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

Good luck with the race tomorrow Betsy Great cause
In this heat, maybe best to go at a very easy pace, just finish safely.

It was 37C here and both my gyms have no a/c or fan
I couldn't face HIIT spin this afternoon, so I just did a very short session of heavy weights and enjoyed a long cool shower.

betsy I suppose adding lactose isn't the right way of putting it. Its full of things that are almost pure lactose as bulking agents.

bigchoc I was regimen the advice 'never eat at a restaurant with pictures of the food displayed'. Serves me right I suppose. But like you I don't really eat crap (often ahem) any more and prefer a better quality of restaurant. However I do love a Nandos. That's my new 'junk' food.

*regimen = re-given

Sweet Junk
Most of us here have learned to restrict sweet junk to sensible amounts.

I was posting on a non-5:2 thread trying to warn of the dangers of massive sweet junk frenzies (7 Mars bars and a pack of bix in this bloke's case). People seem to think nothing matters if you are an ok weight and some were quite heated at the idea of reducing "treats" to more sensible amounts.

These are some of the dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers I've seen on higher cancer risks: ColonCancer , BreastCancer , EndometrialCancer
Then there is higher risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, dementia ...

I spend much more now on decent ingredients bigchoc. The family nut and nut butter habit is expensive! But we spend far less on alcohol which helps.

It seems a bit cooler today (at 7am!!) so shouldn't be too bad for the run. We are definitely going to be running at a slow pace

Good luck with your Race Betsy or I hope your race went well (depending on when you read this!) Pouring with rain here for our training session, but better that than the heat of the last few days.

Just about to head off! Thanks anglaise Lovely lovely cool air at the moment

I broadly agree with what Rosie Boycott says in the article BigChoc linked to but she's either ignorant or doesn't want to acknowledge two other things that have got us in this mess - and emotional eating issues and the fact that some cultures are very food-centric, especially here in the London borough where I live where one of these pilots is taking place. I'd love to talk to her about all this if I see her around. I'm especially interested to see what exactly she's going to do about the plethora of fast-food eateries here that are full of kids buying crap food at cheap prices.

Crap food at cheap prices
Exactly this. Since about the 1980s, we have had to resist delicious (sometimes) junk that nearly anyone can afford to buy in huge quantities.
It's the first time in human history and we haven't evolved to cope.

People keep saying "education, cookery lessons ...." but almost everyone aged 10+ knows that too much junk makes you fat.
No politically acceptable solution I can see - huge junk tax, rationing, NHS exclusions .... ? No way.

The problem is how to instil self-discipline and taking responsibility.
Maybe we should appoint Tip as Obesity Tzar.

BCF isn't it down to parents to instil this and educate their children from and early age? I know I live in rural France and there aren't the same temptations as in UK cities, but I'm sure I'd bring my kids up in the same way. That is, eat healthily with occasional snacks, no soft drinks in the house except for parties, the rest of the time we drink water with meals, occasionally a McDos as a treat for them (I can't abide them) and lots of exercise (walking, cycling and swimming with me and other sports as weekly activity).

We have a huge supermarket, four corner shops and three takeaways within walking distance of the house.
I've taught my kids to have self control.
Too many parents do not bother.

Yes, we seem to have self control here (maybe a prerequisite to reach maintenance ?)
However, the outraged screams on MN when anyone suggests limiting junk, whether for DCs or adults.....
Usual claim is this causes DCs to have EDs as adults.
And many of their DCs would dehydrate rather than drink water.

And many of their DCs would dehydrate rather than drink water.
Really?? What do they drink with their meals? Here in France water is the norm. Contrary to what you read in the UK press French kids do not have wine with their meals either.
I hate diet stuff so won't have low cal anything in the house (except skimmed milk which doesn't really count). You have to set limits for kids in all areas, including food.
That's what parents are there for, isn't it?

There are frequent threads objecting to the water-only policy of some schools.
Apparently Mumsnet was raised on squash.
So, they give this, or fruit juice, to their DCs all day

Then the constant snacks of biscuits, cereal bars, flapjacks every 2 hours
Massive sugar / chemical overload.

Not everyone Bigchoc.

My DC drink water or milk. Fruit juice (never squash ever - don't have it in the house) is for special treat only.

Fruit are snacks. I know we all say no snacking but at 5 and 3 years old this doesn't always work. Because they may not eat any lunch offered at 12 but be wailing with hunger at 2pm. So fruit.

I do buy something called Organix oat bars. These are oat and fruit only sweetened with grape juice. Good for long car journeys or if hunger strikes after swimming etc.

The DC don't ask for squash at home because they've never seen me drink it and I don't drink fruit juice either so they don't ask often. As for juice I buy the small individual cartons of Innocent smoothies made for children for occasional treats. Never big cartons where limitless amounts are consumed.

I am always astounded of our friends with DC who are practically passing out when they visit and they ask for squash and I don't have any. They have started brining their own

And we (DH and I) don't have cans of soft drinks so the DC have no idea that it's something worth having.

They do ask for special treats (the juice and chocolate and occasional biscuits). And they do drink squash at kids parties as it's usually the only thing on offer.

It Is hard to avoid all the junk thrown at us. And the constant "buy food" messages.

Part of the key to all of it is not to buy junk and not to have it in the house. Then it doesn't become the norm and every day.

TiP is a bad mum.
We have squash and fizzy and fruit juice in the house.
BUT
Breakfast is water or milk or post fruit juice at weekends.
All through the day is water only.
With supper is fizzy if we are having booze, squash sometimes, water three or four days a week.
The kids are learning to self regulate their sugar. It works.

PS ....

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/2138762-IF-ADF-4-3-5-2-6-1-16-8-Maintaining-at-a-healthy-weight-Chapter-5

OK, I can't be that bad a parent : DD just got distinction in her grade 7 music exam

to talented DD

and she's just finished her grade 7 dance exam.
stuff fasting
supper out beckons

I definitely had too much squash growing up, as well as fruit juice, both of which I never touch now. It's taken years to get the water habit and I like to think that if I have kids then I'd take the continental approach and have at least one jug of water on the kitchen table at mealtimes from when they're very young.

well we just went out for end of term dinner
each child was allowed two glasses of fizzy
and we had 3 jugs of tap water

then we blew it by having pudding at a gelato place!