IF / ADF / 4:3 / 5:2 / 6:1 / 16:8 ~ Maintaining at a healthy weight ~ Chapter 4

[TalkinPeace]

This thread is for those of us 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 many 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 three maintenance threads and all the main 5:2 threads for posters practicing IF to lose weight here Fasting / 5:2 on the diet forum. We're currently on thread no. 35, but there is a new main thread every 2-3 weeks.

There are three 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!

Since I started the last Maintainers thread the importance of exercise has come to the fore, as part of our general health and to help weight loss. BigChocFrenzys thread is here

Hes on every thursday evening filly 7-10..

Happy Mother's Day all - I celebrated with a 45mile coastal and hilly training ride, stopping halfway for a delicious seafood lunch with DH and DC. DH now shopping for tonight's dinner and I'm mixing up some rum smoothies in the sunshine

FD tomorrow

Still here and still maintaining.

Not been here much due to being super busy. DH is away all the time with work during the week and the with PILs in Scotland at weekends.

FILs still in hospital. 6 weeks now. Had yet more complications. And sadly it looks like the hospital and the consultant have screwed up on an immense scale. At the whole situation. I'm now not sure FIL will recover at all. MIL is in bits. DH doesn't know what to think and is angry. As am I. So at them.

I will be back later to chat with you all.

Oh and Bigchoc and TIP. Last time I posted. I posted about TDEE and eating low in order not to regain. Well erm. For me because there was a slightly miscalculation on my part in fact huge.

I thought I hadn't entered the exercise calories in MfP. I was working them out there and logging them in a note elsewhere. Eh well I have accidentally been logging them into MFP for MONTHS

So in fact I have been maintaining and at time losing despite massively eating over tDEE.

Oh yes no wonder I've needed those two FDs per week.
What a complete and utter muppet. No idea how I didn't notice. And how did not notice I was stuffing myself but the cals looked so low.

This is what happens when you run on no sleep and are distracted every 30 seconds by a small child.

Oh well at least I know its not my metabolism....

Argh. Sorry I actually posted that thing about TDEE on the other 5:2 thread. See this is how it happens

(((( MrsFlorrick )))) You have so much on your plate!
Once you get the TDEE right and adjust your diet slightly for summer salads you'll be able to relax.

Quick pop in .. just to report that i havent had any alcohol for 2 days ..also a mainly veggie week is planned ...

Am making yet another 'fresh start at this ..I so want to be 10st or even under for my holiday in June .

However i get a bit embarrassed at announcing yet another big ppush .. the good thing i suppose is that i keep on trying ..

laska hurrah for another big push! i have them all the time, and they do work - and at least that is your default to come back to fasting rather than giving up on it - becasue you know it works, it's just hard to get back into the zone.

so far this time i'm doing well! if i can do it again then so can you. this is my 8th week of fasting and i am now truly in teh zone, felt it last week too when I did my first ever week of 3 fasts, today is my second fast of the week, another back to back mon/tues and then next will be thurs.

It's working and I'd lost 2 pounds when i weighed in on friday, from the previous week, so was 11 03. I am absolutely determined this time, and just hoping I can keep teh momentum even when teh scales don't show what i want to see.

off topic news and the ex and I back together anglaise we are a pair! I feel like I've learned a bit more about me (i avoid confrontation so much that I tend to just end things rather than deal with issues, and when he disappears take it as rejection), and him (he avoids conflict and just runs away whenever theres something he doesn't want to deal with, and takes everything I say at face value and just accepts....as in "she says it's over so I'll just respect her wishes then")

still not to say we won't be back here again, but at least we both know that we want to be together and that we have to communicate more....bloody hell, I'm 41, have i not learned this yet?

ho-hum, sun is shining, fresh tuna steak salad beckoning for dinner (mushroom soup for lunch)

mrsflorrick huge amounts of respect to you to still be maintaining with al you have on - really really inspiring! so sorry things with FIL sound so awful, hope things improve if that is possible.

atb rum smoothies.....yuuummmyyy!!! oohh roll on teh bbq weather, almost almost there...(londoners already there with 21 degrees today!)

well done on your 45 mile ride.....hhmmmm i'm still doing no more than a welsh wales walk at the weekend and my very short daily cycle to school and back. this weekend am hoping to get my son riding his bike and then I'll be able to run, while they ride in the evenings, then i don't need a babysitter!

