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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

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BetsyBell · 19/01/2014 21:53

Scary numbers on this thread - 250 meringues, 45 mile cycles, 18 mile sweatless runs Shock

Amazing, all of you! I love it Grin

I did 16 rubbish press ups... beat that Wink

AmericasTorturedBrow · 20/01/2014 00:09

We went off route a few times so it ended up being 50miles incorporating some unplanned hills. I am exhausted but exhilirated and think I'll ALWAYS fast before a training ride now - extra adrenaline (though obviously I had a decent breakfast beforehand) and today feel like I very much deserved pasta and ice cream but filling up quickly so won't be overdoing it.

Am in the fasting zone so another one tomorrow - which will be hard with the kids around all day!

Anglaise1 · 20/01/2014 06:47

I'm fasting too - have reached a plateau as predicted so will keep on with 5:2 this week, just want to get to 57.5kgs so one kg to go based on this mornings weigh in. I also like the discipline of a fast day, no snacking in the evening and no Wine
ATB I never have a problem exercising on a fast day either, and I think you might be right about extra adrenaline! The morning after isn't easy before eating something, though.

AmericasTorturedBrow · 20/01/2014 14:36

I've done other exercise on a FD (mainly just an hour of swimming or doing Shred) but could no way do a training ride on 500kcal. I burnt 2500 on the ride yesterday and was starving!!

TalkinPeace · 20/01/2014 18:33

my Pump teacher nearly had kittens this morning when I let slip I'd not eaten since lunch yesterday!
then she realised I do it every week and relaxed ....

time to eat now though : tea will only keep me going so far ...

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Laska42 · 20/01/2014 19:20

Hi all.. well i'm all chicken pie'd out now (it was great and yes i did do double pie crust!) . but I will fast again tomorrow..

Tip I have got out of meeting tomorrow .. Boss is gong instead .. .(that's good then... is supposed to be him that goes anyway!).

I bought the new DR M fast exercise book , but hey, it doesn't make me want to do any, any more than i did before ! I have tried running up stairs though at work , as we do have several flights in our building

Another problem is that I have such terrible sciatica at the moment ( have had now since before christmas) .. it all hurts! Ibuprofen and Wine seems to be the only cure .. I did manage a 12ish mile hill walk at the weekend, but have paid for it ever since

I dont think ill ever get fit and thin ..I feel like in struggling against my age, my hormones , my health and (probably most importantly ) my inclination .. but at least I'm not as fat as I was ..

filly hope you had a great birthday.

ATB I am really in awe of how you have leapt back into cycling your training rides .. I dont think i've ever cycled more than 25 miles in one go and it takes me ages .. let along 50 miles in one go on a training ride . How long does it take and how do you fit it in ? i dont have small children either ( though I do have a f/t job). well done!

Breadandwine · 20/01/2014 22:40

Fantastic stories over the last few days, guys!

I'll only mention the one - Fillybuster's mammoth baking session!

Wow, respect!

(Hope your birthday went well! Cake)

Oh, but I should also give ATB a slap on the back for her 50-mile 'training' bike ride.

Wow, respect!

I also made a pie this week, using a bread dough, with a Thai curry filling - had some on the stove and just fancied pie!

It didn't last long - I had half for dinner - and a further quarter around midnight. The last quarter went at lunch the next day.

It was wonderful! I'm just about to post the recipe and pics on my blog.

Now I want more! I'm coming to the end of a 134 cal day and thinking not only could I have it tomorrow, with 466 cals left I could have something tonight.

I would like to go through until tomorrow evening with just liquids, but I'll probably have breakfast the way I feel now.

Danced all night at our U3A R&R evening. We're planning to have these every 3 or so months.

"I wanna keep on dancing…" Grin

Breadandwine · 21/01/2014 01:30

Here's another pie for you folks!

And it is bloody lovely!

This one is made with a bread dough - and the filling is a Thai curry! Grin

You have to learn to think outside the box! Grin

(Us vegans have a head start on this!Wink)

TalkinPeace · 21/01/2014 09:50

Laska see if you can find a pilates class - it will do your back a world of good.
Enjoy not having to get the ferry in the fog today - its foul over here.

B&W
should not have clicked your link! tummy rumbling now !
did you see this BTW
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25644903
just getting people to think differently about food has to be a good thing ....

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Laska42 · 21/01/2014 21:08

yes Tip i've also been thinking Pilates..I know there are local classes so am going to look..

