I F - 5:2 - 4:3 - Maintaining the healthy weight

[TalkinPeace2]

This thread is for those who have been doing IF for quite a while and are now at or nearing their target healthy weight.

How do we experience fasts and balance a stable food intake while having little or no weight to lose?

How to we ensure that this WOE does keep us at the healthy weight long term rather than revert to yoyo games?

I have now been at the same weight for a month. I'm happy with that. I'm also still enjoying the 24 hour fasts because of the clear mindedness I get during them.

How about you?

Well done Giraffes! I hope your DP is going to join you on the exercise dvds too...

I'm looking to fasting tomorrow - unusually, it feels like there's been an awful lot of crisps, pudding and chocolate this weekend, not that I haven't enjoyed the indulgence but will be nice to cut off the supply; a fast day is like a full stop at the end of a gluttonous sentence.

I'm so pleased to see long term 5:2 people getting into the shred - not my thing
but I've worked out a set of yoga poses that spell out my name so will take some (slightly braggy) pictures in a couple of weeks

BUT
muscle tone is incredibly important for posture and everything else
so losing weight without gaining fitness seems pretty pointless to me

TIP yes defo! I have been reading that app excersising doesn't help with wieght loss but hopefuly it will help with the finished result looking better! Also statistically we are much more likely to keep the weight off if excersisng which is really important - I am sick of yoyoing. Plus theres the endorphins and cell renewal in brain. Can't believe how much more important excersise is for health than I realised, it suddenly becomes a lot less boring.

Betsy I now have a funny picture of dp and I thundering around the front room in lycra!

MWHAHAHA !! EVIL JILLIAN here !!.. Is anybody ready for Level 2?

Shredded! Not nearly as sweaty as previous efforts so I think my next session will be a level 2 (maybe tomorrow?)

morning all, welcome back talkinpeace woop woop! good to have you here again.

Fast day today, only did one last week with half term and visitors, but don't feel like I overindulged particularly, so looking forward to a mon and weds fast this week as well as Shred, still didn't make it at the weekend as I had a big late night 40th party on sat night so a lazy chill out day with kids yesterday and a roast chicken dinner.

So Evil Jillian, I hope to start level 1 shredding tonight, I don't think I can do every day, but we shall see. fingers crossed! did anyone take measurements before starting?

good news Frenchfancy on clothes all fitting!

giraffes I loved Paul McKenna when I did it a few years ago, I watched teh US tv show (totally OTT, but very inspiring) - i'm quite visual so it worked to reinforce the book, and I found myself proselytising about it to all and sundry, unfortunately despite keeping the weight off easily for about 18 months, I stopped 'eating consciously and listening to my body' although I do eat smaller portions now than before, so the weight gain has been very slow and maybe more to do with drinking alcohol again, but I think once the weight is lost if you maintained with fasting - essentially what I am doing now, this could work really well.

greeneggs enjoy the kitchen and bathroom shopping, I love interiors shopping, so much fun! ikea and Libertys are my guilty pleasures!

Morning all. Still plodding on. Fasting day number 47 for me. I am getting seriously bored of the food I am eating on fasting days. Is that recipes thread still around anywhere?

I gather you have been in exile TIP? I don't come on this thread often as there is nothing much to report ... I doubt many of you are interested in my dh's weight losses, but he is 90% of the reason I am still bothering!

FlouncingMintyy your name made me laugh!

recipe thread

If you're bored with the food you're eating on your fast days, I'm guessing you haven't yet made my calorie counted cheese and tomato pizza!

Check it out! Also all the lovely chilli and curry recipes on there.

I'm never bored cooking on my fasting days! [smuggitsmiley!]

Been away for a couple of days with no internet access - painful to say the least.

Had a quick look at the main thread - great post by Ezzza!

And I have to say, TiP - your patience is wondrous to behold!

B&W good to see you back! :)

mumofcrazy thanks! I'm actually terrible at this sort of thing. I know I love certain things, but am definitely someone who needs a guiding hand/ designer to tell me what works in a space and what doesn't. Inlaws are helping to finance the kitchen so we might be going German (they're German so if we buy German I'll 1) get an awesome kitchen and 2) I won't have to hear about how my kitchen is crap because it's not German. ).

As for 5:2, I'm in a holding pattern still, as I've simply not been in the mental zone for losing weight, if that makes sense. Had one week where I only managed one fast day (was on holiday, and I knew I'd only do one fast) and this last week featured my son's birthday and a whole lot of cake. I fasted twice but am essentially still trying to recover from the holiday week!

Anyway, nothing happening this week so it's fasting/eating as usual. Life goes on. Am fasting today.

(jillians maniachal laugh still ehoes) I did pilates with fern britton (pre weightloss) today

Greeneggs effectively you have lost the weight you might have put on during stressy moving house stuff.... at german kitchen, our old plastic mfi one is getting decidedly tatty!

mumofcrazy thats good to hear about pmk I am manipulating some of his ideas by fasting i guess but today was meant to be a normal day but I wasn't hungry this morning so turned it into a fast which sort of works with his principles.

Really love the 21 day transformation primal book by Mark Sissons, it is very persuasive; I can't afford to eat the way he describes but will aim to lower carbs and processed food as that will save money and be healthier.

B&W : I only hit the big thread for short periods of time ... and after my paleo rant on the other site

cutting down on processed food is a really good goal - the Horsemeat saga is ongoing (Ikea meatballs today) - if you start with recognisable ingredients you KNOW what you are eating ....