Laska and MOCNK I totally get the "another big push" mentality, but yes much better than going on a crash fad diet that will inevitably fail...yay to no booze Laska and well done for week8

MrsF Sorry to hear about the ongoing problems with FIL, and yes well done you for continuing to fast throughout though I know sometimes it just helps to have something you have control over?

Good FD yesterday, planning a low cal day today and proper FD tomorrow then it's carb loading ahead of 104mile training ride on Saturday (eeek)...today's big aim is to stick to 3 meals and no snacking, I'm a terrible grazer!

Laska Good luck with your big push and well done on the no alcohol. It isn't just the calories in the wine, but the things that go so well with it, like cheese. And almonds, in my case.
MrsF you have such a lot on your plate at the moment, no wonder your maths for the TDEE was out. At least you know now.
MOCNK What can I say?? We are a pair. I really really hope it works out for you this time. I've been back with mine for a couple of months now - the 3 month break seems to have done us both a lot of good - we are taking things easily, and it seems to be working. I haven't checked his mobile phone, thoughI felt such a fool telling friends and family we were back together but they have all been remarkably understanding (to my face, anyway). Good luck to you, for the relationship, and the fasting and of course your running!
ATB you are doing brilliantly on your cycling - do you ever carb load for your big bike outings? I was talking to my coach today and he said the best thing to do before a big race (even a half marathon) was to eat carbs on Race - 5 to -3 days, then eat normally for the 2 days preceding the race. To get the maximum energy for the day.
Back on topic, I fasted yesterday and was very happy to be at my goal of 9 stone this evening

to be honest no, I don't really carb load. ON the ride itself I just ate what was put in front of me - will be different his year as I've opted for veggie options instead of meat. I don't fast the day before a big ride, in fact rarely fast before a training ride at all - but I have done for a ride up 45miles (though fairly flat) and it was fine.

I am going to fast tomorrow though.

I've found the best thing for me is to have porridge with seeds and nuts and banana for breakfast, a struggle because I'm not a fan of breakfast and really need to eat a good hour before getting on the bike - I've tried eggs etc but porridge is just brilliant (and my mum makes this amazing rose hip syrup which I slather all over it...delicious!)

anglaise I get the feeling a fool bit, i also feel a bit like that when 'fessing up to friends, but in reality we don't get to this age without realising that there is a whole lot of grey areas and things just aren't black and white, and we all have baggage!

final fast day of the week today, have fitted into a fitted shirt that I haven't dared go near for a while today, still a bit bulgy when sitting down(slouching), but fine standing or sitting upright suck that tummy in

atb i saw a programme about sugar and fat and exercise with one of the British cycling team trainers and he has to go and buy huge bagfuls of porridge oats and fill suitcases with it which they take with them round Europe as it's really difficult to buy porridge in lots of places outside teh UK, so sounds like you're onto a winner!

who'd a thought the the UK was the place to buy healthy food for travelling in Europe!

Should have fasted today but had scrambled eggs for lunch instead.

wow you really can't get porridge in Europe? I suppose it's never really occured to me as we've always eaten what's on offer when abroad. I'm really missing Europe at the moment, the ability to take a long weekend in Spain or whatever and FIL and his girlfriend just bought a house in France which bless them they said is for all the family to use as a holiday home whenever we want, so sad that we're going back to the UK for 5.5weeks and won't be able to hop over.

Stuff like being so far away from other countries and cultures make me know this isn't a long term plan for me. Difficult conversations to have with DH in the ensuing years....unless I can have a career change that allows me lots of foreign travel...ideas on a postcard please!

Attempting a 24hour food fast with no restrictions at the end of it - was going to do a normal FD but our best friends have invited us for dinner with their mums (who have flown in from Kentucky and Sacremento) at our fav italian restaurant in Beverly Hills and apparently have exciting news and want to ask us something important....

tip I think it was for the tour de france.. frenchfancy and anglaise can answer better than I, is it difficult to get porridge oats in France?

ATB a family holiday home in france sounds great, no-one in my family is well off enough to own a second home anywhere, that's one of my ambitions, to be able to afford one, so my kids and one day grandkids can have somewhere affordable to go on holiday....well that or i just have a bigger home myself and they can holiday with me.

do you think your DH will want to stay in the US long term?

your evening sounds delicious and exciting, could it be baby news? potential god-parent request?

they're a gay couple who just got engaged so I don't think it's baby related (yet!)...prob something to do with the wedding

FIL and his GF have just moved in together after 7years so she sold her place and used it to buy the holiday home. They've both just retired as well after being really careful with pensions over the years so we're hoping they might be able to come and see us finally.

