Maintenance Thread - some fasting, some low-carb, some exercise

[WhatWillSantaBring]

I thought I'd start this thread for those who have reached their goal and want some support for a sensible, sustainable way of eating. It may also be useful for those who are thinking about what they'll do when they get there.

Confession: I'm a yo-yo dieter and so don't claim any expertise in this at all, but I am doing things differently this time.

As the thread title says, I'm going to try some fasting (both 16:8 and 5:2), keeping to a low(ish) carb diet, and putting in some exercise.

Agree with a lot of what’s said.. I'm enjoying more exercise as now it’s being fitted into my work day (thank you work from home and spare commuting hours). So feels like a break rather than out of my evenings when there is lots of things I like to do.

I don’t know that I love or crave it, but I do think it could be part of my new normal, alongside a better balance with food. So I don’t feel deprived. I wish I could think of a less gross summing up.. but the saying there’s more than one way to skin a cat comes to mind!

I’ve not incorporated exercise and that needs to be my aim. I walk the dog mist day & I play tennis once a week so get a bit of a run around but I really need to do some resistance training. I just never get around to if.
I’m back up to 140lbs but have been drinking wine so need to curb that!!!

@Justasecondnow I'm enjoying more exercise............... I don’t know that I love or crave it,

Exercise has become very enjoyable to me, I enjoy the feelings I have during and after strength and flexibility work. But my main "exercise" is skating and it's almost a type of addiction. It's just so fun and freeing, whether I'm at the roller-rink, ice-rink, skatepark or inline skating outside. As I've gotten better and learned to dance and jump on my skates it's like I'm living a fantasy. And as I've made skate friends, it's honestly just the best fun ever. It really is like just going out playing with my friends for hours at a time. If it was bad for me I'd have to keep doing it but it's actually one of the best aerobic and anaerobic exercises there is, while being extremely low impact. My endurance levels are through the roof. I'm all lean muscle, my core is unbelievably strong and back pains I've had for 20 years have disappeared.

I’m a bit jealous alittleprivacy I am far too clumsy and generally find any form of skating terrifying! I do enjoy running but not quite in the same way. You are lucky to have found such a healthy passion.

I'm a little bit jealous of @alittleprivacy too - I'd love to find a sport that gets me so excited. I did in my uni days and for a few years after, but now i don't, and can't see a way back into them (particularly one, which was watersports, but I lived in the tropics at the time, and doing it in the UK just ain't gonna happen). I'm trying to get the running bug as that's easy to fit in, gets me outside and is not Covid-dependent) and have been thinking about you, @thenewaveragebear1983, while I run in the hope that your bug vibes will pass on to me. I did the C25k over lockdown, but had a break over the summer, and have just started again. I'm enjoying it but I'm not hooked yet - so i still see it as a chore to do to help keep me healthy. How long after you started did you find yourself hooked?

A good week for me - stuck to my principles of IF and low carbs (no food before 12noon, and no carbs except veg all week), and the weight I'd put on over the holidays has now come off. Meeting a friend tonight for the first time since I was at my fattest, and am very nervous...

Water sports in the uk just not the same I imagine! And re running, for me joining a friendly running group really helped; I enjoy my 7k having a natter - some are more into speed and times but I’m happy to get round, feel good about it and having had a catch up too.

Weigh in went well this morning - 4 weeks post finishing BSD (I think!) and I’m back at my finish weight 9.8 - down a lb from last week. Actually less than when I finished as was 9.8 something and I’m bang on it this morning.

Pleased about that - not going to get complacent though as would be easy to slip into bad habits for me. Going to enjoy the weekend though - within my sort of established parameters!

Ps why so nervous about seeing your friend santa?

@WhatWillSantaBring I'm not sure really, just something clicked in me. I set out committing to ten minutes a day and ended up running 1000 miles that year. I was at a very low point when I started though and I think the combination of weightloss plus endorphins suckered me in

I've had a good week. I've been back at work 5 days for the first time since 2004 so it's been rather a shock to the system but do you know what? I feel a million dollars right now; I'm on day 55 no dairy, grains, sugar and processed food and I'm just feeling really good on it. Sounds silly, but I feel free. I'm running really well, and I've done 3 hiit classes and one tomorrow. And I haven't weighed myself since day 30, but I am visibly losing weight. In fact, a weird thing has happened, I actually think I've lost weight on my feet! I always buy/wear the same brand and size of trainers and I've had these ones since July. Except this last week or two, my one trainer has been slipping on my foot, like I'm wearing a thinner sock?! I actually think it's a reduction in the almost permanent inflammation on my toe joint.