TIP I need to read the paleo rant am off to the other site! Your right knowing what eating does seem the main way forward ... blardy conflicting nutrition advice [confusion]

about unplugging cooker! Prob no harm from eating more eggs and a bit less bread (winces looks over shoulder for B&W) and lattes which is probably as far as I will end up with it! Need to shake something up a bit to get the lbs moving....

on the Paleo rant.... Thats our TIP!!.. on the rural roads i travel back home there are often a lot of not-too -squashed pheasants .. I have often wondered about picking them up .. apparently if you hit one yourself you cant have it but you can if someone else has hit it..

I have totally fecked up the fast this evening.. have been packing and carrying stuff all day (we are moving office) and am just too tired.. ill be giving Evil Jillian a miss today also . sorry people... a failure today ..

It was only a little rant
but the whole "paleo" stuff seems to assume that they had access to Ocado.

I may be in holiday but I still shredded. Still on level 1 as my friend did it with me and I thought it would be cruel to start on L2.

On the clothes front I went jeans shopping, tried on loads of S12 skinnies and 1pair of S10. They fit Ok so I had to peel them off me but they were done up and everything. It has been 20+ years since I put on a pairs of 10s. (I didn't buy them as they weren't quite right but still.)

On the 5:2 front my friend has T2 diabetes controlled by insulin. She met with her nutritionalist at the hospital today and has been given the go ahead to start 5:2. She needs to be careful that her levels don't go too low but other than that the nutrionists was very keen and thinks it is going to be the next big thing in treatment.

Please can I delurk and join you from time to time? I'm not going to ask silly questions or want acronyms explaining and I may even join in the shredding but I can't keep up with the main thread any longer . I've been following this thread from the start and I'm seriously starting to feel like a stalker so just wanted to say hello!

Yay of course Northstarmum pull up a seat and get chatting, but do watch out for Evil Jillian..

Ive just made (and posted on the recipe thread) an Aubergine, Chickpea and Spinach curry.. its for tomorrow , but already tasting pretty darned good...

(I think I'm getting a cold which could be why I'm feeling a bit tired and heavy -legged .. ) .

Well done French on shredding and getting your friend involved also ..You should have got those sz 10s because you wont be in 12s much longer.. , i've lost my bum somewhere , and am now starting to think of 8's

(btw I'm not seriously contemplating road-kill.. well not yet anyway... though what with the continued public sector Cuts, lord know where and what ill end up doing .. )....

..oh yes I was in a shop today and saw Pom Bears!.. somehow I wasn't tempted..

Welcome back TiP ...I missed whatever it was that made you go off, but even more than that, definitely missed your posts on here

I just wanted to say thank you (again) to everyone for your supportive posts...biopsy results tomorrow, and it is sounding (although not yet confirmed) as though this will at least be treatable...

Managed a fast yesterday, but seemed to have put on several lbs over the weekend, so not quite back at target weight even this morning. Might have to pass the rest of the week, or do some half fasts...I've got several meal-based work and social things, and tbh my heart isn't really in it...in addition to my mother, dh is going into hospital for an op tomorrow morning, and dc3 is at home ill....

No AF this month. Honestly thought I was past peeing on sticks....dh thinks it might be the fasting but I suspect it was more likely to be the stress. Pg test negative (thank goodness...3 is enough is for me!) but wonder if it being TOM (even with a no show) is affecting weight?

FF - glad you're enjoying the clothes. Topshop skinny jeans (Baxters if you like low rise or Jamies for high tummy and a bit of stretch) are amazing - and relatively cheap :)

Filly hope the good news continues with the rest of your family.

Announcement
Just like to tell all my friends on here that my wife and I are to be grandparents again! That'll make four - and it's our daughter's first. [woohoo!]

We knew at 6 weeks she was pregnant and she's now 14 weeks. But, after a miscarriage and a termination last year, we've waited until all her tests came back positive - so now we know she's carrying a healthy baby! Apparently the odds are over 8000:1 that the babe is fine!

Her three young cousins are absolutely delighted and needed all the details:

Alfie (7!) wanted to know if she had to wee on a stick!

(TMI in two consecutive posts!)

Olivia, 9, wondered how we could behave 'so normal' if we had known she was pregnant when they were visiting us over half term.

Have to say it wasn't easy!

Anyway, enough of that off-topic stuff:

I was teaching in Yeovil this morning - which meant a 7.45 start! [eek!]

To get an extra 15 minutes in bed, I decided to have my 'breakfast' last night! So I ate a bread roll with marmalade and a mug of cocoa about midnight.

This meant I could be out of the house 20 minutes after the alarm went off! If I was still working, instead of semi-retired, I'm pretty sure I'd do that every day.

Despite the fact that I was supervising the making of Chinese buns - baozi (thanks Ezzza - more to come on that subject!) - and fancy dinner rolls, I never felt the slightest twinge of hunger.

Ate normally at 1pm - didn't really feel the need, except I'm supposed to be maintaining!

Aww, lovely news bread&wine! I bet its just wonderful being a grandparent.

I woke up at 4am and was kept awake by my rumbling stomach (fast day yesterday) so feeling cross-eyed with tiredness today. I had a big bowl of muesli at about 8am after I'd got breakfasts and lunches ready for the dc and was starving (not just a little bit hungry but really properly HUNGRY) again by noon. I know its cos I just ate carbs for breakfast, some eggs or yogurt or something would have kept me going for longer.