Large BMI, 5:2...HELP!

[IceLemonGin]

Hi everyone,

I've lost 3 stone in the past year by eating a LCD (around 1300 cals per day with the occasional treat days on weekends).

My weight loss has really slowed despite me still being very large and also, I'm starting to think that it just isn't obtainable and I need to start a way of eating that I can continue for life. My start weight was 20 stone 10 and I now weigh 17 stone 5. It's far too heavy and I weigh more than my rugby playing OH!

I get married later this year and although I know I'm not going to be a gorgeous, slim thing on the big day, I want to make a huge change so we can start TTC.

So my plea for help is...

1. My TDEE is 2170...based on a sedentary activity level BUT I have just got a membership for the local pool and a dog so will be walking twice a day with longer walks at weekends and swimming around twice a week. Should I keep it at sedentary (I have an office job) or move it up a level?
   

1. After so long eating so few calories, 2170 seems absolutely huge, am I allowed to eat under this, my BMR is 1850, can I eat this amount instead or does it have to be TDEE?
   

1. Is it recommended/will I lose weight quicker if I do 4:3, so 3 fast days per week? Ideally would like to shift a few more stone before the wedding, afterwards would settle into 5:2 to lose slower.
   

Thanks so much if you made it through the essay and cheers in advance for your help

[livelablove]

Hi Icelemongin I really like 5:2. I have been doing it a few weeks and I am finding it is going well for me. I have about 5 st to lose but I do feel I can keep this up long term.

I would give it a go and see how you get on.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Welcome, IceLemon

There are several on the 5:2 threads who have lost many stone and maintained. Read the 5-2InspirationsThread
Do take measurements, because you will be losing inches too

I recommend you do 5:2 rather than 4:3, at least until you get used to fasting.
You need a longterm plan for weightloss and 5:2 is usually more sustainable and stable.

For NFDs, keep calculating TDEE as sedentary, to speed up loss
Calculate the TDEE of your goal weight
Then do NFDs like this:
. 3 x goal TDEE. This trains you how to eat for later maintenance
. 2x current TDEE

After 2 weeks, we can see how you are doing and tune those NFDs if need be re weight loss / hunger.
Do join the MainThread46 for support and advice. We are a friendly bunch.

[MelanieCheeks]

Hi ice lemon, welcome aboard!

If I were you I'd start with 5:2, using 2000 on non dart days. I'd reassess after a month. Oh, and take measurements now.

[IceLemonGin]

Thank you so much for your replies. It sounds like this is the way forward for me. I will start with 5:2, does seem much more practical.

I think I will do the 2 FD at 500, 3 NFD at 1800 and 2 NFD at 2000 (which will be quite nice to have at weekends). Do I need to recalculate this amount every time I lose weight?

I will hop along to the support thread, sounds like a really welcoming and supportive community. I love the inspiration thread too, some brilliant results and improvements to health.

I use MFP, should I completely change the settings on this? Will take measurements too, how often should I do this? I feel really positive and excited about this. Hopefully it will kick start my metabolism again after I have been eating so little.

Thanks again!

[TalkinPeace]

Use MFP to monitor what you eat, just ignore its targets
and welcome to the gang.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Measure:
waist, hips, bust, thigh
before you start and optionally whenever your clothes are noticeably looser.

Weigh say every 4 weeks, so you see the clear trends, instead of temporary blips like totm, eater retention, undigested food.
For consistency, weigh on the same scales naked in the morning, post ablutions, but before any food or drink.

To speed up weight loss, ramp up your activity level.
Plenty of advice and support for exercisers on 52ExerciseThread2
If you post there a bit more about yourself, I can suggest a personalised plan:
. Current exercise and fitness level
. Do you have access to a gym ?
. If no gym, do you have any weights or an exercise bike ?
. Can you go to a park with lots of space / enough room in the garden for a skipping rope ?
. How much time can you find for exercise ?
. If you just have 10 mins at a time indoors, that's fine too

[IceLemonGin]

Thanks so much BigChoc

I will take my measurements tonight and make a note.

I'd be happy to post some more info...

. Currently I'm pretty unfit, take the dog for a 20 min walk twice a day. Have been doing 30DS on and off for a fortnight or so and can get through level 1 but still can't do a 'proper' press up.
. No access to a gym, at home I have a few smallish weights and a 6kg kettlebell and wii fit. No exercise bike or treadmill.
. Have a park with lots of space nearby (plus it's pretty quiet which is a bonus)
. Currently have a decent amount of time to fit in exercise maybe an hour to 90 mins a day on top of the dog walking. Only limited on funds really.

