Is is worth giving up? 4weeks and not one gram weight loss

This topic contains 15 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by ICU812 8 years, 5 months ago.

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)

ICU812

5:49 am
12 May 16
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Sorry, but I am feeling demoralised and a total failure. I am not obese but do have some weight to lose. I’ve read the book cover to cover 3 times and doing it for 4 wks now. I am following the diet strictly counting ever crumb and on other days following a lowish carb diet which I have done so for many years. Is my body thinking it is starving itself? I just don’t get it. This diet has promised weight loss and I have none to date. Maybe I have one of those bodies that doesn’t respond. I was feeling excited about this diet, now I’m losing faith that it even works. Any ideas? I’m finding 5:2 bad enough atm, I’m not willing to do 4:3.

simcoeluv

5:55 am
12 May 16
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Hi ICU:

If you have been following 5:2 for a month and calorie counting on diet days and not losing weight, the usual problem is you are overeating on your non diet days. Figure out your TDEE and try counting calories for a week and see if that is the problem. You need to eat to your TDEE or less on non diet days.

Good Luck!

ICU812

6:02 am
12 May 16
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I can’t possibly be eating more than I should – I am very careful low carb eater, no pasta, no rice, no sugar, no flour, no potato. Breakfast is low carb cereal I make, lunch is a protein shake and dinner is a usually meat and veg. I just don’t understand?
I don’t know what a TDEE is?

simcoeluv

6:06 am
12 May 16
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Hi ICU:

Eating ‘healthy’ does not necessarily mean eating ‘low calorie’.

This explains TDEE: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/tdee-for-the-curious-or-why-dont-i-lose-weight-faster/

And this thread gives the basics of 5:2: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

Good Luck!

HappyNow

8:35 am
12 May 16
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ICU,

From reading your profile, it sounds as though there are a number of factors conspiring against you! You’re small, around the menopause, with thyroid problems, and on drugs that cause weight gain. I think it would be a miracle if you were rapidly losing significant amounts of weight!

Obviously it’s up to you whether you continue or not, but intermittent fasting is a way of life and not a quick fix in any case. Particularly given your issues, you might need to give it longer than 4 weeks to see results.

It’s worth remembering that it does offer other benefits, over and above weight loss. For example, some menopausal women report reduction in symptoms such as hot flushes. I suffer less pre-menstrual symptoms now, and my asthma is improved.

Also, it’s easy and it’s free. So if it really is your last chance, what have you got to lose by carrying on? You might improve your health and/or lose some weight. What’s your plan B?

PinkQueen

4:51 pm
12 May 16
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Maybe stay on to reap the health benefits of fasting? I plan to do that for the rest of my life, whether I have extra weight to lose or not. I truly believe in giving my body a timeout to help heal itself and prevent premature aging.

ICU812

1:59 am
13 May 16
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Thanks heaps for your information and encouragement. Yes there is heaps against me I admit. And I need to take that into account.

Found out about TDEE and mine is 1750. I do my fasts on Tues and Thurs each week. I found that I really didn’t think too much about it this time and just went ahead with the fast. I also found I wasn’t nearly as hungry as when I first started. Eating low calorie foods that I enjoy has also helped a lot, especially strawberries, porridge and clear/miso soups, fish and veges. I can’t handle tea/coffee without milk so I found an almond milk replacement that is not too bad.

Another thing that is really weird. I weighed myself earlier in the week and I was still stuck at 57.8kg like it has forever and for curiosity weighed myself today and there was a shift at 56.9kg. Wow but still a bit dubious. It has given me a glimmer of hope, so I think I will hang in there. Again thanks, without your replies I probably would have given up. Instead I will continue.

flatcapcyclist

8:38 pm
6 Jun 16
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Definitely don’t give up, I think I barely lost any weight for around the first 6 months (had lost the easy to lose weight from increased exercise previously, then plateaued, then had a worrying 6.6 blood sugar result, then saw the original documentary & went with it).
I’m wondering if I was losing internal fat during this time, after the 6 months I started a slow weight loss again & after a year my blood sugar was down to 3.4, 12 months after that it was 2.7, result = happy doctor (and a happy me eating what I liked 5 days a week!)
That was 2 years ago, since then life has got in the way a bit & with one thing and another I drifted to more like 6:1 with more pigging out on the 6 days. I’m now slightly heavier than my lowest but much more muscle, especially my legs as I commute 20 miles/day by bike. Am just getting back into the proper swing as I want to lose the last 10 pounds of tummy fat, all that’s left of my former quite impressive beer belly!

Broomhilda

12:53 pm
11 Jun 16
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I have a strong suspicion that your thyroid issues and medications are interfering with weight loss for you. Both are factors that would potentially lead to unintended weight gain. I once was on Lexapro for a year and gained 20 lbs during that time. I also was recently diagnosed with Graves disease (hyperthyroid) so I have been learning about how thyroid imbalances can affect your weight. I would recommend discussing your weight loss goals with your doctors and asking if there are modifications to your meds that could be made. Most importantly, don’t give up!

