It's just not working for me. .why?

This topic contains 70 replies, has 18 voices, and was last updated by  lilymartin 7 years, 4 months ago.

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  • Congrats to you lily martin!!! 5kgs and 5cm is awsome. how long has that taken?
    im aiming for a loss of 6-7kgs in the next 2.5months …do you think its doable?

    Not sure if it helps but I started having plain yogurt in the morning and I started seeing difference within three or four days. I was similarily stuck. The yogurt (or is it yoghurt?) seemed to kick start something.

    Yogurt, thats interesting. Thats on non fast days?
    Do you count calories on the other days?

    Yogurt is a satiating food, so perhaps youre eating less. It also support gut bacteria which is beneficial for you. Hey if it works for you its a good thing. Stick to it.

    I think you’ve answered your own question. Wine is 7 calories per gram. Comfort food? Pick a number. There is no magic involved.

    On both fasting and non-fasting days. Last fasting day I had yogurt, whole milk and a sandwich worked really well for keeping hunger in check.

    Hi Sanj

    yes I think it is quite doable! I lost the 5 kgs fairly quickly and remember that was the Blood Sugar Diet (BSD) – to hit weight loss hard and fast which is VERY different from the 5:2 which is much easier to maintain, and is supposed to be for the long term. I know people who are doing the 5:2 and have done it for several years and kept the weight off.

    With the BSD you eat only about 800 calories a day, no sugar, very little or no carbs.
    I lost 5kgs in a few weeks and have kept it off. I did the BSD fairly strictly for 5 weeks, then eased off. So I am still watching what I eat and although I have added some carbs and the occasional bit of cake I am still very careful . There is no point in losing weight and then reverting back to bad habits.

    With the BSD because it is pretty severe and the best results are gained by sticking to it fairly strictly it has helped to re-set my hunger levels. The first 2 days were ‘ the worst’ though actually not bad.
    When fasting, once you get used to it, your body adapts and after a while you don’t actually feel hungry.
    I am really pleased that it has helped me get back on track so I am eating mindfully.
    Before I eat anything I think ‘ Am I really hungry?’ ‘ Do I really need this?’ ‘ What amount of exercise will I need to do to get rid of it?’
    This helps determine if I really do want to eat something.
    My portion size control has altered. I am very careful to eat only small amounts which is all my body requires. Previously I was eating fairly healthily but way too much.
    Also I was eating mindlessly – the odd biscuit here, 2 or 3 or 4 pieces of chocolate there.
    When I went out I would often eat something with morning or afternoon tea which I didn’t do at home.

    I have also cut my wine consumption – 1 to 2 glasses a week to none most weeks.
    I have cut down on cheese ( adore cheese).
    The biggest thing has been carb reduction. Previously I ate a lot of ( healthy) carbs – brown rice, wholemeal pasta, wholemeal bread but a lot and every day. I adore carbs.
    But I have greatly reduced carb intake and it has shown benefits.

    The good thing is that I am still losing weight. 0.3 kgs this week without even trying.

    I am going to do the BSD for another week or two quite strictly just for my own interest , to see if I lose weight at the same rate as I did with the initial 5 weeks.

    Sorry this is so long but hopefully this will give you some motivation and explanation. If I can do it anybody can. Seriously. Good luck! And look forward to the benefits of not carrying around the extra weight.

    Ok guys this really isint working for me!!! I’m sticking to 500 to 600 calories on fast days and 1500 which is less than my tdee on non fast days And honestly I am still yo yoing up and down the 70kg mark. After fasting my weight comes down and then non fast days it goes up again and now on non fast days I’m being not eating a lot of carbs which was my weAK point. Why isint this working. I’m so frustrated. At this point I don’t see myself losing anything at all in 2 months. Ive even cut down alchol to just 2 days a week ;( 🙁

    Hi Sanj:

    By definition, you can’t eat less than your TDEE 7 days a week and not lose weight. I would guess you are miscounting or not counting the calories you are eating. People that estimate their calories eaten usually estimate about 50% fewer than they are actually eating.

