whole, break it up into much smaller amounts.After all, these little bits soon add up.

    Keep going and if you never get a tape measure, you will still see the difference in your clothes.I just needed to see numbers change, to confirm what I actually thought was happening.

    Hi Momabear, so glad you posted. hang in there, it’s worth it! congrats on the roomy tennis skirt! that will be a good way to gauge how things are going. and you are right, it does get HOT here in the south. my body doesn’t tolerate heat well, so I’m not out a lot in summer. like you, I lost 3 lbs in the first 3 weeks. this week I lost 1.6, so I’m really pleased. we southern belles( well, I’m rapidly headed into little granny woman, LOL) can encourage each other as well and enjoying the wisdom that Annette is kind enough to share.

    Annette, do you measure once a week? I’m debating on once a week, versus once a month. I’m wearing a pair of jeans that were getting way to tight, makes me really happy!! how is your week starting off?

    Can I join in as a southern belle? I am in the south of the UK!

    I measure, weigh and try on clothes every Saturday am only.Why not try once a week and see how you get on?

    Fabulous to hear about the jeans…enjoy them before they are too big!

    My week is completely mad at work. Just to complicate things have a hectic week ahead and so will only do one fast day this week. Never mind.

    How is everyone getting on?

    Yes, @annette52!!! You may join us as Southern Belles! I love the South, but unlike @mountainmyst I love the heat we have here!!

    Today is a fast day for me & although I’m so hungry I feel awesome. I love that about fasting! I also just bought a new tape measure, as I never found mine. I plan to measure myself tonight. I’m pretty sure my waist is already half my height, but it’s the “pooch” below that came with baby #3 I’m trying to lose. And unlike just regular dieting, I’ve noticed that pooch disappearing with fasting….. Yay.

    Fantastic!

    Hi Annette, absolutely you can join us southern Belles. the more the merrier. I will try weighing only once a week, and I haven’t been measuring once a week, will add that to the routine. As for only fasting once, that is what I love about this WoL, it’s really flexible and forgiving of days off. good luck with work this week.

    Hi Momabear, I used to enjoy summer, but my age and the M.E/CFS makes it difficult. How did the fast day go? terrific news on the disappearing pooch. here’s to shrinkage for us all.

    MountainMyst, may I ask…what is ME/CFS?

    My fast day went great. Felt fantastic, despite being up almost all night with my sick 7 y/o. And get this……..I put on a maxi skirt this morning that I wore Sunday to church…….& it was roomy around the waist. And even around the hips!!! What?!? In just 2 days?? Yep. Y’all, I was thrilled!! Amazing.

    whoohoo!!! Mommabear, congratulations! that is wonderful! sorry your little one was sick, hope they are feeling better today

    CFS is chronic fatigue syndrome, know in most of the rest of the world as M.E. Myalgic encephalitis. cause unknown so far, lots of research showing various physical abnormalities, but nothing really treatable easily. it’s feels a bit like having the flu all the time. I find if I try to walk very far my legs give out and I’m leaning on my cane to stand up. most of my days are spent trying to clean my house and cook a meal. so that’s pretty much my exercise program. LOL.

    sorry if that is too much info. I’m hoping this way of life will help with some of our symptoms( my husband and daughter have it also) I seem to be having an easier time with the fasting than they do so far. I’m rather enjoying it. I’m not pushing them, just fixing healthy meals ( most of the time). hope you are having a good day.

    @mountainmyst, I’m so sorry about your CFS! Thanks for sharing. Hopefully the fasting will help improve some of the symptoms.

    Because yesterday was an intense workout day, including a late tennis match last night, I switched my fast day to today. As usual, I’m ready for a fast day!!

    Hi Mommabear, today is fast day for us too. smart to not try and fast on a day like yesterday. hope you won your match.

    I too, am hoping for improvement in the CFS. so far the biggest thing has been no more heartburn, and maybe a little more energy in the mornings. something to celebrate in my book.

    hope your fast day has gone well. take care

    It sounds as if you are all doing well.

    It’s not been going well for me.After 3 weeks off for running and last week being very busy and even giving up half way through the only fast day I have had for a month….the results are in. I have put on a total of 4 lb from my pre half marathon weight which was about a month ago and 2 inches on my waist and an inch on my bust…scary statistics.

