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

[Talkinpeace]

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'

I think its been in the cupboard a long time Tip I should have chucked it when I found it the other day . its bin day tomorrow ill go stick it in now , while i have will power ..

But yes , cheese . DH commented the other day that it has made a reappearance in the fridge , whereas it had been absent last year when i was seriously fasting.. I cant justify binning that , perhaps ill go chop it up and put it in the freezer

Planning a November though (well mostly, only started yesterday and there is probably going to be one weekend we are away when I know I wont be able to resist , (but hoping to continue until my birthday in December )

so its Bedfordshire for me ... with Mint tea and book... Another fast day tomorrow ... Determined it will be a better one .. G'night all, (Waltons) ..

At least I stuck to the No .. (well that's something anyway)

BTW ..B&W Oscar sitting up already? .... What's that, 4 months? That's pretty impressive .. Marcus , hasn't improved on the two steps he made, it seems .. prefers crawling! ( I'm hoping to see him again soon )

Just wanted to add my (((hugs))) to MOCNK . It must be really hard when you feel you are doing the best thing for everyone and it doesn't work out. Hopefully some good will come from the move anyway.

Fasted yesterday. I've lost the bloating from the holiday, but I'm still a couple of kilos heavier than my lowest. I try and keep off the til Friday which should help.

Hi all. I'm still here lurking in the background.
MOCNK
(((hugs))) more hugs for you as life can be so awful sometimes.

Laska I too had a 'part-time' relationship with my b/f for 21 years due to complications and I must admit that I was concerned about living together full time. But, we have been wonderfully happily fully together for 8 years with the last two being married (he has his workshop) . Totally know where you're coming from. I'd reached goal of 10 st and size 10 by end of May and happily maintained at a steady 10 st 2 lb for ages but then the lovely summer came and lots of visitors (live near sea) with lots of ice cream etc etc and sitting in sun drinking pimms and being very very lazy.
Well, the scales said 10 3 or 4 and I decided enough was enough as Xmas was fast approaching. But now my scales are screaming 10 6 . How did that happen!!!!

Soooo I have now given myself a good talking to and yesterday had a very sucessful day in the gym, hoola hooping and 2 hours non stop dancing all whilst doing a 26 hour fast. Today is 'healthy eating' and walking. My friend has decided to join me in our gym twice a week so that will make me consistant, I hope.
Today I feel so much more positive and hope this time to get a few lbs below 10 st so that when I creep up again it will not be so bad. It's all just a matter of constant monitoring so's we can stop the rot quickly before it gets out of control.

Ok another fast day.. had my 500 ,egg, soup, veggie curry.. now I just need to tape my mouth up for the rest of the evening.. think ill go sort my wardrobe out ..(it used to work , i'm sure I can find some things to ebay ..)

Vintage.. you and me both! I blame the lovely summer also....! not getting back o nthe scales until the morning though..

Hi all, I'm looking for some maintenance tips, if possible. I don't really do diets, but started 5:2 at the beginning of the year after reading about it on here (so thanks to whoever was posting at that point!). BMI is now 22.3 and I wouldn't mind losing another kilo, but any more than that and I'll start looking ill.

So I'm wondering how you maintain? Drop to 6:1? Or maybe 2 mini fasts in a week? (would a mini fast be to fast until dinner, then eat normally?)

mmmango
I fast strictly two days a week most weeks, sometimes one day a week, sometimes none, depending on my mood
this week is strict because last week was half term
and I do relax a bit more at weekends - but I have to keep my weight tightly under control to avoid knee pain.

laska
NO SNACKING

Mmmango I usually still fast twice a week, though sometimes it is only one. I don't count anything on NFDs any more and I would be very surprised if I eat under my TDEE.

I vary - depending on my weight and what else is going on. I try to fit in at least one 12-16 hr fast even if I then don't watch the calories, if I have been a bit over indulgent (like the last few weeks) then I throw in a couple of low calorie fast days until I'm back to my target. So on Friday last week I had gone up to 9.7, have done a couple of good fast days and been sensible the other days, this morning I'm back to 9.2. I doubt this is all Fat gain and loss over this short period - but it was a sign I was up an upward trajectory so had to take myself in hand .

I had been very overindulgent - and loved every minute of my evenings out with friends and delicious lunches - but knowing I could take control again was crucial in enjoying it and not feeling guilty. No major events booked until the Xmas party season starts so will just tootle along on a sensible diet until then.

Mmmango I think you need to try and see what suits you best and be flexible in your approach. When I started maintaining I found 6:1 wasn't enough and did a 'half' fast on another day too (1000 cals instead of 500) which seemed to work.
The only way I have found to maintain weight is to weigh in every day where possible. I've been maintaining since March and it works. I don't always fast now because I run around 50kms a week and get hungrier than when I wasn't training so much.
Good luck in finding what suits you best!

Yup No Snacking.. I'm being good.. and November is holding out so far..(but its easy during the week).

