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!

Think I'm the same as TiP and prefer to keep a meal to eat with my family, I already feel like I don't eat with my children enough as it is really.

I'm basically on maintenance, would really like to lose a few more pounds but actually think I just need to up specific exercises to get rid of the muffin top. This week I only managed two fasts so keeping today light so I can get a good meal this evening in prep for a 75mile ride tomorrow then will 24 hour fast til Monday dinner time and start the week again with 4:3 on Tuesday

Pros and cons of total fasting versus 500 kcals anyone?

Is it a person to person thing?

I think I might be trying a full fast tomorrow....as I ust ate far too much today....first day of AF and always a problem...

I love and do eat with my family too but Thursdays we're all on different schedules so a 36 hour fast on that day works perfectly.

I like us all to eat together, but like bssh, I have one day where our schedule is different. On Monday, I doubt the kids will notice if I eat or not as we're here, there and everywhere.

That's good - mine are both little so I already feel bad that some days they sit down for one or two meals and I don't eat with them

Thanks for the input about when to weigh in...I think Monday probably is a bad time and will do Tuesdays as suggested...why I never thought of that simple solution is beyond me!!!! maybe fasting is messing with my brain :-) great idea tho...thanks.

America are you a Bowie fan by chance?

Yup!!

Pros and cons of total fasting versus 500 kcals anyone?

ICBINEG check out this thread on the 52fastdiet forum:

www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3814

Dozens of fasters are doing this and finding it easier going completely without food. I've done it once and I'd do it once a week to maintain, but my wife would only worry! I'm trying to keep my calories down to below 200 tonight - the trouble is, once I start eating, I feel a great need to eat up to my 600 calories.

For any gluten free fasters, I've just posted a chick-pea flour 'omelette' recipe on the 5:2 recipe thread - calorie counted and all that!

Plus it's vegan! And no soya, TiP.

I'm conscious of the amount of soya I eat, it's very easy, as a vegan, to eat loads of the stuff if you're not careful.

had a total disaster yesterday...had nothing till tea time then went truly nuts.

I suspect this isn't going to work out for me although I will obviously give it more than 1 go!

congrats bsshbosh on reaching target! woop!

thanks cyclist on your comments, I agree, much better to try and focus on the positives rather than beating myself up, I'm fasting today, having failed all last week, but I'm still wearing a newish size 12 skirt to work. i met up with a uni friend 10 days ago who i haven't seen for quite a while and he was so gobsmacked at my weightloss that he lost all tact and told everyone at the table that I used to be much much bigger (backhanded compliment, but i'll take it!) so I am just taking one day at a time, will not weigh myself til after a full successful week (or 2) of fasting, and will start concentrating on some yummy home cooked healthy food. I made a delcious roasted veg, feta and herb cous cous at the weekend, and laska's curry in the freezer is brilliant for a fast day win with some natural yogurt.

laska how's the under a £1 a day going - did you start yesterday?

I'm with Tip and won't do the full 36 hours no food as I like to eat with my children (still only 4 and 7) , as it is they know I eat something different on my 'healthy days' and they don't even like that! But if I had a fast day where we were not together I might give it a go.

Breadandwine
If that is an Oothapam - I had one with my supper last night - at a veggie curry restaurant - FANTASTIC
but the dosa with aubergine curry was better : do you know how they make dosa as it was SCRUMMY

been fasting today after bucket load of curry last nigh : soup tonight

Well you take a few days off and lots of new maintainers arrive Just when you're not around to welcome them!

So welcome new maintainers to being slim and to keeping the weight off .. its not too hard im finding, as long as you accept that a pound or two each way , is going to happen sometimes and remember that going back to a little hardcore once a month or so will do the trick

I still usually do 5:2 as it suits me still and if I slip I go back to 4:3 for a week.. Yes I could lose another7lbs but I'm happy where I am , and it works for me .. so dont panic!
I too prefer to have a meal still , the most i've fasted is 24hours ..

But this week I'm doing the 'Live below the Line challenge for Global Action on Poverty (living £1 a day for 5 days...food and drink only and that's hard enough).

I'm now on day 2 and Yup, its hard.. not helped by the fact that I forgot I could eat more than my eggs for breakfast this morning.. Also as the rules say I can only spend a fiver and I must only eat £1 a day , fasting just isn't going to work , unless its a total fast and I cant really do that and stick by the rules . so as I have lots of enthusiastic supporters, I'm abandoning 5:2 just for this week..

But I'm writing a blog so do please look . With the amount of carbs (being mostly what you get in the cheap ranges if you are only spending £5 for everything) .. I actually reckon I'm going to be putting on weight! though I am going for veggies and foraging..

I've raise just over £300! and I'm dead chuffed, and now several of my close friends and reles who I had thought had donated anonymously have now signed up on line or given me their cash. I've realised that several of the very generous donations I had at the start must have been from some of you!.

