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?

mumof regarding you ever passing your test, have you thought about driving an automatic? I learnt in a manual when I was 28 (quite late) and passed my test first time but as I've gotten older I find that I really really prefer an automatic as they are so easy to drive.
My sil is 34 and never learnt to drive as he was living in Asia at the usual learning time and didn't need to. He has tried driving lessons but due to work commitments and constantly moving around the country he has found it very hard to learn. He has now decided that when he finally settles he will try again but with an automatic. I know that some people would say that you are limited to only driving automatics if you learn in one and pass your test in one, but to be honest, since I switched to only driving an auto I have not ever needed to drive a manual. Just a thought

thanks tip and frenchfancy the 1930's is definitely my favourite choice, just concerned me and kids will be living in a building site with no money to do anything, and the 1960's is in a good spot for my short term needs, but as an investment, is not in a good location to make money. ho-hum, lets see what they say to my low offer.....!

virgin yes! I had thought of learning in an automatic, and then forgot about that plan, so thanks for reminding me, I think thats definitely what I should do, at least if I passed in that and then got my confidence up and experience of driving, then I could always take it again later in a manual if I felt it necessary! thanks!

I couldn't drive til last October at the grand old age of 29 and because I live in the States I learnt in and drive an automatic - it is so easy! My family think they're being smug when they ask when am I going to learn how to drive a "proper" car, the fools! Why are they making it harder for themselves?!

Fasting today for the first time in ages, frozen chioppino soup split between two meals so I know exactly how many calories I'm having, then I'm going to aim for a 24hr fast til pizza and movie night tomorrow.

I can't fast the day after training rides it seems, so bloody hungry!

Good luck Ezza, I'm worried about piling the weight back on just when I visit the UK, let alone when we eventually move back

a semi fast .... had a tub of soup for supper (chicken and quinoa - YUMMY) and a slice of bread.
tomorrow is Friday but cannot drink in the evening so will be mellow this weekend.
mumofcrazy gissa link to the houses ... even a PM ....
americas I did not learn to drive till I was 28 but now drive lots and lots and lots for work - not as much as DH though : this week will be over 1000 miles for him.

mumofcrazy if the 60s starter home is not in the best location and you only want it as a stopgap then I think you have to consider how easy it will be to sell it on later when you want to move. I can't see the housing market improving that much over the next 2-3 years but if you can get it at a very low price you might be able to price it low enough to sell later when you want to go. Beware of paying too much and ending up with something you can't sell later. 30s houses usually have good sized gardens too...if that's what you like! Whatever you decide, good luck and happy hunting :-).

Mumof good luck with the house hunting...go on, gi's a peak :) Links please, then we can let you know what we really think!

Ezzza give yourself some time to manage the re-entry...it's not surprising that re-adjusting is hard, even without the additional personal pressures you mentioned. In fact, massive kudos for sticking with you 4:3 whilst you get used to being back...I'm sure you will start losing again soon.

Was deeply irritated to get on scales yesterday morning, after a 36 hour fast with only 400 cals after 24 hours to discover I had gained over a lb!!! Grrr. Decided to teach my body a lesson by eating a massive croissant AND a danish for breakfast (not my faut, I was in a meeting and they were on the table...), and had a normal lunch and a mini Lindt bunny in the afternoon. Thought I'd messed up completely, but then had no time to eat until 11pm, when I had some quickly scrambled eggs with veg chucked in and a scrape of cheese, and half a piece of toast. Weirdly was back down to 9 7.6 this morning. Beginning to believe that 9 5 might be achievable after all.....

Went to see my physio on Tuesday as my knees packed up - I've not been for about 3 years....he couldn't get over how well and healthy I looked :) :) And he's known me for about 10 years, since I was super slim...

Thanks Filly, I kinda let the overeating on fast days go for the last two weeks as I had just come back and I was half expecting that'd happen with sudden access to all this stuff I've been deprived of for 6 months, but after the scales went up I decided it was time to at least monitor myself on normal eating days so that I can get them to actually be normal eating days. I have been back for 3 weeks now. To be honest, the fast days have become a habit, as normal to do as have a cuppa tea in the morning, so I've been finding them okay. I'm rather glad the fasting has been okay because if I gained a pound in a fortnight, which had 6 fast days in it, imagine how much weight I'd've gained without the fasting!

