The FastDay Forum

I read maintenance stuff with awe..
Really want to have that M experience.. Some day, one day..long way to go yet tho x

First time to have a semi-fastday (fastday breakfast and lunch, normal dinner) to maintain. Which seems fine in terms of weight. Just see what happens the next days.

This week one regular fast, looks like 6:1 is the current strategy. During the week the weight gain is enough to prevent getting below the limit.

Interesting to read that the need to "not lose too much" and thus go below a healthy weight is strong for many. Not a maintainer yet, it would seem like a nice problem to have but then again, shedding too much couldnt be good. Seems you have found a great solution with your 6:1 principles.

I am also very pleased to see that there isn't an inclination to go too low. Keep up the good work!

Hi @P-JK

You are doing so well with your maintenance! Any tips for how you manage to not over-overindulge/binge - or was that never a problem for you?

(I would love to only do a "standard" 5:2 fast occasionally, and just rely on 16:8 to give me fasting benefits, but I have too many days of exceeding TDEE significantly. Like you, I find that fasting does shift any excess pretty easily, but I would still prefer to be eating!!!)

Cheers!

Hi @Sassy1
No problems with binge or drastically over eating. Never had, started with a BMI of just 25. Started 5:2 for health reasons (blood pressure and blood values), losing this much weight so easy was a nice side effect.
So, balanced eating on feed days is the key and allows for the occasional food party on some of them

Oh, and what helps as well: cycle to work almost daily (6 km), occasional exercise and a stable life (happy married for 28 years, nice adult children, interesting job, so no reasons for comfort food)

Thanks @P-JK, that's very useful to know.

Definitely agree that the regular exercise and a happy stable home life help a lot, and I too am fortunate to have those. 5:2 was certainly an easy way for me to lose weight, especially relative to many, and seems to also be a way to easily remove slight gains while maintaining, but I will need to look elsewhere for a cure to my over-eating issues!! (Which is a problem from a healthy living and emotional well being perspective rather than directly a weight issue).

Cheers!

Hi @Sassy1
Here's an idea:
Opt for a third category of days: the feast day, where you can really enjoy a larger quantity of lovely food than you should have on a regular (non-fast) day;
Create your own maintenance strategy: 2 fast days, 1 feast day, 4 regular days (or 1 fast, 1 feast, 5 regular if that will keep you within your limits);
Give it a name, something like 'the Sassy1:2:4 maintenance plan';
Make a short video about it (and call that a documentary);
Write a blog about it (and call it 'the official Sassy1:2:4 e-book');
Start your own maintenance tent on the forum on this plan;
Become really famous and get many followers.

By becoming an inspirational leader you have no other choice than to 'lead by example', thus making sure you will (have to) stick to your own plan (mainly eating only the right stuff in the right quantity on regular days).

Hi! I've been on maintenance for a month or so. I wouldn't mind going down a few lbs. for the long-term, but I decided that a maintaining plateau was a good thing. One of the reasons I decided to do this was that I didn't want to screw up the forum's statistics. The other reason is that in my weight loss history, this has worked for me and kind of protected me against losing too fast and boomeranging.

So, I've been 5:2ing, but with a bit more relaxed fastday--up to 700 calories, I would guess. Non-fast days have been kind of normal for me, perhaps a few more carbs than is normal for me. My weight was up a lb or so, but that's about it. Then on Wednesday, I took it easy o food during the day, and we met family at a local casino coffee shop for dinner. They have a $9.95 8oz prime rib dinner. Hmmmmm! Well, I jumped on it because it really sounded good, and at home, we restrict red meat for health reasons (especially my husband's RA--it increases inflammation). I had salad with dressing on the side, prime rib, a baked potato. The prime rib was beautiful! Rare and only a tiny bit of fat on the tail--wow! I ate the whole dang thing (except the fat) and most of the baked potato. I felt slightly overfull, but not stuffed. To say I was a happy camper was an understatement. The next day I did a strict 500 cal fast with a 1.5 mile walk and two 1 hour sessions of zumba without any difficulty. Today, I'm down a pound over where I've been for the last few weeks. Interesting and reassuring!

I think that if there's a way to track the stats of maintainers over time, it would be a very valuable thing and the best argument for the long-term viability of the 5:2 WOL.

I think that if there's a way to track the stats of maintainers over time, it would be a very valuable thing and the best argument for the long-term viability of the 5:2 WOL.

Agree, we should definitively find a way to use these stats and do some additional research. Perhaps when all the changes in the forum are implemented.

No fast this week, at the lower level of my maintenance weight

Single fast this week, in order to have some buffer for a long week in Spain

Spanish small holiday gain has been removed by two fasts (one each week). Sorry for those who struggle to maintain, but for me this is just like a walk in the park on a sunny summer's day.

I'm so pleased for you! :smile: