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

where IS everyone

where IS everyone

I'm here ATB, just haven't had much to say.

The scales are being strange at the moment. Up 700g on last week despite a good 5:2 week. But on the other hand I've been doing much more exercise (up to level 2 on shred) and my clothes are loser. Today I'm wearing a size 10 jumper and a size 10 skirt (with leggings cause it is cold) and they are both a bit baggy. The first skirt I put on this morning was a 12 and I was swimming in it so it has gone into the fat clothes pile. These are clothes I bought last year after I'd lost weight so my shape is definitely changing. More shopping is required (please tell me clothes are cheaper in the US ATB here in France they are silly money for poor quality). It isn't a good time of year to buy clothes though, I'm looking in my wardrobe for warm jumpers and polo neck tops, but the shops are all ready for warmer weather.

Hi folks - I'm still around!

We're off out to dinner tonight, with two other couples, so, in preparation I've had no breakfast and lunch.

I've got 2 dessertspoons of homemade marmalade with water, ready for my 'crepe suzette' when we return tonight. It's pretty much a given there'll be no vegan pudding, so I have mine on my return. I've arranged a chilli for dinner, with garlic mushrooms in olive oil for starter.

I've also got 6 Trivial Pursuit cards ready - while we have the coffee and liqueurs, we have a bit of a quiz - men v women.

What I'm NOT doing is what I always used to do, and that's have a couple of digestives to tide me over until dinner about 8. Haven't had a biscuit in a long time, now!

Where's Laska these days? Hope you're alright, hon!

Just received a video of Oscar enjoying a banana - it's beautiful! Might put it up on the blog and let you guys have a look at it, over the weekend.

Have a good weekend, folks - NFDs for everyone until Monday?

I'm here :-)

Just about to wind down for the weekend - had a bit of an upward trend last week - all that cold rain sent me heading for the carbs, that and a few good nights out . Back to target again this morning so might celebrate with a small glass of beer (leftover from Xmas and my DB) as I resisted getting a bottle of in the co-op today

Hi all, have been a bit distracted reading up on legal matters due to a thread on the Education section of the site, and this weather is starting to really wear my down : I want to get cracking on the veg garden
but had a yummy breakfast (black pudding, poached eggs, bacon and chippolatas) and then just tea till supper (chicken & mushrooms in olive oil with beans and home made baguette)
love this WOE as its so easy to enjoy life while staying the right size

Great story Bssh ...can't believe how much you've lost and how far you've come - respect Maintaining is odd, and like ATB I find it can be hard to balance normal eating without the rigour and structure of continuing with 5:2.

Guess that's why we've got this thread, right?! :)

ATB am I right that US size 2 is a UK size 6? That is tiny!!! I'm both impressed and in awe at your fitness plans...I bet you look amazing!

I had a weird week maintenance-wise. Normally do a full fast every Monday with a sensible (not 500, but not far off) dinner in the evening. But there wasn't a single day this week where I could fit in a proper fast with a controlled finish...

Monday, I had a work lunch at Haz (posh Turkish at St Pauls) which I wasn't going to miss...so fasted up to lunchtime, ate quite a lot (fab food!) then fasted right through until Tuesday lunch (so a full 24hrs)....

...when I broke my fast at Bread Kitchen (the newish Ramsay place in the City)

Completely fab, and managed to stick to some pretty healthy choices (salmon ceviche and sea bass (swimming in butter, but still, not bad)) and no dessert.

Then ate normally remainder of the day.

Scales were quite forgiving but then went overboard on the sugar on Wednesday - I got stuck at home with the tube strike and was on a 4 hour conference call with only 3 packs of sweets and a bag of nachos in the study. Well, that won't happen again...

Fasted Thursday at home, but finished by going out for a stupendously large dinner with dh (of the 'consuming 3000 calories in one meal' variety), and had indian takeaway for dinner Friday night.

Perhaps not surprisingly was up 2lbs this morning :(

On the one hand, that feels like a bit of a fail and makes me wonder how well I can maintain long term without a clearly set fast day. On the other hand, the damage would have been so much worse if I hadn't squeezed in a few fasts during the week - and at least I know I can fix it next week.

Hope everyone is having lovely weekends? I think Laska is visiting friends for a few days and will be back with us again soon, B&W...please stick the video up and share the link - I'd love to see how O is growing!

Filly
As somebody who has been "maintaining" since December 2012, the best method I've found is to strictly fast once a week : normally monday, reasonably fast one day a week, normally Thursday and pretty much relax in between
I make my calories back up with booze and cheese!!!

Thanks, Filly!

In a later post I'll tell you how much I've eaten this weekend - with not a shred of regret or guilt!

In the meantime, here's Oscar just for you - and everyone on here!

When I checked it, all I saw was a white square - but, click on it, and the video should become visible.

oh B&W he's bloody gorgeous!! Must work out how to show you a similar video of DD eating banana for the first time...not the reaction I expected at all, she reacts as though it's a very tart lemon and hasn't touched it since!

