Lack of weight loss and medical reasons

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Lack of weight loss and medical reasons

This topic contains 12 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by  littlebitlit 8 years, 6 months ago.

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  • Hi everyone,

    I am 15stone 11 and three stone heavier than I was this time in 2013. I can put my weight gain down to meeting my current partner and the excess which can occur at the start of a relationship. However I cannot lose weight very well.

    I’ve been doing 5:2 since the start of June and between gains and losses I’ve only lost three pounds. I exercise 3-4 times a week (running) and move around as much as possible on a daily basis (I average 10,000 steps per day). My TDEE suggest 2700 per day for exercising to this extent, although it didn’t feel right eating this much so I try not to go over 2200 unless a special occassion arises. On fast days I eat up to a quarter of my TDEE and always have a calorie deficit of at least 4000 calories per week.

    I have a mood disorder for which I take Lamotrigine 100mg. This has never caused a weight issue in the past so I’m wondering (because of mood disruptions, tiredness, fluctuating monthly periods) if I have diabetes type 2 or an underactive thyroid.
    I did come off SSRI’s three months ago (at the same time I started this WOE) and initially I thought the fluoxentine in my blood stream could affect weight loss…now it should be out of my system so it’s very unlikely to be the cause.

    I just feel stuck! Is anyone out there experiencing the same as me? I’m going to the GP this afternoon to discuss blood tests to rule out physical causes other than psychiatric medication.

    So what am I doing wrong?

    It must be so frustrating. Sorry I don’t have any suggestions, but I just hope you can work it out. I hope your GP has some ideas. Best wishes.

    Hi littlebitlit

    not easy is it?

    Your doctor might be able to shed some light, I do hope so.

    Other than that, its just a matter of grasping the nettle that is 5:2 – I started at nearly 14 1/2 stone, and I’m over halfway to a 5 stone loss, but, for me, like most of us, its a slog and a game of snakes and ladders.

    I always calculate my TDEE at two stones lighter than I am – started this when I had no weight loss it the first three weeks of 5:2 – the other thing I did was to keep a food diary. I also calorie count fast days and none fast days. Not everyone does, but for some of us the nettle is harder to pull out of the ground!

    Your TDEE sounds high, I use sedatory even though I have been exercing and doing 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day, though not able to exercise at the moment.

    Having a low TDEE is hard, and I go over now and again – but using the low TDEE makes any excess more forgiving.

    If you are eating a quarter of your TDEE twice a week and you aren’t losing weight – but not gaining – you might just be eating the exact amount you need. The theory of 5:2 is to eat 20% less a week for a one pound loss – on average. I’ve discovered I actually don’t need many calories and can maintain my weight eating an average of just 1500 calories a day – bummer eh? Explains how I put so much weight on though!

    So, check your TDEE, if correct you can eat 18,900 calories a week (2700 per day) to maintain your weight – you are eating no more than 12350 (2200 x5 plus 675 x 2), 66% of your TDEE – a lot less than the 5:2 20%, you should be losing at a rate of nearly 2 lbs a week, as the deficit is 6550 calories. Might be your TDEE is wrong, it is after all a guideline only, a good place to start but not an exact measurement. Why not experiment and for 4 weeks try 20% less than you are eating now, a total of 10,000 calories, about 1950 calories a day and 500 calories on your fast day. Count and record EVERY calorie, for the 4 weeks.

    Theoretically, a loss of 1 lb a week, bang on the 5:2 theory.

    Sorry to bambozzle with figures but – supposing there is not a medical reason – 5:2 for weightloss is simply eating less than you need – and 20% is a reasonable long term workable amount. I really think the hard part to finding the maximum you can eat to put the brakes on weight gain – and how much less you should eat to reverse and actually lose the weight. As I said already, not easy!

    I hope this doesn’t come over a condescending or clever, I sat down and worked this out for myself when I wasn’t losing – and when I go off the reservation and eat more than my calculations, I put on weight.

    Good luck and let us all know how you get on!!

    Thank you for you replies, Cinque and Milena.

    Milena, that is actually very helpful. I’m naturally less hungry now on non-fast days so I reckon for the majority of the time (special occasions excluded) I could easily stick to 1950 a day. I should probably cut out refined carbohydrates too (I do have one sugar in my coffee and the occasional portion of white rice) but the thing that attracted me to the 5:2 WOE was the fact that I could eat anything on non-fast days. I guess for some of us the rules do have to be adapted.

    I did see the GP and she said that I could be pre-menopausal (I hope not because I was thinking of having another child) or have underactive thyroid. I’m booked in to be bled to check for that and diabetes – hopefully it’s none of them and I simply have a lower calorie need! 🙂

    Little,

    I suspect you have hit the nail on the head and answered your own question: ‘…the thing that attracted me to the 5:2 WOE was the fact that I could eat anything on non-fast days. I guess for some of us the rules do have to be adapted.’

    Eating anything on non-fast days is not the same as eating everything. You should eat normally on non-fast days, but if your ‘normal’ is in fact overeating, then you can’t expect two fast days to result in significant weight loss, although it might help you to maintain your weight (i.e. not gain any more).

    And as for the rules having to be adapted? No. The rules are the same for everyone. You eat a reasonable amount of food on non-fast days, and by that I mean up to your TDEE, and on fast days you eat a quarter of your TDEE or less. No one will lose weight fast (if at all) if they are over eating on non-fast days.