Have joined the local pool, went swimming yesterday for an hour, going to go at least twice a week as I really enjoy it.

Thank you again

[BigChocFrenzy]

I just posted an exercise program " Specially for IceLemon ", Mon 14-Jul-14 23:36, on the 52ExerciseThread2
Try it and post there how you get on, or if you have questions.

[ICanHearYou]

Hey we should buddy up. I have the same starting weight (actually a bit more, 21st) and I am now about the same (116kgs)

I do 2 or 3 fast days a week depending on what the previous weeks and days have been like.

For example my mum is currently in the country and stayed with me for three days, one of which was my 4 year olds birthday party. So we drank wine, ate loads and generally my calories were out of control!

So this week I will be doing 3 fast days. Usually I do 2 though.

I usually do about 520 calories on a fast day, the other days are between 1800 and 2300kcal.

I plot everything in Windows Excel and my average daily calories are around 1600

This works for me, it means I get to enjoy life, go out for takeaways occasionally and so on but still manage to lose weight.

[MazzleDazzle]

Well done Ice and ICan! You've both done really well.

By the way Ice, you're doing the right thing. Low cal is pretty unsustainable, but 5:2 is doable for life.

I lost 9lb in 4 weeks on Weight Watchers, then switched to 5:2 and lost another 2 stone in the following 6 months. Slow and steady wins the race!

[IceLemonGin]

Thanks for the exercise plan Choc

ICan I'd love to have a buddy, I started out at 20st10, so pretty close. Have you lost weight purely from 5:2? How long have you been doing it? I am having 500 on fast days, 1800 5 days and 2000 on weekends. Are you consistently losing weight?

I like that the plan is so flexible and fits in with real life. I have got a meal plan on the go in Excel and use MFP to track calories.

Thanks Mazzle I agree that 5:2 is for life, I've not struggled too much on low cal but once I've lost all the weight I want, I can't imagine just eating like that forever...it seemed temporary IYSWIM.

Well done on your weight loss, 2 stone is brilliant. Slow and steady is key I think to keeping it off.

[IceLemonGin]

Oops obviously I meant 3 days @ 1800 and weekends at 2000

[TalkinPeace]

Icedlemon
Low cal is a grind - I hated feeling hungry for months.
THat is why 5:2 is so cool : you get to feel stuffed several times a week and no food is off limits - which makes socialising a LOT more fun.

Jump into the big thread - its a very happy place.

[ICanHearYou]

I love 5:2 because;

I can practise eating at maintanence and get used to how that feels

The fasting resets me which means on my feast days I feel fuller quicker and for longer, it actively shrinks my stomach

I can go out for pizza/maccy d's/ eat birthday cake and not worry, if I have too much of a blow out I just fast an exta day in the following week.

[IceLemonGin]

I totally agree, if I had days when I went over my calories (even just slightly) I'd feel so guilty. It doesn't seem a very healthy way to lose weight long term.

Like you say, nothing is off limits and you can put in an extra fast day if you've had an indulgent week. I think restricting calories and cutting out food groups permanently is counter productive (well for me anyway), and although it's early days, the mindset of 5:2 and that I can always have it tomorrow seems to stop the unhealthy 'must eat it all now' kind of greed I am prone to.

Will head along to the big thread too

[ICanHearYou]

I have that mindset too but somehow 5:2 is helping with it. I think the fact that I physically cannot eat as much as I used to be able to is good, a smaller amount of food fills me up.

Yesterday I had margherita pizza for tea and only had half a smallish pizza filled me up.

I am struggling through my fast day today, just having an extra hungry day for some reason :( I will manage though - always do!

[ICanHearYou]

A 3.5kg lost this week. Some of that will have been loss from the week before, I was on my period.

All in all a 3.8kg loss in 3 weeks!

I am going to continue doing 4:3 for a while I think, until I am under 14st perhaps and then readdress.

[IceLemonGin]

Well done, that's a brilliant loss! I too suffer the period gain, really annoys me.

I'm going to do 4:3 for the next 2 months as I am getting married.

What exercise are you doing?

[ICanHearYou]

I do a bit of wood chopping and I have two young children so I run around a lot. To be honest I've done very little in the way of exercise with all this heat the last week!

[IceLemonGin]

Just a little update, I have lost 4 pounds this week (I know we aren't meant to weigh too much but I couldn't resist)! Not had much time to do any exercise this week apart from walking the dog but going to try harder on that front this week.

How are you getting on ICanHearYou?