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'

Just be careful on them roads lovely...I wear a helmet, hi vis, stop at stop signs and red lights, hold my space in the road and look behind as much as in front too but still wouldn't wear earphones...although probably because I'd end up disappearing into daydreams. I'm easily distracted.

Another failed FD

I wear headphones when I run alone (roads are country roads here so very little traffic) and always in winter a fluorescent jacket. I've never thought about wearing headphones when I cycle, though - I think I thought is would be dangerous too, even with very few cars on the road.
Managed a full fast day Monday as well as the one last week and today I'm back under 57kgs so have lost 1kg. Have a date with dating site man on Thursday evening who seems nice and intelligent. Am becoming an old hand at them now and enjoy them even if I don't want it to go any further. Have only so far had to endure 45 of torture with one nutter, the others have all been nice if not my type.

ATB don't fret about the FD. Look at it as a day you decided not to continue, you'll choose another day and achieve it when the time is right. There are many F words to use when you decide not to do a full FD but F**L should not be one of them . Next time you decide an FD is achievable and the inevitable mind games start just focus on the positives, how great you'll feel the following day or that amazing slim feeling you have after a few successful FDs. Good luck with it.

Re Headphones, I feel perfectly safe using them. I use my eyes for what's in front and to the side of me and always look behind if I veer off a straight line to avoid dodgy pot holes or gutters. You are 99 times out of a hundred aware of on-coming cars behind you because you can still hear them and when they're fairly close you can feel the air disturbance. Its only on really windy days when you're downhill are you surprised from a car appearing from behind and on those days I'm pretty sure to compensate by checking over my shoulder more often.

Don't get me wrong I'm not a 'militant cyclist' or anything but if headphones are unsafe because you can't hear what's around you or are distracted then the same X2 is true of a car radio or talking to a passenger in the car. As far as I can remember I've been knocked off my bike twice, once by a car behind me not stopping as I approached the second of a double roundabout and another time when a motorist (who said he was Fasting because of Ramadan and distracted) failed to stop at a T junction when I had right of way. Both times had nothing to do with the headphones I was wearing.....but both motorists were probably listening to car stereos

......mind you I don't wear a helmet too

ATB Lower your target for a few weeks : mini fasts (ie 1000 within a 6 hour period) do lots of good.

Cyclistist Please wear a helmet. Kerb stones are hard things. A friend was going slowly along a line of traffic and somehow went over sideways. He never woke up.

Hi all, I'm at home suffering a stinking cold-y thing (proper girl-flu I think or at least the worst cold i've had in several years) .. so feeling like a piece of wet string ( but where will i get one?) . ..

I managed a couple of fasts last week , but then went away for the weekend which mainly consisted of and curry ... and the scales ?..

Ho hum , last time I looked was still 10 7 ,(but right now I dont care) . but I'm hardly feeling like I'm 'maintaining ' or even really doing 5:2 at the moment however , despite a few pounds higher , the clothes are still fitting , even being a bit loose , so maybe its all snot!

I'd like to say that this cold has taken my appetite away , but it hasn't .rather the opposite ... Along with wanting hot toodys ( yes i know but they make you feel better) and comforting hot and spicy soup i've , got a bit of a craving for carbs, sweet things and strong flavours .. so its 'bggr' to fasting right now ..., I'm making kipper fish cakes for dinner .... and no doubt will eat the lot .

Quite good being off work though even though I do feel like Sh!t.... yesterday I made the christmas cake, and hauled out some stuff and put it up on ebay , and today ill be wrapping christmas pressies ...and I might even get round to sending some cards this year ..

Headphones .. I dont use them on my bike but do when walk/running as when I do go out ( not nearly enough) I use a couch to 5k podcast.. however I do sometimes (im pretty sure its illegal) use headphones in the car sometimes as I like to listen to 6 music and dont have a DAB.. ( it is illegal isn't it ?) perhaps id better put a car DAB on my christmas list or better still a newer car with one in as mine is pretty ancient ..(however I wont get that from santa )

Glad to see you are all doing so well.. I do so need to kick myself in the arse otherwise why am I here at all.....

Actually Cyclistist I agree with you about car stereos too....and I live in the city where everyone seems to be perpetually on their phones TEXTING while driving.