    5:2 works, but you do have to accept that you need to let go of those unhealthy eating habits that caused your weight gain in the first place.

    I see that you were here briefly a year ago. Simco advised you then. You would do well to read his posts. He is the Oracle on all matters 5:2.

    Good luck sticking with 5:2 this time round.

    Thanks for the response and info. Just a point though: I do not overeat and I know plenty about nutrition. There’s a chance that the TDEE is not an accurate reflection of my metabolic rate but that’s it.

    Or rather, that’s it if there is no underlying medical reason.

    Hi Little,

    I didn’t mean to offend, but your posts suggest that you have gained weight as a result of overeating.

    If you aren’t losing weight then I’m afraid it seems likely that you are still overeating (for your particular metabolic requirements) or at least not under-eating, as would be required for weight loss.

    I don’t know if you count calories, but Milena’s advice is sound. And reduce processed carbs and sugars, if that is a particular weakness.

    Most people underestimate how much they eat and overestimate how active they are. Maybe you’ve allowed yourself a too generous TDEE. Again, Milena’s advice there is good.

    As I say, good luck. It works. If it isn’t working there’s a reason… Maybe it’s medical, your blood results will hopefully shed light on that.

    Hi again HappyNow.
    You didn’t so much offend it’s just that being overweight I get tired of people making assumptions about what and how much I eat. The conclusions people reach are usually stereotypical. Yes, I’ve gained a lot of weight but it was mainly as a result of a year of drinking too much alcohol (and the desire for stodge that drinking results in). For a long time now (since the first post I made on here) I’ve been making a determined effort to lose weight – I’ve tried fasting, high protein, low glycemic cutting out most refined carbs; I drink loads of water, have a personal trainer, run 20 miles a week, swim fast laps once a week and move about as much as possible. I’ve been keeping a food diary since I lost a hefty few stone on the old WW plan years ago (following weight gain after pregnancies) – in fact I keep two: myfitnesspal and WW tracker. It’s me who should maybe apologise: I’m so hyper vigilant about food and exercise that I’m at the end of my patience. Thanks again for responding, though.

    Now that post provides the detail that means people don’t have to make assumptions and jump to conclusions that aren’t evidence based 🙂

    I’m so sorry that you’re having such a struggle. I don’t know how long you tried 5:2 for previously but based on it being a way of life, and not just a quick fix fast weight loss diet, and the fact that nothing else seems to work, perhaps you just need to give it more time? Or maybe even have a go at alternate day fasting?

    Hi Little

    I’m glad Happy has joined this thread – she really is a font of knowledge. Its unfortunate that because you can’t see folk when they write, words can be quite bald and unforgiving. Just bear with us, we are all in the same boat (and those of us who are on the part of the boat that is sitting deep in the water feel your pain!)

    I think lots of us have tried lots of things – one of the brilliant things about this forum is the help and support – we really are all in this together, whether you need to lose 200 lbs or 7 lbs – sometimes I think the 1/2 stone is the hardest to lose.

    And losing is only the beginning, staying there takes effort as well.

    Read some of the threads and join one or two or as many as you like – please read buttonboots journey, inspirational! And, interestingly, she does pretty basic 5:2 – another fairly basic 5:2er is Ginette – calling her basic though is a misnomer, she spends a lot of time researching and passing on some great information. What they have in common is a desire to long quite a lot of weight, but both concentrate on small targets. And read the maintence crew (including Happy) thread – been there, done it, got the tee-shirt and swop it for a smaller size!

    There are many variations of 5:2, we need them, to make 5:2 doable for individuals, but get the basics going, get the 1 lb a week away, then tweak!

    You are doing marvellously and you are well on the road to success, even if you can’t see the first bend, ne’er mind the end of the road, so enjoy the journey!

    Milena, you’re very kind!

    I agree Re: Buttonboots and Ginette being truly inspirational, both ladies with a large amount of weight to lose who have committed themselves fully to this way of life and are in it for the long haul. Don’t underestimate your own achievement though!

    Little,

    I didn’t have so much weight to lose as some. But I was overweight, and for the whole of my adult life (pre-5:2) it was easier for me to gain weight than lose it. I always remember going to the states in my late 20s. On arrival I bought a pair of jeans. Three weeks later I could just do them up, but the muffin top and the vertical fold of fat at my belly button were not attractive, and the fact that I could do them up didn’t mean that I could bend over in them let alone sit down!

    So 5:2 has been a revelation. OK, I was only 2 stone overweight, but this is the first time in my life that it’s been as easy to lose weight as it is to gain it.

    Some people set off hare-style, while others are the tortoise. Everyone is different, but you have to give it time. Forget about those short-term faddy and unsustainable diets (‘drop a dress size in 5 minutes’) and focus on eating a reasonable amount of food for 5 days a week, and fasting two days a week.

    I kind of think if you’ve tried everything else, and nothing else works, what have you got to lose by committing to intermittent fasting?

    Thanks everyone for your replies. I’ve been on holiday so only just taken the opportunity to respond. I’m going to try and reduce calories on NFD, eat cleaner, shake up my exercise routine (my body might be too used to running), be patient and try not to get too stressed and upset by it all. Tall order! 🙂 appreciate all your responses 🙂

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