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Fasting / 5:2 diet

Talk about intermittent fasting and 5:2, including what’s worked for others. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

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

999 replies

Talkinpeace · 19/07/2013 13:03

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?
How do we ensure that we keep ourselves looking great rather than just thin?

Many of us have been maintaining at our original goal weight for a few months, and others are joining all the time.
Obviously, the more the merrier!
It is also worth considering whether a second, leaner target might be achievable.

You'll find the first two maintenance threads and all the main 5:2 threads for posters practicing IF to lose weight here on the Fasting / 5:2 on the diet forum. We're currently on thread no. 23, but there is a new main thread every 2-3 weeks.

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!

PS thanks to Breadandwine (proof that this forum welcomes everybody, not just Mums) for setting up the last thread while my old name that set up the first one was on 'holiday' Grin

OP posts:
Talkinpeace · 22/07/2013 18:40

LOL
nope, just a rather boring sandwich : the place we went to was not serving their whole menu because it was a monday [hmmm]
but the company was good and I just had tagliatelle al pesto in the garden listening to the thunder (does rain dance)

OP posts:
Anglaise1 · 22/07/2013 19:05

MOCNK ATB If it makes you feel better I have completely failed on my fast, all well until 7pm, then stopped to get a pizza at the pizza van for the kids (my two and a friend) and it was so big I had to have some. Plus a kir while I was waiting for it and a glass of wine with dinner. A spectacular fail after fasting all day. I'll try again later in the week.

Laska42 · 22/07/2013 19:57

Fuckity fuckity fuckity fuck fuck fuck .

Who left that ice cream in the freezer?

( oh sorry... hope you didn't think I was a lady or something.... Shock )

Laska42 · 22/07/2013 19:58

... I did manage to stop after about 3 spoonfuls..(but now I know it's there)

catsrus · 23/07/2013 07:14

Ah ice cream on a hot day.... How did you manage to stop after 3 spoonfuls Shock ? Well done laska !

Have you tried banana "ice cream" - freeze ripe bananas then blend them to a cream - you honestly would not believe the taste - banana ice cream. You can also freeze them on a stick and dip in chocolate for an ice cream lolly Grin

I've frozen chunks of a large watermelon that I'm planning to turn into a sorbet to have with the "ice cream" Grin

and this morning I was 9st on the scales - my lowest for decades - without even really trying - just haven't been very hungry in the heat. Hope it's not all dehydration from the Wine Blush

FastFeeder · 23/07/2013 13:22

Came across an interesting study in the journal Circulation today on eating/not eating breakfast. It's a long-term (16 year) look at 40 to 75 year-old male health professionals. The scientists found that skipping breakfast and eating late at night were both associated with a higher risk of heart attacks than in individuals who ate breakfast/didn't snack late at night. They were only looking at men, so results for women might be different.

It doesn't seem to have been funded by Kellogg's...

Talkinpeace · 23/07/2013 13:25

I've picked it up and dismantled it on the big thread .....
They are correlating habits that may not be causally linked.
Unimpressed.
Shall not start eating breakfast.

OP posts:
Anglaise1 · 23/07/2013 14:32

I saw the report - but I'm sure the fact that the men in the study were more likely to smoke, drink more alcohol, be unmarried and to be less physically active has more influence in the increased risk of a heart attack than skipping breakfast does! I wish I didn't like my breakfast so much - I prefer to skip lunch but don't get the benefit of a 16 hour fast that way.

Laska42 · 23/07/2013 18:05

Right .Big (mega) confession time ..

I have chucked the rest (and there's not much left Blush) of the ice cream down the sink.. You really dont want to know this.. but lets say the old bulimic tendencies I thought id got over years ago are re-looming .. its when i've lost weight and am fearful of regaining it and its usually sweet and fatty foods that freak me out ..