Please wear a helmet though - DH was very close to death or paralisation after just hitting a pothole, his helmet was cracked in several places and the doctors said his helmet absolutely saved him.

BUT Thankyou for the kind FD words, it has worked and I've complete a good day today! I was going to at least just do 18:6 (which I did manage yesterday) and it came in at 380kcal anyway, yay! Thank god - gluttony calls for the next few days but I'm going to be strict at least about 18:6 and keep eating til as late as poss - huge thanksgiving feast tomorrow be so going to try to hold out til then and if I get too hungry before I have a 66kcal portion of home made soup in the fridge

Next FD will be sometime next week, won't beat myself up about it

Hi all, good to miss a few days and then come back and read all the chatter, well done ATB on successful fasts!

anglaise hurrah on getting back on dating wagon, sounds like fun, I could do with some of that too!

cyclistist brilliant on losing your 10 pound gain, very inspiring, if you can do it so can i!

as to cycling i have to confess I don;t wear helmets either although i make teh kids wear them. I also (when commuting or doing long rides) wear headphones but only in my left ear! my thinking is that if i have my right ear nearer the traffic free of noise then that helps, but i still benefit from listening to music, but i could never listen to spoken word, that would just be too distracting, so it's always music (i'm one of those people who can never actually hear the words of songs only the tune, i've tried many many times after partners have sent me songs with significant lyrics and entreated me to listen, but each time fail, so have just accepted that I just like a jolly tune and shame if the lyrics aren't always that good!

and I stop at most red lights, but in the centre of london, when i absolutely know teh sequence there are a couple of junctions where it's far safer to set off just before the lights go green, but after the pedestrians light has turned to red, one junction in shoreditch where I turn right you'd almost never safely cross unless you did this, but you do have to watch and listen out for emergency services screeching through!

laska i hope you feel better soon, suspect you need lots of yummy nourishing soup and carbs, just listen to your body, and i can highly recommend sambucol elderberry extract for boosting your immune system and preventing further illnesses once you've been ill, cheaper to buy from amazon than in teh health food shops.

b&w lucky lucky you to have access to a pool, is that like, in your house? i used to live in a house with a pool, it was outdoor and unheated though, so only swam up til october and from April, but it was a definite luxury nonetheless.

well done on your NSV's.

tip thanks to your advice to ATB I'm borrowing it, i successfully fasted monday, and then got all teh way to 8pm last night and failed and had some leftover kettle chips and 3 pieces of homemade chocolate and banana brownie i'd done for the kids.....silly to think I could bake and fast! but also it is TOTM, so I'm puttig it down as a 1000cal day and I'm attempting again today for a full fast, that way this week may go to either 2 full fasts and one mini or 1 full and 2 mini's, either way it'll be an improvement on last week and the tight jeans i forced myself to wear last week that actually hurt, I am wearing today and do not hurt! hurrah to that!

I have just remembered that I have a driving theory test tomorrow that I haven't revised for, so no clue if one night of cribbing will be enough, keep your fingers crossed for me!

oh, but to confess to unsafe cycling practice, I should admit that on Monday night we ended up in A and E, kids and I had just popped into town after school to pick up playmobil advent calendars, gypsy riding her bike and Pirate riding on my rack.....(I know, he has a trailer bike for planned longer rides, but just rides on my rack to get to school and back) and then we decided to go down the beach to hunt for driftwood, so pannier bag slightly over loaded with lots of wood and poor pirate managed to get his heel caught in bike wheel, fast journey to a and e ensued and luckily he just had a sprain, bruising and a nasty graze, but no broken bones. obviously i have learned and no more rack riding, but I need to get him riding his own bike confidently and quickly as I miss the speed and ease!

laska your hot toddy mention has me onto the mulled wine train of thought!

MOCNK could you get him one of these
TrailGator
and PLEASE wear a helmet.
As DH so bluntly puts it.
If your kids die, you have more. If you die, they are orphans.