Yes I think DH will want to stay as long as he can. I'm not neccessarily desperate to go back to the UK, would be happy going somewhere else, but just feeling a bit adrift at the moment

[mocnk] I saw the documentary you are talking about, it was the Horizon with the 2 Dutch twin doctors who did the no fat vs no sugar diet test. It was the Sky team coach who said he stocked up with porridge oats before leaving the UK for the Tour de France. I can get them in my supermarket, but I'm not sure that you'd find them everywhere in France so easily, and probably not in the quantity required for the T de F!
[ATB] I swear by porridge too before a race, I'll be having a big bowl before my half marathon in 10 days. I know what you mean about missing Europe, there are so many cultures within easy reach here, I understand why you miss it.

Porridge oats are freely available here now, but that wasn't the case 5 years ago.

Not posting as much as I'm trying to reduce my MN habit. Restricting myself mostly to this board.

Thursday almost bedtime and no since Saturday (no wonder I havent had the strength to post!).. Yay! have been drining fizzy water and slice of lemon instead,, havent really noticed any difference so far

I cant say i have fasted properly this week either, but I have just had vegetables (and less than 900 each day and some days a lot less ) Strangely ive been feeling not that great for my 'healthy week'.. (and bloated actually but thats probabaly TMI). Ive also been keeping off the carbs this week ... despite my sushi book arriving.. may have a little play withthat over the weekend though

However although I did buy a battery for my scales I still havent put it in) ! Too scared! May have to be another week of veg before I weigh.. (however the unforgiving linen dress, felt a little looser this evening ..

Havent decided if its goingto be a non-alchohol weekend...

Mocnk and Anglaise ahh, men.. hope it works out of you !

Mmmm... porridge oats.. I like mine just raw and soaked in just plain water in the fridge over night, then eaten with a dollop of natural youghurt and some prunes on top (no sugar) .. I know it does sound a bit hardcore but i really do prefer them that way..and it tastes a bit like rice pudding!

No holiday homes here either..but have beem putting extra into my pension fund for a while and intend to spend it on a campervan...I want to be a travelling saga lout!

Right, bed ,mint tea, book, am feeling a bit chilly but have just realised its the first time this year I havent turned my heating on!

so annoying because I've waited aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages for someone I know to get a holiday home, and now they bloody go and do it when I can't use it - selfish

I've been back 2 weeks now. I've religiously done 5:2, and I haven't lost a thing :( . If I were new to fasting I would give up. I can completely understand why people try it and say it didn't work for them.

I will stick with it however. I'm not putting on weight, and my clothes fit, so why do I bother to weigh?

Holiday homes are not all they are cracked up to be, I have 2 friends who have holiday homes here, they are complete money pits and mean they can't go anywhere else in the world on holiday. And there is the extra stress of wondering if the house is ok when you are not there, and whether you are being diddled by the gardener.

We bought our house as a holiday home, after about a year we realised the stress of 2 houses wasn't worth it, so we moved here :)

...which is exactly why it's great when someone else buys a holiday home that you can use! Stuff it, planning a family trip there as part of our annual summer holiday home next year

Oooh where is FIL's house in France ATB?
FF I look after a friend's house nearby, they rent it out and use that money (if there is any left over after costs!) to go somewhere else on holiday in the summer. But it isn't cheap to have a second home and there is always work that needs doing so holidays are often spent DIYing or decorating. I hope you manage to lose something soon, I did 5:2 religiously in Jan and lost nothing, but my 2kgs has come off now.
Measurements are probably better, I like this Brad Pillon article on women's ideal body measurements.

ff / laska - I do not own a set of scales so only find out my weight on a Friday at the gym.
Holding steady at just under 9s - would have been nice to be a bit lower before heading off on hols but I CBA to fast too strictly more than once a week
FF : think of the other health benefits too

DH and I have never fancied a holiday home - we like going to new places all the time

I wouldn't want one myself either but more than happy to have use of someone else's...I'm not sure actually Anglaise, north somewhere and apparently quite rural

Delicious dinner last night - starter of mini portions of pasta in a lemon, sage and pomegranate sauce, tiny fusilli in pesto with asparagus the my main was black ink spaghetti with huge prawns then we all shared chocolate mousse and fruit - I drove so no drinking. 104mile ride tomorrow so no fasting today or tomorrow

Oh - and the news was they asked us to be the witnesses on their kotuba (sp?) - the Jewish marriage certificate which we all sign, just us and the rabbi, just before the actual ceremony and then it gets framed and everything - such an honour!!