But I KNOW (I do know) that 5:2 is the best way and that i can eat 'normally' if i fast , but the plain truth is that , I really cant trust myself around large quantities of ice cream.. which is why I never buy the stuff except in single portion cornets (so why did I buy two tubs last weekend , eh? )Angry

I've never confessed this to anyone (that's ANYONE) ever before ....Blush

But im thinking Mindfulness and im not going to beat myself up ,about this . Im just going to work on forgiving myself refocus..( have another meditation session tonight)

Cats you are my new poster girl! Well done! it didn't seem long ago that you and I were 'neck and neck' ..but you've far outstripped me and id like to be down to 9.7 if I could as would be great for my height , but although done so well , and I maintained pretty much now since christmas I know that have to get back into doing this properly and recommit . So why am I finding it so hard right now?,, Confused

BTW I have tried the banana its good isn't it? and I'm not tempted to eat massive amounts) .

Talkinpeace · 23/07/2013 18:44

((((Laska))))
Its hot, we down here have had no rain in weeks, your home place is overrun with grockles
AND
its easy to get a bit complacent - my cheese habit has been bubbling under lately
SO
what you have done is understood why, taken steps to control it for now
and analysed / reviewed the logic.

Give yourself a bit of slack.

silly question - is it all icecream or just certain flavours : as in could you buy tubs of lemon sorbet safely?

Onion peeling.
Take a big issue and pick the easy bits off till you get to the real kernel of the problem and shine a bright light on it.

OP posts:
BsshBossh · 23/07/2013 19:57

Hugs Laska. We all have our weak spots; things we can't really obliterate with positive mental attitude or whatever; that will always haunt us in some way or the other. Forgiveness, not beating yourself up, refocussing - you're already taking the right approach here. Flowers to you.

Laska42 · 23/07/2013 22:23

Flowers back .Smile it is hard to admit one is not perfect!Grin

just good old Vanilla is my weakness .. but it has to be the really good stuff(if you come to the IOW you must try the Mingella's ice cream made here.. Yes that Mingella as in the late Anthony..its his Mum and Dads business) ..

I love dairy and the taste of cream (and butter and all types of cheese) so I know where you are coming from Tip . Butter and cheese and even Greek yog even I can control.. Real cream and ice cream I really shouldn't buy..

It was a really good Mindfulness session this evening though..I'm glad i've found a trained practitioner of long standing .. I think its going to be really positive for me

Oh yes... did I mention I just had two slices of toast and butter?..(and an egg and white Wine but that was a late dinner ..

Tomorrow I fast!

catsrus · 24/07/2013 02:26

We all have our weak spots laska - mine is the savoury variety - so a tub of icecream can stay in the freezer until it goes hard and inedible but I wouldn't risk an open bag of Doritos or a plate of chips. ThIs morning I decided I would have breakfast for a change so had 2 slices of toast with loads of butter and marmite - and then 2 more Blush.

I think we sometimes have to learn to handle a fear of success, not fear of failure, where weight loss is concerned.

mumofcrazynamedkids · 24/07/2013 12:03

laska big hugs very admirable of you to talk about it here, but where else? great that we can all come and admit our struggles - food or non food related, for many of us it comes down to the same thing in the end. (i.e. we use food to deal with the other struggles) Flowers

It sounds like you're doing great at working it out. I second tip and her onion peelings though!

I'm pretty much giving up on the main thread, will keep popping back when I need support, but just feel so bad that I can't keep up with the threads - they move so quickly!

....btw thanks to bsshh for curly hair links/tips, getting it cut and coloured at home tonight by mobile hairdresser, but now loads of people have wailed at the thought I would cut short and 7 year old DD has said she will leave home if I get it cut short! so may end up just being a trim!