Happy Thanksgiving by the way : moved my fasts around so I could have Turkey tonight

hmm down 10.5 this morning.. could it be that Hot toddies, carbs and sweet things are the way to go ? I suspect a blip....or it just could be that my poor beleaguered bod is using up more calories than usual even though im not actually doing much

Right ... so there are 4 more Mondays until Christmas .. and as I work in Housing my charity of choice this time of year is to give to one of the homeless shelters either, Shelter Crisis at Christmas (or preferably a local one if there is one running here on the island - sadly there isn’t always)

SO as I need to get back to doing this properly ,and as B&Ws one day a week liquid fast has inspired me.. as from Sunday (I must be feeling better then surely?) . ill be doing a 36hr liquid fast each Monday until Christmas and I’ll be adding an extra £10 (my food money) for each day I complete to the donation I give .. I’ll be hoping to make the full £40 additional to my usual donation.

If any of you want to join me please do.. you can donate on line .. or Shelter has a 'bake a gingerbread house' campaign and Crisis has a host a christmas party one also . I will see if I can get some support for those at work.

B&W how about baking gingerbread houses in your class? ..

You've got me thinking TiP, I might even look into a helmet. Would probably offer me more protection than the adidas baseball cap I currently wear, I 've got to admit all this talk of health and safety has certainly made me more aware when I'm out and about....but in total honesty I feel no safer or less safe with headphones on or off.

Laska so good to hear from you again and great to see the scales are starting to turn as it were. As the Romans used to say, a journey of a hundred miles starts with the first step (although I'm not saying you've got a hundred miles to go far from it). As you say, Christmas is still about a month a way and there's loads all of us (or at least those like me that need to lose some weight for the coming onslaught of festivities) can achieve in that time. I've been amazed what 4 weeks of 4:3 have achieved for me....I certainly wasn't in a great place back in October.

MOCNK and ATB great to see things going well at the moment with the successful FDs, the next few FDs will hopefully be just as positive and the NFDs now guilt free

Nearly completed my last FD of the week now. Another couple of hours and I'll be too busy to worry about food till about 8.00. And then after my meal I'll be too stuffed to worry about going over my 600 (approx. cals). I think maybe 1 or 2 more weeks of 4:3 then I'll have to find a strategy through Christmas and into the new year....bloody hell 2014 already....

Apologies for the slightly delusional FD rantings! Have a great day all!!!!!!

oh and happy Thanks Giving ATB enjoy your turkey and trimmings....and no doubt a bar of G&B will figure somewhere in the day

Happy Thanksgiving ATB
Laska a 36 hr liquid fast sounds good for a quick result - still 4 weeks to go so plenty of time before Christmas. I've lost 3lbs in the last few weeks of 1 x 500 cal fast and skipping lunch a lot.
MOCNK I quite enjoy the dating - all the men are French so the fact I have a charming Jane Birkin English accent helps;) Plus I use recent photos on the dating site which a lot of women appear not to do according to some of the stories I hear from the men. Women are often heavier/older than they say, men are often shorter....

Happy thanksgiving y'all!! Mainlining coffee to attempt 24hour fast before the FEAST commences!

I need something achieveable in the run up to Christmas to Laska I'll join you on a Monday FD (normal FD) then 18:6 the rest of the week, no alcohol if it's just DH and me at home. After next week I'll add in Thursday FD too, I think all our plans with other people are Wednesdays and weekends - and not to aim to lose weight, just to maintain while enjoying the festive period. I think my sod it switch is going into overdrive and while I lost a good amount of weight initially I've actually maintained at 132-135lbs for 10months so maybe this is it for me? Time to take the pressure off and reassert this as a WOL

Final word on helmets - just get one. MOCNK especially if you think it's important enough for your children to wear one, you ought to lead by example. I'm not normally one to tell people what to do but in the case of bike helmets and sunscreen, I'm getting militant. No reason not wear either and it might save your life if you do....off my soapbox now

Should I be looking for some vegan turkey for dinner?

I've worn a helmet whilst cycling since 1981 - when the only way to get one was to import it from the US. (I've quite often been ahead of the game! [modest])

Here's a quote from Richard's Bicycle Book (a great read for anyone remotely interested in cycling - google it!):

"In most fatal bicycle accidents, the injury is to the head. Even a drop of two feet onto a hard surface is enough to fracture the skull. Wear a helmet whenever you cycle. It's inconvenient. So is not being able to think or talk because your head has been pounded into jelly."

I have two friends who owe their good health to cycle helmets - one of the helmets had a huge gash right in the middle of the front of the helmet.

