1 week of intermittent fasting, not a single lb down

[Idliketothankyouforajobwelldone]

I've been doing 14:10 for a week (trying to build up to 16:8!)
I didn't overeat in my time window, ate 3 small meals and 2/3 small snacks. Balanced diet. I treated myself to a pizza on Friday but that's all.. I'd say I was on around 1200 calories a day which is pretty low. Also exercised several times in the week.
Anyway weighed myself today and nothing at all.
I'm 9st 12 and just under 5'7 so I know I'm a healthy weight. I just have a bit of a belly and wobbly thighs/arms.
I'm 31, so not menopause related or anything that I know of.
Maybe I just have to give it a few weeks?
Has anyone else had success with IF?

You're not overweight. You could maybe do some toning exercises - have a look at Lucy Wyndham-Reed on YouTube. She's got a lot of exercise routines, some only 7 minutes a day and they do work.

It sounds like you are doing low calorie rather than IF.

I'm doing the 5:2 again at the moment. First 10 days I lost 3.5lb (I'm 5ft 3 and started at 9st 5lb so top end of healthy BMI). On my eating days I'm still eating in an 8 hour window and eating 1200-1500 calories a day. Strangely, I started adding exercise to my routine and I started putting on again! Only a little bit but I was confused. My muscle mass had gained, but so had my fat %. Going to go back to just fasting and see how it goes.

I've been doing it this month and lost 5lbs or so. Am also a healthy weight but not my favourite weight. I do 16:8 and couldn't fit in three meals and two snacks, it's more like two meals and one snack. The best thing you can do for your arms though is lift some weights.

Also 1200kcals is far too few surely. I'm 5'5 and 60kg and have a lot more than that without putting on weight!

But the OP is trying to lose weight.

If it's only your arms/legs and your tummy you want to see a difference in, that's achieved through exercise. Which you need to fuel.

It's a lifestyle change not a quick fix diet.

If you were morbidly obese due to all day grazing you would see a difference with 14:10 in a week, especially if you simply cut out eating during your habitual worst snacking hours (for most people evenings after dinner).

However you have very little to lose and are already a healthy weight so it will be slower and you'll need to do at least 16:8 (maybe 18:6) and cut right down on simple carbohydrates - the same as someone who has lost the bulk of their weight has to do for the last 5-10kg/ stone or 20lb.

HNRTT but the last time I looked fasting diets have zero evidence base for working for pre-menopausal women's anabolic/catabolic hormonal cycles and some evidence of actively making sustainable weight loss harder. Wonder how many of those promoting them to women know and don't say or can't be bothered to look for an evidence base beyond anecdata?

That’s what I thought! Eating 3 meals and two snacks on a normal day won’t result in weight loss for most people.

I’m not IFing, I just don’t fancy breakfast most days so usually do all my eating between midday and 8pm. Haven’t lost any weight doing it though!

9st 5lbs at 5’ 7” would be a BMI of 20.5. Not underweight at all.

i should clarify, I got the biggest losses on 5:2. I think you really do need those all day fasts to make it work effectively. but overall effectiveness will depend on what your normal eating pattern is.

I find the 16:8 is purely maintenance. It works for me because I’m a grubby snacker, and that keeps me out of the biscuit tin. If you aren’t a habitual snackier, I can’t imagine anything other than full day fasting working very well tbh.