This week after over indulgent weekend (although by no means record breakingly bad) I had bounced up 1 pound after first fast, so will wait and see what tomorrow/fri weigh ins bring after todays fast, but I had lost 2 pounds last week, so suspect it'll be my usual 2 pounds loss, one pound gain, rhythm, I guess as lomg as I keep losing 1 pound a week I'll be happy, but so want to get to new low, (that'll be 10 9 and then I'll really know I am back on track...few more weeks yet and summer hols...eeekkk)

off topic goddammit news is that I just lost the wirral house, they got a new chaijn free cash buyer and can wait no longer for me and the pain in the neck messs that is my leashold/freehold nightmare! Angry Angry Angry but will try and focus on silver linings....there will be some more I'm sure!

mumofcrazynamedkids · 24/07/2013 12:05

ps my weak spots are:
cream/cheese/pastry cream cakes/shortbread biscuits ....Blush

mumofcrazynamedkids · 24/07/2013 13:03

well done cats brilliant how are you going to celebrate? lowest for decades, that's quite a thing! Whoop Whoop!

Talkinpeace · 24/07/2013 14:14

MOCNK Sorry about the house. But there will be another along in a minute.

I skim the big thread once a day and welcome any newcomers who have been missed and throw in the odd rant, otherwise I leave them to it : they have their own momentum which is the whole idea

you should have an envelope in the post today or tomorrow .....

OP posts:
virginposter · 24/07/2013 18:22

mocnk it's a shame about the house but sometimes things aren't meant to be.
My nephew recently lost his job (not his fault but long story) and he went to appeal but lost. My sister was in tears as we all know how the job market is atm. But along came another job which has better conditions, more money and better hours. Everyone much happier now. As Tip says, another, more suitable house will come along for sure Smile
Laska
Can totally see where you're coming from as I've also had the panic and fear of regaining the weight but have realised by practising maintenance that there's nothing to worry about. If I have a mad eating frenzy then I just use this wonderful tool to get rid of it - simples!

Btw my downfall is chocolate (DH has to hide it in his workshop because if it's in the house I will eat it all at once) which I allow myself once a week and ice-cream which I never buy as again I would just eat the whole tub. I do make my own with my fabulous Vitamix in 5 minutes and make just enough for 2 good portions once a week so again DH and I get to have our treat.
It's working so far and I'm 1lb down from my lowest weight this week.

BsshBossh · 24/07/2013 19:22

Oh mocnk what a bummer about the house!

Breadandwine · 25/07/2013 06:15

Laska [hugs]

Thanks for sharing - shows how much you trust us here on this thread.

The difference between then and now is that now you have the tools at your disposal to overcome any obstacle in your hunt for the holy grail of maintaining a steady goal weight forever.

Look at how much we've all learned about ourselves and our bodies over the past 12 months! You're in a far better place now than you were then!

About your particular addiction - I have a solution! step too far? Last week's Food Programme on the Beeb was all about the rise of veganism. Apparently it's on the rise everywhere. 'Vegan' overtook 'Vegetarianism' as a search item on google, recently, for instance.

Now, if you become a vegan, your dairy ice cream goes out of the window! Problem solved!

Mind you, Swedish Glace (vegan) ice cream is absolutely gorgeous! Grin

Well done, Cats lovely to hear!

Sorry about the house, Mocnk! [hug]

Funny how those initials trip off the tongue, so to speak, nowadays! Grin

Tip that's what I do as well, I hate to see someone slip by without a welcome!

Back to you, Laska. I may have mentioned this before, but I have a mate who teaches happiness and mindfulness at Winchester Uni. He recommends 'Flourish' by Martin Seligman, and also 'The How of Happiness' by Sonja Lyubomirsky. I have them both and they are full of good stuff - the second has practical exercises 'scientifically proven' to increase wellbeing.

LOL (in the Cameron sense! Grin) B&W

Breadandwine · 25/07/2013 06:27

Oh, meant to give you an update on my daughter.

She's now at 35 weeks - looks absolutely fabulous and blooming - and has put no extra weight on at all. The baby is exactly where it should be at this stage and the head is beginning to engage.

