5:2 diet

1940sGal

WarriorPrincess wrote: »

Hi 1940sGal, you & I started at the same weight, though you're losing it way faster than I am. Yesterday was the first time my scales gave me a number that began with 11, not 12! Yea!!!!!

Ooh happy for you! It's great when that happens isn't it

I guess I'm just a bit miffed because I've had a really good week exercise/food wise and my loss has been consistent til now then suddenly hardly anything has come off this week.

I suppose it has to come off at some point and if I carry on as I'm going it will do eventually. Damn my impatience!

WarriorPrincess

I used to run regularly & although I got much fitter it did nothing at all for my weight. I stopped exercising after an injury last September & put on yet another few pounds. I'll go back to the gym soon - I'm hoping adding exercise to the diet will increase the speed of weight loss.

But yesterday was the first time I'd weighed under 12-stone since 2007!

1940sGal

WarriorPrincess wrote: »

I used to run regularly & although I got much fitter it did nothing at all for my weight. I stopped exercising after an injury last September & put on yet another few pounds. I'll go back to the gym soon - I'm hoping adding exercise to the diet will increase the speed of weight loss.

But yesterday was the first time I'd weighed under 12-stone since 2007!

This is what gets me. I'm exercising quite vigorously for at least an hour a day. I burn minimum 500cals at the gym each day (though didn't go today, had a complete rest day). I eat 1600cals on non-fast days and max 500 on fast days. With the calories I'm putting in against the cals I'm putting out, I would have expected at least a full 1lb lost this week minimum.

Though don't get me wrong I don't have scales that measure my body fat % and since I've been doing a lot of strength training my muscle mass would have increased so that could explain the number on the scales not having moved much.

I think I'm definitely going to have to get a set of scales that read body fat % and muscle mass.

Has anyone who's got these ever had a professional body composition done? I had one done at my gym yesterday so if I get some I can compare the scales vs the body comp.

grannyjo

pre the meopause I noted that when dieting I only really lost weight the week of my period, the rest of the month I seemed to stay the same- perhaps thats causing a bit of a standstill for some people. Now I'm way past a monthly cycle, I still find some weeks I seem to stay a bit static- but then suddenly it does begin to go off again. I've read fluid levels taking time to adjust can cause this. Also when I achieve a weight loss and get back to a weight that I maintained for a while. (like 2 years or so), my body seems to say- ok we'll stick at this. It takes quite a while to start losing again.

Daedalus

1940sGal wrote: »

This is what gets me. I'm exercising quite vigorously for at least an hour a day. I burn minimum 500cals at the gym each day (though didn't go today, had a complete rest day). I eat 1600cals on non-fast days and max 500 on fast days. With the calories I'm putting in against the cals I'm putting out, I would have expected at least a full 1lb lost this week minimum.

Though don't get me wrong I don't have scales that measure my body fat % and since I've been doing a lot of strength training my muscle mass would have increased so that could explain the number on the scales not having moved much.

I think I'm definitely going to have to get a set of scales that read body fat % and muscle mass.

Has anyone who's got these ever had a professional body composition done? I had one done at my gym yesterday so if I get some I can compare the scales vs the body comp.

Water is probably hindering you. After exercise your body retains water for repair. You need a day or two break for the water to be released. Its not a big issue, as it isn't 'real' weight. All it does is delay the scales by a lb or 2 until you stop/reduce exercise.

1940sGal

Daedalus wrote: »

Water is probably hindering you. After exercise your body retains water for repair. You need a day or two break for the water to be released. Its not a big issue, as it isn't 'real' weight. All it does is delay the scales by a lb or 2 until you stop/reduce exercise.

Ahh right. That might explain it tbh. I did notice I was losing more when I exercised less. I worried though that I was losing muscle mass since I wasn't doing any strength training (hence the bigger weight losses) but after having my body comp done my muscle mass is bang on.

I might try reducing the amount of vigorous exercise I do and gym it three times a week to coincide with my lifting days. Then do some low impact cardio like walking on the other days now the evenings are getting lighter.

Thanks Daedalus I never knew that! Will try and see what happens

Also, the body comp did find that my hydration levels were too low. I was at 40% and should be between 50-60%. So maybe that's another thing.

Clioterus

1940sGal wrote: »

Ahh right. That might explain it tbh. I did notice I was losing more when I exercised less. I worried though that I was losing muscle mass since I wasn't doing any strength training (hence the bigger weight losses) but after having my body comp done my muscle mass is bang on.

I might try reducing the amount of vigorous exercise I do and gym it three times a week to coincide with my lifting days. Then do some low impact cardio like walking on the other days now the evenings are getting lighter.

Thanks Daedalus I never knew that! Will try and see what happens

Also, the body comp did find that my hydration levels were too low. I was at 40% and should be between 50-60%. So maybe that's another thing.

I wouldn't be too concerned with the weight loss with the amount of exercise you are doing. The fitter you get the slimmer you'll get.

1940sGal

Still I'm going to try and reduce my exercise and see if my losses speed up again. I know it takes time but I've got 10 weeks til Paris so the more I can lose before then the better.

Daedalus

Clioterus wrote: »

I wouldn't be too concerned with the weight loss with the amount of exercise you are doing. The fitter you get the slimmer you'll get.

This is really important. People focus a lot on weight, which is understandable and it is good way to track, but it is all about body shape.

I wouldn't lower exercise provided you are giving your time to rest. It is simple maths, the more exercise you do and the less you eat the more fat you will lose. It is not physically possible to lose more weight doing less exercise ceteris paribus.

murphydog999

1940sGal wrote: »

This is what gets me. I'm exercising quite vigorously for at least an hour a day. I burn minimum 500cals at the gym each day (though didn't go today, had a complete rest day). I eat 1600cals on non-fast days and max 500 on fast days.

The above paragraph says what your problem is. You are exercising too much / not eating enough - if 1600 cals is gross calories before exercise.

Unless you are training for a particular reason, there is no need to train vigorously every day, you are not going to give your body a chance to repair and recover, you will increase your cortisol levels and it will start to stress. Once this happens you will retain water and fat and not loose weight.

It's a fine balance and a common-place action when people get 'the bit between their teeth', start 'dieting' and up the exercise, and then start to plateau weight-wise. Give yourself a minimum of one rest day a week, and just be 'active' a couple of times a week. Go for a walk, do some gardening, etc, you will feel better for it.