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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

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frenchfancy · 03/01/2014 07:34

And WI this morning, and I'm at 66.7kg - so I've kept below my 67kg target Grin a couple of kilos up on my lowest weight but I'm very happy (especially as I ate a lot of pies - pork pie, turkey pie, mince pies ...)

Anglaise1 · 03/01/2014 09:01

Back to 59kgs here, so only a couple to lose. The extra kg was due to the start of a period thank goodness, not excess!
No fasting until Monday for me, have had friends over and will enjoy the weekend before back to work and school and fasting...
Haven't heard from MOCNK recently either, hope all is OK.

Laska42 · 03/01/2014 10:05

ok a couple of easy days its down a bit ....10.10 again ...not good but better than it was !
it was the shock of buying a new car...££££

Laska42 · 03/01/2014 10:06

hmm Evil Jillian.. am i ready for her again?

catsrus · 03/01/2014 10:23

Well done everyone back on track Xmas Grin 9.6lb on the scales this morning - after a light-ish couple of days (still finishing off the port though - had to have a large glass while watching Harry Potter and then the recording of Sherlock last night) have stocked the fridge with veggies, will freeze the uneaten Xmas pudding and panettone and bulk buy some more miso soup - mY supplies at work are running low and I find fast days so much easier when I'm working well away from my own kitchen!

Breadandwine · 03/01/2014 11:53

I gathered more evidence yesterday that LOFs are easier than low cal days.

I fasted for 25 hours and intended to have a very low cal - circa 130-150 - veg curry for dinner. Was doing fine - dry-fried the cumin seeds, assembled the chopped veg, etc. That was simmering away nicely - still around 100 for the whole pot. Added a tin of tomatoes, still under two hundred - then, when adding seasoning I stupidly added two dessertspoons of curry paste, instead of curry powder! [annoyed]

To cut a long story short, the meal I had, with 100g of broccoli came to about 200. Not bad, you might say, but this triggered something off inside me that said I should go for the full 600 cals. So I had a 10cal jelly and an Alpro pud with half a banana.

200 cals still going begging - no problem, 4 squares of Lindt's Chilli choc sorted that out!

It would have been much easier to just have a liquid fast!

Not hungry, ATM, will possibly eat lunch, not sure yet.

Didn't put an ounce on over Christmas - good to see everyone else has things under control.

Be nice to hear from mocnk, wouldn't it?

TalkinPeace · 03/01/2014 14:37

I messaged MOCNK - she's fine, busy and will be back with us when her kids go back to school next week

have utterly gone bleugh this week - lots of entertaining, foul weather, extra cat , leaking roof in dining room has left me with stuff all willpower and energy
but term and work restart on Monday so I'll get myself back into psycho mode

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Nettnett · 03/01/2014 20:13

Good morning everyone,

I have been on "weekend mode" every day for the past two weeks, and boy am I feeling it now! A terrifying, but entirely understandable, extra 3 kilos on the scales this morning!!
I will (hopefully) do a fast on Monday, but will try to limber up with 16:8 today and tomorrow, just to give my poor digestive system a bit of a rest!!! It's been fun, but now reality bites.

Will be interesting to see how long it takes, I haven't weighed this much, (57kilos) for quite some time....

TalkinPeace · 03/01/2014 20:34

Nettnett
your best bet is probably to pile into the big thread as there are lots of people on there for whom this has been their first Christmas on 5:2

was highly amused by the number of 5:2 books in Waterstones today ..

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Anglaise1 · 05/01/2014 19:21

OK, so Christmas & New Year are officially over, (I ate half a galette du rois - French tradition sadly just after New year, flaky pastry pie thingy with marzipane type filling today, it was delicious) so who is fasting tomorrow?? Me for sure - 2kgs to lose by end of January to get back to 9 stone. Or hopefully before...

frenchfancy · 05/01/2014 19:29

If that was a normal sized galette Anglaise I'm impressed that you ate half. Why do the French insist on serving great big slabs of puff pastry and marzipan just when we all want to lose a bit of the Christmas flab? (Not that I don't like it you understand).

Definitely fasting tomorrow. And I'm shredding, I've done 4 days so far (but took today off) (Evil Jillian is watching you!)

Anglaise1 · 05/01/2014 19:46

OK, it was for 6 people and I ate one sixth and a half (and didn't get the fevre...) I didn't have any lunch despite training with the running club this morning so hopefully there wasn't too much damage done!
French onion soup tomorrow evening for my 300 cals (with enough calories left over for a clementine and a little chocolate with my cup of tea).

AmericasTorturedBrow · 05/01/2014 20:26

DEFINATELY fasting tomorrow. DH and I are dusting off Gillian too and will take it in turns each morning to do it. Getting on the bike on weds, hiking Saturday and biking again Sunday so hopefully a kick up the arse week

And back to no breakfasts for me!

Laska42 · 05/01/2014 22:09

Hmm.. so yes thats it then ... have finished off the rest of the bottle of Wine left over from yesterday Sad, waved DH off on the ferry for the week again SadSad... and its also back to work for me in the morning Sad Sad Sad... It may be a bit much to start fasting tomorrow given all that pain , but i've got to start sometime .

Have made clear chicken broth and have eggs , poached chicken and lots of veggies in the house (and also have dusted off the evil Jillian and put her in a prominent place) so ill be giving it a whirl..

