Not losing weight, any ideas?
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Ordoff73 just to let you know I read the book you recommended and it was an interesting read. I'm going to try and implement 16/8 on Fast days and days I'm not doing weight training (at least 4-5 days a week) and see if that helps speed things along. I'm also going to make sure I stop eating by 8pm when I'm not eating out so that will give me 13 hour Fast on the other days minimum.
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@JAT74 understand that your workout first thing in the morning. I do as well but I still do not break my 16/8 routine following a fast day. Aerobic exercise while in the fasting state rapidly puts you into ketosis. Fasting is a start, but exercise really kicks things into high gear. The fuel used during the exercise you’re taking in place of eating breakfast comes from burning fat, which is exactly what you want when you’re trying to lose weight.
Even better, if you continue fasting after exercising, you will stay in the ketotic state, further reducing fat stores.
I know it can be difficult for some but I have felt a slight energy increase rather than decrease using this method.
Good luck on your goals
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I'm going to try it. I usually go to the gym after dropping the kids off at school. So if I can hold off until around 11? That should hopefully crank it up. How do I fit all my calories into that teeny tiny space though?0
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The nature of 16/8 is skipping a meal to reduce your calorie intake over a period of time without a severe change in lifestyle. This combined with 5:2 kicks it up a notch. Inturn what you are doing is a severe calorie reduction without a severe change in lifestyle. The purpose would not be to "fit all your calories in" but relax and eat whatever and not worry about it (but stay within your window).
The caloric reduction that skipping breakfast bestows is huge. As long as you eat normal, healthy meals at lunch and dinner—without making up for the calories you didn’t eat in the morning—you will reduce your caloric intake by about 30 percent. If you do it for six days, it’s the equivalent of a two-day total fast on its own, and one month is similar to fasting for 10 days. Combine that with 5:2 and you effectively had 18 days of fasting without a drastic change in lifestyle.
so honestly I don't think it matters about fitting your calories in. Just eat what makes you happy and eat until your full and don't worry. Attempt to avoid over eating (don't gorge).
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Ordoff I am going to try and exercise as normal tomorrow. I have planned to do a resistence workout first thing before work (I start at 9.15) and then another 30 minute cardio session during my break at around 11am so I should be finished by 11.30ish. I stopped eating at 6.30 this evening so I probably won't eat again until about 12 tomorrow and will have a 17.5 hour fast.
I get what you're saying about eating normally on a non fast day but within a shorter window, but in my case I would be restricting too much if I did that so will still try and eat all my normal daily calories.
The reason I say that is that I count calories every day anyway as if I go over 1500-1600 on non-fast days I find my weight either stalls completely or I start to gain weight again. It's really important for me to be aware of the numbers because when I stop counting I ALWAYS gain weight and believe me this has been proven time and time again as I've been counting calories and trying to diet on and off for 20 years. Last time I did 5:2 I tried it without counting for a few weeks and I gained and it wasn't until I calculated my weekly calories needed to lose weight and stuck to certain number on fast days and non-fast days that I lost.
If I didn't make a conscious effort to try and eat all my calories on non-fast days while fasting for 16-17 hours and eating within a smaller window of 7-8 hours then I'd be down to around 1200-1300 calories on non-fast days as I'd be cutting out at least one meal/snack.
I'll do it if I have to and if I know it's safe to do it but I think that could be a little too low and maybe not very good for my body, though I'm not sure. All I have read on 5:2 sites is that you can eat 'what you want' on non-fast days and that most people eat up to 200 calories but in my case I know I have to be more careful.
I don't doubt that I'd lose faster if I ate 1200-1300 calories a day spread between just 2 meals on non-fast days but my other concern is that I wouldn't be able to get enough protein in as I am aiming to reach 90-100g on my non-fast days and from what I've read you can only really absorb 30g of protein or so at a time so if I tried to do it in a much smaller eating window in just 2 meals that wouldn't really be the best way.0 -
ordoff73 - thanks for your suggestions and explanations. I have been thinking about trying to add 16:8 to the 5:2 to make my progress a bit faster.
JAT74 - if you don;t mind my asking, why are your BMR and TDEE so low? Your numbers are very similar to mine, I am 5'0" , 50 years old and very sedentary. For me, just adding a 1-2 mile walk everyday, is the difference between losing and maintaining.
good luck0 -
I don't doubt that I'd lose faster if I ate 1200-1300 calories a day spread between just 2 meals on non-fast days but my other concern is that I wouldn't be able to get enough protein in as I am aiming to reach 90-100g on my non-fast days and from what I've read you can only really absorb 30g of protein or so at a time so if I tried to do it in a much smaller eating window in just 2 meals that wouldn't really be the best way.
I don't believe that to be true at all - see this article written by Alan Aragon who I would believe well above all the stories told in the gym!
wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/0 -
Thanks, will have a look at the link.0
