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!

Homemade pizza is definitely the way to go,although now I only eat half a pizza rather than a whole one.

Veal marengo followed by lemon bars tonight - delucious. Fasting tomorrow even though it is (yet another) bank holiday.

I agree Greece were the best, though I really liked Malta too.

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 ....

Thanks for the offer, Tip. (Just in case anyone thinks I'm ignoring you - and, obviously, GWS!)

But we're delivering my mum in law up to her son's in London. We're apparently severing all our connections in Portsmouth, and concentrating on London.

About maintaining in general:

When I first discovered IF, I very soon decided that our 'normal' meals were too big - so we started using side plates at dinner time, and reduced our food intake accordingly.

I began making 80g bread rolls instead of 100g rolls; I cut my portion size for pasta and rice from 75g (dry) to 60g; and cut the accompanying sauce down by a third.

I've been maintaining for 6 months - mainly, I guess, by eating - for want of a better word, crap! Lots of biscuits, cake, chocolate, etc.

Now, I'm starting to increase my portion size again - haven't quite gone back to a dinner plate, but I don't think it will be long. I'm measuring 70g of rice or pasta, and piling the sauce up high. My rolls have gone up to 90g.

I'm also making a conscious effort - not to cut out the snacks altogether, but to eat dried fruit or nuts/seeds, etc - along with a little dark chocolate.

I'm well aware that a snack - far from satisfying hunger, only exacerbates it. So if I do nibble something, I know I have to reset my hunger switch by not following up with another nibble.

Back to today - I'm another one fasting on a Sunday for the first time. Only because we've decided, since I spent all day at the cricket, to have a roast on Monday, my usual fasting day.

I had a 300 calorie meal at around 8pm which will do me until tomorrow sometime.

Next time you make a pizza, guys, add bouillon powder instead of salt to the flour, along with some chilli powder or flakes, and also 4/5 sun dried tomatoes, snipped small. When you add your liquid, pour in about 40/50g of the oil the s-d-ts came in. This imparts a wonderful, almost shortcrust pastry crispness to the base - it's absolutely gorgeous! (Also makes excellent grissini!)

Thanks for the EV clip, Laska! Why can't we have a class act like that? I never wanted it to end!

Hope you're feeling better TiP?

I've been experimenting with this whole maintaining thing - it's really tricky. I'm happy to fluctuate 2-3lbs, but (like nearly everyone else...) I'm a bit scared that the fluctuation could easily be all one way.

The past week I tried doing one 500-ish day (no idea but it was in that region) and one day which was a fast followed by a quite large dinner. Seemed to work, and I ended up doing another mini-fast (nothing until dinner) yesterday after meals out Friday night, Saturday lunch and Saturday night, mainly because I was still feeling rather full (and a bit hungover ). Today I started the week just 1lb up from Friday morning, which feels like a great outcome.

Monday is normally a fast for me, but I'm travelling for work today and will be having dinner with colleagues, so will probably end up fasting until whenever I get around to eating tonight, then stuffing myself with curry (hopefully!) tonight. Running a huge event tomorrow, so based on what happened last time, I suspect I'll end up burning more than I get time to eat anyway....

I'm really enjoying the feeling that most mornings I wake up feeling fairly slim....it's been a long time since I felt that way every day, and I haven't quite internalised that today will always be a "thin" day...and that even a worst-case-scenario on the scales with a) only be as bad as my original 'target weight' and (more importantly) b) be completely fixable within a few days. That's such a huge change....and I owe huge thanks to all of you for bringing me with you on this journey.

Now I just need to start doing a lot more crunches to sort out the muscle structure before we go on holiday in August! I've decided that I'm definitely going to wear a bikini for the first time in 6 years this summer :)

fillybuster what a great, sensible, positive post. You are right, it's a learning curve which doesn't have to be scary. And I agree that without these threads I'd sometimes struggle.