.. Well its been about 700cals today after all , but that's ok.. was plain chicken and veg this evening and finally (after all this time) I think I've cracked the 'no breakfast' thing now (but I did crack and end up with scrambled egg and mushrooms at about 2.30 today). So every weekday had been a 16:8 FD or not or the last couple of weeks and I'm feeling much better for ( the scales are still sticking at abut 10.6 /10.7 though.. .. but it will go .. It will...)..

Have done more stairs running today as my HIIT ..

B&W like the pie Mmm yum.. I have just taken the HFW Panade recipe shown at the bottom of this article out of the oven for tomorrow ..it looks really,really yum and smells divine .. so I had better go to bed before I eat it. You could make it with your yeast extract cheezy stuff I think , as i've only put the cheese on the top .... have also put in some sun-dried tomatoes in the layersand lots of garlic.

Laska42 · 21/01/2014 21:37

B&W I also put leeks in my Panade and half spinach /half kale ..am looking forward to eating it!

Tip I just clicked on another of your posts elsewhere and was taken to a photo of your rescued cat,. she looks lovely ! How long have you had her?

AmericasTorturedBrow · 21/01/2014 22:17

Thanks all - even more glad I did the ride as DD now has a cold so her usual crap sleeping has turned into horrendous nights all round - I'm averaging 4 hours broken sleep and am a total zombie. Cancelled a dinner party tomorrow, ignoring the state of the house and literally on survival mode.

FD yesterday was fine, not planning on fasting again til Thurs but stocking up in Vit C, echinacea and leafy green veg, trying to stay away from stodge because it'll only make me feel worse.

I seriously truly envy the childfree folk atm

Breadandwine · 22/01/2014 01:03

Thanks for the link, TiP! Good article. I did hear back along that the word 'vegan' has overtaken the word 'vegetarian' on google recently.

And thanks for your recipe, Laska - I love all the dark green veg, but must get more into kale.

Stairs - I've been up and down the stairs 17 times so far today! My wife has taken to her bed with bug - and I am expected to come when she calls! Grin

ATB - this too will pass! Have a [hug] from me!

The good news is that you're well on track with your training.

BetsyBell · 22/01/2014 08:59

ATB Sympathies. Mine were horrendous sleepers; it kills me now when they need night attention as if my whole body remembers the horror of all those years of pitiful sleep(lessness)

Hope you've added all that stair-work to your exercise chart! B&W

We have a dull, drizzly, cold morning here and I'm seriously lacking motivation to do the list of nice cycling-based activities I've been wanting to do :( Feeling decidedly coldy so I'm guessing that's a big part of it.

I've decided to 16:8 on weekday NFDs this week - with early eating on Taekwondo days.

As much as I love family meals I do also love the odd day when i can just eat when I want to - Tuesday is now my day for this. It's nice to give myself permission/plan to do it rather than then having to skip dinner as I've raided the nut store/cheese/toast and marmite/malt loaf (delete as appropriate Grin ) after school.

Today's NFD: salad lunch + fish pie dinner - and no after school nut-fest. That gives me 20 hours fasting too.

Planning to make this at some point this week smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/01/warm-lentil-and-potato-salad/

BsshBossh · 22/01/2014 10:05

ATB you truly are superwoman: sleepless nights, long cycle rides, still managing to fast through it all. Wow!

Betsy warm lentil salad with potatoes, capers and gherkins??? Oh my word. I am printing this out to make.

wildwater · 22/01/2014 10:43

All this talk of pies...which to me do have a top, but here in Argentina they have a fast vegetable 'tarte' without one. Simply steam or pan-fry lots of different veges - including onions & garlic - pile onto home-made pizza-style base, throw a few slices of mozzarella on top and bake in hot oven until crisp.

I am doing 16:8 most days because I can't be bothered with breakfast anymore. Also eating far less at meals. I am still dropping weight...trying on 'thin' clothes that were tight, to find them now literally falling off.

BetsyBell · 22/01/2014 11:41

Bssh I KNOW - I now have all the necessary ingredients and I think it'll go extremely well with the little poussins I've also just purchased. Interesting Sunday lunch sorted!

TalkinPeace · 22/01/2014 11:48

wildwater that sounds utterly delicious - may have to experiment.

Laska we found the compost cat on December 18th so she's been here just over a month. The other cats are pretty much used to her. She's still very ill and has no concept of stairs but is amusing company when she's awake - especially as she's totally deaf so does not notice when DH is playing with sparks!

