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

Great to hear from you again, MrsF, Betsy
Are you still TKDing, Betsy ? You said you had a lovely group of women fighters.
I'm not surprised you have more construction projects ongoing, MrsF You are in your element !

If you have both more than a few lb to lose, why not join the main thread 60, just starting. We've a lovely lot of January newbies on 59 & 60 to support, as well as returnees.

Hi, Definite Well done for maintaining over the hols.

My longterm maintenance tips:

• Weigh daily and return to 5:2 if an extra 4lb stays for a week
• Regular exercise - it's more important for maintenance than for weight loss
• Keep good habits like No snacking and drink lots of water and don't eat unless hungry
• Don't return to your old (pre-5:2) WOE or you'll return to your old weight

Bigchoc I may just join the main thread.

Two FDs down this week already. So very much back on that wagon. Just need to start Jillian again.....

Btw Bigchoc. We lost one of the guinea pigs . DSs piggy, Thomas, died this summer. He had abcess inside his mouth and couldn't be saved (despite the £150 spent on piggy surgery and intensive care - vet saw me coming with DS who pleaded with her to save Thomas).

Poor DS. I don't think I've ever seen a small child crumple and weep like that.

We do have a replacement. The other piggie Rosie needed a new friend so we now have Litttlelittle (not little anymore. Quite big) and Rosie and Littlelittle are the best of friends.

Thomas had a funeral and is resting in the back garden of our new home under some English lavender chosen by DS. And no we didn't consider eating any of the piggies.

Oh yes BCF, still TKDing with the women warriors, and my army of smaller warriors is shaping up nicely too (kids tkd club)! Once our classes start up again next week I expect I'll disappear from here again as it all keeps me a bit busy.

2nd fast day down this week and I seem to have settled back into it nicely. Feeling good for it.

Aww, MrsF Poor little Thomas and poor DS. Mortality and illness are part of what pets can teach DCs, but it is always sad, even for grownups.
You would be very welcome to play with us on the big thread
Crikey, I congratulated the fasters day and their was a humungous list of names ! Lots of newbies after the hols.

Great to hear you have warriors small and large, Betsy
I still love my boxing too - I have lots of nice blokes to hit spar with and thrash at pressups.
< boast > Now that I can do 500+

Hello maintainers, can I join this thread? I reached my target of 9st 3 before Christmas and have maintained it over the hols despite a 2lb climb over new year. This is where I got to a few years ago but it started to go wrong in the maintenance period because I got complacent and didn't get back on the wagon after a cheese/wineFrench holiday. I always thought you went to 6:1 at target but the wonderful bigchoc has suggested 5:2 and eating back the cals on NFDs. What do you all do? What works best?

The 2 FDs were mainly because you hoped to lose a couple more lb gradually.
I personally do 2 FDs because of health benefits and gluttony, though !
We've a great variety of maintenance plans - daily 16:8 / 6:1 / Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat (up to 22 hr LOF) / ....
Whatever works for you and is sustainable

But no snacking and weigh at least weekly.

Thanks. I've done 16:8 a few times lately just by missing breakfast. Do I then eat TDEE in 2 meals? I have just been eating normal lunch and dinner, not counting but probably in the region of up to 350 cals for lunch and 600 ish for dinner. My sedentary TDEE is 1483 I think. Some googling suggested still eating 500 cals on 16:8 and others say eat normal meals just in a shorter window. Today I missed breakfast and didn't eat until 1.30pm so I had fasted for 18 hours. Sorry for all the questions, just want to get this bit right so I sustain this WOL.

This part of the thread is very quiet. Just wondering if any of you could give me some advice about how you all maintain, thanks to big choc for your help. still not sure how much to eat on 16:8 days, I've done 18:6 a couple of times and just had breakfast and dinner but not calorie counted. Does that still give me health benefits ?

Where are all the maintainers??? Hellllooooooo!

Hi love

It is pretty quiet on here - just coming on and saying you've not lost or gained any weight this week isn't really very interesting. And yet that's what we're about.

I think this is something you have to suss out for yourself. When I got down to my goal weight, I went on to 6:1 - which gave me some leeway to indulge myself on other days of the week. Not having to keep a calorie deficit is quite liberating.

But you have to be careful, of course. I'm lucky in that I'm a bloke, hence I just have the one belt - I gained 5 new holes in my belt when I was losing, and I just need to check when I'm tightening it that I'm still using the last hole. Others on here weigh once a week.