I've stayed the same this week even after indulging at the weekend. But my fat has dropped by 1% and my muscle increased by 1% so I'm a very happy bunny

I've increased my workouts and have especially targeted my floppy bits - backs of arms and midriff/waist and am amazed at how much firmer they all are after just a couple of weeks. As with all things, just needs a bit of effort

BsshBossh very interesting links re NoS which lead me to the NoS forums and lots of information. Now that I've read some it seems kind of obvious that this could be a companion 'diet' to 5:2.
The simple premise of no sugar, no snacking, no seconds, except on days beginning with an s (including 'special' days such as birthdays etc) seems like the way to go. I know TiP has been advocating no snacking for a long time now (and in the main I don't) but I think by making it a NoS woe is something I'd like to try to help with my maintenance.
Thanks for the link

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2327065/How-I-got-dream-body-45--says-MIMI-SPENCER-changed-just-waist-size-wardrobe-personality-too.html

Wow, Mimi looks great!

My pleasure virgin. I'm still going to have a dessert after my dinner (as part of my meal) eg fresh fruit, a bit of ice cream, a few squares of dark chocolate, yoghurt with my lunch etc so I'm not going to be adhering to strictly to the No Sugar bit of NoS but it certainly all makes sense. Lots of people advise not snacking but the science around why not to is what convinced me as per this link (a very good summary, worth reading):

www.elephantjournal.com/2012/02/eat-six-times-a-day-the-dangers-of-frequent-eating/

right, I'm going to look into the companion NoS diet too...I need some procrastination from the packing

BsshBossh me too, I don't consider an apple with lunch or ice cream after dinner (homemade no sugar) as bad sugar or snacks. Your second article confirms things I've learnt since joining this 5:2 thread, that we need to break old 'bad' habits and learn new ones.
A few years ago my ex and myself had French friends and we regularly visited each others homes and swapped kids for visits etc. I can clearly remember offering one child (late teens) something to eat mid-afternoon and him refusing saying he never ate between meals, yet at mealtimes he ate as all French do, their lovely cheese, bread etc without restriction.
I must add that the whole family ate very well indeed and that they were all very very slim

really good Friday weigh in of 10 12, so back to maintenance, away from the scary blip of 11 03, only 2 weeks ago, weekend of family and boyfriend, so not worried what i've eaten, but wouldn't say i'd gone crazy overboard either.

date for move looking like 7th June, so now that is (pretty much) set my stress levels are decreasing. but packing needs to start in earnest.

4.30 pm and the hunger pangs been nagging for an hour now, fast day, a 230cal lunch eaten, 230 cal supper bought, just need to get through til I leave the office in an hour, but the office biscuit box is preying on my mind, right it'll have to be a peppermint tea I think.

bssh good link on the non snacking thing, sounds good, i know it's my downfall, and I do loads better when i stick to 2/3 proper meals.

to be honest, I really am looking forward to gettin the move over with and setting myself a regular schedule for exercise, both getting back to running and also now incorporating shred, i'm going to have time, and i'm bloody well going to spend some of it on me! not having a job for a while will be tough financially, but if I can improve my body with that time, as well as spend lots more time with my kids, then maybe i'll be happier about the benefits of the move. also going to need to exercise if i'm going to start baking bread as well as cakes!

americas i'm totally in awe of your huge ride ahead, very inspirational

bread enjoy your roast today, I'm planning one for tomorrow with the kids after school.

Hi all
well I meant to fast today : have managed it every Monday since September, but after gippy tummy I felt really ill by lunch so went to the cafe where I was working and bought an egg sandwich : but told them not to put crisps on the plate!
Off to see Eddie Izzard this evening so will burn off calories laughing

The snacking thing really matters : before snacking existed (it started in around 1970 in the UK) obesity barely existed.
It was interesting driving to work listening to commercial radio - wall to wall adverts for snack foods.
They know you do not need them so they have to sell them to you ....

Not sure how to take the mimi article tbh. My target weight, which I reached a few weeks ago, is higher than her staring weight. (same height) I feel slim. I am wearing size 10 jeans yet according to her I should be embarrassed to wear a bikini. As it happens all my bikinis are too big for me and it is too cold to wear one anyway

It was however a better article than previous Daily wail 5:2 offerings.

