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Fasting / 5:2 diet

IF, 4:3, 5:2 - Maintaining a healthy weight - Chapter 2

984 replies

Breadandwine · 13/04/2013 10:44

This thread is for those who have been practicing IF (Intermittent Fasting) for quite a while and are now at or nearing their target healthy weight. It's also for anyone who is doing it for the health benefits alone.

How do we experience fasts and balance a stable food intake while having little or no weight to lose?

How do we ensure that this WOL keeps us at the healthy weight long term rather than revert to yoyo games?

Several of us have been stable at our goal weight for a few months, now, and others are joining all the time. Obviously, the more the merrier! Grin

Here is the current main thread for posters practicing IF to lose weight.

There are two other associated threads:
This one, which is an absolute goldmine of Tips and Links on how to practice IF, and the research behind it.

And here is a treasure trove of 5:2 recipes, mostly low calorie for fasting days, but there are also recipes for when you want to treat yourself. And, now we're maintaining, we'll need more of these! Grin

OP posts:
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catsrus · 13/04/2013 12:03

Hello all - marking my place. Lazy morning so far, scrambled egg on toast first thing, handful of cashews while reading the paper then a couple of lovely seaweed rice cakes with butter for elevensies. Must get dressed and hit the garden - need to pick nettles and wild garlic for soup

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ellenbrody · 13/04/2013 12:34

Morning! I'm going to join if you don't mind. I've been doing 5:2 since February, initially to lose a few Christmas pounds, which I've done.

I plan to use 6:1, 16:8, to maintain my weight as I find it difficult otherwise as my TDEE is low (1500).

Not fasting at all today and I've had an apple, pear and a bag of crisps so far! I'm planning on mushroom and halloumi burgers from the recipe thread for dinner and maybe a splash of wine and a little choc (still tonnes of Easter eggs on the bookshelf!!)

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frenchfancy · 13/04/2013 14:34

Thanks B+W for the new thread. I didn't have beer and peanuts in the end last night, which is probably why my scales are still reading my target weight (well I had to check didn't I? Grin).

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Talkinpeace · 13/04/2013 14:44

Thank you B&W - I was planning to get the new one done this afternoon !

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virginposter · 13/04/2013 14:54

b&w Thanks for the new thread and congrats on the baby news.
I'm away from home at the moment for 2 weeks at my sister's house - not really a holiday as we're putting in a new kitchen for her and working from 8am till 6pm every day. I say 'we' are working, my DH is and I am helping whenever I can but I've had a really bad back since last Thurs and so have been very limited in my movement.
Also my sister is a feeder-upper and so my 'diet' had gone out of the window (I have managed 2 fasts so far but have eaten such rubbish on my eating days - doh!) so I'm writing these couple of weeks off. It's soooo easy to slip back into bad habits and now that I've started I seem to be craving sweet things all the time. Oh well, I guess it's time to take my own advice and just get back to it upon my return. Really looking forward to it and meanwhile enjoying all your posts Smile

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BetsyVanBell · 13/04/2013 20:28

Place holding post even though I mostly just lurk on this thread Grin

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NurseEzzzaChapel · 13/04/2013 20:46

BVB, dito Grin

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Breadandwine · 13/04/2013 23:48

Damn and blast! I forgot to include a link to the initial maintenance thread in the OP! [mad]

I've just had a bit of a read of the first few posts - and there's some great stuff on there.

Yer 'tis! *

(*Somerset for 'Here it is'. Grin)

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Laska42 · 14/04/2013 07:52

thanks B&W just marking place...

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Breadandwine · 14/04/2013 12:22

I am SO excited! I can't tell you how thrilled I am!

I'm making a vegan trifle - the first trifle I will have had in many decades.

I made a vegan vanilla sponge cake, placed some in the bottom of a dessert bowl, put slices of banana on top, then poured vegetarian jelly* over all this and it's beginning to set already!

*BBE No 2008! Grin

I thought it would take ages to set in the fridge - but, no, it's almost ready for the custard (I must admit I reduced the water for the jelly by 10% - it's the first one I've made, so I wasn't sure what to expect)

[Later] The custard (Alpro) is now on top of the trifle - but I can't finish it off with cream, as I don't have any suitable. All I have is soya pouring cream - so I'll just have to add it in the bowl when I serve up.

The question is, should I have trifle for lunch? An early lunch at that...? Confused

The answer came very quickly - I'm typing this after my second helpingl Grin

It's not perfect - the custard isn't quite thick enough, the jelly a little on the thin side - but it is so, so good!

Would another helping affect my exercise, later?

Perhaps, just a small spoonful...

Or two...

That's it, I've just put it on top of the cupboard, out of reach!

Not really, it's safely tucked away in the fridge until dinner tonight!

Phew!

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catsrus · 14/04/2013 13:45

You might want to think about getting some vegan "yoghurt" to replace the cream B&W - we got some some the other week that was coconut and it was fab - very thick and creamy. Another experiment might've to whip coconut cream up with the soy pouring cream? or the plain tofuti cream "cheese" might whip up with the soy cream?

I've never managed to be vegan totally but my basic diet is more plant based than anything else - milk in tea used to be the stumbling block but the alpro almond milk is the best substitute I've fund yet. I do eat cheese, but try to limit myself to non cows milk artisan cheese - and keep my own chickens for eggs Smile.

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Talkinpeace · 14/04/2013 19:28

Vegan is not my thang. I much prefer local and traceable. Having read up on GM and pesticide contamination in a lot of soya and almond products, I'll stick to the farmers up the road.