    Try counting every calorie you put in your mouth for a few days and I think you will answer your question. 5:2 works, but only if you eat less than your TDEE over time. It is not magic.

    Good Luck!

    Have to agree with sim. There is no magic involved. The amount of calories you are eating for the week must equal what you are expending regardless of whether you think otherwise. I don’t count calories and was recently thinking that I must be eating well below my 2000 TDEE. So I actually added up the calories, guess what, I was eating 2000 cal.

    1500 cal is a ridiculously small amount of food. This is a typical days intake for me and its 2000 cal. Breakfast: 100g high fat yogurt with 25g berries and 25 grams almonds. Lunch: 100g tuna + small salad + 2 coffees with milk + 25g roasted beans. Dinner: 300g (small bowl) curried vegetables (no rice). That’s 2000 cal. For 1500 you would have to reduce my portion size by 25%.

    Try going 0 cal water only for your fast day? You have to try something different. Keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result is just crazy.

    Thanks guys. .the frustrating part is I am trying different approaches but am still having no luck.

    I agree bigbooty 1500 calories is very little. .and it’s hard. .but I don’t know what else to do. My tdee is 2000. .and overall I think I am pretty good and healthy with food. .I try and do exercise 3 to 4 times a week.
    Would you suggest eating the full 2000 calories on non fast days??

    Please help. .I’m gonna go crazy if I don’t start doing something that is going to help get rid of the weight. I really want to lose 6kgs in 12 weeks.

    Hi Sanj:

    It sounds like you are sure you are eating 600 cal. or less on your diet days and 1500 cal. or less on your non diet days.

    As you have eaten that many calories for two months and neither gained nor lost any weight, your TDEE is really about 1250.

    To lose weight, you simply have to eat less.

    Good Luck!

    Hi Simcoeluv. .I used the mayoclinic to determine my tdee. .and as per that my daily calorie in take should be 1950.

    So on non fast days I should be able to eat up to that if I am doing 2 days of fasting and still lose weight correct?

    Hi Sanj:

    Not necessarily – that your TDEE is 1950 I mean. The calculators yield only estimates. They are starting points from which you have to adjust if you are not getting the results you expect to get.

    You have stated that you are eating a certain number of calories for two months without gaining or losing weight. So that is your TDEE.

    It sounds very low – but you seem to resist the idea you are really eating more calories than what you say you are. So to lose weight, you have to eat less than your TDEE – by definition. So if you eat less, you should lose weight. As you are already eating your TDEE, eating more than you are currently eating will simply cause you to gain weight.

    Good Luck!

    HI Sanj
    I agree with the posts of bigbooty and simcoeluv. Losing weight is a daily battle for some of us. The under-reporting of how many calories we consume and the over-recording of how much exercise we think we do is well-known. We probably all kid ourselves at times – human nature.
    Also perhaps it is the type of food you are eating?
    I absolutely ADORE carbs but since doing the Blood Sugar Diet ( BSD) which is 600 – 800 calories DAILY for a few weeks only, I really noticed a difference when I cut out carbs. ( Previously a bit sceptical about this but it did work for me and a lot of my friends stick to high protein, moderate good fats, low carbs with good long term results).
    The BSD is quite difficult to maintain and requires RIGID discipline to stick to the small amount of food/calories you eat daily.
    After the initial hunger pangs on the first day I actually didn’t find it too difficult for a SHORT time as it re-sets your hunger signals or did for me. I did have times when I didn’t lose any weight but I didn’t put it on either. I really did lose 5 kgs in a few weeks and have kept it off BUT I have changed my eating patterns as I’ve said before and am much more careful about what I eat. I eat a LOT less carbs than usual and some days are carb free.
    Willpower only lasts for so long so for long term health and weight loss you must change your eating habits.
    Perhaps if you posted everything you eat for a day or two on this site people might be able to help you tweak your diet or see what might be happening re calories TDEE etc.
    Hang in there though – don’t give up. It really is worth the effort.

