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

[Breadandwine]

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!

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!

Americas woohoo! NSV re Facebook photos and comments!

french so you've lost the gained 3lbs and more? Fantastic!

virgin I love how Jenni Murray just slipped that in as if fasting is so normal!

Another fast fail today. Yesterday it was because I was too tired from exercise, today it's because Friday = weekend so just couldn't manage it. So just managed 1.5 fasts this week. Next week I will be on it 100%!

I'm fine, thanks, Laska - I've had another busy week (11 families w 14 kids on Wednesday), and we've just returned from Portsmouth after picking up my mum in law who will stay with us for the next week.

I'm with Tip on the issue of weight - it's natural for it to vary, IMO. Just think how much the weight of our 'feast and famine' forebears must have gone up and down!

I"m coming round to the idea that we should build a proper 'feast' day into our schedules, where we can really let go. All I'm lacking is the scientific backing for this theory!

B&W
You should have said - you drove within a mile of my house - I'd have put the kettle on!
Let me know when you are dropping her off ....

Agree about the occasional Feast day : its about learning to moderate normal intake - for me its holiday. I love to eat out when I'm away. So I'm good all term time.

Well my eating head is well and truly on this evening. I kind of skipped lunch, I had an almond croissant, which whilst delicious can hardly be called lunch. I've not stopped all day, if I were to log everything i've done I would probably come in at over 4000 cals.

I've now had 2 bottle of beer and some crisps and my stomach is going FEED ME. I slice of sourdough toast with some humous (sour dough and humous is a marriage made in heaven) and I feel like I could eat anything.

DHs homemade curry is on the stove, I have to last another 30 minutes. Help!

Eurovision song contest party tonight! pizza and snacks - a family tradition. but lots of fun, scorecards and all!. i'll need my fasts next week or it will be Nil points!

oh and I have a tiny pair of denim shorts on today .. [smug face emoticon] and about to take all my old diet books ( many WW's, Pig2Twig, Paul Mckenna, Fplan diet, Atkins ,etc etc etc (I have them all it seems) down to the charity shop .. Only one needed now (and thats only to lend out!,,5:2!!
Happy eating weekend all. (if you are ..)

Must be warmer there than it is here laska no way would I have bare legs today.

You guys might be able to help - 5 nights Of terrible sleep, I leave in an hour for my final training ride before we do the big one and I really don't have any energy to peel myself off the sofa, let alone ride 70miles

Any tips for what I can do/eat/drink? TiP maybe?

Hi ATB

Yesterday's Mirror had an article about how tomato juice beats sports drinks. No more details, can't find the article.

Good luck, anyway!

hmmm - thanks, no tomato juice in the house - I actively try to avoid sports drins protein bars and those sugar gel sweet things as I crash and burn and end up really bloated on them

nomming a scrambled egg, cheese and pesto wrap and mainlining coffee so far

Well my scrambled egg, pesto and cheese tortilla did me proud. Took my children out for dinner after riding 76miles and bloody well spoilt myself with loads of yummy food, and we got cake to take away which we're eating now in front of a movie.

Think with the move next week it'll just be 2 fast days and the following week, but I'll be burning more calories than I can eat the week after that so primarily for health benefits ATM

Starting to get the fear about the mammoth ride but web though I am SO sore now, I'm getting excited

got the late night munchies after Eurovision and ate something that is not agreeing with me.
Have never fasted on a Sunday before !

Glad the ride went well ATB, that's an amazing challenge you're taking on there good luck on the big one. I find a bar of Green & Blacks 85% cocoa sandwiched between two of those freezer cooler blocks in the backpack always helps on the long treks. High in energy, anti-inflammatory and dilates the blood vessels.

Laska, had to laugh when you said about the Eurovision party, another spooky coincidence...me and the kids used to do it every year .

Fasting today for the first time since Tuesday, had meant to Fast on Thursday but lost the mental argument with myself pretty early on in the day. Going to try for Sunday Tuesday Thursday again next week but toying with the idea of Sunday, Monday, Thursday....I'll see how things go tomorrow morning.

One thing I've drifted away from, which I did a lot last year is keeping the Fast till the following lunchtime. I'm going to work on cutting out breakfasts again though on nonfast days as for the first time in a long while the 'mirror profile' is not as flat as it was

Good luck all and hope that gammy tummy disappears soon TiP

It is true then cyclistist we must have the same parents.... or we are both similarly bonkers!

I thought Eurovision was slightly disappointing this year (on the weird act entertainment front) though our votes were firmly for Greece .. and Romania ( blimey what a voice Cezar has, how does he do it ? .. You've got to look if you missed this .. here

We pigged out on pizza , Chilli Doritos and .. I felt a bit rough this morning , but I think it was more to do with the carb overload than the wine.

Fasting tomorrow!!

FrenchF yes the old Laska whiter than white legs out trick worked again sadly ,, Summer disappeared very quickly back over the horizon and I was back in jeans and jumper shortly after posting that !

ATB 76 miles!! respect already.. how long did it take you to do that?
Tip hope you are feeling 'betterer' now

Looking forward to fasting tomorrow. Also going to finally properly attempt to follow TIP's exhortation of no snacking between meals having read two interesting books on the subject: The No S Diet and The Leptin Diet.

Hi all. Still pretty rough but I'll be OK to work tomorrow so am taking it very easy today.

76 mile cycle is seriously hard core - impressed.

Glad I go my gardening done yesterday - the glow from Laska's legs brightened up the sky in the South!

Cheeky Mare Tip

Get well soon TIP

Hello all...still haven't got in the swing of being over here maintaining instead of over there losing (well, I use both really!) I am fasting today in lieu of tomorrow as I ate about 2500 cals yesterday (TDEE is 1600) and days at home are easier than working days, for me anyway. I found a zero 36 hr fast too effective so am now trying 6:1 with a 500 cal fast and seeing how that goes. Burned 840 cals at the gym this morning so I guess there might be a loss tomorrow no matter what! I have not gone up past my goal weight yet but hopefully I am getting better at hovering close to it.

Bssh , no snacking? I find that easy at home but hard at work where there are biscuits right next to the tea and coffee! Sometimes I can't be bothered to eat them, but sometimes they jump into my hand Good luck!

I have to get back into 16hours before breaking the fast as well, AND get rid of snacking.

Giving myself a break this weekend, semi-fast tomorrow as I'm out for dinner so will push through til then.

ugh 76miles is sadly nothing - on the big ride itself the longest day is 108 and the shortest 68...average is I think around 80-90 mark

argh

Bssh No Snacking is definitely a rule that has worked for me..But 5:2 has also completely changed my normal way of eating also . I now regularly ask myself if what I'm thinking of eating is worth 'spending' the calories on even on 'eating' days.. My verdict on last night was: Pizza? , No it wasn't , (too doughy, despite the fact it was a 'posh' pizza ). Chilli Doritos and wine? Definitely Yes,

I like pizza , but I think that if I want it from now on, ill be making my own from scratch ,with a nice thin slightly charred base.. Like they do in Sicily. Best pizza i've ever had. Yum!!

I am so impressed that you are doing this ATB , I'm sure you will be fine ..

I like the idea that leaving 5/6 hours between meals allows the body's digestive system (and all the associative hormonal/insulin/liver processes) the optimum time to do its job. It's taken a few months of fasting to appreciate this fact though so I think I'm finally ready to not snack.