5:2 How long to get results?

[RockinD]

4 weeks now and not a sausage, and yes, I am sticking to it.

I have been trying to lose a stone and a half since this time last year. 5:2 was pretty much my last hope.

Any ideas?

Hi RockinD

That's pretty disheartening, I agree, so full marks to you for sticking to it.

At the very least you'll still be getting the health benefits from fasting, if that's any consolation. That's why I still fast, even though I've been maintaining for the past two years.

Your best bet is to get yourself over onto the main thread - read the OP, which is chock-a-block with info, then ask the same question and I'll guarantee you'll get loads of advice and support.

ATB, B&W

Hi RockinD Most folk lose about 1lb per week on 5:2, sometimes more for the first few weeks, especially those more than a stone above BMI 25.

First, well done for continuing in spite of plateauing.
Some suggestions:

. Have you tried logging all your food and drink ? "Eating normally" on NFDs means averaging TDEE. However, many folk eat far more than this.

. Ate you eating too little. If you are eating several hundred cals below your TDEE every NFD, your body may resist giving up fat.

. Have you calculated your TDEE correctly, wrt age, height etc ? Most folk over-estimate their exercise level. Unless you are exercising intensely 3+ times per week - running, lifting, martial arts etc - recalculate TDEE with your activity level set to "sedentary"

. Measure your waist and hips. The waist measurement indicates the more dangerous visceral fat.
So, losing inches is more important for your health & shape than losing pounds.

. If you have already done all the above without improvement, then ok, it will be probably tougher for you than most to lose weight on any diet.
Do you have a thyroid condition or PCOS ? Are you taking medications e.g. steroids ? Are you a longterm dieter ?
These can all be reasons for great difficulty losing weight, but it is still possible to achieve your aims.

So, some more ideas:

• TDEE is an average over the population. Also, some longterm dieters or those with metabolic issues may have a real TDEE much lower than expected.

So, reduce your TDEE by 20% and try this for at least 2 weeks of 5:2 If this works, either keep going or if you find it too tough, then try 2 weeks with reduced TDEE NFDs alternating with 1 week on full TDEE NFDs

• Ramp up your exercise level, especially HIIT and lifting weights. HIIT is much more effective at fat-burning than steady state or moderate cardio, so if your exercise time is limited, then swap your current regime to do HIIT 2-3 x per week for 45-60 mins.

HIIT can also help correct metabolic problems.

Lifting will firm up the flabby bits and complements HIIT well.

If you don't exercise and need more advice, post a bit about yourself on the 52ExerciseThread2 and I can suggest a program tailored for you.

2 more thoughts:

. The rule is to only eat 500 cals (or 600 for blokes) even if you exercise on those days. Some folk don't realise that.

. If you are already only eating to TDEE on NFDs and would find it very difficult to reduce by 20%, an alternative is to add a 3rd FD.
This is 4:3 rather than 5:2 BUT it works ONLY if you don't increase NFD calories. So, you still need to limit yourself to TDEE on NFDs.

I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl 12 weeks ago and I'm so chuffed with her, she's taken to breastfeeding so well and is gaining weight beautifully, she is my 6th but this is my biggest gap my next youngest is 7 and my eldest is almost 14, the thing is I'm utterly miserable about my weight gain and really want to get back into my pre pregnancy clothes. I know that breastfeeding is ultimately the best start I can give her and I really don't want to stop, just wanted some advice on how to get through this???

Congratulations on your lovely baby DD, Emms

You can do 5:2, but starting at 1000-cal FDs and either stick with that or gradually reduce to 700-cal FDs.
Many BFers have had great success on 5:2 without disturbing their milk flow, even while tandem feeding.
Come join us on the big thread 47 or check out the 5:2 BFErs thread for inspiration

Hi RockinD, I was in the same boat for 7 weeks with not a single pound lost. I eventually figured out that I was almost certainly eating too much on my NFDs and decided to get that under control by dropping breakfast every day.

My calorie requirements are only 1400 a day because of a sedentary job and short stature, and it's pretty easy to blow that! By giving up breakfast every day of the week, I figure I'm effectively doing 16:8 on NFDs and 5:2 as well (more or less). I do allow myself the odd cup of tea etc before lunchtime so I'm not rigid about abstaining altogether.

The results are that after 3 months I had lost a stone, which was just about all I wanted to lose (so in a way it took me about 6-7 weeks doing 5:2/16:8 properly to lose the weight). Worth a try?

That's brilliant, Brassica!

Good idea about skipping breakfast on NFDs to cut the cals.

But there's another benefit! By not eating first thing, you don't kickstart the appetite - so morning snacks are much easier to avoid.

Well done, Brassica It's really tough losing with a low TDEE.
16:8 is a great tactic to cut down to what your body can burn each day.

Could it be that you don't need to loose that much? My 8stone friend (cow haha) tried fast diet and after about a month she was moaning that she had lost nothing but I had lost 7lbs, in truth she just didn't need to lose weight, and was obviously at her natural body weight!!

Well done Raffles

Plenty of friendly support and advice on the new main IF / 5:2 Thread48
Come join us and tell us how you are doing