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AmericasTorturedBrow · 15/04/2013 01:51

Marking my place - off out tonight for dirty martinis and chorizo and manchego crepes to say farewell to our friends who have been visiting.

Then it's "countdown to 30", just under a month to get back into my good habits and into a pair of size 8 jeans I bought for my birthday on 12th may, no alcohol, no refined sugar, 4:3, shred, yoga, swimming and cycling....HERE WE GO! (then hopefully bona fide maintaining)

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ellenbrody · 15/04/2013 07:08

Fast day today and back to work Sad, will report back later, but leafy salad packed for lunch.
Have a good day fellow fasters!

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Breadandwine · 15/04/2013 08:51

Sorry, Ellen - meant to welcome you to the thread earlier - I was too hung up on trifles! Grin

I had you in mind when I wrote about joining us over here, on the other thread. Smile

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mumofcrazynamedkids · 15/04/2013 10:34

Welcome ellenbrody

Such Exciting news about the 20 week scan B&W my sister recently had her 20 week scan and I immediately went out and bought way too much newborn baby clothes, but they were super cute and I just couldn't resist.

I have to say I'm less excited about the trifle, just never been my thing, but the curry off is sounding good and we could do a curry style salad for the upcoming good weather I have decided is definitely on it's way!

I'm a make it up kind of curry girl, although I love reading a really old madhur jaffrey cookbook for inspiration, and then throw in a bit of what i fancy, it does mean they can be a bit more hit and miss and annoyingly amazing ones then can never be quite replicated again!

I've been out last week and bought ingredients for laska's aubergine curry but can't find spinach in any of my local shops......have no local greengrocer and hate large supermarkets, only baby spinach, but tomorrow is my day off and i am determined to succeed, I nearly swapped the spinach for mushrooms, but resisted.

Fast day today and my first day back cycling to work this year, i'm usually an all weather/all year round cyclist, but the cold and wet and dark just put me off so much that I couldn't get back to it in January after teh christmas break, so today's gorgeous spring day has inspired me, now hoping that re-starting that will mean teh fasts and exercise will start to have an impact before summer starts proper!

french fancy brilliant news on reaching and maintaining target, must be such a good feeling, i've never really had a target, but maybe I should set one to spur me on? hhhmmm i'll ponder it some more.

americas I think a specific target is good, I think i've got too relaxed without targets or dates to aim for, maybe I should aim for end of May to lose half a stone, which is my likely moving date? am sure all my summer clothes would look better a little looser.

enough blathering, enjoy the sunshine everyone.

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catsrus · 15/04/2013 11:47

mumof nettle tops are a good spinach replacement - honest Smile I love this time of year when then new young nettles are out - take the top few inches and use like spinach, or make a lovely nettle soup with nettles, onion and potato. yum.

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mumofcrazynamedkids · 15/04/2013 13:45

thanks cats living in inner city hackney i'd probably have to go just as far to find nettles!

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welshmill · 15/04/2013 15:08

Just marking my place. Back on the straight and narrow after a few weeks of lazy-sort-of-maintaining- 5/2. I'm planning a month of 4/3 to get to grips with that last 10lb. A boiled egg, cup of coffee and a green tea so far today and feeling pretty good. Smile.

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mumofcrazynamedkids · 15/04/2013 16:25

welsh i'm with you, definitely been doing lazy maintaining for a while, but now trying to step it up. I've had broccoli and stilton soup, one coffee with a dash and fizzy water and peppermint tea.

sainsburys chicken arrabbiatta meal soup for dinner, but no sneaky fun size milky ways allowed this evening!

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BetsyVanBell · 15/04/2013 16:55

mocnk - I've found laska's curry works really well with a mixture of frozen spinach and a handful of fresh baby leaf thrown in at the end.

I don't often like pre-made soups but I do like that chicken arrabiata one. However, I have a huge batch of aubergine curry which will see me through various meals this week - it's lovely with some fish poached in it, especially if you marinade it in spices and lime juice first. Oh yum.

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Talkinpeace · 15/04/2013 17:03

Today's fast is going swimmingly : even when my colleagues ate ham and chicken pasties at me during the work day!
Tummy rumbling a bit but after a singularly unflattering picture taken by the kids on holiday I am feeling incredibly motivated.
That and I'll hardly get to the gym for the next month or two so I have to eat less.

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scripsi · 15/04/2013 17:08

I am maintaining so would love to join this thread - and in fact never lost much on the 5:2 as that wasn't my intention - but I am doing it for health reasons (very bad health heritage!).
I am enjoying BreadandWine's recipes at the moment! I made the ratatouille pie over the weekend. Everyone loved it.

Some of my family over in the US are following 5:2 as well and we compared notes for fast days over the weekend: it became very clear that they were eating much more food than me on fast days. For example, I often have a GG bran crispbread with an egg for breakfast and I reckon it as around 30 calories per crispbread (as on the packet). My US relatives have the identical crackers but on their wrapping it is listed as 12 calories per crispbread.
I did some digging and apparently the US don't count "insoluble fibre calories" so that calorie counts can be different here and there for the same foods. Normally it wouldn't make much difference, but given the low calorie allowance for the fast days it can, in particular if you are eating high fibre veg. Any thoughts on this?

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SmileItsSunny · 15/04/2013 17:31

Lurking. I'm at my target fat levels, not too fussed about weight, but am still on the dirty to support DH, who still has some way to go Sad

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SmileItsSunny · 15/04/2013 17:32

*diet, sorry, freudian slip there I think!

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