    So, I am back to 2 fast days a week-no excuses. I have calculated that there are 11 weeks to go until Christmas week.The first goal is to get the inches back and lose the 4 lb.

    Good luck annette. I’m sure your determination will help you get rid of that little blip. Apparently, what goes on quickly comes off quickly.

    Thank you. I hope that you are right, but either way I need to get a grip and knuckle down.

    Hi Annette, you can do it! you are strong and determined. your body probably needed a little recovery time from all the training and now you are ready to get back to it.

    good luck and know that lots of folks are cheering for you!

    Well, ladies I’m a little discouraged. I fasted yesterday & usually when I weigh in the next morning I’m down quite a bit, which averages out during the week. But this morning I was only down 0.4 pounds. Oh my. And yesterday was a rough fast day. I was starving all day, even went to bed with a headache. Ugh. Hoping it’s just a hormonal issue & gets better in a week or so.

    Annette52, any chance your weight gain could be muscle? Or the extra inches just bloating? 🙂

    annette52,

    Don’t be disheartened. I was so successful the first 10+ weeks of 5:2. Then 6 weeks of stress eating and very difficult fast/feast days, like what happened to you. Gained 5 lbs and was incredibly discouraged. I wanted to feel like I did when I first started this woe.

    Good news…..Determined to not give up, which honestly is a first for me, especially after weeks of non success, I somehow am getting back to the mindset now as when I first started.

    Lost 3 lbs this week and am dumb founded! You should have seen what I put away in this pie hole of mine!!! But on Monday I said to myself, fake it til I make it. Monday and Tuesday were hard, but then I allowed myself to feel the hunger pangs and remember it means my body is getting healthy again. I savored every bite of food, chewing and eating slowly. Now, I am totally remotivated!

    What happened this time, which makes this different than my whole adult life of yoyo dieting , followed by completely giving up? I allowed myself to realize that like everything else in life, things and experiences, tend to ebb and flow. Sometimes I feel great, successful, unstoppable, happy. And sometimes I feel sad, discouraged, scared of the results success brings, and like a failure. And you now, it’s OK! Just because I’m a human being , eeking out my existence on this earth, like everyone else, DOES NOT mean I have to throw in the towel when I hit a bit of a rough patch in life or 5:2. Finally, I’m getting that, of course I can’t be 100% successful 100% of the time in anything! No one can.

    Just remember…. this too shall pass! Sorry so long! As I write on this forum, I’m realizing that it’s very much a way for me to process the whole 5:2 experience. You have had a rough 3 weeks, and maybe you’re not done yet. But it WILL NOT last. Allow it to be OK, experience what you need to, and when it’s over, back on wagon again. Yoor good health is too precious to not have patience with, (which is why I suspect so many of us have given up time and again in the past). Just know you are not alone!!

    You are all really rather wonderful. Thank you.

    MountainMyst I have been eating with the same gay abandon as when I was using another 3000 calories a week in training.
    mommabear sorry that you had a tough time. Have you checked your measurements? You may well have lost inches rather than lbs. I never lose weight the day after a fast day. It takes a couple of days for any loss to register. Sadly I don’t think that it is bloating or muscle but cakes!
    Tidychick Thanks, very inspirational.

    I just want to feel as well as I did when I was in the zone.I now need to lose 9 lb in 11 weeks(to reach 24 lb/bmi 25) or 6 inches off my waist. Either would be a tiny bit fabulous.

    hi Mommabear, don’t worry about “only” loosing a little. I usually weigh more the day after a fast, no clue why, but it has always dropped in a day or so. hope you get past the headaches soon.

    awww,Annette, don’t be too hard on yourself, you will get back in the swing. a new week coming. I know you can do it!

    Tidychick, woohoo, 3 lbs, that’s wonderful! thank you for sharing with us, you always express yourself so well, and I enjoy reading your posts.

    take care all.

    G’day ladies. Inspirational post from TidyChick – I felt it! There is some powerful ‘mind stuff’ going on with 5:2 that you just don’t get with other diets. Or is it just the first time I’ve been a forum user? Anyway, I like coming here to read how everyone is getting on. I’m dreaming of size 12 jeans and a bra that isn’t big enough to parachute off Everest with.

