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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:
AmericasTorturedBrow · 10/01/2014 17:26

Yeah welcome Betsy!

Laska42 · 10/01/2014 17:29

HI betsy good to see you over here.. its kind of why we started this thread . but yes is good to see new people giving the 5:2 lifestyle a go .. well I have managed 2 fasts and 2 'half fasts so far this week (currently im sitting here trying to hang on until DH gets home which wont be until 7ish after eating only 10 almonds since yesterdays fast day dinner .
have made yummy aubergines Iman biyadli for our Friday night feast and well have some cous cous also .

I have to say im slightly disappointed with Wi this morning as only 1lb of christmas gain down , but then I'm in this WOE for good , so well ill just keep going!

kinda lurking myself - Im trying to have less screen time!

catsMy DH made a yummy pannetone for Christmas, I had to throw the last little corner away this week .. just too tempting.. we have cutthe cake now but fortunately its not really my thing ...

bro hope you are doing ok , looking forward to seeing you on Strictly in that ballgown Grin

hello everyone else

Anglaise1 · 10/01/2014 17:50

Hi Betsy nice to see you here! I saw you on the exercise thread. I imagine the main thread is very busy with all the new year's resolutions to lose weight!
ATB I'm 173cm, 5´8" -small frame so I try and keep to bottom of BMI heathly range.

BetsyBell · 10/01/2014 20:43

Hi guys :)

I've got a feeling I'm going to be hanging around on the exercise thread a bit too - My eating is now sorted, body in good shape so this year is about fitness and toning. Not really bothered about the minutae of pounds here and there anymore but looking to reduce fat and increase muscle.

laska I'm tempted to ask for that pannetone recipe, but I'd really better not. Self control when it comes to home-baked yeasted cakes/breads is still not perfect. Grin Occasional baking only!

I was expecting the big thread to get busy but it's lightning speed in there at the moment! Tip, Bssh and others are making valiant efforts on the support front though :)

earslaps I hope not too many of those on the big thread end up on my 'why did you stop 5:2 thread'!

I think I'll hang around here if there's a promise of chaps in frocks/topless Shock Grin

Southeastdweller · 10/01/2014 21:28

It's always nice to see the foxy Betsy Wink. I also need to increase muscle and lose remaining flab - wish I'd combined weights with my cardio at the gym last year but aiming to start this month.

TalkinPeace · 10/01/2014 22:06

Evening all
had an odd day as they have changed the timetable at my gym so the routine I've had for 7 years has gone out the window. I may need to rejig my work hours.
The oddest bit is that my normal weigh in time has vanished. I'll cope though.

Catsrus so, did you see Benedict this morning (jealous of your FB update)

Nice to have most of the gang on this thread.
The main thread is great and I try to post most days but actually it has moved beyond us lot - which is really good because we no longer need to beat the drum.

For me now its all about maintaining at a weight I'd like to stick with for another 40 years and be ready to support DH when he's ready to cut the sugar and make the leap from fit but overweight to fit but ideal weight.

Then again I luff him to bits as he finished building his new singing Tesla coil today ....

happy to do FB linkups with any who wish

OP posts:
EarSlaps · 10/01/2014 22:38

Argh, so frustrating when they do that Tip, don't they realise people organise things around their favourite classes at the gym. One day I will manage to join a gym again, it's just not really worth it when the boys are so young. Working out at home suits me more at the moment. I didn't get my workout today though as we had the house deep cleaned by our new cleaner (my extravagance in lieu of posh gym membership Smile) so I'll fit in a Jillian tomorrow.

I do want to build a bit of muscle now, I've got my body down so it's time to up the weights a bit.

BsshBossh · 11/01/2014 07:39

Delurking and joining too :) I'm having deja vu as I was here back in May or June thinking that at BMI 24 I'd reached goal weight, which I had of course but then revised that goal downwards. BMI 21 now and 2.4 lbs away from ultimate goal weight. Updated profile pics coming this weekend.

I still want to carry on with 5:2 though - Monday & Thursday fasting - for the longterm health benefits (as it's always been more about future health for me than weight) so my maintenance plan will be an interesting experiment.

BigChoc's exercise thread and her comments on the main thread have been so helpful. I never thought I'd see so many people decide that weights and strength training are the way to go. I love weight training and it certainly enables one to increase the amount they eat. I'm not such a huge fan of HIIT or Tabata personally as, combined with weight training, it completely knackered me out. So weights and steady-state sessions of cardio (mainly power walking or swimming) for me. Alot of fasters are putting fitness at the heart of their 2014 goals which is terrific.

BsshBossh · 11/01/2014 09:24

My Before and After profile photos are updated finally:
www.mumsnet.com/Profile?nick=BsshBossh&photos=p

EarSlaps · 11/01/2014 09:37

Looking amazing Bssh. Well done!

BetsyBell · 11/01/2014 10:43

Bssh! Tiny lady! Well done :) So that's 36 to 21? Amazing!

Breadandwine · 11/01/2014 16:47

Wow! Betsy and Bssh - fantastic pics, I have to say!

About readjusting weight goals - I had no idea when I began, that my ideal weight was in the low 9s. I was 10.10 or 10.12 when I started 5:2ing just for the health benefits.

So when I started, and then continued, losing weight I had to constant readjust my expectations.

And I think that many fasters, when they get to what they can realistically envisage, then find they can change that goal, just as you had to do, Bssh. It's all about finding out what's right for us.

Monthly meeting of our local Humanists group today - so we all had lunch in the pub. I had my vegan standby of baked beans, sliced mushrooms and chips, which I have to say were bloody lovely! At £4.90, in Taunton's poshest pub, I thought that was a bargain. Oh, and I had a pint of Tribute and a (small) glass of red to wash it down.

