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

Impressive fasting, B&W
Shows how differently our bodies react to the stimulus of fasting and / or exercise:

I normally need my full 600 cals (2400 TDEE) with half before training if that's in the evening. Otherwise, I've noticed I don't have my normal stamina and feel very tired the next morning.
I need 5-600 even on a rest day.

However, with morning training, like today, I can do 2 1/2 hrs fasted but yesterday was 18 hrs of massive meals, so not very fasted
However, I still needed 300+ cals at the gym right afterwards - I feel drained if I wait until I've showered and reached home.

Obvious differences to B&W: Age, gender, post-meno, omnivore not vegan, lots of spinning & boxing & lifting but no swimming, just a greedy BigChoc .....

How have the specialist runners, swimmers or triathletes optimised cals & timing ?

Blimey B&W! Well bloody done you

I have to get back in the fasting zone, having not done one in, um, about 3 months!!! Tomorrow is day one again, 39hours is epic, though I know it's been a gradual build up to get there.

I'm going to have to reassess my calorie contents with training now that I have to train for speed in 3 disciplines rather than endurance in one. Quite excited by it actually but also terrified - have gone as far as joining a meet up ocean swimming group

Big Choc I don't fast on days when I do a race or a long training session. And the day after a fast day I don't exercise until I've eaten something, even just toast for breakfast.
I was quite tired last week and in hindsight it was a coupe of days of light eating plus a fast day - I definitely wasn't on form for a couple of training sessions and the heat didn't help.
For running distances of up to a half marathon I don't think increasing the food intake beforehand is that important, neither is eating during the race. But for a marathon I'll definitely take more care to increase food intake the week before with no fasting. I've read that coconut water is a very good thing to drink during a race, although I've heard it is a diuretic which is less good during a race. Does anyone have any experience of it?

I try to drink more coconut as my electrolytes on long rides. I haven't found it goes through me any quicker than water or Gatorade.

On ALC I'd start every morning with a bottle of coconut water and a bottle of plain water. I'd normally get through one sports bottle every 20miles and tried to drink 50/50 plain water and electrolytes. I found in general coconut water gave me a good boost and didn't make me feel ski like sports drinks do.

Also generally find with electrolytes I don't need to wee as often as with plain water

An interesting study on people with Type 2 diabetes DiabetesJournal
found that eating only breakfast and lunch was better than 6 small meals for reducing weight and fasting glucose.
The same total calories were eaten by both groups.

That's not just fewer meals, it's a reduced eating period - 16:8 !
Diabetics were thought to be really in need of multiple meals, but even for them it seems fasting is best.

Bigchoc. That's very interesting. You always find some good science

Given that diabetics are still being told to eat lots of carbs it's not surprising lots are struggling with blood sugar.

Supposed to be a FD here. Doomed to fail. I'm a bit just now.
I've been in the process of setting up my own interior design business.
I had a national interiors magazine come and do a shoot and an article earlier this year
Article out today. Photos are awful. Colour is completely distorted making everything utterly crap and not something anyone would want.

It's was supposed to be THE big thing to help market the business and its rubbish.

I am and and at the same time.
How can they manage to distort what is a grey (purpley type grey in fact) into green?? Wtf.

I can't decide whether to rage or cry. So I'm crying (mature!). DC are out just now so I can.

This was the sort of 4 page spread article which could really launch thing for me. But it's so crap and makes every look crap and obv makes me look incompetent.

I'm pretty furious. But that magazine publisher also published every other interiors magazines that's worth being in, in the UK so I can't actually say anything to them

I've waited months for this. It was my big moment. What a fucking disappointment

Sorry none of that has anything to b
Do with 5:2. Other than I will be falling into a vat of wine and chocolate or possible cheese later on. Hence FD. (Sobs into cup of tea).

As you were

This is exactly the place to vent. So sorry to hear that MrsF

Massive bummer to have your plans messed up by incompetents. So strange too.
Let's hope prospective customers realise the colours are buggered - surely can't be the first time this rag has done that - and look at the other aspects of your designs.

