Keeping up momentum

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  • posted by mr.b
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    Hi everyone, I’m a newbie here.

    I started Fast 800 on 6 January, fasting every day, and it has already made an enormous change in my life. I’ve found it far easier to follow than I expected and I have been motivated to follow it to the letter.
    In my first week, I lost an astounding and motivating 11 lbs; however, in week two, I lost just 2.8 lbs. Is that normal? I was surprised to see such a difference and a slow-down in the second week. Should I have seen more rapid weight loss in week two?
    I would love to hear the experience of others and any recommendations to keep up rapid weight loss.
    Thank you!

  • posted by Gill33UK
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    Hi mr.b, well done! Almost 1 stone in two week’s is great. I am just starting week two today, I lost 8lb the first week and like you I have found it easier than I thought, I think it’s all down to state of mind!
    Booze at weekends will be my downfall if I let it, although I am doing much better on the wine front than I imagined, usually at least one bottle a night, if I am honest two and more at weekends, well I haven’t had a drop since last Tuesday, I have had a few vodka’s over the weekend but still have the same bottle for this weekend and am eeking it out!
    Best of luck and don’t be disappointed.

  • posted by mr.b
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    Thank you! And well done to you too!

    I think getting into the frame of mind is the hardest part – once there it has just clicked. I have found it useful to be a bit obsessive, recording everything I eat in MyFitnessPal and weighing myself every day. Maybe that is why I’ve been discouraged by the slowdown.

    I’ve really cut down on alcohol. Weekends only have been having white wine spritzers (with soda), but containing only a small splash of wine. I just tell myself it is cheap prosecco and it keeps me happy! πŸ˜‰

  • posted by Gill33UK
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    Thanks, just the boost I need to keep going with my positive mental attitude!

    Red wine WAS my thing, madness that I am pleased to not have drank a whole bottle of vodka (should have joined AA) over the weekend but it’s a huge improvement that can only get better!

    I have bought the new journal and the recipe book, new night-time reading so fully armed to succeed! Good luck.

  • posted by mr.b
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    The recipe book is great, I’ve been using it every day. Good luck to you too!

  • posted by SunnyB
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    Welcome both, weight loss is never linear, so there will be weeks when inexplicably the loss will be much smaller and even on occasion stall, or there might even be a small blip upward. Both of you had a really impressive loss in the first week and in reality, some of that will have been water weight, so continuing to lose at the same rate can’t be expected. The good news is that you both seem to be really focused and determined, with plenty of drive to keep you questing for you goal.

    Do feel free to join in on any thread that feels relevant to you, as this is a friendly community and you’ll definitely receive a warm welcome. Having said that, I think I have seen you ‘out and about’ already Gill33UK. Best wishes to you both …

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi MrB.
    When we eat a high carb diet our body needs to store water to help in processing the carbs. When you go to a low carb diet our bodies release that stored water. Hence the large initial weight loss.

    One lb of fat equals 3500 cals. If you have been counting calories in the past without keeping carbs low you may have damaged your metabolism so reducing the number of calories you burn each day. But expect if you fast (as in no food) for 24 hours do not expect to loose more than 0.5 lbs.

    However, weight loss isn’t linear. and the scales are not a good method of measuring progress for a number of reasons.

    We are advised to drink 2 ltrs of water a day, a ltr of water weighs 1 kilo. So depending on where we are at in our water in / out cycle our weight can fluctuate by up to 2 kilos over the course of a day. .

    Then there is the weight of what you have in your digestive system. 800 calories of cheese weighs a lot less than 800 calories of celery.

    If you keen your carb intake down, so your insulin levels remain low then other hormones can also function correctly. That includes growth hormone, which is responsible for bone density, and muscle growth. Improving both will increase weight, so you will have periods where you have inch loss but no change in the reading of the scales.

    Finally there is the whoosh effect. – Scientists are not sure why this happens. but what happens is that there is no change in the reading on the scales for a few days or weeks and then suddenly you release a lot of water and see a weight drop as a result. (the presumption that fat cells are filled with water as they are emptied with fat and then collapse releasing the water has been proved to not be accurate, but they don’t know what the real reason is. .)

    So all told, taking lots of measurements and getting comfortable looking in the mirror for changes is much more effective method of monitoring progress than the scales.

  • posted by MerryMelba
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    Hi Mr.b
    Great going so far – and you too Gill. πŸ₯‡πŸ₯‡
    Mr.b – good that you are logging everything in MyFP. I logged everything too in my first 10 weeks – and I found that after the first week or two that I got better results by keeping my carbs low – about 20g per day worked for me. That also meant I was in keto – which spurred me on as I felt better and had less inflammation. So that may help you with your losses. Also JGwens advice about not watching the scales is so true – NSVs (non scale victories) are more noticeable – looser clothes etc.
    The recipe ideas in the books are great, but sometimes their carb count can be a bit high. Lots of recipe ideas on the Dietdoctor site and also one called What the fat?
    You are going well on the alcohol front. 🎈🎈🎈 For me a drink led to the temptation to find a snack – so I found it easier to cut it completely for the 8 weeks. A glass of soda water with a slice of lemon and/or ginger was my evening tipple πŸ˜‹

  • posted by mr.b
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    Hi

    Thank you @merrymelba, @jgwen and @sunnyb. I appreciate your responses which have given me encouragement and a bit of science to keep in mind while on this journey.

    B.

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