Tonight, since we've got Oscar and his mum and dad staying, we're either all going out for a meal or getting an Indian takeaway, so it's all good!

Needless to say I didn't have breakfast - and I probably won't have brekkie tomorrow, either!

The hunger switch is well and truly in the on position - since I've come home I've had 2/5ths of a bar of Lindt's Chilli choc, a handful of walnuts, some Turkish Delight that must be finished up, and the last of the chocolate-covered marzipan from Lidl. 'Grin

Still got another bar of chilli choc in the drawer… Wink

Breadandwine · 11/01/2014 16:50

constantly readjust...

TalkinPeace · 11/01/2014 17:02

Bssh
You look 15 years younger - well done that girl.

Going out for supper tonight but no idea where yet and probably driving because of collecting DD from a party at 10!

OP posts:
BsshBossh · 11/01/2014 18:03

Thank you all :)

Nice and busy weekend - Science & Natural History museums today, cinema tomorrow - filled with food, glorious food (pizza, scampi, chips & ice cream for lunch today then roast chicken and trimmings followed by tarte citron tonight; Turkish meal out tomorrow after the cinema then no doubt DH will be preparing something delicious for dinner tomorrow too). But I skipped breakfast today and will skip again tomorrow in order to enjoy all the lovely food. If I eat breakfast I'm simply too full to appreciate lunch - something only this WOE made me realise. A no brainer really!

TheCyclistist · 12/01/2014 09:40

Bmi drop from mid 30's down to 21 BsshBosh amazing transformation and great to see you back on this thread!

Laska yep doing fine, but have a lot of work to do before I can change that profile photo after a ridiculously over enthusiastic Christmas period, but on an FD today so let's see where it goes. The strength of this WOL long-term though is the ease of sustaining a healthy size despite the odd 'dodgy' week (or month even Wink )

BsshBossh · 12/01/2014 18:21

Well it's been a lovely food-centric weekend but I'm also really looking forward to fasting tomorrow: not because I feel bloated (I haven't overeaten) but because of a) habit - Monday fasting is ritualistic and thus comforting and b) the nuce feeling of emptiness.

I'm definitely in maintenance mode now in my head but tomorrow will still be a < 500 cal FD.

BsshBossh · 12/01/2014 18:22

*nice not nuce

Anglaise1 · 12/01/2014 19:08

Bssh you are so petite now! Congratulations, are you pleased you decided to go for a lower BMI in the end? You look great...and good luck with the maintaining!

BsshBossh · 12/01/2014 19:20

Thank you :) Oh yes, very pleased I went for a lower BMI because I can now go into the shop of any of my favourite clothes designer and buy off the racks. For the first time ever in my adult life I am dressing according to my personal style and enjoying it. It's a freeing, creative, fun experience.

Laska42 · 12/01/2014 19:36

Betsydont look here Dan Lepard panettone recipe
Sorry ..

But B&W may like it (for your class, sorry its not vegan)

Laska42 · 12/01/2014 20:34

Hi again , well i've been taking less screen time and I think its doing me good ..I'm not going away but I think I've become a bit of an internet sad sap.. given that I work on a computer all day (and it is a bit daft I think to come in and switch the PC as soon as and then sit at it all night ,( which is what i have been doing).

I'm sleeping better , and getting more time to do RL stuff like exercise, cook healthy food and read , (oh and see what few friends I have left also ) [grin}

So this weekend .. it was the the end of a good fasting week and although i didn't lose much of the christmas excess (I'm down 2lbs) I think i've done quite well . I have taken to the 'missing a meal' routine if not hungry on non fast days ( cant find who said what actress did this but I think it was Tip a while back talked about this ) and finding that really easy, and have finally found ( after 18mths of doing 5:2) that I now can finally do without breakfast ( but i do still need plenty of black coffee to make it through to lunch !)

Also its the time of new resolutions.. Now, I really dont believe in depriving myself.. and FFS.. January February are absolute total buggrs of months to get through anyway .. but as well as a screen time reduction ive decided that this is finally the time to plan for my retirement from the office life I hate so much ( though I do like my job area) so I went out for a long solitary walk out on the Highdown this weekend (exercise!!) and have decided . .. 4 years and that's it .. ill be 60 , its enough.. and i think ill be able to make it (actually i may be made redundant before but that's OK , they will then have to pay me my pension) so B&W it will be no more new party dresses for me ..... I'm saving!! .. ill have to go cold turkey on mumsnet 'style and beauty'.
thread though.. it costs too much!..

BSSH WOW! you look fantastic!! well done you!

Re veggie /vegan . i made a few of my favourite veggie things this weekend..
Augergine iman byildi , and e

Madhur Jaffrey's hot and sour chick peas and .her cauliflower and potato curry .. all really good.. though perhaps not for fast days .... but then maybe..

Laska42 · 12/01/2014 20:37

hmm that hot and sour chickpea link doesnt work , hopefully this one will .its my absolute favourite Madhur Jaffrey recipe ..

BsshBossh · 12/01/2014 20:41

Laska I've done several "screen reduction" experiments and they've been great. It's amazing how much more I do with my free time and how better mentally I feel when I reduce screens. I really need to do it again. You've inspired me... This week!

Fantastic news about your retirement decision too. Wow, it's so close :)

Laska42 · 12/01/2014 20:43

ooh Betsey just seen your photos.. brilliant!

ive put my photos in purdah because i've been a bit obvious on a work related thread and am bit worried JIC my boss is on Mumsnet!