I love Eddie Izzard so I am very jealous tip

So is mine FF I'm 10st now and pretty happy at it.. 5'6 aged 55 ,size 8/10 bottoms and 10/ 12 top but I reckon i'm looking about right for my frame age and build, ..

also FF remember we dont (at least I dont) work in the fashion industry.. I reckon we are fine..

she doesn't look stupid skinny though so maybe she's just ridiculously short?

This is what I don't get..I'm 5'9", bouncing around the 9.5stone mark, size 8/10 bottoms too....

Dear B&W Just to pre-warn you that i will be holding YOU responsible for what I see on the scales tomorrow. I have made flat bread this evening from my sourdough starter with more flour , parmesan , sundried tomato onion chilli and herbs i.. This is entirely YOUR fault after what you said about experimenting with pizza crust .. (yummy though!_) (oh yes, and also I hold YOU responsible for the fact I broke my fast today .. )

Just so that's clear to all .. its not my fault . but his .. !

I'm glad I'm reading this at the end of my fast and not the start. We've only been doing sour dough for a month or so but I think Herman (well it needed a name if we are going to feed it like a pet) is up for a challenge so I'll be makibg sun dried tomato flat bread tomorrow. We still have some of last years homegrown that we dried so it will be a fitting use for them.

Can't stomach the thought of anything after seriously overdoing it yesterday - woken up bloated and full! Eurgh. I'm blaming the stress and sleep deprivation.

Thank god for fasting today. Toying with a 3day fast...

I'm still here . I haven't posted, for a bit as health worries have taken all my energy. I had a duodenal biopsy yesterday which confirmed the diagnosis of coeliac disease .
I had to fast before the afternoon procedure, but that wasn't a problem!
I'm still wobbly from the anaesthetic today, so have nibbled a bit too much I think (all gluten free of course!).
I need to get back on the wagon as I've put on 3lbs this week by stuffing my face with bread, biscuits and cakes as a kind of 'final farewell'.
I'm going to catch up on posts I've missed and read those links that Bshh posted, they look interesting.

Oh ellen. What's the plan now? I'd expect you have a lot of reading to do. It's quite common isn't it? I read somewhere that 1 in 100 have it but only 10-15% are diagnosed. Thank goodness gluten free eating is understood better these days, with lots of recipes, products, blogs etc around.

Oh shitty shit shit shit shit ... I've sabotaged myself again this evening, I fast all day and then eat my body weight when I get home in h/m flatbread and butter and (I even MADE the sodding flatbread , not like it was already there waiting) and now i've thought sod it and have had a glass of .

. I was already 3lbs up this morning from the weekend and last night .. So What is all this about? .. The weather ? Do I secretly dont want to be thin for my holiday ? What ? ?

Please someone administer pointy boot and good talking to ..

Ellen thats dreadful news, I dont know anything about Coeliac, but thinking of you ..

I'm ok laska, and yes, lots of reading, it's a good job, as you said, that there is a lot if info out there now. One if my colleagues also has it, so will be bending her ear regularly! The consultant said exactly what you said bshh, that there are LOADS if people who have it undiagnosed, who've been told they have IBS, or like me, are largely asymptomatic. He thinks blood screening should be compulsory for everyone!!
Will continue fasting, luckily fruits and veggies are fine. I need to get rid if this 3lb, which dosnt sound like a lot, but I'm small framed.

ellen on a gluten free diet you may find the last 3 lbs go easily.

Laska you've come so far, you're so close to your new goal, we all self-sabbotage at times but really, get it together woman! Let your head rule over your stomach/cravings/impulses.

Pull yourself together Laska. You've always been so good at this. Do you want to go back to the way you were? Now do 50 push ups as a punishment (evil Jillian emoticon)

I've just been reading up on the no snacking stuff. TBH it is pretty much what I do anyway. I don't snack as long as I'm not drinking. Put a glass of wine or a bottle of beer in my hands however and all that changes - I have to nibble. (nibble sounds so much better than snack don't you think - it is a nice dainty word. It doesn't really suit the way I eat peanuts though )

So now I try to avoid alcohol during the week, and on Friday night the drinks and nibbles come out (Friday is the weekend therefore a special day therefore fits in the NoS )