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!

Will read the book and see how it goes .. used to do Iyenga yoga which I liked a lot , but class shut and found the Hatha class bit too focussed on the spiritual which I didn't really get on with .. There is a Mindfulness centre over here , but again , it seems quite focussed on spirituality and retreat which are not really my bag.. The book I have (Mark Williams ) seems quite fixed on it not being a religion thing ..

Heck I'm hungry (and cold) .. have forgotten what water fasts were like.. think ill go pack my bag

hi Anglaise its Mindfulness - a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world. Mark Williams and Danny Penman . I didn't get the kindle version , but bought the real book as it has a CD with exercises .

I was also thinking of getting Ruby wax new book Sane new World on kindle though .. thought it would be good to read some of this on a beach away from home stresses!

Hey Laska! Nice to see you, kid!

Try not to stress - the holiday will happen whether you lose any more or not, and you need to just go with the flow. Say to yourself that by the time the next holiday comes round you will be absolutely ready for it in every way. Treat this one as a halfway stage toward that goal.

And I know you won't go mad on holiday - you have all the techniques to come back without putting on any weight at all, if you so choose. But that's not what holidays are about, is it?

Go and bloody well enjoy yourself - and come back and tell us all about it!

About Mindfulness, etc. One of my friends is a lecturer at Winchester University, whose subject is Happiness - his recommendations are twofold: a book called 'Flourish' by Martin Seligman; and another, 'The How of Happiness' by who worked closely with Seligman in writing the book.

Seligman has turned psychology on its head. Instead of employing it to make ill people better, he maintains its proper purpose is to prevent people having a need for it in the first place - 'Positive psychology'.

'The How of Happiness' provides a range of activities (positive interventions) which have been scientifically proven to increase happiness. It's written with a great deal of common sense.

The MM programme is called The Pessimists Guide to Optimism but I don't know when it will be on, or even if we have missed it. If anyone Twitters perhaps they could ask him?

Laska - before you go away, here's something for you to think about while you're on the beach.

nobreadisanisland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/a-swing-in-kitchen.html

What every grandparent needs!

Did an official weigh in this morning (I'm trying to weigh only monthly) and am still at exactly the goal weight I reached on 26th April. I am overjoyed at this because I've not done many proper full day fasts, instead doing a combination of (weekdays only) 16:8, no snacking, heavy weight training (3 times a week) and running (2 x week). The strength training is having a dramatic effect on my physique - I have defined muscles and am looking the sleekest and firmest I've ever been (and I'm 43!).

But it's the health benefits of 24 hour fasting that drew me to 5:2 in the first place (I was successfully losing weight before discovering 5:2) and I seem to have lost sight of that since reaching goal.

Today I'm back on it! I failed yesterday but not today (I hope). I plan on fasting until tonight's dinner.

Anglaise I have no bum or hips either - but that's no bad thing!

I have lost my bum, kept my love handles and though my cup size is the same my boobs are deflated

BUT I am a size 8-10 and have gained something remotely resembling abs so can't complain too much!

No bum left at all now . tum has gone down a lot, but skin is a bit loose (TMI?) , (I really must get the exercise habit) . Boobs just down one size but still a D , thinks its loss of back fat..

Strangely my feet are about half size smaller! (perhaps its due to less weight spreading them out..

I was lsing my bum running but added in squats, lunges and the stepper machine to my exercise routine and the glutes are developing again :-)

Well I finished n my 36 hours water fast , then today have had about 600 cals.. I'm going to try and have another 'low' day tomorrow. no more than 750=-900 cals. , , then a 'normal' Thursday and Friday nothing until the evening ( as will be travelling all day - no hardship not to eat aeroplane food! , and will be followed by 4hr drive in which ill just want water ). that should put me well back on track.

Holiday plan is fruit and Greek yog late breakfast (yum!) and then light fishy/salad-y dinner..it will be too hot to eat that much .. However. I'm pretty sure ill be on the but I hope to come back the same weight as I go..

B&W.. realise i didn't answer your pm , but hope things are sorting themselves out for your DS .. BTW a kitchen swing!?..madness!!

Today I have had (total vanity alert!) (or worse) David Dickensen alert? (I hope not) a Fake Tan!! first one ever.. anyway i can wash it off until tomorrow, and I cant wear my glasses unless it leaves a mark . so I cant really see to type.

ill let you know how things go in the Tango stakes tomorrow

oh yes im easily a 10 and 8 in some bottoms and 10 or 12 on top but over 10st at the moment (10.4 again this morning, so thats good ,its back on the way down )
right.. i cant squint any longer ..