So here's a big, big thanks.. Please do look at my blog.. (B&W I want your opinion on my pie! though obviously I wouldn't usually make it with lard, but it was all I could afford)

Tip here is Jamie Olivers Dosa recipe doesn't look to hard

And here is the link to my Blog! Duh!

Best of luck Laska, it looks like a very interesting experiment and am looking forward to reading your conclusions.

ICBINEG don't bail on us yet - isn't it your TOM? Wait till it's over and try again. I eat for Britain during TOM - especially the first couple of days (day before and the first day usually).

mumofcrazy that sounds like a good idea, not weighing until you've got a few fasts back under your belt. I'd do that too.

I had a dizzying experience in a changing room today. I haven't shopped for clothes properly in over a year but I did today - French Connection and Gap. And since last February I have gone down from a size 18/20 to a size 12 and from a size 36 jean to a size 30 jean. I am so glad the FC sales assistant persuaded me to add size 12s to my armfuls of size 14s .

Fasting again tomorrow. I don't need to as I have a fast planned for Thursday and I'm not bothered about losing any more weight. But I want to. How crazy is that?

BsshBossh brilliant!! Now that's what we call a real NSV!! (non-scale victory)

Fast fail, was going to do a full 36 hours, but I felt really poorly at lunchtime. Was at hospital re: Coeliac diagnosis and the nurse told me my blood sugar was too low and gav me a sugary tea and a kit kat!

Well, of course, that triggered all manner of nibbling. So, although I managed 16 hours, I went 100 cals over my TDEE.

I think I'll give it a couple of days and try again, we'll see.

I think it's good of you to even try while doing the testing ellen so don't lose faith!

Bssh that's brilliant, seriously well done you - especially as FC comes in quite small I've found

Good luck this week Laska!

Fasting today - over the weekend I totally binged (again) and both nights went to bed with a very sore tummy. Not nice. Fasting today actually feels like a relief!

BsshBossh Size 12 - how cool is that!
Laska you are stronger than I - then again I have packed lunches to do each day so would not manage to plan the way you have.
Ellen hang on in there : the fasting may well help the coeliac - other people have had their digestions 'reset' by fasting

I managed my 24 hours and had Broccolli and stilton soup for supper. Working again tomorrow and no idea when I'll make it to the gym so my TDEE is down to under 1500 on a normal day ....

Not sure I'll ever reach the point of maintaining - I seem to stick at 80kg, every time I get below, the weight piles back on again, no matter what I eat or what I do. This has been going on for years - long before doing 5:2, so not sure if I have a place on this thread, but I have been going for nearly 8 months and still enjoying the fasting. I've also gone back to being a comfy size 12 after hovering on the 14/16 boundary for over a year.

I find I tend to eat much more raw and vegan on fast days, so i feel much more healthy in myself- eating lots more veg, lots more vitamins, my skin is better, my digestive system is better.

Not sure what the point of this post is, but just to mark my place while digesting raw carrot noodles, tofutti cheese, prawns, raw onion and gremolata and getting ready for a back to back fast tomorrow.

Yum - best diet ever!!

Well done BsshBossh Feels great doesn't it. You might find this useful sizes.darkgreener.com/ Put your measurements at the top and it tells you what size you would be in different shops. I found it useful as I had no idea what size I was any more. I'm restocking my wardrobe from E-bay so the size chart comes in useful.

I'm maintaining on my usual 5:2 so I'm not going to modify it until I lose some more. Work is crazy at the moment (15 hours yesterday and only 3 of them sitting down) so I'm not doing any formal exercise. I'm going to start Shred from the beginning again next week, and get running again.

Sorry sizes.darkgreener.com/

Tried weigh in this morning as opposed to Monday morning.so hopefully can hang back every week when I have a fast under my belt from the Monday after the weekend indulgences!. I was a bit of a greedy so and so at the weekend and may have to do 4:3 this week. Sitting for 2 days at the weekend at a competiton with my daughter and whilst I had salads etc with me I still was picking at sweets and chocs that parents where handing round. When I get that sweet taste I find it difficult to not over indulge, I think the seal is broken and the horse bolts!!!!

ellenbrody notice you are undergoing tests for Coeliac diesease..not sure if you have been diagnosed yet or how far down the route you are, but thought you may like to know I am also a Coeliac.... I was diagnosed when I was 3 years old so dont know any different way of eating really......until now when I have totally changed by fasting also and a whole new WOE. Happy to offer any advice or such and be interested to hear you story.

Good luck today to all todays fasters.

Laska I read your blog so far - I like the points you've made about other expenses - it's all very well being able to eat but not being able to afford to get clean or travel is a huge problem. On that note I was looking up how to make your own laundry detergent the other day

-- 1 Cup Grated Fels Naptha Soap
-- 1/2 Cup Washing Soda
-- 1/2 Cup Borax

For light load, use 1 tablespoon.
For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 tablespoons.

I don't know what Fels Naptha soap is but other sites reckoned you could just grate up the cheapest supermarket soap. I'm quite tempted to try it.

I apologise for drinking a cup of fair trade organic coffee while I type this