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Interim target met or not?
13 Nov 2013, 14:32

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Interim target met or not?

by carorees on 13 Nov 2013, 14:32

I set my interim target at 73 kg some months ago, for what reason I can't quite remember...I think it was related to getting under a BMI of 27 (the evidence for a significant improvement in mortality risk for BMI of 25 vs 27 is pretty poor), it is a weight that represents the lowest I've been for about 20 years and I felt it was achievable.

Anyway, since Saturday I've been under 73 kg on each of my daily weigh-ins but my trend weight is still a little over...so have I met my interim target or not??? It feels like I have...

I'm feeling ambivalent about how to proceed now. Part of me wants to push on towards a BMI of 25 with all haste; another part of me is worried that maintenance will be so hard to navigate (how much of an increase do you allow yourself before throwing in another fast for example) that I want to take the next stage (BMI 27 down to 25 and maybe beyond if I'm not looking gaunt [I have a large frame]) really slowly, so that I put off reaching the point where I have to try to maintain a particular weight. This ambivalence is resulting in me dithering about whether to keep up the 6:1 fasting along with the 16:8 fasting or not, so I seem to have fallen into a 6.5:0.5 (plus 16:8) situation, where on one - or sometimes two - days a week I keep calories below around 850 rather than 500 (together with keeping carbs below 70g). My TDEE is around 1600 so that's a 50% cut in calories rather than a 75% cut in cals. The other days vary between 1300 and 1600 cal with occasional forays into 1800 territory, with carbs generally below 150g.

Although there are people starting out on their 5:2 journey at a BMI of 27, if I have met my target then that represents 32 kg (70 lbs/5 stone) lost in a little over 12 months. It sounds like such a lot to me that I am kind of worried about trying to keep pushing...is that weird?

You can tell from these ramblings that I'm not clear where I'm going at all!

I welcome your thoughts...

Weight at start: 105 kg; dress size UK 20
Target, 65 kg, reached 15 May 2014 - 18 months after my first fast
Current weight: 66.4 kg; dress size UK 8-10
Maintenance weight range: 64-67 kg
My method: 8 months of 5:2, remainder and maintenance 16:8 + low carbs
My story here
Follow me on Twitter @CJstGR


Nutritional coach for FastDay's sister company, Ways of Eating (www.waysofeating.com)
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Comments

Re: Interim target met or not?
13 Nov 2013, 18:27
Wish I could advise, but having only lost 10lb I am not in your league so to speak. But I do have an opinion. Maybe a stint at maintenance to give you and your body chance to get used to this new improved body. I'm not sure if there is scientific evidence to prove this but....does the body say "stop I've had enough already". I have seen many posts from you high achievers who tend to struggle with the last bit and are so focused on the end/goal number that maybe you forget the bigger picture. Is it another plateaux maybe. The one before the big prize perhaps. I know what you mean, the need to know where one is heading is half the battle.
RE: Interim target met or not?
14 Nov 2013, 01:42
I can somewhat relate to what you're saying Caroline. I hit my interim target last week and have decided to keep going. My interim target was actually my initial goal weight because when I started I wanted to pick a weight I could see myself achieving, and one that I had actually been before, rather than a 'dream weight'. When I saw the weight dropping relatively easily, I revised my goal weight two kilos lower, according to the Dukan 'true weight' calculation that someone posted on the forum a while back. Being in my 50s I'm mindful about not going too low because I don't want to look gaunt either and I think it might be good to have a bit of a 'buffer' in case of illness. And to be honest, I wouldn't really want to be stick thin, it's just not who I am.

So I'm thinking of keeping going for now, until I hit my goal weight and then I'll see. I think you need to do what feels 'right' for you Caroline. You have lost so much weight that your body may need time to adjust and have a bit of a break. I suppose you could take it as an opportunity to test out different maintenance strategies? Then if you feel you want to lose more weight you can get back into it. You have been such an inspiration for me; I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide. :heart:
Re: Interim target met or not?
14 Nov 2013, 15:40
While taking a maintenance break is not a bad thing, I think Christmas can be a dangerous time of year. There are so many parties, family gatherings, etc and there is so much food available. Many of the items are things we rarely eat and so are huge treats. Plus there is the emotional baggage that comes with some foods (butter tarts remind me of my childhood and making/eating them at family events - eating one always makes my mood improve, even if my waistline increases too). So... I think it is dangerous to take a 'diet vacation' at this time of year. It is probably better to aim for a modest lost in the weeks ahead. So that you start Jan 2014 off at a number you are happy with. The reality might be that you simply maintain between now and Jan 2014. But it may take aiming for a loss to make that happen. Hope that makes sense. Also, I do think maintenance, like many things, will have easy periods and hard periods. Both will require different strategies.
Re: Interim target met or not?
15 Nov 2013, 02:58
I believe that you've met a very reasonable interim goal. And I hear exactly what you're trying to say because I've had the same thoughts for many weeks.

My original goal weight was also rather vaguely defined. I'd decided that I'd aim for my high-school/ college weight as the most optimistic target but now, having gone from BMI 30.62 to BMI 24.4, I find that I don't really care that much about the remaining 10 pounds. I'm still carefully following ADF but readily admit to being a bit lax on fast-day calorie totals. The result? My morning weight has not varied more than 1-2 pounds for the last 6 weeks. That's telling me that my body is perfectly happy right where it is. So I find myself in an ambivalence-initiated, completely unplanned, yet unexpectedly successful - experiment in interim maintenance.

Do I still want those last 10 pounds gone? Sure. But for now I'm enjoying the interim scenery and can easily move on when I'm ready.

John
Re: Interim target met or not?
18 Dec 2013, 20:45
Maybe practice maintaining over Christmas holiday period for maybe 2-3 weeks then I think you will know what you will want to do then. There's no rush and you're waist is less than half your height so you are healthy. Yay!! Have a breather my love.
Xxx cheers,
Julianna
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