We're having a family do tomorrow, I've made a massive cake and we've ordered sandwich platters etc, so I have prepped some coleslaw, potato salad, and a really yummy tomato panzanella made with v low carb almond bread, plus some chicken for me so I don't need to be tempted by the sandwiches and sushi and pork pies.

Sorry for the gushy post

It’s great it’s working so well for you bear gush away!

My weekend was excessive... tons of last minute socialising and drinking and eating too much. Rule of 6 will put paid to a lot of the way I socialise (family of 4 + 4) so was a bit of a last hurrah. Healthy day today and had a good run too. Might have a booze free fortnight too. We’ll see.

Weekend survived. I'd say food wise it was excellent, as in I didn't stray at all from the plan. The only time I was tempted was when cutting the cake, the smell was almost overwhelming and I very nearly cracked and then several times since then when I've been cutting it for the kids and parcelling it up for family I've had almost gut wrenching pangs of desire. But I've not had any yet. I actually don't trust myself to just have one piece so that's sort of what's stopping me. But anyway, food was 👌 perfect. Probably drank more than I really should have on Saturday, and dh and I shared a bottle of red last night as well. I'm also very tempted by an alcohol free fortnight! It's my weigh in on Friday (day 60) so I'm determined to get back on it from today, and I have done.

It's my 60-day weigh in today and I'm down another 2lbs making a total of 12 since July 20th. (10.3) - although 10.3 is my weight, it's always been my sticking point/hurdle and I maintained there for a long time. I really think my body composition has changed dramatically though, I am visibly slimmer and can see muscle tone too. So may have lost fat but gained muscle.

I have to admit I'm a bit miffed it wasn't more, I have had an excellent month. But considering I maintained at 10.10-11.0 for quite a long time before starting this, then I know I should be happy that I'm now 12lbs down (with no calorie counting, weighing, measuring, and have literally eaten as much food as I want). I think I need to work on my scales addiction a bit more, it is amazing how still even though I know all this good stuff and feel so healthy, a number in a digital screen can make me feel sad. It really is ridiculous isn't it?

There's a few 'rules' of the whole30 that I'm going to focus on this month, (rather than foods as such because the food I've got sorted out now). But things like not eating between meals, not having so much fruit, always eating 1hr before a workout, and making sure I get enough variety. This last week variety has really been key; we lost last weekend to family stuff and as a result I didn't do a proper shopping list, and we ate a lot of chicken! This week I'm doing a proper plan and prepping my lunch salads in advance too.

So anyway, I'm going to do another 30 days! It's actually quite amazing for me that I'm now 60 days no sugar, no flour, no dairy (which means no chocolate, no cake, no sweets, no puddings, no junk food, no takeaways, no bread.....) and right now I actually don't want those things either so heading into the next week feeling strong!

To have eked out small decline "intuitively" without counting sounds like excellent outcome. Wholeheartedly support "if it's working keep doing it" approach. Will be interesting to hear the results of another 30 days. Super-lean, running machine bear?

Myself, am successfully maintaining by sticking to something close to the BSD with the addition of a couple of desserts here and there. Sweet stuff could become a path to weight gain, so need to come up with way to prevent that. Don't want to cut (for example) bread and cake out of life completely, though.

Anybody else find moderation more of a problem than complete avoidance? Made decision to not drink alcohol in 2020, have stuck to it without problem, but previous experience is that allowing myself to drink alcohol but "drink less" always fails. Why is it that halfway house - alcohol, sweet things, possibly smoking(?) - more difficult than complete abstinence? Or is it just me?

Yes, @outwest - I have exactly that problem both with dieting and with other vices (one cigarette on an occasional night out would be fine, but eventually/inevitably, I'd find I was back up to smoking properly within six months). It's one of the main reasons that I went for such a strict approach to weight loss (food replacement diet) because I'd tried many times before, and if I gave an inch, the wheels would come off completely. [apols for the mixed metaphors there]. I think its because it's easy to cheat yourself - if you haven't banned, say cake, completely, then you can allow yourself a slice because it's your birthday, and then because it's Saturday, and then because it's a meal with friends, and then because you've had a bad day and then on Saturday AND Sunday - stretching the allowances you make for yourself with every (delicious, gooey, chocolatey) slice. But if you have banned bread totally, then you won't have it on your birthday, or your friends' birthday or on Saturdays, or meals out, or even when your best mate brings you a freshly baked cake to cheer you up.