Good idea to fast. Stay strong and stay hopeful.

Thanks Bigchoc

It's not really the magazine as such it's their photographer. He must have messed with the photos and the colour not only looks very odd (and ugly) but photos are grainy.

Grrr. I have some really beautiful shots that I took myself with a wide angle lens and DH camera and the reflect the colour scheme perfectly. Even on my website the look amazing.

I just cannot understand what happened to the photos for the article.

I could weep and weep. Honestly I could. With the colour alteration it looks utterly tasteless.

I just want to get the DC to bed so I can weep/drink wine/rock in a dark corner or possibly all three at once.

Argh.

Right. I've attached a photo which I took and then one of the magazine ones. I don't know if they will come out big enough on here for you to see what I mean about the colour.

Fwiw the kitchen units are supposed to be F&B Charleston Grey and the walls are Fired Earths basswood.

tbh, I can't really see anything wrong with the colour in either pic, but that may just my total lack of artistic sense.
Or it could be that you notice far more than a potential customer would.

Anyway, stay away from the wine cabinet and the kitchen !!

Don't compound your woes by doing anything you'll regret tomorrow.
Work off your frustration with Shred (ooh no, mustn't wake the DCs)

Well, 30 mins of lovely press-ups, tricep dips, squats etc will adjust your body's chemicals and distract your brain.

Hugs MrsF - that's a huge blow for you. Very very frustrating and disappointing. Maybe you can email your decent shots to the publisher that they could put on their website? Maybe worth a try.

Cross post with pictures - oooooooh, gorgeous! Your photos are better quality yes but I don't think it's a complete disaster. Not perfect but the colours are only a little bit off and good enough to send people in the direction of your website with the loveliest version I would think.

Bigchoc. You're probably right. I'm just whining.
I've built it up far too much in my own mind. That's what happens when you become a recluse once you have small children and not much going on in your life.

I've done my 90 squats for today (doing 30 day squat challenge). It's firming my bum but not as much yet as I expected. That said I'm only 10 days in so not even half way.

I may stay off the wine but I'm having some chocolate. If I ever get the DC to sleep.

Thanks Betsy

It's really annoying that the photographer chose to mess with the colours but completely omitted using photo airbrushing on the photos I am in! I wish he had "improved" me a little!

MrsF
I grew up in a house that was regularly in magazines - it had won an RIBA award - effing students turning up during Sunday lunch "to look at the detailing"
Sadly you have just discovered the true reality : they will never make you look good as you will then threaten their big clients

word of mouth and get YOUR pictures out there

Mrs F so sorry about the article. It must be a terrible disappointment for you that the photos are so bad. But maybe for the uninformed (like me) the graininess and colours wouldn't be so obvious. It probably isn't as bad as you think, honestly!
No fasting here this week, have decided to do another marathon in duo with a friend Sunday morning. At least I'm doing the first 22kms so it shouldn't be too hot.
And my friend is one of the fastest female runners in Brittany so we might be on the podium
Have started dating my plumber/electrician. I've quite fancied him for years but he was always happily married so never would have done anything about it. Now he is separated. He is kind, likes my kids and my constraints with the gites are no problem. In contrast to the knobhead.

Edit just seen the photos and to me they don't look bad at all...not a complete disaster in the slightest.

That's good news on the chap front, Anglaise: kind, likes your DCs - sounds just what you need.
A plumber/electrician is super-useful too

TIP . Thank you and Anglaise (group hug).

Dating a plumber/electrician. Now that is useful!! Sounds very promising!

All that marathon running sounds exhausting! (Not a runner). Well done and I think you're very brave doing it.

And TIP yes to word of mouth. Who ever decided to instruct someone to do up/design part of their home just from some photos in a magazine. It's isually a lot more than that.

