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

997 replies

TalkinPeace · 13/01/2014 20:40

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

OP posts:
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AmericasTorturedBrow · 11/04/2014 17:06

I'm not being very good at fasting this week but I have a horrible cold and determined to make a 75mile training ride tomorrow so just trying to plug myself full of vitamins and healthy food

Anglaise1 · 12/04/2014 08:24

Been carb loading-ish this week in preparation for my half marathon tomorrow. Scales haven't gone up, but am fed up with pasta!
Only one more lunch to go. Good luck with your 75 mile training ride tomorrow ATB and FF isn't the weather great, so nice to spend time in the garden. Off to do my changeovers now, not so nice.

AmericasTorturedBrow · 13/04/2014 04:11

good luck with the half marathon Anglaise!

75miles was great, good climbs, glorious weather, rode out the cold - and not including stops did it in about 6hours 10mins which is a fairly decent pace

Sushi for dinner!!

Anglaise1 · 13/04/2014 12:17

Glad you had a good bike ride ATB, the climbs sound tough!
1H43 for my half marathon this morning. Course quite easygoing, and weather (grey, not hot, no wind) ideal. Happy to get under 1H45 mins, wish I'd had a bit more juice in my legs for the last couple of kms to get to 1H42, but at least my knee held out and I didn't have any pain.
Next big race marathon of Mont St Michel in duo with a friend at the end of May.

AmericasTorturedBrow · 14/04/2014 04:28

Well done on your half Anglaise, sounds like a great time to me!

I'm considering a triathlon next year, doing it with a friend who lives in San Francisco and is a runner but not a cyclist. It's totally unachieveable for us both currently but I don't think I can hound everyone I know for sponsorship money to do ALC a third year in a row so need something else to focus on next year and we both reckoned a destination tri either in San Diego or Palm Springs might be every kind of awesome!

frenchfancy · 15/04/2014 06:31

Not a happy bunny this morning. I've put on a kilo since Friday. I am now the heaviest I have been for about a year :( I need to go back to counting on my NFDs and cut back on the Wine :(

AmericasTorturedBrow · 15/04/2014 15:47

oh boo FF, I feel your pain somewhat - been hovering around 133-134lbs, yesterday WI at 135, despite a failed FD yesterday I'm down to 134.5lb. This time last year I was hovering round the 130lb mark, then put on about 2-3lb as training stepped up but that was muscle gain.

I'm crappily unfit compared to this time last year so trying to step it up by doing some sort of exercise every day. Anyone want to dust off Gillian with me??

16:8 on NFD now until the ride methinks, and Wine just one night a week (which will shock my Dad who's coming to visit this week...it'll be hard to stick to no alcohol!)

Breadandwine · 17/04/2014 01:48

Hi guys!

Few ups and downs, here (pun not intended, ATB ), but fortunately we all know what to do about it.

Mention of it'll be hard to stick to no alcohol!)...
A week ago, my doc put me on anti-biotics to sort out a chest infection, but told me to submit a sputum sample, which I did. The results came back today, along with a prescription for a different anti-biotic - also for a fortnight. All well and good you might be saying, BUT, there are two downsides to the latest one:
I'm not to expose any skin to strong sunlight - so my walk tomorrow is cancelled! Sad
And I mustn't drink alcohol! Shock

I only read this just after I'd poured myself a pint of stout and taken a sip! I had to pour it all back in the bottle.

Including an alcohol-free day yesterday, as I was fasting, this will mean an enforced lay-off of 15 days or so! I can't remember the last time I had two alcohol-free days, never mind 15!

Ah, well, needs must when the devil drives, and all that!Grin

We can do this, ATB!

frenchfancy · 17/04/2014 06:19

Hope the anti bacs work B+W and you are feeling better soon. I have done whole months without alcohol, usually to try and lose weight. Not much fun though. Did anyone see last nights Secret Eaters programme? the guy got through 3000 cals of alcohol in just one night Shock

Evil Jillian paid me a visit last night. She promises to visit more often, but she says these things and then I don't see her again for months.

Breadandwine · 17/04/2014 11:14

Thanks, FF.

Evil Jillian paid me a visit last night. She promises to visit more often, but she says these things and then I don't see her again for months.

That's not good enough, I'm afraid! You'd better get back in the regular swing of things with J - or I'll report you to BigChoc! Grin

AmericasTorturedBrow · 17/04/2014 14:21

She's so mean isn't she FF?!

So I haven't managed to have no alcohol but I have done 16:8 or 18:6 the last 3days and yesterday was a good FD as well as doing a 40min run and 40min swim. WI this am - 133lbs, yay!!

While my parents are here I'm doing my best to stick to 16:8 throughout and one FD a week. Yoga tonight to stretch out my poor achey legs!

Anglaise1 · 17/04/2014 17:48

Get well soon B&W, I hope the fortnight isn't too long for you!
Good luck with your fasting FF you must be a bit fed up after doing 5:2 since your holidays.
ATB well done on your run! I've been put on forced rest for 10 days now to recover from all the training and the race, so I'll have to be more careful about what I eat and Wine but really not into alcohol much at the moment as I cut down a lot before the race and the weather is warm so wine less attractive! Scales currently 126lbs so not fasting this week, don't want to go below that.

Laska42 · 17/04/2014 19:58

Happy Easter all .. I am so not doing this at the moment ive been too embarrassed to post .. Easter Blush..

ill be back soon though..

Anglaise1 · 17/04/2014 20:28

Happy Easter Laska!
Just watched the Secret Eater's programme FF. Interesting about alcohol. I knew it a) contained a lot of calories b) you eat with it because food tastes good but I didn't realise that when you drink the sensor in your brain that tells you when you are full doesn't work....so you eat and eat and eat.

TalkinPeace · 18/04/2014 08:47

Hi All,
I'm back from Sunny Turkey.
Its lucky that I do not own a set of scales as chesses and bread for breakfast every morning and meze and raki with supper every night has left my jeans feeling VERY tight.
But I'll relax this weekend and then fast strictly for a few weeks and all will be well again.

OP posts:
Laska42 · 18/04/2014 11:35

I had two weeks off alchohol thtwas great, things started to feel loose on me,, , but then i started replacing it with cheese and chocolate Blush
Oh FFS! I know waht to do .. why dont i just do it?

Welcome back Tip... I need you to be strict with me

Laska42 · 18/04/2014 11:35

took Marcus to the zoo the other day .. photo on my profile..

TalkinPeace · 18/04/2014 11:51

I'm being relaxed this weekend - long story
but will be fasting STRICTLY two days a weeks and staying under TDEE 3 days a week and will be dry four days a week for the next two months
it should work

OP posts:
Laska42 · 18/04/2014 11:58

ok Tip im with you.. I need to be held accountable because im being totally weak and feeble right now...

vieenrose · 18/04/2014 14:32

Hi there
I've just posted on the main thread but I figured that I'm entitled to come over here as I have been maintaining between 56 and 58 kilos for the last 5 months.I don't find doing 5:2 difficult at all, perhaps because I stop fasting during each holiday. But as I tend to overindulge at the weekends, I know that if I do quit fasting altogether, I will pile those horrible kilos back on again and that is just a no no.
I've been awol for a long time because I'm very busy preparing for our move to Hong Kong in the summer. That and the usual hassle of juggling a job and 2 fairly young children (6 and 10).
And I have big news. After 14 years and 2 children together, DP and I have decided to finally get married!
Thank you everyone for your support on these great threads.

AmericasTorturedBrow · 18/04/2014 14:41

welcome to our quiet corner vieenrose and congrats on your engagement!

Ugh I had Wine last night - only 1.5glasses but my head HURTS today. Maybe cos of running, swimming and then a pretty hardcore yoga session last night? Maybe because I've been pretty good with food and not overindulging? Riding to Malibu tomorrow so cancelling the run this am with my Dad and not drinking at all tonight, it's going to be fair too easy to pile the pounds on with my parents here and I just can't afford to do that so close to the ride....

Marcus is so squidgy and gorgeous Laska!

TalkinPeace · 18/04/2014 14:42

Congrats on the wedding
Good luck with the move
and well done on maintaining.

As another term time faster I agree that it is the best method there is to enjoy life at a healthy weight

OP posts:
vieenrose · 18/04/2014 15:15

Thank you for your good wishes
TIP I'm sure those few pounds will disappear in no time
America I could do right now with a glass of wine...oh well, I will just have to wait until tonight

frenchfancy · 18/04/2014 18:40

Welcome vieenrose

I'm really trying to cut down on the Wine. I've been watching the giving up drinking thread on chat and lots of what they say has struck a chord. So this week I have had no wine since Sunday, and tonight I will stick strictly to half a bottle. My aim is to have no more than 1000cals of alcohol per week (so half a bottle on Friday/Saturday and Sunday evenings plus one other small glass). I am no longer going to count my intake in terms of units and am going to count the calories instead.

We are out at a friends for Sunday lunch, but I've offered to drive so that will make it easier.

Breadandwine · 18/04/2014 23:27

vieenrose that's lovely news! HK is where I met my wife, 43 years ago!

I spent about 7 years there altogether - loved the place.

Good to see you're getting lots of hugs, Laska! I've just posted a video of Oscar beating out that rhythm on a drum.

4th day with no alcohol and I'm not finding it all difficult. Instead of a pint of beer at 5pm, I just make it a pint of water with lots of ice, and that seems to do the trick.

It's changed my evening eating habits - there's no point in snacking on something savoury if I can't have a glass of wine. So I often have a mug of cocoa, which requires something sweet.

As I've just made this mango kuchen, instead of hot cross buns, that's no bother at all, tonight! Grin

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