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

[TalkinPeace]

This thread is for those of us who have been practicing IF (Intermittent Fasting) for quite a while ( it being nearly 2 years since the Michael Mosely TV programme aired ) 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 mix fasts and 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?

More and more 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 four maintenance threads and all the main 5:2 threads for posters practising IF to lose weight here Fasting / 5:2 on the diet forum. We're currently on thread no. 46, 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 even more to the fore, as part of our general health and to help weight loss. BigChocFrenzys thread is here

Thanks, BC
Did your doc suggest a reason, or did he just dish out pills?
No reason - except the receptionist said my iron was slightly low. I'll make an appointment next week sometime.
Was your last iron test before you boosted your exercise?
Yes, I was last tested 18 months ago and I began my exercise regime in November last. That's interesting about that being the possible cause. I'll run that past him, see what he says. And I'll ask him about a re-test.

Thanks for the suggestions and recipes.

Hey Anglaise You were so right about being faster in a race than when with friends. Did my first 10k race today and surprised myself hugely by getting in at 1hr and 54seconds - was expecting to be around the 1hr10m mark at least. Very happy as I didn't feel like I was pushing it. If I'd realised how close to the hour mark I was I might have tried to go a bit faster at the end!!

Betsy that's great to beat your expected time by 10 minutes, well done! Especially if you had some juice left at the end. It is always difficult pacing your first race. Did you enjoy it? It is so different with the adrenaline and competing with others to running for pleasure with friends. You can't chat for a start, at least not on a 10k, it is easier for longer distances.
Have you got any other races planned? I bet you feel brilliant, there is nothing quite like the after exhilaration you feel after a race
I didn't do my 10k race today, still waiting for my iron levels to increase so I went for a very nice 15km run with a friend in the rain instead this morning. I'm feeling better than a couple of weeks ago already, but not having blood test until next week so am being careful until I know for sure that things are better. Then back to trail racing (but taking iron supplements in the build up to all races).

Well done on your 10k Betsy That's excellent for your first race

At the 9k mark I was very glad I hadn't signed up for a HM I'd been invited to join... I really enjoyed it, I felt amazing around 6 to 7k and then it started feeling harder for the last bit. i have a lovely purple blister on my foot where the lovely hard patch I'd been developing peeled off a couple of days ago and I'm a bit stiff now. But yes, I did really like it and I would sign up to another for sure. Nothing planned for the moment.

I am categorically not interested in half marathons.

Yet.

I love that you didn't do a 10k for just did 15 instead anglaise. I hope you're feeling a bit stronger now.

I am categorically not interested in half marathons.

Yet.

ROFL I bet you will be signed up for a half marathon before the end of the year Betsy!

I expect you would love trail runs and Tough Mudder, Betsy
Maybe more fun and camaradery than an HM, while being at least as tough. Also, more of a varied cardio workout than HM.

Trail racing is definitely tough and long - you can add an extra hour to your 'normal' running time for every 1000m of dénivelé (altitude difference??). As Big Choc says it is more fun with more camaraderie than road racing as you aren't constantly checking your chronometer. And the cardio required is impressive, but you do have time to recover too as walking is often required when the course is very steep or technical.
Not for anyone who doesn't want to get either very wet or very muddy and usually both.

I would totally love those - nothing of the sort within cycling distance from me so would require more organisational effort to get involved. I need to massively focus on TKD at the moment, I've got a lot of work to do :)

))))) running ((((( - does not agree with my knees at all

we could to a tag triathlon .... ATB cycles, Anglaise runs, I swim
or a tag decathlon ... so that Betsy gets to kick ass and BigChoc pumps iron

Evening everyone.

So much sporting prowess on the thread! Wow. I wouldn't run 9k I could probably swim it.

To be fair other than swimming sports were never my strongest points.

Almost rid myself of the holiday excess. One small mealsley pound to go. So that's something to cheer about.

In a moment of madness i decided we should move house (don't even ask why. It's waaaay too long to go into). Suffice to say that in the past 10 days, I've bought a house (well under offer), almost sold current house and signed DC up to a new school (moving to different area).

DH can't believe that I recovered from sinus infection and overnight went into over drive on some mad one woman mission.

Move has been on the cards for a while but we have just talked and procrastinated without doing anything.

We knew where we wanted to move to but it's just getting your arse in gear to actually do it. It's mainly the thought of keeping the house even spotlesser than normal with two small DC which is daunting.
Plus we are moving from the beautifully done interior magazine worthy house to an absolute wreck which needs everything doing. My idea of a good time.

Busy lining up builders plumbers roofers electricians. And drawing up plans to submit for planning the minute we exchange.

Oh and DC have both been off school ill with all of my madness. dD had tonsillitis and ended up being off for 7 school days total. Poor DD. dD is excited as am I. DS is excited but doesn't really understand what's happening. He keeps asking when we are going i holiday. Funny boy.