I'm having a much better day today. It's a normal eating day and MFP says I have 1250 kcal left for the day, though that includes exercise calories which I don't plan on eating back. I think the trick for me on a normal day is going to be to skip breakfast unless I really want it and to try to go for a run in the morning as exercise is an appetite suppressant for me. I'll keep experimenting though and see what works for me. The end goal, of course, is working out something so that I can stick to roughly my TDEE without having to count calories, and preferably without having to monitor it. (Even if that's just an average over the week. It's nice to have a day now and then when you can just let yourself go isn't it?)

Filly Well done about the knees. I find the lower my weight, the less pain I get : what I was at my peak is the equivalent of two HEAVY shopping bags extra at all times. Last time the quacks looked at mine they said they may never operate as the combination of weight loss and yoga has compensated for the lack of cartilage.

Ezzza My normal day is liquid breakfast, small lunch, reasonable supper and its working really well at maintaining so far.....

Hello again, I keep reading your posts everyday since starting last year September 4 for inspiration and now just want to post on how I get on. I was on plateau since January by gaining and losing same 2 pounds until 2 weeks when I started losing again. I did not give up because fasting just became a way of eating for me now that it becomes a second nature. Friends that haven't seen me for a long time commented that I look slimmer when I was single which was right because I am slimmer now and eating well, sometimes friends commented how can I eat so much without gaining? I told them about this WOE but they think that it's wrong to fast, oh well I tried to tell them my secret but they seem to be sceptical. Training for the marathon is doing really well, the weight loss helps to make me a bit speedy and I seem to have more energy fasting or not. I now loss 24 pounds and I've never seen this low weight for a long time, my early 20's. I am now on my third goal to loss 6 pounds, but I am happy now even if I stayed on my current weight.

The normal day thing is interesting isn't it TiP? For me having breakfast is now a treat confined to lazy weekends or when I'm in a hotel . This morning I just had a couple of hard boiled eggs from my stash and a handful of dried apricots with lashings of tea and coffee and the weekend paper. Bliss.

I just portioned out and put in the freezer the remains of the chick pea curry - will enjoy that when I don't have time to cook next week.

My DD is back for Easter so we've had the invasion of friends - I was paraded as the example of someone who has done this successfully - as they've all seen the books in the shops and were talking about it. it's such a simple WOE, with such potentially huge health benefits - and interestingly they really all did get the fact that 'eating normally' had to be healthy eating.

I am failing at the normal eating though - yesterday's 24hours fast ended in a complete and total binge...eating for hours after I was already uncomfortably full. boo.

So, normal fast day today for me I think. It was fine waiting out the 24hours but I think a mental switch was triggered that said "now you can gorge" (I wasn't going to count calories as we were having pizza with friends, maybe that's just what I need to do though - attempt the 24hours AND stick to 500kcal)

How's SHred going for everyone btw? I've finally progrssed onto level two but am amazed at my arms - I have always hated my arms and now they look awesome! And there are actual abs starting to show! Makes the motivation to do it in the mornings much easier have to admit

This mornings breakfast - at around 11am - was bacon, scrambled eggs and brioche. Nom nom. Skipped lunch but will have a nice big supper.

I think its part of learning to eat if you are hungry, rather than just because its a "meal time"
but I'm terrible for the late night post wine munchies. Somebody must have stolen all that cheese last night!

Americas
being toned is fun isn't it - I like wearing strappy tops in the warm weather because I know my shoulders and arms are lean.

I'm still shredding; Only doing it about twice a week though as I'm running and riding as well.

Done level 2 today but I'm going to go onto level 3 next time.

Evening boredom/pot wine munches are definitely my weak point too.

But it's so nice for the first timer ever being happy out wearing strappy tops - and strapless tips now breastfeedingx2 has made my boobs disappear

strapless tips?!?!?!? Hmm...