Apricot

1:19 pm
11 Jun 16
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I’ve had a few plateaus and shifted them by using 4:3 for a week or two then back to 5:2. Also, you might find that staying low carb on fast days helps I sprinkle a little oat bran on natural unsweetened yogurt sometimes which gives a bit of fibre but doesn’t spike the insulin much, not as carby as porridge. I only have porridge oats once a week at present, or twice if I need comfort food!

Do keep going. This and low carb are I think two of the best diets around and they combine well. I lost fewer grams per week after week one but my waist got smaller rapidly and the weight loss adds up over time even though in fits and starts. Others here use low fat rather than low carb, but I find LC more helpful and healthy as nuts, olive oil and butter are favourite foods for me.

Experiment a bit with what you eat on non fast days, see which foods help most. But keep going. ☺️

ICU812

6:11 am
12 Jun 16
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Thank you for your encouragement. I’m just plugging away, slowly. Realising that there is so much that is going on to make weight loss very difficult. This means changing my perspective, treating each little loss a miracle within itself. I don’t feel comfortable doing 4:3 yet since I’m so new to the concept, but I’ve decided to keep going. I’m down a little more 56.6kg. Thanks

Yourhealthcoach

6:41 am
16 Jun 16
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Your issue sound more like unbalance hormones. Or stress too … High cortisol stop fat burn, check your lifestyle and stress level. There is natural way to balance hormones , I read tons of book about how to balance hormones. It is nutrition and supplementation . I need to see what hormones is out of balance to give you exactly what supplements will work for you . One of my client has low thyroid which she developed chronic fatigue , low libido, weight gain, hair loss, and now after she took natural suplements , all her Symptoms were gone. Even she lost 25 pounds in 4 months but she first did detox program for 10 days and I taught her clean diet and now she is on her own. Be patient , you can do it too 🙂 Alex

bigbooty

2:13 am
17 Jun 16
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ICU,

56.6kg. How tall are you and what’s your BMI? What sort of weight are you shooting for? Even if youre tiny at say 5’1″ (my wife is 5’1″) you would be comfortably below a bmi of 25. Just curious.

NorthernDawn

5:17 am
18 Jun 16
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That’s a great point, bigbooty!

So many posters only infer their weight, or they tell their weight, but not their height. Height is quite relevant! And then there is bone structure….small, medium, large. Supposedly, plus or minus 10% for small and large bone structure from the average, for height/weight formula (which is 100 lbs for first 5 ft for woman, then 5 lbs for every inch after; same for men but add an extra 5 lbs to the total). Or is this total BS now?

If someone has less to lose than others, i.e. they are within normal BMI and have 10 lbs to lose, to be happy…..it will come off more slowly, will it not? Unless they really amp up exercise or cut calories excessively, or both? Or am I mistaken? It’s really hard to know without people’s stats what is really going on.

I’m a big fan of your posts bb. You are well informed, personally experienced, and tireless in your willingness to repeat yourself over and over for the new people coming on board. That alone is an admirable quality! I thank you and I’m sure many other “newbies” thank you; now, and in the future. Please, keep up the good work. It helps so many of us.

NorthernDawn

5:51 am
18 Jun 16
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ICU, I hope you are just keeping on, keeping on, as they say. The fast diet 5:2 does work. I think it will probably work, over time, even with your meds. You have to be more patient than most other people, but I do believe you will see some weight loss. Good luck to you and stay strong, because it will be harder for you but doable. God Bless you!

ICU812

8:17 am
18 Jun 16
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Hi Thanks for your encouragement. Well I am still losing hope here. I got down to 56.6kg and went back up to 57.3kg. I am 152 cm BMI of 25/26. I am not very big but I do have an issue with stomach fat.

I find it hard when I’m the only one in the household fasting and the kids and husband are eating normal foods around you. There is no hope of them joining me.

My thyroid levels are in normal range with the use of Thyroxine and my BSL is normal between 3-4mmol

I think part of the problem is that the book says that you can eat normally on non fast days. I believe now that I have a body that can’t do that. I have been enjoying a normal diet on non fasting days and that is where I have stuffed up and my weight has gone back up. I will probably have to eat a low carb (leto) diet for the rest of my life. My body responds poorly to low fat/low calorie &/or higher carb diets. For example I gained weight on Weight Watchers instead of losing. It seems that my body has issues with low fat and higher carb eating.

Exercise does not assist in weight loss. I trained 5 days a week for a 200km charity bike ride and not 1kg came off me

I hope you can see the frustration I have in losing weight. The only method that has ever worked for me is low carb. I think I may have to be extremely strict with carbs for the non fast days. I strongly suspect the high dose antipsychotics (Seroquel) is the culprit.

Many thanks Sam