The FastDay Forum

New to maintaining I'm keen to push the January boat out from shore
So, any tips? I'm planning to continue Mon/Thurs fasts for now and learn from all of you along the way. Is there a @Simcoeluv fact sheet for newbie maintainers? Please @Debs I might need rescuing so keep a watchful eye out and please keep hold of my rubber ring and arm bands, they are the red ones!

[Debs]

Ooops, feel a fraud sticking my head in here where I have no right to be! One day maybe! But faster or maintainer, we all need encouragement to keep on the straight and narrow. I have huge motivation for this year, so we can keep eachother honest!

[carorees]

Welcome to the maintaineers @lizbean!

There are some tips in this section: https://www.fastday.com/fasting/maintenance/
My tip is to have a maintenance range rather than a precise weight you're trying to stick to and to make that range be at least 4lb wide as our body water content can vary by that amount. tweak your fasting if you go outside that range.

Hi @Lizbean, thanks for starting the thread!
I expect to be back in maintenance once I have shed the Christmas/New Year holiday period gain. I won't know the damage for another week, though I know I have put on weight, based on what I am eating and my clothes. I have managed a couple of fast days while away, but I find it very hard to fast when on holiday, and very hard to not overeat...
I have had to stick to 5:2 over the last year since reaching my goal weight, because I eat more than I need on non-fast days. I guess that the challenge for me is to find ways not to do that! So not sure I have many useful tips for you. I do weigh every day when I am at home (compared to only weighing once a week when I was losing weight) which does seem to have stopped me putting on too much weight before I do something about it. If I do overindulge a lot, then I will have a couple of fast days in quick succession, and that does seem to work to shed the gain quickly. And making a quick note of what I am eating and a rough calorie estimate does seem to help me limit how much I eat.
Best wishes for your maintenance!
And @Debs, you are very welcome to pop in, always!

Hi @Lizbean, I think when you first start maintaining it's trial and error just like at the beginning of 5:2. Try to weigh most days as keeping your eye on the fluctuations will give you an idea of the best way for you to continue. Perhaps try fasting one day per week to see how that goes, or a couple of half fasts or 16:8.... give each one time to work for you and change if necessary - but I'm sure you already know this.
Good luck

My ideas in maintenance are pretty much in line with Dr Barbara Berkeley of Refuse to Regain - I've mentioned this before post211355.html?hilit=Berkeley#p211355

I like that she's the first one to say that you might adopt that ideas that are useful to you and ignore the rest as inappropriate or irrelevant to our own context (which we understand the best).

I still follow a 4:3 pattern because it suits me (for various reasons). As anecdotal observation, I am intrigued by the difference between here and another forum (ADF) where pretty much we all still fast approx. 3 days a week in maintenance but the people here seem to be able to maintain comfortably with fewer fasts. I've too few data points to draw conclusions or even stimulate well-grounded speculation. Underlying health conditions? Higher starting weights? ADF v. 5:2? It is interesting tho' and something that I like to keep an eye on.

I have just carried on fasting as I always have but have stopped losing weight, in fact I bounce around quite a lot! but after nearly 6 months I realise that it is not the thin edge of the wedge and I am not gradually going to regain everything. If you plan to continue 5:2 you will soon know if you need to cut down by whether your weight keeps dropping to levels which you think are too low. You may discover that you are one of those lucky ones whose weight stays rock solid with practically no fasting at all!