Given her earlier problems, she's been told that if she hasn't given birth by 40 weeks (26th August) they will induce her. However, her husband and her aren't too sure about that, since they'd like the pregnancy to carry on over into September and the new school year - if at all possible.

I'm not too happy about induction either, since our son was induced a week before Christmas to avoid being in hospital over the holidays, and my wife and he had a few problems which wouldn't have happened (IMHO!) if the birth had been allowed to proceed naturally.

But these are fairly minor concerns. ATM everything is absolutely fine. Smile

How's Marcus these days, Laska?

BsshBossh · 25/07/2013 09:03

Here are my before and after photos. I'll remove them after a few days (for privacy). BMI 36 to 24 :) I'm 43 but I don't think my face looks drawn so will keep on aiming downwards for 22 or 21 BMI. I'll now also start doing physique photos to monitor weight training effects on my body.

mumofcrazynamedkids · 25/07/2013 09:52

bssh Wow! just WOW WOW WOW, you look amazing, and is that the new haircut you're sporting? looks great !

You definitely don't look drawn, petite, but still shapely, no idea what your notwell meaning family are on about!

and seriously....43????? are you kidding? you look about 29! i wish I looked that young

(I followed your advice, have gone for a short at the back longer at the front chop and colour by mobile hairdresser last night and it feels great)

thanks all for commiserations about the house, especially virgin with that lovely silver lining anecdote, to be honest after all that's happened in that past year i'm not feeling too bad about it, "it'll all come out in the wash" as my nanna would have said, going to view a rental flat on wirral this weekend with a gorgeous garden, that might do us for a bit until the london flat gets sorted.

so pre haircut last night I popped into favourite local boutique and got a dress half price in teh sale, only problem is that the zip doesn't quite do up at the side, and it's right on my overlarge ribcage, so not really convinced that much more weight loss is going to make a difference, but given I have a party to go to on Sat night, and I totally love the dress, I am going to attempt a second double fast today, and a half day tomorrow....how skinny can I get for Sat night? if there was time I'd take it to get altered and just put an external zip on to use the selvedge, but don't think there's time, and a 3 day fast can't be too detrimental can it?

breadandwine great news about your daughter, I'm with you and them on the waiting to get into sept for school age reasons and also just becasue I think in most circumstances letting our bodies do teh natural thing is best - although I don't know her issues or health complications, so really not qualified to comment, I went 8 days over with my son and did have to have a c section in the end, but he was 10 pounds 3.5 oz, and head never came down so i think was all for the best in the end.

Talkinpeace · 25/07/2013 10:38

Flippin' 'eck BsshBossh you look ten years younger now you are slimmer. And no way at all do you look underweight, you clearly have a very petite frame. And yes, you could easily get away with dropping to 21 because your collar bones are just beginning to show - its the ribs above boobs that is the warning sign!

MOCNK You are talking like a film star! There was a wonderful interview with Gwyneth or somebody like her who said that Hollywood restaurants HATE the run up to Oscars night as ALL the stars go on mega fasts and liquid diets so they look amazing on the night and then stuff themselves the following week ....

OP posts:
BetsyBell · 25/07/2013 12:46

Oops, I missed the new thread announcement - I'd wondered why the maintainers were all being so quiet!

I've got my holiday eating plans in place: I can do longer fasts on school hols so don't need to have my little salad lunch - I'm aiming to hold out till 4pm which will give me a 21 hour fast, and ideally if I get that far I don't see why I can't make it till dinner time at 6! I think I'll go for 16:8 for weekdays too plus I've agreed to Shred every weekday morning.

I'm going on holiday in a week so that'll mean sea swimming/surfing (body boarding really!) and general sand-based fun. I'll see how I manage but I reckon I'll be going for 1 light meal plus big meal & booze each day with generally skipping breakfast. It's not that I mind putting a bit of holiday weight on but I know that I'll feel physically awful if I over-do it so I do need to be careful [Fasters: know your limits!]

I've wowed Bssh on the other thread - she looks AMAZING Grin

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