Hi LA:

Sorry to hear about your issue. It is pretty common.

Well, there are some people that will tell you your body has a ‘set point’ and it is trying to get back to its former weight, and higher (what set point if higher?). Some of those same people might tell you that by losing so much weight you have seriously slowed your metabolism and to maintain your weight loss you will have to eat several hundred calories fewer than your computed TDEE to just maintain your current weight. Both are hopeless scenarios. And I don’t believe in either of them (unproven as they are). And, from some people’s point of view, you should not suffer from either problem because you lost your weight via intermittent fasting, which theoretically shields you from their otherwise hopeless effects. Which seems not to be the case.

So if I were you I would focus on the return of your cravings. By any chance have you starting letting some carbs you formerly ate quite a few of slip back into your diet? Are you starting to eat the way you used to eat – the way that got you overweight? Many overweight people are addicted to carbs, and often the more overweight they are the more they are addicted. If the substance they are addicted to is removed and is then reintroduced into the system, the addiction returns. That is why so many people lose a lot of weight on the Atkins diet (nka LCHF) and then gain it back when they ‘go off’ the diet. They start eating carbs again.

I suggest you list all of your cravings and then make sure nothing that will satisfy them is in your house. The old standard way of once again managing the carb addiction is to go for at least two weeks eating no more than 20 g. of carbs a day. To help with this, I would try to do at least one solid diet day each week, and two if possible (but I would not do them consecutively).

I have read most of your posts and you know 5:2 works. You also know that you don’t have to exercise to lose weight. So if you really want to lose some more weight, and keep it off, I believe you need to consider cutting your carbs to very low levels, and do everything possible to keep them at those low levels. 5:2 helps with that by keeping them low two days a week. The other five are up to you.

But you know you can do it!

Good Luck!

I ran into some very bad stomach acid issues after 5 months on 5:2, my doctor told me I wasn’t eating often enough. I was devastated as I’d finally found a way of eating i felt I could maintain.

I had to stop the diet a while and go on some tablets (proton pump inhibitors). I’ve now been off the tablets for a couple of months and gotten past a couple of things that were stressing me and now managing ok and losing weight again. I just hope that I can keep it under control this time.

Hi LA, like Austrian I can’t really offer much advice, but I also just wanted to say that I’m really sorry to hear that you’re going through a tough time. You posted this a couple of weeks ago now, so I really hope that it was just a short glitch and that you’re back on track. If not, then I’m SURE that you can do so and I’m rooting for you.

Myself, Skyblue and MmeMonkey all went through a bit of a rough patch a couple pf weeks ago and SB summed it up perfectly by describing hers as a “pigfest”, which was exactly how my week long binge also felt. I guess we are all overweight because we have food issues of some description or other. Although 5:2 really felt like an absolute miracle “cure” when I started (and I think you felt the same maybe, reading one of your other posts) it’s going to take a long time for those issues to really disappear (if ever), so I think set backs have to be factored in. Having said that, I do think that 5:2 is actually as close to a “cure” that can exist and can change old eating habits.

Maybe read one of your much older posts, describing how amazing you found 5:2. I found it inspirational and indeed I still do. I felt almost evangelical about fasting when I first started and it’s taken falling off the wagon to regain that old feeling. Reading your post might remind you just how amazing this “diet” really can be and just how great it made you feel.

You have done AMAZINGLY so far LA. Even more so when I read how many triggers you have. That is TOUGH. You can do this, I know.

Anyway, enough from me. We all miss you over at the other thread and hope to see you back at some stage if you feel like it. You are the catalyst that allowed me to “meet” some wonderfully supportive women and I can’t thank you enough for that. You feel like the mum of the thread – wise and funny and kind and it’s not the same without you.

Take care and let us know how you’re doing when/if you feel like it.

Sorry to hear about your struggles. I also hit a roadblock at the 4-month mark and I’m still getting over it.

I feel like I need to know more about you to give you advice. It’s important to know the root of the problem. Here are some possible causes:

1) Your diet was too restrictive -not enough cals, fat, protein, etc- on feeding days so you started having cravings all the time – Result: you got weary of being so strict and gave into the cravings.

If that’s the case, pump up your calorie/fat/protein/etc intake with satisfying & wholesome meals on your feeding days so you don’t having cravings anymore and schedule a weekly treat so as not to feel so constrained.

2) You were doing so well you decided it was time to have a ‘reward’, but you are addicted to your treat food and can’t have it in moderation – Result: you can’t stop eating that food and now crave it more and more.

If you have a food addiction, I suggest you cut the addictive food altogether. Having that food only fuels your addiction. Look for other options. I promise there are healthy foods out there that will keep you satisfied, even for treats. A sugary muffin is not the same as a wholemeal bread sandwich with fat like olive oil or avocado and lean protein like chicken or turkey. It’ll take time and willpower at first but once you achieve it it’s easy to keep up. It’s all about swapping certain things for others and making different choices.

3) You relaxed and started overeating thinking you could ‘afford it’ for one day, but now you’re in an overeating cycle

If you have an overeating problem, I recommend you read the book Brain over Binge. I struggle with binge eating myself and this book was a real eye-opener. I also recommend you start practising mindfulness and meditation to learn the techniques necessary to stop acting on urges to overeat.