NFD today , but im doing protein and veg only , and will be well under my TDEE, then fasting again tomorrow .. Two pounds off this morning again ,

AM determined to get back to 10st , but I'm not going silly because I want to fast properly tomorrow .. if I'm hungry again later ill eat..

moncnk I can't possibly imagine how hard all of that is. More (((hugs))) here.

Mmmango I'm still new at this maintaining lark, but I'm fasting properly one day a week and mini fasting on another. So 5.5:1.5 instead. Its working so far but that's also hit a time when the exercise has slightly reduced and my normal eating may have gone up!

Off to clear out the bottom of the wardrobe now (where I keep all my jeans/ leggings etc). I did one cupboard last night and have a nice bag of last years too big autumn /winter clothes for the charity shop and some things to ebay ..) its really motivating..

You may have seen that I posted on saw the main thread that I very nearly bought a beautiful mint condition cashmere cardi today in a charity shop even though it was too big, , BUT NO ! I realised that even at £5.99 it was a total waste to do so, as I'm never going to be that big gain .. so I left it ( such a fab bargain though.. why did i never see things like that when I was that size? )

Mmmango im getting back into the maintaining zone after gaining a bit back over the summer ( having maintained really well since christmas ) but I was still doing 5:2 , just allowing myself to enjoy my more at weekends ( The trouble is that I got too lax and was too many summer chilled whites ,that derailed me so here I am back losing the same half stone again , So beware!)

HI B&W you around ?, Remember the Getting Stronger website .. (Todd Becker) and Hormesis ? We linked it in the hints and tips way back when, , but its changed a lot ,and I was looking just now to recommend it to people on thread 29 ut bI cant find the videos of the talks any more . I think well have to update the links in H&Ts. Perhaps tomorrow ill go through the revised website and see what I can find

BTW looking back through H&T's it was interesting to read some of our old posts from when we all started this!! .. But It might be good to go through the old stuff there again to see if any of it needs updating. ill try and do some of that over the next week ..

DH home from yorkshire : nom nom fish pie and wine for supper - but actually quite small portions as he's shattered!

THE main thing I've found with maintaining is to look at each meal and think "do I need a portion that size"
did not stop me snacking some cheese today = my remaining utter and complete weakness - don't tell the main thread!

Great, thanks all, that's really helpful. I've been pretty slack with calorie counting all the way through and have weighed myself less than once a month since Jan - I'm probably lucky that it's worked so far, actually.

I was very, umm, relaxed through August - summer holiday - but spent September being stricter on the fasts and had no alcohol (think this is the crucial bit for me - I hear you, Laska!) and I'm back on track, judging by how my clothes fit.

Perhaps I'll stick with 5:2 for a bit in anticipation of Christmas, and then try one full fast and a half fast per week like eatriskier and Anglaise suggest - I actually quite like the fast days now, and worry that only 1 per week might make the habit harder to maintain, if that makes sense. If I need to buy clothes in a smaller size, then I'll try either 6:1 or 2 mini fasts - but from all your advice it seems better to increase calorie intake more slowly to make sure I don't start going in the wrong direction!

Anglaise, 50km/ week is a LOT of running - not much exercise here to mop up excess calories. That might be the next thing to work on...

Hi folks

Still here - lurking, because I'm a lazy sod. But empathising, too.

This thread moves in fits and starts, doesn't it? Days can go past without anyone posting - then it bursts into life.

mocnk there's someone out there for you, you've got to believe that!

mmmango, you'll soon get used to us, we're a friendly lot, and we all maintain in our own way - you have to find out what works for you.

I generally manage one 36 hour

Mmmango I have the time to run at the moment and belong to a club (where the social side is as important as the sport so it isn't all hard work!)
The problem with doing a lot of exercise is that it makes you very hungry and sometimes you overeat as a result. Gentle exercise is often better than short intensive exercise as it does less to trigger your appetite and you burn calories more effectively. So a long, slow jog (no more than 8 or 9 kms an hour) is better than 13kms an hour which is what I'd do in a 10k race. Interesting Guardian article on exercise and weight loss.
Good luck on the one and a half fasts. It worked for me without watching what I ate on other days.
Laska I'm so impressed with your novemeber. I don't think I could!
TIP 5:2 is great for reducing your appetite and eating smaller portion sizes. I'm addicted to cheese too...a nice ripe unpasteurised camenbert, yum. I've developed the bad bait of opening all the camenbert boxes in the supermarket and proding the cheese to find the softest (and therefore ripest) one.
Looking after my neighbour's hens this week who are producing 4 delicious eggs a day so I'm mainly eating egg based dishes.

oohh you are all such a lovely bunch of people! thansk for all your supportive comments and hugs.