I used fake tan when I switched from one piece to bikini to patch in the glaring bits!
I wear a mixture of size 8 and size 10 : depends what the charity shops have in stock

Ugh the bloody tummy skin! Does that go with exercise despite two pregnancies? I was lucky to escape with no stretch marks and it's fine when I stand very straight but anything else the loose skin folds in, bleurhh!

Good pre holiday plan Laska, I'm finding motivation hard this week but need to step up as I have a friend visiting ll next week so lots of wine and cake will be consumed!

ATB, I've had four pregnancies (well, technically eight, but four successful ones), and so have terrible loose tummy skin! Like you said, It's fine when I'm standing up straight, but not so when I bend forward. No more bikinis for me!

I had a strange NSV today, I put on a pair of trousers for work, and they fell down! They were a size 10, but a very, very generous size 10. I have had lots of compliments at work too, as last time many people saw me, I was seven months pregnant, and the size of a house! It's hard to tell if they really do think that I look slim, or just slim compared to being heavily pregnant, if you see what I mean. Will weigh in on Friday morning.

Tango here! Well its ok, actually , although I do have a bit of a strange 'snakeskin' effect on my calves despite good exfoliation and moisturising over the last few weeks .. I went back and she said 'ooh i've never seen it do that before! Oh well, good job I'm not totally vain.. it looks OK from a distance..

well back to 10.2 again this morning, so happy ,and I've managed my 'light day (wont eat anything more now as stuffed from veggie stir fry - under 750 cals today , so 3 fasts in 3 days really - and now feeling back in control , and its great to feel that I can get back to it after all.. ..

Well off to pack the bag ( for real this time! didn't manage it last night , ) may pop in and have a final cheerio tomorrow, but if not see you in 2nd week of July ..

Keep the faith people.. ..

BTW flabby tums and bikinis i reckon that heck they dont know me.. its not that bad , and theres an awful lot fatter than me on the beach!!) .

Promise ill not eat too much Spanakopita.. ( well maybe)

Have a great time Laska.

Well, two months maintaining a healthy BMI and I've decided I would like to lose another half stone.

So from next week it's back to strict 5:2 and weekly weighins. Kind of excited!

Well my wonderful daughter collected her Prefect's tie at school tonight and as DH is working I took the kids out for supper.
DS had pie and chips
DD had chicken and chips
I had two starters : a vegetarian one and a seafood one.
Now feel pleasantly sated by tasty food but actually ate very little.

Laska
Have a wonderful time.
Bssh
Its funny isn't it : what was a target is normal and suddenly going for "lean" becomes possible.

Tummy skin : its the one thing I'd consider cosmetic surgery on. Now that I'm slim and my abs are like steel from all the yoga, to get rid of that tired skin is very tempting.

Is GreenEggs around? I'm trying to PM her but failing I think...

she posted on a thread yesterday ...

Bssh Will you still keep posting on the maintenance forum even though you are going to lose some more weight?
I was pleased when I got down to 63kgs from 70kgs a few years ago - that was normal to me (BMI 21) then decided in Jan this year to go down to 56/57kgs (BMI 19) - that feels more normal now and doesn't seem too difficult to maintain because the TDEE isn't vastly different from what it was before. Losing a little weight at a time seems to be quite sustainable. Good luck with the half a stone

Have a well deserved break Laska

Bssh good luck! I'm in a similar position, at least I want to lose about 5lbs to get me slightly under the goal weight as recent binges have resulted in too tight clothes, I need a few lbs to "breathe"

Munched through a HUGE bag of maltesers last night and tonight we're hoping for party central as the Supreme Court should be making their decision on marriage equality so coffe and water fasting til tonight!

Thanks! Yes, will continue to post on both (though perhaps more frequently on the main thread obviously). I still consider myself a maintainer as I've reached my main goal to healthy weight :)

Good luck to all maintainers still looking to lose a few more lbs :)

As TIP says, going for leaner is so achievable now.

Hi all. I'm still maintaining, but doing 5:2 every week so still dropping but VERY slowly. I think I'm proably at a plateau tbh. I don't mind I am happy at this weight. I've got a whistlestop trip to the UK in a couple of weeks so for vanity I would have liked to be down to 10st but it doesn't really matter.

Have a good holiday Laska

Lidl currently has Body Analyser Scales on sale for £16.99.

I bought some yesterday - and they look pretty good!