Thanks for updating about Laska, Filly

In theory US size 2 is UK size 6 but GAP MASSIVELY vanity size so it's more like an 8...I'm not back in them yet! I was last year just before and after the ride but in my final month of training I had one day of alcohol (it was my birthday and I got slaughtered), ate incredibly cleanly etc etc, scales stayed the same but I dropped a dress size, hoping for that again!

Very controlled week, then was controlled all day yesterday (had about 300cals by the evening) knowing the first of our new book club nights was coming up - lots of wine and carbs and it was lovely. Today is a NFD but I'm now on a "strictly within TDEE" thing to make sure I'm not overeating, FD 2-3 days a week and Fridays fasting til evening but then spoiling myself and not calorie counting at all (mainly because we have things going on Friday eve the next few weeks)...I seem to be pretty motivated at the moment so just making the most of it. I've even managed to do Shred every day that I haven't done other exercise.

Not today - battled 40miles of riding through the Hollywood Hills this morning. Not that far but jesus the hills were really really tough - thank god for carb loading last night. I even, for the first time ever, just gave up at one point and walked up a hill, so very sore legs and a mightily bruised ego. I know the whole point in the ride is to raise money for HIV+ people so I had to give myself a good talking to and remember that this isn't about me and my ego, but for people who aren't even able to walk let alone ride a bike...so cracking on with some fundraising emails to stem the torrent of self pity.

Shame though, I love riding and I just didn't enjoy it today, was on my own for a lot of it and Mullholland Drive is just shit - potholes and glass and so many turns that it's risk your life riding in the middle of the road or risk your tyres riding at the edge. grump grump grump

Friends over for dinner, reckon if I don't drink (no compunction to) then I'll def be well within TDEE today and can fast again tomorrow....

Breadandwine what a cutie pie your DGS is :)

hello! im alive and kicking but having internet problems ( MN especially slow it seems). does bad weather affect broad band does any one know?
Theres been some flooding round here , but not where I am,

Was away for a few days (and forgot to take my netbook with me ) then had grandson to stay .. I thought id posted last week , but it doesnt seem to be there . so just whacking this one in and then will try and write something longer and cut and paste it

ATB
I love your glamorous depictions of Hollywood and vicinity
Laska
Glad you are above and back from the waves - friends in Ventnor are getting pretty hacked off with liquid soil!
Thank goodness I live on a hill.
I take it B&W your bit of the county is high and dry without too many extra springs popping up!

Zoned out watching Thunderball with DH and compost cat ... DD watching "Dance Moms" DS playing minecraft.

I'm still here! Got distracted by the Dylan Farrow threads and my new computer.

Nothing much to report, only vaguely interesting thing is my new found love for the tea that many of us on the other thread are going crazy about - butternut flavour. America I can imagine the selection of teas in California is immense so please get some. Well done on the bike ride today (and 40 miles seems like a lot to me!).

Hi filly Seems that we work in the same part of the capital. I haven't been to those two places yet but in that area there's foodie treats galore isn't there. I'm often found having a carb-fest at Hummus Bros or on clean days indulging on sushi at itsu. And yes, you know you can fix the temporary weight gain...it's just one of the many fab things about this WOL.

B&W Thanks for posting that lovely video.

God im so fed up with the weather .. (as are we all I expect ). its just so relentless but we are fine and I know I shouldn't whinge compared to the hell some people experiencing ,.

but it was nicer today the wind dropped for a while also and i ventured out into the paddy field which was my vegetable garden (im thinking I might just plant rice this year instead of veggies) .. and then we walked down to to the bay the sea was been pretty spectacular and we've lost a few bits of cliff and some local landmark rock outcrops and gained a whole new lake down the road from us , and a billion more potholes in the roads..

i've not much to report on the 5:2 front except im still being a bit half hearted about doing more than 1 good fast a week and one 'half' fast .. so im maintaining still at just under 10 7 , but as you all know i wanted to get back to 10st , so I know ill have to kick myself up the Ar$$e again , but somehow so far January/ Feb hasn't done it for me.

Have also had a bit of a dodgy tum over the last week although that s doest seen to have done anything weightloss wise) , . Marcus came to stay last week and I at first thought it was the result of nappy changing , but it just doesn't seem to have gone away ..

However i'm also sure that last nights champers ( we were celebrating our first weekend on our own for 4 weeks but drinking the bubbly we forgot to open at NYE !) didnt help! ..

I have another couple of nice photos of Marcus , will try and upload them later .. if the internet wants to play!

hello ALL sorry havent read back through the last posts on the thread yet so no individual responses , but a did take a sneak peak at Oscar .. cute cute!

(ok just about to hit 'post' ...hopefully this post will load up)

I have to say the weather reports do sound awful. Sorry everyone, it makes me very grateful to be where we are (even if we are having a drought)

Over indulged yesterday as well, oops....mini fast today to compensate (at least it means the last of the British chocolates have gone, no more temptations! even though it was me that ate them all )

Good to see a gathering of friends here! This thread is a bit 'stop and go', sometimes, but it's nice to know that it's here - iyswim!

Thanks for all the compliments on our grandson - look forward to seeing your pics, Laska!