Tip your experience is exactly what i want to avoid, for both me and bf making the right choices as parents is paramount, even if that sacrifices what we have. We've had a chat and he's not ready to give up yet, so this weekend he will spend it with his dd and do lots of talking/listening reassuring, and my 2 go to their dad in london, then the following my bf is going to take just teh dd's out somewhere they both like the zoo probably for the day and see if he can get them onto a better footing.

anglaise we don't live together, my dd and ds live with me and his dd lives with him 4 days on 4 days off on a rolling schedule. we only live 2 roads apart though, but only see each (all together) other once a week or less for the past couple of months. it would be easier if he was on a regular weekend shedule, but that's not likely to happen, and as he often has his dd just during the week he will end up working at teh weekends he is without his dd, so we still don't see him.

we had already acknowledged it could be years before we could live together, so laska and vintage good to know that long distance/apart relationships can work, but as a single parent i just feel like I need more support from my relationship than I get as things are.

i think maybe someone without kids....for both of us would be better!

anyway, sorry for off topicness again....hhmm fasting! laska and cats i feel your pain....am still avoiding the scales, and i'm still eating breakfast every day, which means no fasting, since starting on the levothyroxine for the hypothyroid, I'm always starving in the morning, which is not like me, i may have to consider fasting differently, breakfast and lunch and skip dinner. should get my next blood results tomorrow so we shall see whether my medication gets raised and what effect that might have.

anglaise I love baking a camembert, studded with garlic and drizzled with white wine and then dipping lots of veg crudites and ciabbatta into the winey, garlicky cheesy ooziness! definitely not fasting fair!

breadandwine your weekend sounds great, i fancy a girls walking weekend, although less walking, more relaxing, cooking, boozing! but back to the budgets for now, maybe in the new year!

fare even....

Hello all - blimey tons to catch up on?

mocnk so sorry to hear what you're going through, just sucks. I have no advice at all but hope you can both find a way through it as you obviously care for each other and are great parents

I went into sod it mode before the holiday which pissed me off and that continued in Hawaii but it was such a brilliant time - was no ready at all to come back!

Guests all this week so doing 16:8 and will slip in a FD tomorrow, depending what happens Sunday then too. I'm going to follow Cyclistist advice and not worry if it's 6:1 this week, go to 5:2 for the rest of November then 4:3 til Christmas

A friend has also booked us both on a beach boot camp which we start next week. Ugh. But I need to get back in shape for the AIDS ride

Right - time for coffee! We didn't have dinner til late last night which means no food til 2pm, not hungry but the Chinese leftovers are seriously calling me...

MOCNK don't worry about that, I misspelt camenbert...and I've been living in France for 12 years..
I really hope you get things worked out with your OH and find a solution that fits everybody as far as is possible At least you both know what the issue is and 2 roads apart is nothing - many would say it is the ideal relationship to not have to live full time with your OH!
I'm not sure that someone without kids is a better option either - they might want you all to themselves and not have time for your children. I have had that problem with my BF (he has kids, but they are adult and not around all the time like my younger children are) Someone who has never had kids might be even less understanding about the time and energy required to bring up children.
Don't worry about fasting until you get your thyroid back to normal. I'm finding it really hard to fast as I love my breakfast...I can skip lunch no problem, but breakfast is a more difficult habit to break for some reason.
Good luck with everything.

just had a lovely update from my brother....remember him? aspergers was clinically obese or higher, he's lost over 4 stone fasting 5:3 since last september and texted last night to say that he's just had to buy his second lot of smaller trousers and jeans, 32" waist down from an original 40" hurrah for him! he says he's stopped weighing himself all the time now and is focussing on exercise for toning. just so proud of him, think he's currently weighing less than me...thank goodness he's stopped telling me the numbers! I can't wait for our other brother to come visit at christmas from Canada, he'll see the biggest difference as he hasn't been over for 5 years and the youngest brother has been obese since he was about 10 years old!

I had blood results and GP has doubled my thyroxine, so I am going to just forget about fasting for a few more weeks and see what the medication can do to improve my metabolism. I've learned great lessons from fasting, and if you don't mind me sticking around despite not technically fasting....i may well start again once i get my head in a better place and body balanced, I am convinced it's the best WOE, and have now learned that i can go hungry without anything bad happening, I can skip meals in order to allow myself to indulge......that damn baked camembert and a gallon of wine is calling! the long term health benefits are definitely appealing too.

but really I just wanna hang because you're all such a great supportive bunch of people. thanks

MOCNK
That is most definitely excellent about your brother - greatly increases his chance of a long and healthy life.
Thyroxin - when my Mum was put on it the levels wandered all over for best part of a year till they got it right, but she's been fine for years, as will you be
Fasting - lets just call this stage "eating mindfully" and then its welcome to all those who feel comfortable here, especially you.

Anglaise That camembert recipe sounds deadly : may have to try it. No wonder you have to run 50k a week!

MOCNK of course you can still hang around. Great news about your brother.

I've done a proper 5:2 week this week, but not lost anything. I think I'm just over eating on NFDs and not exercising at all enough.

I'm making tapas tonight in memory of our recent holiday, Pan con tomate, patatas bravas, homemade croquettes, scallops with Chorizo, Spicy garlic prawns, meatballs and pork kebabs. yum!