Motivation wanted!

This topic contains 9 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by enrivma 7 years, 5 months ago.

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enrivma

11:09 pm
15 Nov 16
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Hi everyone!

I’ve been fasting for a few months now. I was doing 5:2 until last week, but I wasn’t losing weight so I’ve bumped it up to 4:3. I did lose some cms around my waist, so I know it hasn’t been wasted effort, but I wanted to make more progress.

I’m finding my fast days quite difficult. I do get quite hungry about 4pm. I save all my calories for the evening because otherwise I find I don’t sleep well and also dream quite intensely of food. Ideally I think I would eat my main meal about 4pm but it doesn’t fit in with my work and commuting schedule.

I’d love to chat to people around the forum about this way of life!

Minka

10:48 am
17 Nov 16
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Hi enrivma,

There are others who practice 4:3, though for some reason, those that do, don’t seem to stick around.

I attempted 4:3 one week and it threw me into an adrenal crash, so I know it is too much for me. My adrenals don’t have the capacity to secret the amount of cortisol required for alternate day fasting. I got the shakes, heart palps, nausea and faint, all symptoms of low cortisol. I’ve been chronically ill, so is why I struggled with it.

I’m sorry you weren’t able to lose weight n 5:2. Have you seen this informative thread that is devoted to that topic?

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

Bronx

3:24 pm
17 Nov 16
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I started 5:2 September 2015. My goal wasn’t to lose weight, but to be able to eat without worrying about calories on the weekends.

Well, that hasn’t been working out too well. I must really be shoveling it in on the weekends because I’ve been gaining weight. About a month ago I started 4:3, doing 0 calories on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I thought this would help especially because I know I was over-indulging on Fridays, but so far it hasn’t seemed to help. I’m going to keep going for a few more weeks before making a determination if this is working, but may have to go back to counting calories, which I don’t like. I did that about 3 years ago for a year to lose weight. It worked well but is a terrible hassle!

I hope you have more success with fasting than I; I just need to learn how to control my weekend eating. Raw nuts are my downfall. They’re supposed to be good for you but are packed with calories.

Bronx

enrivma

11:04 pm
17 Nov 16
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Hi Lael

I have looked at that thread. Basically I think I was losing fat on 5:2, because my measurements changed. So I was probably eating a bit too much, but not a ridiculous amount. But I wanted to accelerate my progress, and I’m not very good at limiting my calories on my normal days. So I’m trying 4:3. It’s quite hard so I can see why people might not stick around. But because I only have a small amount of weight to lose (about 5-10kg) I am going to just push through and try to get the job done. Fortunately I haven’t had any really nasty side effects – I’m just hungry. An adrenal crash sounds horrible.

enrivma

11:10 pm
17 Nov 16
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Hi Bronx

I have to be a bit careful what I eat on my normal days. I try not to snack (although that went out the window yesterday) and to eat healthy meals. I think it is possible to eat back your calories on your non-fasting days – I certainly did that for a few weeks when I was doing 5:2. People promoting the diet say that your stomach will shrink and you’ll want to eat less: I have found the opposite, I crave more food on my non-fasting days.

Weight loos on the diet is slow so maybe you’ll have better results in a few weeks. Have you taken some measurements? I thought I had not lost any weight with 5:2, but found I have consistently lost between 2 and 4 centimeters off my waist, bust and hips. Maybe you’re losing fat but retaining some water or building muscle?

enrivma

11:49 pm
17 Nov 16
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I’m checking in with my progress today. Today is my third fast day for the week, and I’m suffering a bit because I was drinking last night and now feel like I want to have some greasy food. But I’m pushing through so far.

I’ve lost 2kg since starting 4:3 two weeks ago. That’s a good rate of loss but I think it will slow down a bit now. I’m aiming for 0.5 kg per week overall.

Aviatrix

3:44 am
18 Nov 16
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Hi enrivma

I began 4:3 at the beginning of the week and today is my 3rd FD too.

I first started 5:2 over a month ago, did it for just over 2 weeks then had to stop for a couple of weeks for studies. When I stopped 5:2 I had just begun to notice some great changes and I was super excited and motivated. I was really looking forward to starting again so my first FD back this week was a breeze.
However, I’m a bit disheartened as I feel like I haven’t made much progress this week despite upping it to 4:3. I thought I’d get back to where I was in a couple of fasts (overly optimistic). So like you, I’ve been seeking motivation! Today has been a difficult day mainly because of feeling that I have not progressed. Like you, I’m pushing through.
Congrats on your weight loss. 2kg in 2 weeks is great and it sounds like you’re being very realistic in your expectations of 0.5kg/week.

enrivma

10:35 pm
20 Nov 16
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I’m feeling disheartened today. My weight is only 0.4 kg less than last Monday, and it’s quite a bit higher than it was after my fast on Friday. I know that’s still a reasonable loss, but I feel like I’ve completely overeaten on the weekend and ruined my fasting days. I’m already getting impatient to see more progress on the scale.

I know I am probably losing at an expected rate, but it’s hard to motivate myself to do fast days if I’m not seeing a big loss. Today is shaping up as a difficult fast day – I’m hungry already and it’s only 9.30. I was hoping today would be a breeze, because it’s ridiculously hot here.

bigbooty

11:32 pm
20 Nov 16
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So your drinking and overeating on NFDs and still losing a little weight, but you want to be losing more? I think youre expectations are a little unrealistic. Usually you cant have your cake and eat it too, but at the moment this is what youre doing and your still losing weight!! Either be happy with what you are achieving or cut out the drinking and overeating if you want faster progress.

enrivma

12:11 am
21 Nov 16
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Yep, I’m aware I’m unrealistic (although I don’t think it’s all that unrealistic to expect to lose weight on 4:3 even if I’m eating a bit too much on non-fast days). However, the point here is to be motivated to change. How do you motivate yourself to cut back on your calories on non-fast days?