    RoBa,

    Oh my goodness, you made me laugh!! Thanks, I needed to do that. I love it!! Parachute off Everest….. that is the first place I gain and loose weight too.

    MountainMyst,

    I quite enjoy reading your posts as well. I guess 3 lbs in a week is pretty good, when you lift that weight in butter or potatoes. Thanks for the encouragement!

    TidyChick, I snorted out loud reading your post!!!! Bwahaha!!!!! Hilarious.

    Well y’all, despite not being pleased with my weigh in this morning I was THRILLED when I put on a pair of my jeans. Size 12…& they were roomy!!! Yes! Wore them all day today, comfortably, & hopefully will soon be donating those & buying new. Woohoo!!! So @annette52, even though I didn’t get a chance to measure today, you were right…my inches are way better than my pounds lost. I also wore a shirt that has never fit right since I bought it. And it was a perfect fit!!! I’m so excited.

    I’m 11 pounds to my first goal weight — I’ll see how I feel at that weight. I don’t care about a number I just know how I want to feel & look. And I’m 4 pounds from being back at my lowest weight since having babies. So excited!

    Mommabear,

    Isn’t that just the best feeling in the world? That’s awesome! Fitting clothes you haven’t worn in forever is very motivating, plus you know you are on the road to good health.

    Great news about the clothes mommabear.So the question is…would you rather be 4 lb lighter or 4 inches less of you?

    RoBa I love the parachute of Everest! I have never been a forum user either but I found the comments when I started in January very motivating and kept me going when it was tough, especially at the start when I couldn’t see any improvement.

    MountainMyst Perhaps you are right.Now I have had my blip and time to get back to it.

    TidyChick Thanks for the motivation and inspiration. Great to know that I’m not alone and that you have been there too.

    Annette52, I’d much rather lose the inches than the pounds!! I really don’t care what I weigh. In fact, if my weight stayed the same but I lost several inches, that would be ok too!

    Although, it’s odd…I measured this morning & I’m not really seeing a difference. But yesterday I wore a dress to church and didn’t wear Spanx underneath it! And everyone was calling me skinny!! Woohoo! So something is working.

    Question for everyone: do you fast 36 hours? Or 24? Anyone tried eating 8 hours, fasting 16? I have a friend at the gym doing that & she looks amazing! I’m fine with the 5:2, just wondered if anyone else has tried it.

    Hi mommabear, you may well be measuring in a different place as to where the fat is disappearing from, which is why I think trying on clothes at the same time as measuring/weighing.

    I eat the day before a fast day usually at about 7pm and then nothing until 12 noon the next day. Then fast again until 4 or 5pm and then eat again then and then nothing until breakfast the next day at 7am.

    Hi everyone, sorry I haven’t checked in. having a bit of a brain fog problem at the moment.

    Roba, Love the parachute thing. my daughter says she should be able to use her bra’s for a hammock. LOL. sounds like you are doing great.

    Mommabear, love that your clothes are getting bigger, that’s great!

    Annette, how are you doing? good idea about trying on clothes once a week at the same time. I think I’m going to pick out something that is too tight and watch it get bigger.

    I’m still doing pretty good. lost 1.6 lbs last week. still no heartburn, sooo happy with this way of eating! hope everyone is doing well.

    oh wow, you guys are all so inspiring. have had a really tough 10 days, and have eaten for Britain…. fast day again today, and really struggling. so good to see I’m not alone. This forum is a very inspirational place to be right now.

    hi, tomtommum, hang in there, I know you can do this! I think that lots of us have days that we could eat for our perspective countries. I live in the southern U.S., lots of fried goodies and sweets. so tempting at times. I am finding that they are less tempting as time goes by.
    I’ve read many of your other posts, I know you are strong and determined, you will get through this rough patch. let me know how you are doing ok?

    thanks MountainMyst, I am feeling ok, I have an enormous craving for chocolate, and as long as I am in the office with none to hand that is fine, I just need to overcome the craving once i head home….

    my initial weightloss has been good, so I am pleased, and generally determined, but I am a terrible comfort eater, so have been feeling sorry for myself, eating too much and then feeling even more sorry for myself !!

    It’s a terrible dark hole to fall into, and I think i am slowly climbing out of it again….. thanks in large part, certainly as far as the 5:2 is concerned, to the support & inspiration here.

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