5:2 Diet - Help !! Im gaining weight ...

[Expatbritguy]

Hi All

Ive searched the threads and cant find the info I need so am starting this thread looking for advice.

So briefly about me - 46 Years old have lost 35KG over 18 months through lifestyle changes and more recently (last 6 months) cutting processed food out completely from my diet and reducing calorific intake to around 1500 cals a day.

I found myself at 95KG (Im 180M tall, stocky build btw) but plateauing so decided to try 5:2 diet 3 weeks back.

Did 2 fast days back to back at 4-500 calls, then followed rules and ate around 2000-2200 5 next days (I actually found this strange having being eating 1500 cals a day) so ate things I havent done for months like bread etc as its only way I could consume what seems like a large amount of calls.

Im mainly veggie but eat fish, so its not like I can eat a big steak !

I lost 1KG after 1st week but now after 3 weeks have found Ive gained it straight back.

Im conscious of my body going into "starvation mode" so didnt want to lower calorific intake to less than 2k a day on feed days as Id I lower to 1500 like I was before for me it doesnt show anything as my total intake for week would be very low.

I really dont struggle on fast days as Im so used to eating little anyway (somedays before starting 5:2 Ive been eating 800-1200 anyway) .

Has anyone been in this position ? Appreciate we are all different but Im wondering as I started 5:2 after months of tradition dieting wether my body is having a weird reaction and storing cals ?

I walk a lot (3-5KM a day) very briskly so burn 2-500 cals a day doing this, plus sit ups etc regularly

I laos track cals on Myfitness app so Im baffled by this.

Target weight for me is 88 short term then around 84 long term so Im frustrated having lost so much to be able to loose last few KG's

I drink 1 a week, Vodka and Soda normally but 4 or so no more, my liver has been checked and its functioning correctly.

Any advise or help would be greatly appreciated !!!

Thanks all !!

[GiraffesEatPineapples]

A couple of things spring to mind, ( I am not really as successful with this woe as other people so take my comments with a pinch of salt!)
there is a lot of discussion that IF can cause rapid water loss in the first week which is then gained back once your body adapts hiding subsequent fat loss on the scales. One poster explained this really well on thread 11 I think. Will see if I can find her post.

Another thought is that you may be intolerant to wheat or something else you have introduced- app this can cause weight gain without other symptoms of intolerance. Also f you have gone from eating healthily to 'normally (for me this means chocolate, ready meals, bread cake, alcohol) that might impact because although they may be the same calories as foods you were eating before your body expends less energy digesting them and therefore the net calories are greater with processed foods.

Sev people have noticed they are not losing lbs but they are losing inches.

Def worth posting your question on thread 12 though, total fluke I noticed this thread at the bottom of the screen and other posters might have more advice.

[GiraffesEatPineapples]

Sorry just realised that this was a duplicate thread and you have already had Some really good replies, hope its going well and weight has started to shift.