Finally, just look at pics of the Tour de France from 30 years ago and today - the difference is striking! Today, all the riders wear helmets.

About headphones - I'd certainly never wear them, but I would stick an earphone in one ear. You need to be able to hear traffic, no matter how quick you can turn your head!

Laska Well done with the LOFs! I'm switching to one a week to join you.

I've signed up for the gingerbread house building - we could make one in one of my classes, most likely.

mocnk It's an exercise pool and it's just next door.

Hope I haven't forgotten anyone - this thread has suddenly taken off!

I think we are ganging up on you cyclistist so just take it as a confirmation that we want you to stay around..

Gingerbread house making looks tricky .. but I do believe one can cheat
here
here
and a whole village here
and even naughtier, here

MOCNK your cycling anecdote with Pirate made me squeal.. yes get a Trailgator.. Hope he is ok now..

Thanks for the sambucol advice . will look. That reminds me though,, I used to make a fab spiced elderberry wine (my dads recipe ). Dont have any now , but think next year ill do it again as we have lots of elderberry trees around here . But I DO have a load of our home grown blackcurrants steeping in vodka in the cupboard ,that I did earlier in the year thinking I'd make Crème de Cassis for christmas.. That will be my task for the weekend..

...Blackcurrants are good for stinking colds ain't they

Also as have been home again have made a cassoulet -type casseroleforthe weekend (I wouldnt pretend its a purist version though Anglaise and FrenchFancy - more Hugh FW) as had duck , pork and garlicky sausages in the freezer and need to make room for the Christmas Pheasants ill be buying this weekend from the farmers market..

Oh food .. I just love it..and that's why I'm here of course

Tip girl, how are you? so sorry I didn't make it last week...

Yay.. ATB and B&W you're on! (though i've already realise Monday 16th may be a problem as its Marcus's birthday , but ill do it Tuesday that week if it is)

i do have a helmet......and i hear you all and know it comes from a good place of concern, but I don't believe wearing a helmet will save me if I have an accident. in London where I've done most of my more dangerous cycling, crush injury is the biggest killer. I've had one broken bone, but if I get knocked off catastrophically I truly don't believe a cycle helmet will save me....maybe a motorbike helmet (and then only if I land on my head and don't die from internal injuries to do with impact with a car) but that's just not going to work now is it?

lots of my reasons are explained on here if you fancy anymore reading on this off topic subject

www.cyclehelmets.org/1139.html.

atb my kids wear them, because they have lots of minor, falling off their bike injuries, usually on teh pavements, into walls etc, and are more likely to suffer minor cuts bruises etc that i would rather help prevent, once they are older and i feel confident they can ride safely on the roads, i won't insist on helmets.....we are probably talking adults though if I'm honest, i wouldn't trust teenagers not to get on their bike drunk!

laska blackcurrents definitely good for colds, all that vit c and riboflavin!

so back on topic, fast day today going ok, have probably gone over by about 50 cals as I couldn't resist a crumpet with my mushroom soup for dinner, and I do now have 4 more hours to get through, but i feel more ready and able than last night to successfully complete it, which will then be 1 x 500 cal fast 1 x 550 cal fast and 1 x 1000 cal day. tomorrow is day off work, driving theory test and some wine, I am gagging for a few glasses of rioja!

fingers crossed monck for your driving test theory ..

I do have this evening, but I have to keep my fluids up with a cold (!!!!) and am not attempting fasting at the moment.. . .. Also because the is red I'm pretending its full of good stuff - riboflavins and all -and is good for me!

And, (as I tell DH all the time), .... I never said I was good..did I?.)

ATB re: Thanksgiving.. Please, please can you reassure me that you dont have the sweet potato marshmallow casserole or the lime jello salad thing?

Bleugh!!

well I just had

Turkey Breast steaks stacked on their sides and baked in the oven,
Sweet potato wedges
Potato wedges
Carrots, peas (kids did anyway)
Peppers stuffed with ratatouille
and half a bottle of fizzy

full to the top of my ears now
and going out for curry tomorrow!

Some footage of why you should always wear a helmet

t.news.uk.msn.com/t-video.aspx?videoid=2s7uda2zh

............and why dads should never be allowed to use a video camera