Glad you're back in the zone, ATB! You need to be there when you're tossing off 40 mile bike rides - just for practice! Know what you mean about deciding between the gutter and the middle of the road. They were talking about punctureless bike tyres 30 years ago - haven't they got round to them yet?

Quite safe where we are, TiP - the nearest flood is a good mile away I reckon. I have had work cancelled/postponed, but the weather hasn't really affected us at all.

ATB, why don't you come and join us on the vegan thread I've just joined?

I've been on a bit of a chocolate kick since Christmas - hasn't affected my weight, but I'm conscious I've been eating too much sugar. So now it's one bar of Lindt's chilli choc per week for me. Which is what I was doing before Xmas.

I've been thinking what an awkward day Monday is to be fasting! We always have loads of leftovers from our roast dinner - my wife doesn't appear to have realised that our two kids left home nearly twenty years ago! She had to force the lid of the veg pan on today, she'd done so much!

(What she hasn't noticed yet is that I take some of this veg before it's cooked, and hide it in the freezer - makes a good start for my low-cal veg curry tomorrow evening! Shhhhh! )

Pissed off with R2 tonight! Instead of 2 hours of glorious big band music with Clare Teal, we have a talk show about how good David Jacobs was! [steam].

Just seen it's followed by another hour of DJ! Hope it's his favourite music - wouldn't mind that.

Laska in same boat, did 5:2 for a month and lost a kg no more.
Am now sure that the reason I can't lose more weight is all the running training I'm doing and like ATB accept the fact that more exercise results in weight gain due to muscle. I know my clothes still fit, my waist is the same and the fat calipers measure minimum fat so I just have to live with 59kgs instead of 57kg which I was after initially doing 5:2.
ATB I hope you enjoy your next bike ride more than the last! It is important. I always enjoy my long runs more than interval training but it has to be done.
TIP your maintenance is the same as mine - if only I could cut out wine, cheese and almonds I probably wouldn't need to fast at all.
B&W My chocolate downfall is the Lindt dark choc with sea salt - I think I do more than one bar a week though, you have more willpower.
Monday fast here - good luck to everyone fasting today.

But Anglaise then where would the joy be without almonds, chocolate and wine?! Almonds are a downfall for me too - I can't just have a small handful, and now create my own trail mix where I combine them with dried cranberries and dark chocolate drops, heaven! Especially when accompanied by a glass of

Thanks all - I think I just got into a negative headspace on the ride yesterday but spoke to a friend from home who lives in San Diego and he's going to come and stay in a fortnight, bring his bike and we're planning on a 42mile ride together along the coast then back to the Beach Communities to meet my family for lunch so am already looking forward to the next one!

FD today so cooking meat for the DC and DH which they'll view as a treat do you have a link to the vegan thread B&W? I've been reading up on the evils of soy and quinoa and have decided unless you physically grow, raise and slaughter your own food you can't avoid exploitation somewhere. Having said that in not missing meat anyway, still think most of the standards of care for animals in the US is appalling and honestly think a majoritively plant based diet is better for you, and also am not eating eggs unless they are pasture raised, I would be interested to join the thread all the same

Anyone got a nice courgette soup recipe good for FD btw?

The whole point of this WOE is the eating of cheese, nuts and wine!

Nuts and dried fruit are my addiction these days. If I'm going fancy pants I will add a bit of dark choc to the selection but that's rare. I seem to require a chocolate dose at the weekends (friday night ) but I find it pretty easy to go without most of the time, and it has to be the right sort of chocolate. DH came home with creme eggs on Friday and I turned them down flat as I knew I had lindt in the cupboard.

Raw nut mixes are responsible for my NFD calorie bombs.

Must get some more tomorrow...

I'm up again, 3lbs. Been bouncing up and down for a month, which I know partly is due to overdoing it a little on NFD's but mainly because I've been so unusually inactive. I know that here in London we've been lucky with the weather compared to some but it's still been damn miserable some days and I usually just want to get home after work and do bugger all. Dragged myself to the gym earlier and of course I feel much better. Fasting tomorrow as well as Thursday and will also go to the gym at least three times.

Lindt...sometimes I think I prefer it to Green and Blacks. I may have to have a rendezvous later in the week with the Blueberry Intense flavour . Ive just seen that there's an Irish Coffee flavour too so may go hunting for that instead.

It helps that in general American chocolate is shit

It doesn't help that an amazing vegan chocolate shop which makes it's own chocolate right there on the premises and is delicious in every way and does chocolate tasting for $10 for 13 flavours and the most amazing Mexican Chilli and Cinammon Hot Chocolate in the world ever has opened up round the corner

I'm personally a G&B fan but have had to ask my mum to only bring a bar at a time when she visits. She brings 1kg cadburys fruit and nut for DH which he scoffs the entirety of in one evening

I've just been diagnosed with a chest infection, so not much exercise for me for a while!

Never mind, it'll be there waiting for me when I recover.

Nothing really bad, just a cough I've had for a couple of week, and the last time I exercised I got out of breath, which is a bit unusual for me. Otherwise I feel fine.

Just finished a 24 hour fast followed by a

Xposted, ATB - wow, that does sound wonderful!

Wonderfully dangerous!