Good luck everyone.. the scales have moved down a bit since my scary weigh in the other day , but Operation Remedy is on for me!

TalkinPeace · 05/01/2014 22:13

Yup, Christmas is over.
Decorations are back in the loft.
LOF till tomorrow supper.
Swimming will be hard tomorrow but it will be nice to get the fresh air.
Scales will be scary!

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EarSlaps · 05/01/2014 23:07

Thought I'd pop in again. I can't remember when I last came on here- I reached target weight a couple of months ago but I've still been hanging out on the main board (and the new 5:2 exercise thread).

Thanks to keeping up with the exercise and skipping breakfast over Christmas I managed not to put weight on, so I'm still keeping under 9st4, around bmi of 21. Didn't do any proper fasts over Christmas.

I'm not really decided on my maintenance strategy now. I was thinking of two 800 cal fasts (no breakfast) some weeks and one 500 cal fasts on others. I'll just keep an eye on my weight and body fat to see if I need to amend it at all.

I'm aiming to exercise 3-5 times a week, plus starting the school run again is an extra 2 miles a day.

TalkinPeace · 06/01/2014 12:49

Just got back from a morning at the gym.
Not as bad as I thought - only 4lb gain but total lack of tone so my tummy is flab central.
Fasting today and a few more BodyPumps and I'll be ripped again by the end of the month.

Just need the sun to come out so that the massive leak in my dining room ceiling (the whole of the room in my photos will need re skimming and painting once it dries) can get sorted.

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Anglaise1 · 06/01/2014 16:36

I hope everyone fasting has had a good day! I'm hungry....
TIP so sorry about your dining room ceiling leak. I hope it stops raining soon so you can fix the damage! I came back from the UK to find a hole in the roof but fortunately no water damage inside because the slates that fell off were at the top of the roof..it could have been a lot worse.
Did anyone catch Dr M on 5 live this afternoon flogging his new book? It was interesting and highlighted the benefits of HIIT for weightloss as opposed to slower exercise (like hour long jogs). My kids bought me a skipping rope for Christmas and I'm going to use that for HIIT in the house on the days I don't run. I'd forgotten what hard work skipping is!

TalkinPeace · 06/01/2014 17:07

Anglaise
HIIT works for him .... but if you remember from the programme he did on exercise, its not right for everybody.

I loathe it and shall carry on with my normal routine
as it results in floor level heart rate, blood pressure etc
and if I stay this shape and weight for the next 40 years I'll be a very happy bunny - there are ladies over 70 in the pool and my classes so I know its sustainable.

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Anglaise1 · 07/01/2014 08:21

TIP I didn't see his programme, but I imagine it isn't for everyone. It just seems to be the big new thing (even though it has been around for ages) I imagine because it is quick to do.
I still enjoy a long gentle run of 1/5 hours at around 11km per hour as opposed to a shorter run with sprints.
Breakfast tasted good this morning after yesterday's fast!

Fillybuster · 07/01/2014 11:54

Happy new year everyone :)

Turns out, things were't quite as bad as I feared...I did pile on quite a bit at the beginning of the break (too many friends who are excellent bakers, and far too many tea party invitations!) but then it sort of balanced out.

2 weeks at home with dh and the dcs was utterly lovely. Weight management was really helped by dh being totally uncritical of me skipping meals and not calling attention to it, and also by just not being able to eat as much as I used to....and having the beginnings of an 'off switch' although that doesn't always kick in

I fasted last Friday, during a family day out to the ballet: the dcs didn't even notice I didn't join in eating huge slices of pizza for lunch (I did pick at a few bits!), which was quite a relief, as was my proper back-to-work fast yesterday.

Back at 9.3 this morning (phew!) although brewing up a full-on cold which has so far required 1/2 avocado, 2 tomatoes, 2 slices toast, half pack gravadlax and 5 leibkuchen this morning Blush

I was really interested to see how many people on this thread are becoming vegans/vegetarians. I've found myself craving vegetables over the winter break, and have been cooking up huge piles of veg in the evenings (which dh loves)...we've never eaten much meat or fish during the week but I realised I'm not longer reaching for pasta to provide a default meal - it's more likely to be a stir fry, something curry-ish or (my new favourite) : shakshuka!

AmericasTorturedBrow · 07/01/2014 17:34

FD wasn't too bad yesterday after weeks of gluttony, caved a bit in the evening and had a few spoonfuls of tonight's stew that was cooking but still came in around 650kcal so not too bad

It's actually quite good feeling hungry - it's been a while!

TalkinPeace · 07/01/2014 17:37

Filly
I could never ever go veggie or vegan - but I tend to on fast days as its easier

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Breadandwine · 07/01/2014 22:52

I could never ever go veggie or vegan

Never say 'never;, Tip!

I didn't go vegan until I was 66! Veggie at 63! Grin

I do think that veggies/vegans have an advantage with this WOL! Smile

TalkinPeace · 08/01/2014 11:44

B&W
I have many friends who do not eat meat.
I make a demon Vegan pizza and one catered a whole buffet party vegan - only part way through did most people realise .....
BUT
I love cheese and I'm really strict with myself to buy my meat ethically - most of it comes from a butcher who has the postcode where every animal was reared.
If it were not for livestock the UK's landscape would be very different.

What I am doing is cutting down the amounts and know that within 10 years meat will return to being a weekend luxury again for most people.

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