I am a one time failed maintainer. It takes time to learn what works for you. Maybe 6-8 months I have now been practicing maintenance properly. And I am well within the 4 lb range so helpfully mentioned here by Carorees - even after Christmas!!!
I am still enjoying Christmas Cake and other left over goodies. I am even going to make a non-low-carb Cheesecake for dessert for this week end. I like the idea of Feasting and fasting. I had no lunch today. I'll yet have to make the cheesecake for the evening meal. I am learning to be far more relaxed about maintaining now. I am going to fast once a week until Lent. I fasted for Advent and am going to fast for 40 days for Lent, so here in between I take it easy and enjoy pieces of chocolate etc etc.
In these past months I generally fasted twice a week only if my weight began to rise over that 4 lb limit. That seemed to solve the problem. When my weight fluctuates it does not fluctuate below my 'target weight' ... only above. But still I do not worry about it.
For my Advent and Lenten fasts I use an eating window method I learned from these pages. I have made the 'window' fit my life. So I have a small break - fast at 15:00. Before then I only have black tea and water. Then I have a regular supper with my husband at 18:00. I have no desserts, no sweets, all this time. I also eat low carb, have veg instead of rice, spaghetti or potatoes.
And I walk at least one hour each day. All this helps with maintenance. Good luck!

Congratulations, @Lizbean, on reaching your target and hope that you will be very happy here in the maintainers tent!
I am currently carrying five and a half more pounds than I should be - blame it on gluttony and indolence! - but maintain (when not on cruises and holidays!) by weighing every morning and, if the scales are creeping up, I throw in a few fasts until I am back in my 'buffer zone' of two pounds over target. This means that I can go for several weeks with no fasting but can easily dispose of excess adipose when it appears.
I am sure that you will find your own way through the maintaining minefield and will be as succesful in maintaining as you have been in losing!

Thanks @Carorees @Sassy1 @Ssure @coffeetime@Margotsylvia @StowgateResident @Barbarita, buffer zone is set. I do feel like I am starting all over again. 1st weightloss experience, now 1st maintaining experience. In fact I have just spent the last four and a half hours reading Oct- Dec thread and then started at the beginning 2014 Jan to April thread read - only 5 months left to read and I'll consumed the lot! I'm a lucky bean to have all your combined experience to help, thank you. This is exactly what I did starting 5:2 I read EVERYTHING - it took me weeks (now I wonder what that is telling me?). So 5 more threads to read ...... I'm getting this under my belt while I have time before returning to work on Monday. It is really interesting to see the 'different types/groups' of maintainers that emerge. I can already identify the groups that I don't fit with, eg I don't have a sweet tooth and I have already identified I'd like to be in PJK's club but that not going to happen either! Perhaps once I have completed the reading I might be able to relate to a journey. At the moment I feel I'm in the white knuckle mode that Ssure refers to - the aim is to relax. I'll be back soon

Today I've fasted for 23 hours then eaten chicken and veggies followed by greek yogurt over a banana dusted with Ceylon cinnamon, toasted hazelnuts and flakes almonds.
Yes I realise it's a tad over the 500 calories ... Totally delicious though :0)
Hoping to improve on 73.2kgs on the scales tomorrow (probably blown that, haven't I).

Here is my plan:
To continue with 5:2 for the next couple of weeks to test out whether I'm maintaining or losing. If I'm losing I will drop to one fast a week for a couple of weeks and if I'm still losing on 6:1 I will then try a window approach 16:8. To be honest the window approach is the most appealing to me but it feels weird to suddenly drop 52, so hopefully this stepped approach will allow me to get my head round this and find out what fits.
Following all that weekend reading I'm feeling relaxed about this today No white knuckles in sight

That sounds like a very good plan. @Lizbean. You have obviously benefited from all that reading!

Done some jogging on Sunday, Fastday yesterday, cycling to work, Skating today: it's back to normality! Enough to get rid of the 1kg holiday bonus (must have been a lot of water)

Still maintaining here with minimal intervention. In fact, in talking about my fasting journey with friends and family here, I've realised I actually miss my fasting days. I started reminding myself that I got onto 5:2 not only for weight loss, but to hope for other benefits that come with IF.
So, once I get back home I plan to put at least one fast a week back into my routine - I'll see what that does to my weight and decide whether I'm happy dropping below 70 or if I need to eat more on other days. I'm squarely in the middle range of a healthy BMI right now, so I can afford to lose a few more kgs, but I do like having a few curves

Welcome to the maintaining journey @Lizbean - you're right, it is a whole new journey! But it's a great journey to be undertaking