I'm putting on weight!

[lu9months]

did the 5:2 diet quite successfully for 4 months, lost a couple of kilos which is all I needed to loose, so started fasting just once a week because I was really struggling with two days. however, all the weight has quickly piled back on and I am now heavier than when I started! I am back to doing 5:2 again but am binging on my non fast days, something I haven't done in 40 years before! but I am scared to stop the fasts because I will put on even more! I am a bit obsessed with food now, which I never was before. really need some help and advice please

You need to work out your TDEE and count calories (everything!) on your NFD. To calculate your TDEE use this and set it to the weight you want to be.

Hope this helps. I know it's tough and prob. not what you wanted to hear - I opted into this WOL to avoid calorie counting! - but needs must.

thanks for the quick response MD, but when I read dr moselys book on 5:2 fasting he was very clear that you didn't need to count calories on the NFDs and that's what appealed to me! I wish I hadn't started doing it, I was only a couple of KGs overweight and now I am larger and having to count calories daily. ho hum.

The thing about Dr Moseley is that he wasn't overweight to start with - so his 'normal' eating was already at about TDEE. By definition, any of us who are overweight have been routinely eating more (a lot or just a little) more than TDEE. So we need to adjust our 'normal' - not much in your case.

Many programs claim you don't need to count calories - unfortunately most people overeat unless they count.
Regardless of whether you do low carb, low fat, 16:8, WW: if you consume more calories per week than you burn, you put on weight.

Unfortunately, once you have lost weight on any diet, your body tries to return to this set point as soon as you go to maintenance. This may be by lowering your metabolism or by increasing your appetite, so you eat more. Hence why regaining lost weight plus additional lb is common, unless you are very careful.

Advice
For at least 1 week, count ALL calories every day, including NFDs, so you get an idea of how many calories you eat per week.
Then calculate your TDEE for your goal weight and compare this to the average daily calories you counted.