    @sanj

    You could add intermittent fasting to your NFD. As I said on another thread:
    1. eat in a smaller eating window. Like 2 meals a day in 6 or better 4 hours window.
    2. the time of this 2 meals is important. You lose much more with breakfast+lunch, than with lunch+dinner, at the same caloric intake. 3 studies here, first post: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/daily-20-23-hours-fasting-window/

    Good luck!

    I think the biggest issue is patience. If your numbers are correct, and you’re not overeating on non fast days, you should be losing (unless there’s an underlying medical issue). But it won’t be overnight.

    I don’t weigh myself every day, or even every week, because the scales can be misleading and discouraging. I keep track of my calorie intake and then let time do its thing. It’s so hard to be patient, I know. We all want instant gratification, even though we know logically we can’t have it.

    One thing I found very helpful was to do weight training. I saw results immediately, which helped me stay on the wagon.

    Two weeks isn’t a lot of time to be expecting dramatic loss. It may feel like an eternity when you’re waiting for results, but it really isn’t enough time for your body to register significant weight loss. Hang in there, adjust your diet and/or activity level if you aren’t seeing at least some result after some more time, and don’t give up!

    “2. the time of this 2 meals is important. You lose much more with breakfast+lunch, than with lunch+dinner, at the same caloric intake. 3 studies here, first post: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/daily-20-23-hours-fasting-window/

    I have to disagree with this. For weight loss, timing is irrelevant. What matters is that you find something that helps you reduce your calorie intake, whether fasting or otherwise.

    Hi sanj, There is one medical condition that I’ve experienced that would not allow me to lose weight no matter how little I ate. That condition is when I was hypothyroid. My metabolism was so slow and my temperature so low that I simply didn’t utilize many calories in a resting state. I figure I probably only required half or less calories than a person with a healthy thyroid would utilize to maintain weight. I was also fatigued and lethargic. One simple in home test to see if it is worth going an extra step to get thyroid hormones tested by doctor is to take basal body temperature. Morning temperature before rising or moving around should be between 97.8 and 98.2 F. If it is consistently lower, that indicates a hypothyroid bodily state.

    Not sure if anyone is still reading this thread but those that have struggle with weight loss / low calories ( sorry can’t remember all the names ) have you thought about the type of food you are eating and the portion size . And sorry to disagree but it’s not always about eating less all the time . So many thing have to be taken into acount as well as weight & height ( this is very basic stuff) but what you are physically doing
    I am coping really well with FDs but I still watch what I eat NFDs too and I will never eat under my TDEE my body needs fuel to cope with my life specially my exercise level .. To make it simple eat fresh food and very little processed food
    If possible a bigger meal at lunch then dinner ( less active after tea time )
    This is my option as a personal trainer who’s works with Dieticans
    My reason for trying 5:2 is to loss weight but I find it very interested
    I eat 500 cals FDs but follow what my Dietican has advices me
    Food is fuel .. Eat clean 😊

    Hi rainbowbrite30
    Yes we are still reading this thread! I haven’t been on for a while as I couldn’t find this thread having been on another one. I have joined a November challenge with a worldwide group of people following the 5:2 for November. The idea is simply to post daily. Being accountable has been shown to be one effective tool in helping people to lose weight, and any number of other things as well. Can help us stay on track when others are involved.
    I agree with what you have said in your post re eating a larger amount earlier in the day when you are more active.
    We were brought up to ‘ breakfast like a king, lunch like a lord, dine like a pauper.’
    I am maintaining my weight/ slowly losing small amounts but am so happy that my weight is going down and my clothes fit better. I am even wearing clothes that I haven’t been able to for a few years. Joy !!

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