Hi all

Work has been a bit manic - and lts of social events so its been a bit of a carb fest recently, the belt getting a bit tighter - good FD yesterday and planning another today - have said no to the corprate lunch and will go through to the nibbles at be evening event I'm going to. Fingers crossed it's not all dorritos and crisps????

Hi Catsrus. That's often the trouble with work type lunch offerings. You tend to get a lot of junk. Can be nice during a long winded meeting but not good for you.

Feeling tired today. Rushing a round like a woman possessed.

Hope the DC will be good for me when I pick them up from schools.

Mrs F
Sounds fun - need pictures and gory details (?? on FB rather than here)

Ate too much supper tonight - but then I did pay off the mortgage this afternoon and DH is away
and it was healthy chicken fajitas

I've had no food today and resisted the crisps at the evening do. I have, however, had three glasses of wine (that I remember ) and some interesting (?) conversations! I think I need to find some solid food at the station ...

tee hee : wine and no food : thats my sort of self discipline

MrsF We all know you are only moving to have the fun of renovating and redecorating again.
Enjoy
First though, you just have to survive the actual move, solicitors, estate agents, packing / unpacking. You are obviously very resilient.

well the healthy eating choices at the station were all just closing, but I managed to convince a nice lady to make me a veggie burrito (though I did somehow manage to order the very large one). It was either that or McDonalds from what I could see. Why do food places on stations close at 10pm when there are drunken commuters wanting food right up to midnight?

I must have only had 3 glasses of wine cos I felt fine this morning

Bigchoc you've figured me out!

Yes that's part of it and whilst we are buying a house worth well over 7 figured, we will still be mortgage free once we sell this. And without touching any pensions or other investments or cash.

Obv once I've renovated the next one we may shuffle again. But we will see if I can be bothered.

Yikes .... The thread dropped off my active list, in NYC for a few days so not fasting, but my hosts hardly drink so that gives lots of leeway,

is back home, feeling flabby but will save gym and fasting till
(a) jetlag has gone
(b) our house guests - who have had a family bereavement - have headed home

TIP. Welcome home! Hope jet lag clears quickly.

How are the rest of you?? You're all very quiet on here....! You've not all drowned under mountains of cake or something?

DC are on their second week of half term. DH is nowhere to be seen as usual. In fact he isn't even in the country. Argh.

Every day filled with museums, adventure play grounds soft play and other kiddiefied stuff.

I love my DC dearly. But I'd love a break too. Doesn't help that DC were off school sick for two weeks before the two week half term. So that's a solid month of DC with no break because DH can't be arsed as a usual.

I'd hit the wine but I can't even face that.

At least the guinea pigs are well behaved and squawk delightedly at me and no back chat from them either.

Today I took DC to some special park with two adventure play grounds, bouncy castles, a steam train to ride on etc. however they still found time to draw all over the floor (DS just cannot leave it), wee on the floor (DS again), poo on the floor (yes DS again) pour wee on floor from potty (that was Dd but it was DSs wee ) Break the screen on my laptop (yep DS again) and they are currently ripping the playroom apart.

How how how??!!! I ask you. I've had a total of 2 hours in the house out of the last 10. How the fuck do they find the time.

On the plus side managing a FD here and there and weights stable.

Big choc. I am envying your child free (oh so peaceful) existence.

Better add something before I drop off the thread too!

I've had a week of very little activity and increased eating thanks to a particularly nasty cold. I had instigated a no sugar pact with a couple of real life buddies so the damage has been limited. Now on half term, not quite up to speed health-wise so taking full advantage of being allowed to slow down a bit - kids need a rest too luckily! I'm tired just reading MrsF's half term activity-filled post, and enjoying my older children very much

Betsy Agree : MrsF could you hire an au pair - himself is away so he won't know - to at least give you a bit of assistance.
Older kids are great - DD is at the gym, DS is chopping wood in the garden.

Not drowning in cake, but on 2 weeks school holiday too. We spent a few days in Paris last week and I think DS (7) would have been bored, but we took his roller skates and he skated everywhere so was very happy even with all the falling over. He didn't do any major harm to himself or the Parisiens. DD (13) more interested in the 'shopping' than the sites but we had a good time.
(((MrsF))) I'd be tearing my hair out too, isn't there anyone who can take care of the DC to give you a break?
Since returning from Paris I've hardly seen my kids - they spend a lot of time with friends (I can't bring myself to use the horrible term 'playdate' it didn't exist when I lived in the UK) or we go out with my friends and their DC.
Betsy I hope you are back to 100% good health soon. Colds are not great for fasting.
TIP glad you had a good break and hope the jet lag as gone now.

My weight is stable so not really fasting bar the odd 16:8.
Just had a blood test and the iron supplements seem to have worked, I'm back in the 'normal' (if only just) zone so no longer anaemic. I've still been keeping running a lot of kms a week, making the most of the last of the autumn sunshine, but now my body is back to normal I'll be able to restart interval training and racing