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?

Mum of, your new house looks bright and clean and cheerful, I think that when you get there you will be really glad that you can do any altering at your leisure or just enjoy as it is. Good school catchment too!

mocnk a Wirralite! So's my lovely DIL, from Heswall. Hope your house purchase goes smoothly and you're very happy there.

hello again ..
just popping in again quick ..last minute house cleaning chores done (cleaning for cat feeder!! duh!) and now about to pack with a glass of ..

So (shallow person alert) I'm getting to see several cousins and fashionable female reles on Oh side that i've not seen since I was (gulp) 12.7 st! this weekend.. Its darn cold , but i want to wow them a bit (see.. I did say shallow) so I'm thinking of taking , boots leggings or skinny jeans ( with thermals if needed ) and a woolly short dress/tunic and then something a little slinky for the Saturday night bash,,

.. I have this or this in the wardrobe..i'm tendingtowards the purple and black frilly.. What do you think..?

TIP when are you off to Crete? I dont need Ikea now he's moved but we could do John Lewis coffee shop instead (they do fab orange almond cake!! -nom) and look at the summer clothes.. Have you walked the Samaria gorge? , if not def a good day, though if kids are going may be too long for them..

MOCNK.. like the house .. you should be able to make your mark on it later , but yes a good base to start with.. I do hope it works out for you.. when are you moving?

ooh and this also and a nice grey lacy thermal top to wear under it..

I can only get one in the cabin case ! as Easyjet!

oh yes I heard from Cyclistist today also .. He's fine , but like me has slipped a bit on the fasts, but not put on much he says .. we need to encourage him back ..as he's not been able to get back on the bike with all this weather

I'll be up for returning to hard core after the weekend.. so watch out for the return of Evil Jilllian ! MWHAHAHA!!

I like them all Laska. But I think the black and purple is more funky than the other 2. I'm sure you will wow whatever you wear.

Laska
We'll do John Lewis after Easter. The big gorge is closed till later in the month - but there are lots of smaller ones we can check out.

Mumof
YAY! Excellent that you've got a base.

ATB
I tell people and most now know somebody who is doing it ....

I like the wrap style one - but really which one makes you feel brilliant?

You'll have such a great time basking in the compliments

Ooooh I love all of them Laska....the grey one is really striking but I think I'm erring towards the purple and black too

Ok I'll tell my friends - you're right, they probably know people doing it and I have to do something to combat the lack of exercise while they're here (afraid I WONT be jumping around to Jillian in my grundies while they visit!)

Congrats mumof, how exciting! When do you move?

I bought my new bike today for my ride - I whined about the one I'd chosen (and could afford) only being available in flowery colors and design, so the manager gave me the next spec up for the same price, whoop!!! It's beautiful, can't wait to get out on it next weekend on a training ride of 100miles (argh!)

tip have a great holiday! Am [envious]! We are off to the Wirral to stay with mil (a Wirral theme now running to make mum of feel right at home already!). laska I loved the clingy purple or wrap ones to show off your figure but catsrus is right-go with what makes you feel fab and you will glow with confidence. Have a great time. Fast for me today and I don't really feel up for it but I'm hoping to be so busy packing up that the morning will whizz by.

I'm am literally failing every fast at the moment, I don't know what's going on, just binging and binging.

Help?!

Is the binging once you start eating atb? Have you tried restricted eating windows and just slowly making them smaller until you get control back ?

atb maybe you just need a break from 5:2. Why not have a week off and satisfy whatever these cravings are that are making you binge and then come back to it when your head is ready.
If I remember correctly you've been very successful on this woe and have reached your target? What does it matter if you have a little break now? You know that you will be able to correct any damage done, easily.
Sometimes we just need a break from constant routine

atb I see you have friends coming for a couple of weeks, that is most prob why you are in a bit of a panic and your eating is out of control. Don't panic. Do what you want to do and if that is to have a break and then come back refreshed then do so without guilt.
But you may find that you want to skip breakfast or have some mini fasts whenever they will fit in, so do those.
It's not the end of the world, you won't suddenly balloon up overnight. Somone as active and committed as you to this woe, will have no problem coming back and losing a few lbs (which would be transient anyway).
Have a great time with friends and enjoy your success so far

That's a lovely response virginposter Thankyou. I think despite everything I still have the fear mentality and in a very unhelpful way this sabotages my attempts t healthy eating. It's def once I start eating, I just dont stop, even beyond the point of fullness.