Thanks again everyone. Sorry about the whining. Can't help it I built it all up so much in my mind.
In my career pre DC there was always PR, interviews and articles and announcements/press releases of work I and my team had done on a regular basis. And quite often the in house marketing department would put incorrect info out there and because their manager hated me, there would always be bad photos of me. But it never bothered me before.

It's just when you've been very quiet on the personal achievement front for a long time, getting anywhere feels momentous and you build it up far too much.

Stayed off the wine and choc. I have however eaten a punnet of blueberries and one of cherries.

Found you :) I've not been around lately as I've too much work to do and MN sucks up time. Still fasting and still maintaining.

I saw a group photo last night taken about 2 years ago. The first thing that struck me was how big both DH and I looked. Those thighs OMG!

Never again.

I'll probably slip into the background again until September so wishing you all a lovely summer.

French. Glad you're still maintaining. It's nice isn't it!

Also feels easier to maintain because they hard work of losing the weight is over.

I should step away from MN and get on with some work. I actually have a few hours of child care today so I am free. Well free to do some work

MrsF I'll join the chorus of voices saying sorry the magazine has upset you so, but aside from the pictures being grainy (which is weird, why do that??) I don't think there's as much of a difference to the untrained eye as to yours - gorgeous though! Hope it still garners you some interest. I so wish I had a good eye and knack for decorating but I really don't...one day when I am rich I'm going to employ a professional designer to help me create the home of my dreams

yay Anglaise a new bf is probably great for taking your mind off SBEx...and yes very handy, hope he's treating you well

I got a shock the other day, finally weighed in after my 6weeks of indulgence in the UK and have most definately put on 6lbs since the end of my ride. FD today and have cut out sugar and alcohol - to be honest my body needed the break, I very much enjoyed my 6 weeks of curries bacon butties, wine, gin and tonics and my mum's cooking - but I'm very happy to be back to almost-vegan eating, no alcohol and no sugar. It's glorious weather anyway so I don't feel the same levels of comfort needing.

BUT I am wobbly around the middle and the scales do not lie

FD should be ok today as I'm out of the house most of the day, playdates with DD this am then this afternoon I have my first volunteer session for a new role which should be exciting and terrifying in equal measures. It's also 1hr bike ride away so I can dust my lovely trek off, which hasn't seen the sun since ALC!

Americas. Thank you .

And all of you. You're always kind here (unlike other parts of MN at the mo. Yikes. Full of aggressive folk).

FD today. Needed. Went for dinner last night with DH and friends at Hutong at Shard. Wonderful. Are far too much but it was delicious. And the views were amazing.

So far LOF. Doubt I will last all the way till dinner as LOF though. We will see.

DH has taken DC to London Zoo so a few hours of peace here. Reading Sunday times (rare treat these days) whilst tending to the European laundry mountain.

Hope you've all had wonderful weekends in the summer sun.

More geek stuff I want to share

Eating excess fat or sugar is of course a problem in itself - high calories definitely matter.
However, such excesses, particularly in the form of processed junk, may cause additional harm by altering the biochemistry of fat storage and fat expenditure, tilting the body’s system in favour of fat storage.

Prof J. Wells wrote in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition: "all calories are not equal"
In particular sugar, trans-fats and alcohol have all been linked to changes in insulin signalling which affects how the body processes carbs.

Other important factors also suspected:
. Industrial chemicals, e.g. bisphenol-A (BPA) , used in many household plastics, alters fat regulation in lab animals.
. Changed gut bacteria, viruses
. Sleeplessness and stress, may affect leptin, the hormone that signals satiety.
. Less work for the body to maintain temperature, because of modern efficient central heating
. Long hours of electric light and "blue" light from electronic gadgets

All of these may be altering the way that energy is made and stored within cells, or by changing the signals in the fat-storage process so that the body makes more fat cells, or larger fat cells.

Very worrying how these changes seem to be passed biologically, not just socially, along the generations.

More in CausesObesity