The FastDay Forum

Time for another report after a very busy few months at work. Limited fasting during these busy weeks and Easter food got me to the upper limit of my range. What might have played a role as well, is that I re-started cycling to work and jogging two times a week after a prolonged period of almost no exercise. Regaining some lost muscles could well have resulted in some weight gain. Or to be more exact: some original weight gain in fat could have been masked by loss in muscle weight due to limited exercise. Done one fast a week for the last three weeks (so something like 6:1) in order to get to the more comfortable section of the maintenance range. Intend to stick to 6:1 for a couple of weeks to come. Feels like being a true faster again

Still approx. 100lbs but the weight's not going any lower nor trending that way so it's OK. I'd rather not disrupt my routines any more than absolutely necessary.

Botheration I'm out of my range for the first time, only by 1lb. I'm going to rein it in with a strict week ahead. Back to basics and back to planning the weeks menu ahead. My aim is to get back to 125lb, that's a 3lb loss. Here I go ......

I was back on target today after a fast yesterday. This was the first time in weeks I know the scale numbers' jumping up and down aren't meaningful, but, still, it feels good.

Hope all other maintainers are having a good week, too.

On Monday my weight had dropped 1.5kg since weigh-in on Friday. Only difference is that we got a dog on Saturday and I am a bit anxious about whether we have made the right choice (very active and agile). Have not felt like much eating or even snacking.

Still bumping along at 118. This means I can risk semi-cheats like having coffee with cream during my fasting time (sort of OK because it does not cause insulin release). However I did not enjoy it that much, so won't do it often. Also got away with fish and chips yesterday, an occasional indulgence.

Have just seen 10st 7lb on my scales this morning - only five minutes after seeing 10st 8.1 lb! These aren't cheap scales; they are Aria ones which 'talk' to my Fitbit Flex, so I would expect better than that from them! However, I have decided to fast today just to consolidate my target weight. I may even fast again on Friday in preparation for a trip to Madrid next week to visit No 2 daughter - the one who owns the cake shop! Yum!

Hi everyone. This is a long post, but I hope you have time to read to the end, as I have some questions that I would appreciate your response to (ugh, awful English!).

I have weighed myself for the first time in over a month (I have been away) and my weight is higher than it has ever been since I reached goal. I am now about 3kg/ 7 lbs/ half a stone over the weight where I feel most comfortable. (Not entered in tracker yet.)

But I don't want to complain (too much!), as I am still in a much better place weight-wise than many on this forum. BTW I still consider myself to be maintaining, even though I would like to lose this "excess".

It is just under 6 weeks until my Europe holiday, and I would like to shed some of this gain, as I know I will put on weight while away... [It is going to be very hard to manage my intake when breakfast is included in the package but almost no other meals...]

I have decided to follow the basic 5:2 for the next 5 weeks and accept whatever weight loss that gives me - hopefully some! Past experience has proved that anything more drastic does not work for me beyond the very short term.

Restricting the non-fast day cals to TDEE will continue to be my challenge, more so than the fast days - though I do need to ensure that I stick to no more than the 500 cals on fast days (again, previous experience showed this was necessary for weight loss).

Thanks to this forum and experts such as carorees, I understand a lot more about eating triggers, and that our biochemistry can take some "responsibility" for our weight issues, and that it is not just a (lack of) willpower. However, after extensive evaluation of my own situation, I think that where I am at, it is willpower that is needed. I just must not give in to the evening cravings!!!! That being said, I will be aiming to eat foods that will help minimise these cravings, and do my best to restrict sugar... And try to keep my hands busy in the evenings...

I guess I take some comfort that a number of you also struggle to maintain at your preferred goal - that sounds rather selfish...

For those of you who don't seem to struggle, and have found what appears to be an easy sustainable maintenance strategy, I am curious whether this has involved giving up either foods or eating behaviors that you used to really love?

For example, for those of you who are low-carb, did you use to love particular carbs that you no longer eat, and what do you think helped you give them up. For those of you using eating windows, did you use to like eating at other times, and what helped you stop doing so?

Cheers!

Hi @sassy1

I hope your 5 weeks back on strict 5:2 shifts those unwanted pounds in time for your holiday.

In answer to your questions, yes I did use to love carbs in the form of chocolate biscuits, savoury tarts, flaky pastry etc. My motivation in giving them up was health-based. Type 2 diabetes in the family and I had a "bit high" blood glucose in a test 5 years ago, so I immediately did research and decided low carb was the way to go. I began with the Patrick Holford low GL method, substituting pumpernickel and oatcakes for whole wheat bread, cutting down on baked potato etc. After beginning fasting I found it easier to cut back more. The focus switched to what I could eat, not what I could not. I found that the fewer sugary and grain-based things I ate, the less I craved them. I believe that craving carbs was a sign that I had problems processing them. I can honestly say that I do not miss them now.

I have been doing my eating window for 16 months now and it is second nature. It would feel weird for example to eat at 10 am or 10 pm and I use zero will-power not to do so! When I first started I ate between 5 pm and 10 pm, because I was a weak-willed evening in front of the TV snacker, and this way I could do it guilt-free! Also I knew I could get to 5 pm on no food, after doing 5:2 for 4 months, and it meant I did not go to bed hungry, which I had to on my 5:2 fast days. Gradually I experimented with moving my eating window earlier. I found closing the kitchen at 6 worked for me. If I was properly full at 6, I could go to bed between 10 and 11 not hungry, and instead of nibbling and watching, I could sip a variety of spicy teas.

Believe me, if it took heroic amounts of willpower, I would not be doing it

Not sure whether I will be able to answer your questions @Sassy1 but I suggest, based on my experience, you do proper two fasts until you leave (and reduce regular snacking on other days, no food beyond 8pm, plenty of vegetables and water, i.e. old fashioned diet rules) but on your holidays enjoy those breakfasts, perhaps fill up with low carb foods, plenty of protein and good fats, eat eggs, miss out on pastries most days, no fruit yoghurt or (too much) fruit juice, etc and skip lunch here and there. But enjoy your dinner! You are likely to be more active on holidays. You also know that if you gain some weight while away it won't take you long to lose. Just read Stowgate's updates! Good luck and let us know how you went. Cheers, Wendy

[carorees]

Restricting the non-fast day cals to TDEE will continue to be my challenge, more so than the fast days - though I do need to ensure that I stick to no more than the 500 cals on fast days (again, previous experience showed this was necessary for weight loss).

I am firmly of the opinion that if you have to force yourself to keep under your TDEE there is something wrong. By which I mean you can't forever undereat (as far as your brain is concerned) through willpower alone and so you need to consider what you can do to reduce your appetite, whether this is by addressing non-hunger eating or changing the balance of macronutrients.

I understand a lot more about eating triggers, and that our biochemistry can take some "responsibility" for our weight issues, and that it is not just a (lack of) willpower. However, after extensive evaluation of my own situation, I think that where I am at, it is willpower that is needed. I just must not give in to the evening cravings!!!! That being said, I will be aiming to eat foods that will help minimise these cravings, and do my best to restrict sugar... And try to keep my hands busy in the evenings...

I think that you should only have to exert will power on your fast days not every evening. Obviously a few hunger pangs that can be ignored easily is one thing, but if you are feeling cravings then you need to identify why. One thing to look at is how much protein/fat/carbs you are getting (rather than carbs alone). There is a theory that if your protein levels are not high enough you will still feel hungry even on a high fat diet. A suggested amount of protein is 15% of calories (which translates to around 75g per day for a TDEE of 2000), however Dr M said in the FastDiet book that we should try to keep down to 0.8g/kg body mass (around 50g), so that is quite a difference. I am thinking that if you are struggling with hunger it might be worth upping the protein intake for a while (perhaps this might be thought of as a famine effect treatment). If you have cravings for sweet things, it might be a sign of famine effect or too high cortisol.

I guess I take some comfort that a number of you also struggle to maintain at your preferred goal - that sounds rather selfish...

Not selfish, just good to know you are not alone. I was thinking the other day that it is well known that it is normal for us to gain weight a little every year as our metabolic rate falls with age and just because we have lost our excess weight it doesn't mean that a gradual increase might be inevitable (as opposed to a rapid regain of all that was lost). Some people hold that building/maintaining muscle is important as we age as it keeps our metabolic rate a little higher and avoids us becoming frail in old age. Do you do any muscle building exercise?

For those of you who don't seem to struggle, and have found what appears to be an easy sustainable maintenance strategy, I am curious whether this has involved giving up either foods or eating behaviors that you used to really love?
For example, for those of you who are low-carb, did you use to love particular carbs that you no longer eat, and what do you think helped you give them up. For those of you using eating windows, did you use to like eating at other times, and what helped you stop doing so?
Cheers!

I gave up breakfast, which I did love but I don't miss it now. That cut out a heap of carbs! I also cut out carbs that I don't care about (potatoes) in favour of dessert, which I know is not ideal but does result in a net decrease in carbs rather than having both! I am also quite strict about stopping eating after a certain time in the evening and know that if I didn't get around to having dessert before the window closes then I can have it tomorrow. I found the eating window a lot easier to manage because of the way the family dynamics works. It is a lot more flexible. I don't stick to any specific window size every day but just make sure that it is always less than 8 hours. Some days it might be as short as 4 hours, but most days probably 6 to 7. Many people seem to find it is easier to delay opening the eating window than to have to close it in the early evening, but there is a theory that eating late is particularly harmful and so probably barbarita's approach is a good one (start with a later window and move it earlier if you can).

Hope that helps in some small way...

Thanks so much @barbarita, Wendy @Wmr309 and Caroline @carorees for taking the time to reply. Lots of "food" for thought! Re making permanent changes, it seems that doing this gradually may be a key. And having it fit with your lifestyle. Makes sense of course. Thanks too for the ideas for my travel, Wendy. Let's hope there is enough non-carby food available for brekkie - often continental breakfasts for Westerners are only carb! Certainly eggs are rarely included, but you may get some meat and cheese offered - though I find those a bit hard to digest first thing in the morning...

My evening eating is not generally hunger driven, it is more a comfort/habit thing. I am trying to ensure that during the day I eat almost all my TDEE's worth of cals, leaving a very small amount for a pre-bed snack if necessary. I do think that my protein intake is more than adequate, and I eat a lot of non-starchy vegetables. I did try a week of low(ish) carb, which went quite well, but part of the issue for me is that I don't want to give up sugary and gluteny carbs totally...

I will reflect more on your thoughts - time to walk the dogs now! (I do do a moderate amount of exercise, but my ACL replaced knee prevents me doing anything that puts too much pressure on the knee, ie no jogging or speed cycling).

Thanks again!

Oh, @Sassy1, I totally feel your pain.

Whenever I go on holiday to visit family, one sister in particular, we go out for breakfast almost every day. I do need to eat something in the morning, but not a feast. But, the upside of a big breakfast is that it should keep you going for awhile. Is skipping lunch an option? Often when I'm on holiday where I would do a lot of sight seeing, I fall into that pattern anyway. It saves money, particularly if breakfast is included.

Sassy1 - I'm not ignoring this so much as feeling that as I follow 4:3 to maintain, and have a substantially lower muscle mass that anyone who is vaguely in my demographic cohort, what I do to maintain is not at all applicable to you or to others. But, I do have a vague feeling that for some of us the protein sensing that Caroline refers to is very relevant - and when combined with calcium, it seems that it can heighten the sense of satiety for protein that some people don't readily experience. Nice enough overview:

http://suppversity.blogspot.co.uk/2015/ ... o-eat.html

You've had some useful advice/insights above - I hope you can put them together into something that works for you.

Hi @Sassy1,
One small suggestion is to try to drink water as a regular drink during dinner and in evenings. It does take some time (and willpower) to get used to it (for me a couple of months), but after getting used to it, it is a very easy way to save calories. It can be a bit difficult socially at the start as well (visiting people and asking for water to drink), but those around you will get used to that as well (and will accept it after some time if they are nice people ).