The FastDay Forum

Weight Loss Doesn't Always Lead to Happiness: Research has shown that dropping pounds doesn't mean higher well-being.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... ess/387619

Reasonable enough piece that lacks nuance but that's to be expected.

Personal hobbyhorse warning. One of these days it would be useful if the Cochrane Collaboration or similar could work out how to do a useful analysis of weight management trials to establish whether there's a Number Needed to Treat and Number Needed to Harm for Public Health weight loss advice. Of course, deep down I know that adequately-powered trials with appropriate follow-up don't exist - but I wish this area of Public Health had a better evidence base for recommendations around losing weight (other than manipulating biomarkers that all too often are only proxies for health outcomes).

Nice enough discussion around research that may have something to say about sensitivity to fullness cues and the perception of hunger:

The Dangers of the Appearance-Driven Diet: A new study found that when people focus on looks, they're less tuned in to the body's signals of hunger and fullness.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... et/385030/

My immediate reaction is that this will vary from one individual to another (depending on history, life circumstances) but it might offer useful narrative explanations for some people as to why they find themselves so dissociated from what are presumed to be standard hunger or fullness cues.

I'm a little annoyed with myself for spending most of April (so far) above my maintenance window. On the up side, however, I did lose 100g on my crazy weekend in Tokyo. All I can say is I must have walked off all that wine and cheese!

Still scraping along at the bottom of my range. Taking care to use the whole of my five hours and adding in some starchier veg from time to time.

April is my 4th months maintaining. 2lbs up in a week but still within my range. Not ventured outside the range to date, so I'm pleased with that .... bit of a confidence boost that I can maintain over a period. Of course no one knows what's in the future but for now life is good.

I've decided to adjust my maintenance range downwards for the duration of this intensive physiotherapy with an option to shift it back up again at the right time. So, for now, weighing approx. 100lbs, my new maintenance range is 100-108lbs which is relatively large but can accommodate large fluid shifts and other phenomena. I'll just have to trust myself to know when it's fluid and when it's likely to be adipose tissue.

Trusting yourself enough to engage in watchful monitoring - the art and science of maintenance.

Another maintainer here. Think it's been about six months now. Easter weekend saw me go above my target weight - too many carbs! A few low carb /16:8 days and I'm back in my comfort zone. Planning to be really good this week to get me towards the lower end of of my maintenance range. I know how to do it, just hope I have the willpower.

I've been at the top of my allowable range, despite plenty of exercise, but now that Easter is out of the way, and not too much chocolate left to be eaten, I am hopeful to lose another kg or so. Before winter arrives!

I weigh daily and enter the data publicly every Friday but I have skipped a few Fridays; one of the days was my birthday and the other was Good Friday (a public holiday). Until I deal with not entering my weight on the tracker as a 'treat' or 'gift' I think I am not yet an accomplished maintaineer.

I'm a little annoyed with myself for spending most of April (so far) above my maintenance window. On the up side, however, I did lose 100g on my crazy weekend in Tokyo. All I can say is I must have walked off all that wine and cheese!

I'm still above my window, but getting closer to it. Which is surprising the way I've been eating on non-fast days!

@Ssure, what a remarkable achievement. I can't even imagine what 100lb looks like. Well done and I hope your health issues will be under control soon.

Intriguing: Data from the German weight loss register shows that successful weight loss maintainers are characterized by more concerns about shape and weight, greater binge eating frequency, and higher use of compensatory behaviors.
"The latter suggests that weight loss maintenance might not only be achieved by healthy strategies but also by non-normative behaviors which might increase the vulnerability for weight regain," scientists say.
Feller, et al. "What distinguishes weight loss maintainers of the German Weight Control Registry from the general population?" Obesity (2015): Early View. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 4/abstract

What an intriguing set of findings - and how different to the US one.

Given the endocrine changes that accompany weight loss, I find the German result less surprising that the US one. I've downloaded the whole paper and will read it when I get the chance. I wonder if their data base of weight loss maintainers is made the same way as the US one, and I wonder if US NWCR members answered a similar survey (about binge eating, for example).

A week and a half (and three fasts) after returning from my holiday, today I am back to only one pound over my target. I have actually seen my target weight on the scales, but only after a fast day, so I am fasting today and probably next week - just to consolidate the loss.

It's been quite a while since I reported my maintenance ups and downs--and I seem to have lost the know-how regarding editing so that I can enter the high and the low during the period on the Tracker.

Anyway, my high in the last two weeks was 139.5 lbs--the highest I've been in a long time--it was the day after a weekend away that included a lot travel, little exercise and some carby, salty meals. The next day I fasted and two days later was back to my low for the period of 135.5--only 1/2 pound over my goal. Not too bad, considering.

[carorees]

Maintenance report for the last week: high 64.4, low 63.7, trend 64.2, so a bit higher than I'd like really but still below my original target of 65kg. I was happily maintaining in the mid to low 63's in the Autumn but since Christmas I seem to have moved up by around 700-1000g to maintain in the low 64's. A slightly worrying trend, but too early to panic.