I'm using the same strategy as you - BSD mostly, no pasta or potatoes or rice with my meals, but the occasional pudding/cake. And trying hard to stick to one bottle of wine a week (between the two of us - again, if I take the breaks off on wine, it rapidly turns into 5 or 6 bottles over the weekend).

I'm maintaining, just - though the puddings and alcohol at the weekends do mean I'm yo-yoing slightly, putting on 2lbs over the weekend, losing it over the week, which I can't believe is a good strategy. At the moment, I'm looking at November for a month of total abstinence from alcohol and sugar - no carb bootcamp - to see if that will let me get down to my happy weight, but at the moment I'm trying to find a way of living that is sustainable, so that I can keep off the 20kg I've lost permanently without feeling like I'm denying myself.

...if you haven't banned, say cake, completely, then you can allow yourself a slice because it's your birthday, and then because it's Saturday, and then because it's a meal with friends, and then because you've had a bad day and then on Saturday AND Sunday...

Exactly this!

As for yoyoing, ~2lbs seems innocuous. Surely cannot expect straight horizontal line, unless have unchanging routine?

I agree with outwest that 2lb fluctuations don’t count as yo yo dieting. I’ve crept back up to 10.2 but that’s only 2lb over goal so I’m not stressing. I’ve had a shocker week with too much wine though. I’ve had a few treats here and there too. But it’s predominantly BSD and TRE. I am slacking a little so need to rein it in. If this last week’s behaviour continued, I’d soon put a lot back on. That’s why the scales are important to me.

@Kimlek I agree too. 2lbs is an almost daily fluctuation. I found (June/July time) that I was fluctuating 6/7 lbs and that feels like hard work. As a rule of thumb I tend to say that if you can't lose it within a week or so, it's yo-yo dieting? We all know a good BSD/low carb week can yield 3/4+ lbs loss so I'd go with that!

@outwest I definitely find that none is easier than some. It actually means the cravings go quite quickly too I find, whereas constantly reawakening the carb monster makes it quite challenging

I will also say with regards to the 'all or none' mindset approach, sometimes when we say 'none' it relieves such a huge weight of responsibility. There just is none. "I don't eat sugar" is so much easier than "I do eat sugar, sometimes, in moderation, if I've earned it, if the occasion is special enough...etc". Suddenly our minds have all these parameters to deal with and, when faced with the choice plus all these decisions, all we hear is the first bit "I do eat sugar, sometimes"....

I've been doing a lot of reading and listening around The growth mindset, and how a growth mindset really helps with long term weight management. With GM you state a fact and consider it already true (it's very yoga-ish as well)

So instead of "I will try to exercise more" you say, and believe "I am a person who exercises" and then through repetition of that mantra it filters into everything you do. It sounds boo-hockey but honestly it does work. Think about it from such an angle as "I am a good parent" and look at how all your behaviours naturally fall in line with that mantra (eg. We don't need willpower to get our kids up and off to school on time, no matter how hard that might be)

I can recommend a podcast which is very interesting on the topic if that's your thing. This whole series is brilliant.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?i=1000472958570

a growth mindset really helps with long term weight management

Presumably that of spiritual kind, as opposed to growth in, er, horizontal direction?

I lost 12 kilos over a two year period and now am at a weight I feel is right for me. I have managed to keep this way for 18 months now. I used to do HIIT at the gym 3 times a week before lockdown and now do mostly long walks. My weight is most dependent on diet though, I cook everything from scratch. Eat lots of salad and veggies. I try to limit wine but it hard to have just a tiny glass. I am sort of doing ok and the bonus is it reduces my snacking as I tend to snack more when relaxing with a drink. More than 16:8, 5:2 or even 5:1 works for me. It seems to reset my food cravings.

I used to indulge on weekends. But found a normal restricted diet on weekdays didn’t negate the excess from the weekends in the long run. I was having a slow weight creep.

I still go out on weekends But try to make healthy choices. So a salad instead of fries (then I eat half of Dh’s fries 😄), naked burger, and a gin with soda instead of tonic. And just a couple of spoons of a shared dessert instead ordering my own. It sounds a bit miserable but actually I feel I’ve had a treat

Well this week has been a bust.... over indulgent weekend, was all set to get back on it... then had a silly tiff with other half, kids acted up, I had a migraine and lockdown part 2 the remix is bringing me down. And so I comfort ate to a ridiculous amount yesterday. Not good.