ATB Hugs re poorly kids - mine are teens so just vanish under the duvet but little ones do not have the resilience

B&W kettlebell replaced with kettle Grin

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Fillybuster · 22/01/2014 12:52

Party is over :(

It was absolutely brilliant: we had over 110 people (in our house - eek!), served cocktails and cake and various friends dj'ed all evening. I danced until 3am and had a blast.

And now it's over :( :(

Far too much cake left...I must have catered for 300 rather than 100...took a load into the office yesterday, and even used the internal mail system to send marshmallows to a colleague in High Wycombe Grin but now have to figure out what to do with the remainder, which fills an entire freezer in my mum's garage! Shock DD1's birthday party in a few weeks will hopefully resolve some of that...

Anyway, thank you for all your lovely birthday wishes and kind words :) My super-cheap (£10 on ebay!!) Karen Millen dress was perfect (and 100% silk...bargain!) - I'll post a couple of pics on my profile once I've figured out how to grab them off fb.

Wish it wasn't all over though :( (Did I mention that already? Wink)

ATB sending you much love. I can't believe you're sticking at the bike rides with such a chronic lack of sleep....you're amazing!

Laska another vote for pilates - also, try to keep gently moving....too much sitting still will make it seize up

B&W that pie sounds fab....I'm trying to avoid the temptation to make it as I made 5 chicken pies last night and only narrowly managed to avoid eating the one I baked for dh's dinner

Off to Tesco now, so going to stock up on baby potatoes for that lentil salad...think that has just solved my 'what shall we have for dinner tonight' question - thank you!

BsshBossh · 22/01/2014 14:17

Filly life begins at 40 remember :) But yeah, post-party comedown is a killer.

Breadandwine · 22/01/2014 15:36

Filly I danced until 3am and had a blast. Envy

I'll run that past the U3A committee when they're discussing the next R&R evening! The last one ended at 11 Sad - when I was just getting going!

Party is over Sad

Oh, didn't you know? 70 is the new 40! Grin

AmericasTorturedBrow · 22/01/2014 18:27

Oh Filly your party sounds amazing! Gives me much hope for my 40th - by which time DC will be 15&12 and will be expected to sort themselves out!

Mmmmm pie....thank god we're having a heat wave so I can finally curb the carb cravings! B&W my move towards almost veganism has taken a rapid step forward after doing more reading into dairy farming. To be honest, I now don't really get why one would be a vegetarian but not a vegan?! I am still drinking milk in my tea as I'm yet to find a substitute I like, also eating eggs from my local farmer and buying his chicken once every few months as I've seen and trust his welfare standards. Once DD stops having gallons of milk we'll start buying it from him too. In the meantime now researching where to get optimum protein and calcium particularly for the DC. To be honest the biggest factor for me is health and environment and welfare. I don't fundamentally have an issue with consuming animal products so could never fully call myself a proper vegan.

On which subject....our cancelled dinner party means I need a new meal for tonight and as we always have tons of lentils in (the DC thankfully love them!) that recipe sounds perfect, Thankyou! Also need to make a big vat of bean chilli for us tomorrow and take some to friends who've just had a baby.

Thanks for kind words of support, it means a lot. Today is my "day off" so I'm using it to recharge, read a book, do some slow cooking, a gentle 1hour beach bike ride and not doing any other human face to face interaction Wink

AmericasTorturedBrow · 22/01/2014 18:28

Oh! On kale - I'm getting really into my smoothies and whack a ton in them - delicious!

Laska42 · 22/01/2014 19:16

ATB did you see the link to recipe for the panade? (which is really nice BTW have scoffed quite a lot of it today - NFD!) Second down is one for Savoy cabbage with avocado, lentils and bacon.. why not swop the bacon for mushrooms and a few sun dried tomatoes ? (and maybe the cabbage for kale) .. I reckon it would be lovely for a FD ..though I'd also be really tempted to put feta cheese on top for a NFD ! (not very vegan though) ,

Tip I think I'm in love with Compost Cat .. she looks so lovely .. I have a big black tom ( though he his a soppy as anything indoors .. ) ..but the mice and shrews dont think so when he is out ..

Filly glad you had a great time..
Cyclist bro, are you lurking ? and Frenchfancy how are you
and Helloooo00 cats and MOCNK vintage 52er ??? Come back and say hello,.. We are missing you!

TalkinPeace · 22/01/2014 22:01

Filly .... huge 40th birthday over three days - you're not Kate Moss are you?

Laska Compost cat (named by us Zingiber) has a limited lifespan but when you are next over with a car you'd be welcome to pop by and meet her.

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