And I quite quickly moved on to missing breakfast each day - and if I've feasted on one day I'll eat less the next.

Now I just have the one 24hr LOF and a couple of 16:8s - they seem to do the trick.

All the best!

lovemyway I agree with B&W - you need to try stuff out and see what works for you.

Usually, maintaining for me is one proper 500 calorie fast day (Monday), a reasonable second 'fast' day but likely around 800-1000 calories, though 16:8 (Thursday). I then generally avoid snacks/sugar during the week, which keeps me to TDEE and enjoy a bit of feasting at the weekend. If I keep to that pattern then 'feasting' is not likely to go overboard anyway, even though it feels like a feast! I also do a lot of exercise.

In answer to your question I would say that the 16:8 will give you some of the health benefits but you should stick to your TDEE if you want to maintain the weight. Personally, sticking to daily TDEE doesn't work for me as the amount I eat tends to creep up if I don't have proper fast days to reset my appetite, which keeps my eating level under control and naturally around my TDEE.

Thanks B&W and Betsy I think I'm just worrying because I've been here before in 2012/13 and let it go. Since doing 5:2, I've realised I can miss breakfast and because I can't(work in a school) eat until 1.30, it's an easy 18:6 day without much effort at all. I suppose I could use that to my advantage on a 500 day and maybe do that on a mini FD too like you Betsy
I'm still weighing daily as it keeps me focussed. I did a mini FD on Monday (800 cals) and I'll do a 500 tomorrow.Dry Jan is helping too no doubt! It's so flexible this WOL . Thanks again.

One more question.....what is LOF?

Liquid Only Fast.

Only water and black coffee/tea if you're being strict - no soup allowed!

Thanks B&W, you're hardcore

Just checking in to say that I'll be back after the Tax deadline is over - and I've shifted the pasta and wine I over indulged last week in Rome

Hi everyone, new and old fasting maintainers. Betsy Mrs F I'm glad I'm not the only one to have fallen off the wagon. I've put on nearly 3 of the 6kgs I lost originally fasting, some is probably due to more muscle as my running mileage has gone up considerably (50 - 70 miles a week). 3kgs isn't catastrophic, but I'm back fasting again to try and shift them. Not that easy because I have another marathon in 8 weeks time and I seem to be hungry all the time. Good luck to all of you trying to get back to target, especially in this cold weather. Does anyone else get Reynaud's disease where your fingers go white and numb? I do and it's always worse on fast days.

Thanks B&W, you're hardcore

lovemyway, I'd only be hardcore if I felt any hunger on my LOFs - but I don't, never have. Very lucky in that respect, I reckon.

Now, Anglaise - she's hardcore!

3kg? Pah! You'll lose that in no time, Anglaise. Good luck with the marathon!

And TiP - stop showing off and get back to 5:2!

1.5kgs down so far, it has taken a while but one fast day per week plus a few 16:8 seem to be doing the trick slowly. Because I don't have a lot of weight to lose, I also don't want to lose muscle and still running most days it hasn't been possible to lose more weight more quickly.
How's it going for all of you who had a few kgs to lose?

But Anglaise you are a running machine nowadays !!!

I ache from head to foot after a couple of killer gym classes, my muffin top would be smaller if I drank less but my doctor described me as "very trim"
so I'm chilled.

'Very trim' is a lovely compliment TIP
Is it drinking that results in a muffin top? I drink quite a lot but don't really have one, I guess that body morphology has something to do with it too.
2kgs down and that's without a proper 500 cal fast yesterday
Friends have commented that I look leaner, funny they never said anything when the 3kgs went on last year!

Have just been lurking again , just to see who's still here..

Hope you are all well ..

Currently still a failed 5:2er, but Ill be back one day I hope. I am now doing the Michael Mosely 8 week Blood sugar diet and finding it really brilliant ( 9lbs in just over 2 weeks ... much better than 5:2 in fact)

However , the maintenance for that is pretty much like 5:2 but without the heavy carbs..

and.. ive given up (but only for the 8 weeks), I really dont want to have to do this again though..and I really dont want to tell you how much I put back on .. although it is out there..

Hopefully I may actually learn my lesson his time...

Hi Laska - nice to see you're back in the zone, so to speak!

I gradually gave up alcohol during the week, so I now only have it on weekends. I gave up for 3 weeks in November (until the celebrations got in the way).

I've gone from using up my full 28 units a week we used to be allowed, to about 6-8. Been surprisingly easy.

Good luck with the MM BSD!