Feel a bit disappointed with myself as before when overindulged it was socialising/enjoying food - not mainlining biscuits in an attempt to feel better. Not done that in months and months. And whimped out of weigh in this morning as a result.

Well I guess it happens no point catastrophising. My will power around food is usually pretty good. Just not when I’m feeling a bit down. Something to work on. Maybe bears podcast can help!

Enjoyed reading everyone’s maintenance thoughts and writing my woes makes me realise it’s not the end of the world really. Also def not drinking this weekend as my poor digestive system deserves better from me I think!

Hi checking back in. I have logged myself out of Mumsnet and inadvertently reverted to an old username - I was patchworksack. I am stable at 57-58kg for several weeks now but my body fat is still dropping imperceptibly slowly - currently 30.2% and my goal was to get it under 30. My DH has lost 12kg of his 15kg goal and is in diabetic remission so though we are staying low carb we've relaxed a bit and thinking more about the long term. I'm having a rotten time at work and fed up at the prospect of a winter of Covid so it's difficult not to turn to my old friends wine and chocolate. I think we might both do Sober October to halt the gentle slide to drunkeness. Fitness wise I have started a weekly HIIT class and then Yoga with Adriene to compensate for the hobbling around afterwards. I'm going on a yoga mini retreat next Saturday which sounds lovely - an hour class, a facial, sleep yoga relaxation session and food. They might have to scrape me off the floor with a fish slice afterwards!

I agree with you, newaveragebear - on the way subtle changes in our internal monologue can have a big impact, but I confess that I didn't know it was called growth mindset.

One of the ones from LighterLife was "I'm am lighter on my feet" (to replace "I'm trying to lose weight") and also "I make healthy choices". Except at the weekends I don't! I think i need to be less harsh on myself though, as although I did indulge at the weekend and have a slice of (freshly made) bread, and some apple crumble (picked the apples that morning) and a bottle glass of wine, the other choices I made at the weekend were good choices. Whereas six months ago, I'd have used the whole weekend to indulge - toast for breakfast, pasty for lunch, big dinner with carbs and pudding, I stuck to protein+salad at lunch and left the carbs off the main meal.

I'm now contemplating Michael Matthews (Thinner, Leaner, Stronger) as a plan for a few months, as I do want to lose the last stone and get rid of the fat which is stubbornly refusing to shift from my middle. He is allegedly about weight training + the right macros to lose fat and replace with muscle, which sounds like it's based on real science. But unless I buy the damn book, I can't find out if its any good, which is frustrating. Or I'm thinking about using a personal trainer for two months to get me on the right path. Any thoughts on the merits of personal trainers?

@WhatWillSantaBring honestly? I go to a circuits class run by a personal trainer, and I have done occasional 1-1 sessions. They make you work hard, and I suppose will show you how much further you can push yourself. They might correct your technique and show you things you weren't doing right or didn't know....but unless you're going to train by yourself too, and regularly. and unless you crack the food issue, it's just a workout. I hate to say it but it really does start, and end, with food. PTs are expensive too.
Personally I'd recommend an independent circuits, bootcamp, outdoor physical training type thing which will do all the boosting of a PT in that it will push you harder, but eg, mine costs 35 a month for unlimited sessions and I do 14/16 a month (eg bloomin excellent value). I love the banter and the group at mine now, we are such an unlikely group of misfits (not one of us is a gym bunny!). If you happen to be near Worcestershire (major off chance!) but I'll ping you the link!

I understand that desire to shift the last stone though, I was there for ages and that's what drove me to my radical lifestyle change, and I think I needed it to be radical to get me out of that on/off rut. I'm 9 weeks in now, and I have lost a stone, so sometimes it is worth that one final push

I hate to say it but it really does start, and end, with food.

Agree with (one stone lighter!) bear. Enjoy sessions with my diminutive, former GB ladies fitness champion PT but only go once a week because expensive. Do it to get different workout from yoga, forestry work etc. but do not expect it to have any impact on weight. That's all diet, for me anyway.

I also think you have to find a PT who supports your diet ideally, because my guy is a 25yr old 6ft7 vegan who had been sporty all his life whereas I am a 37 yr old mum of 3 with pcos; let's just say our views on macros, particularly carb intake, are very different!