Another automatic driver here - and another late learner at 30.

Automatics are safer, IMO, you've got both hands on the wheel, after all!

My SIL and my son wouldn't be seen dead driving one - "You can't drive an automatic! I like to be in charge!" Load of rubbish!

Tip, if there's a Mr Simms sweet shop near you, check out the dark chilli chocolate for your OH. At £2.99 for 110g it's expensive, but as an occasional treat (weekly in my case! ) it's worth it.

I made a cottage pie for dinner tonight and there was enough left over to plate up for another meal. I say 'was', because I've just demolished 3/4 of it over the past 20 minutes - cold, but then, I'm no gourmet! I've also been topping up my wine glass at regular intervals, so it's all good!

I'm presently listening to the cricket in NZ (hi WildWater if you're watching) and, while England are batting, I'll probably stay up. So how much of that cottage pie will be left by the end of the night, or how much wine will be drunk, are both moot questions!

But I checked my belt when I dressed this morning, and I can pull it through about 4 cms from my last notch, so my weight is not an issue. (Lovely phrase, that, 'Weight is not an issue!' Brilliant!)

Just watched a video, posted on The Fast Diet forum - it was OK, but not sure I learned anything. Except that obesity might be caused by a virus - and that if you have gained weight, you're very unlikely to ever be able to lose it again, and that some naturally skinny people can lay down muscle as the rest of us lay down fat. So there's something there of interest. It's a Horizon programme, about 5 years old, "Why are thin people not fat?". Alas there's no dishy Dr M! [sad for you guys!]

Anyway, here it is:

www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&p=21573#p21573

Have you folks seen the article I posted about ageing, on the T&L thread? Well worth a look.

Eeek TOPS! tops!

Oh crikey cold cottage pie sounds amazing...can't even remember the last time I had that, or shepherds pie, or a warming casserole. My whole WOE has changed so much since moving to warmer climes!

Hi ATB - of course it's still evening where you are, isn't it?

My palate (or something) requires something sweet after a savoury, so my mind has been continually on the Chelsea buns I made earlier - and so far, I've been able to resist.

I'm getting a bit chilly - turned the heating off when everyone else went to bed - and a mug of cocoa would go down well, ATM. But I know if I had a hot drink I'll automatically reach for one of those buns! And, I've just remembered a couple of homemade choccy biscuits (Oaties, spread with melted dark chocolate and given a minute in the freezer) I made this afternoon.

Then, I think to myself, Weight is not an issue. However, Jiminy Cricket, on the other shoulder, is saying, "You shouldn't be eating all those carbs and sugar".

I've just put the kettle on...

Oaties, spread with melted dark chocolate and given a minute in the freezer

mmmmm......

Yes B&W that article on ageing was very interesting and what an amazing woman to continue her work despite lack of support from her peers.
Seems that maybe she has found the key to what we would hope our old age could be, long lasting but more importantly healthy and love the fact that she too found sugar to be evil but her exception was dark chocolate - yes!

Can we have the ageing link please?

BCL I posted the link both on the main thread and on the links thread - did think of posting it here, but being a lazy bugger never got a round tuit!

Whenever I have a link to post, I always make sure it's on the links thread, at least.

it is 7:45am, my lovely children let me lie in til 6:10am (believe me, this is an incredible lie in) topped by the fact they both slept through as well...I am a cuppa down in the game and about to put on Shred.

According to the scales I am stuck at 133lbs, having got to 130lbs last week, but you shall not beat me scales, I DEFY you!

Farmer's market today so I am going to have the very healthy but delicious treat of grilled fish tacos to reward my efforts

Yay, I finished eating dinner at 6.45 - and remembered to look at the time.

I'm posting this on here because I shall eat normally tomorrow evening - and I'll do a full

I'm the same B&W so only now doing either juice/raw food days or proper

So this is where you all are!! SO much more amusing than the other threads!

Congratulations B&W on the expected grandchild, Laska on the size 8's and everyone else on their individual victories. Hope it's OK for me to post here. I put 7lbs back on while on holiday (and definitely not fasting) but it's beginning to come off again, so almost maintaining...