Maybe I should go back to 2/3 proper meals a day for now, especially with children on Easter holidays and friends coming. Try to get back into focussing my food in enjoyably stuff when I'm hungry, but when I'm hungry having a meal and not snacking.

I think I'll start being really strict with inputting in MFP too to help me see what exactly I'm consuming. And I'm going to go back through the hints and tips and redo the research on non-weight-loss benefits.

Ok, plan made! Ugh I just hate the guilt of binging but it just makes me binge more, still have a long way to go to redress my relationship with food!

ATB
You'll be OK.
It might be worth just recording exactly what you eat and when for the Easter holidays.
Do not try to fast or anything like that, just keep a record and where possible try to identify the binge triggers - as once they are spotted, they are easier to control.
If you can stop ANY snacking, and just eat at meal times then you have made a massive leap towards enjoying good food in sensible quantities : which is the real goal.

Here's a conundrum for you, folks!

We've got a perfect day here in Somerset - beautiful blue sky, etc, etc. And we have my son and his family - with three lovely grandchildren staying with us.

So, perfect day, right?

Except that we're shortly to be joined by my daughter - Auntie Emma to the kids! !

So it's going to be even more perfect than before!!!!

Plus there are two batches of HCBs in the oven - one 'normal' batch, and one with chocolate chips and 'no cinnamon, please' for DD!

Happy days!

B&W sounds (and smells) like heaven!
Happy Easter [busmile] [busmile] [busmile]

The cellophane came off the Shred DVD today... I watched it while I was eating my soup for lunch.

Not as lazy as that sounds. I plan to start it this week but I need to watch it first so I know what I'm meant to be doing. Otherwise I spend the whole work out sitting there squinting at the tele trying to work out what I'm meant to be doing!

Just checking in as I haven't been on for a while. I've been doing a 'relaxed' 5/2 for a while now (700-800 cals on a fast day) and maintaining around 8st 9lb pretty easily. I'm guessing I'm also eating less than I used to on my ordinary days. It certainly seems that way. However, I would like to get to 8st at some point so once the Easter holidays are over I'm planning on a month of 4/3 before going back to 5/2. I'm hoping the shock will kick start some more weight loss . I've also got to say (now the clocks have gone forward) that was the first winter I haven't suffered from SAD . Brilliant.

Hi all. I'm back from Copenhagen, had a fab weekend but really cold , but we also had some romantic snow ( well perhaps not so romantic for those of you who have had loads this winter).

lots of eating and drinking and so I put on a couple of pounds but have managed a a proper fast today .. and am just going to bed.. (ill not be around too much for another week or so as I really am supposed to be finishing my assignment , but now I'm back I'm now thinking Holiday Bikini ( 11 weeks to go I think) .... so must get properly back in the Jillian and fasting zone.. today's fast was a good start ..

just swiftly popping in to say it got cold today - down to 15 degrees - but we were on top of a mountain.
Beach day tomorrow. And the food here is WONDERFUL : lots and lots of fruit and veg and lean meat. I'm eating too much of it though! When I get home I'll put some of the Cretan recipes onto the appropriate thread.

Including a Cretan bread recipe, if possible, TiP!

Hooray! Just an hour into a 24 hour fast - actually finished eating at 5.57, earliest yet!

Going out for a game of cards tonight, taking along a pizza I've just made in my chiminea - and all I'll have is water and coffee!

I'm jealous TiP and B&W I made the first nettle soup of the season - which was delicious - but it was a non fast day today and I really should have had some interesting bread to go with it. Instead I ended up making some cheese on toast, and then a couple more slices .... 6 slices later.... At least it was wholemeal bread, I enjoyed it, and it was, in the end, very filling

Everyone seems to be nicely on form - on the subject of bread, I haven't really been eating it as US bread is disgusting, but DH was bought a bread machine for his birthday and even though the first attempt was a bit heavy, it was delish!

Successful fast day before yesterday then yesterday our friends arrived and we had a bit of a chat about 5:2 in the car, they both have a few colleagues who did it and love it and I think I can make a couple of fasts fit in while they're here - I'm rehearsing tonight so thought I'd make a IF happy lunch for us all then skip dinner, they'll prob order in with DH tonight. Saturday is my first century ride so no fasting tomorrow or Saturday and prob not Sunday as I get SO hungry the day after big training rides (prob cos I burn so many calories) so if I plan food well I can fast Monday. They're staying with other friends weds-fri (and DH is in China) so even if I don't manage/want to fast Monday, I can squeeze two more in at the end of the week, enjoy the w/e with them before they head home.

Feeling much more in control!