The FastDay Forum

Hello fellow Mainteneers - who is maintaining with me this month? How is it going?

After my first week of 6:1, and a weekend of no restraint, I am really looking forward to a fast tomorrow. I would think that this will be a 5:2 week ahead, but I'll let Wednesday morning's weigh in confirm if that'll be the case.

Welcome to anyone just launching into their maintenance journey and good luck to all those who've already arrived!

You look a bit lonely @otter where is everyone? Thanks for starting the February thread. I dropped 1lb below target for the past couple of days but am up to target today and might even be over tomorrow after a weekend of scrummyness. I am going to 5:2 and 16:8 this week as usual just to see what happens as my weight loss has been so slooowwww that I don't think it will make much difference. I don't mind losing another 7lb, so we will see how it goes. This week, for the first time I am going to be surrounded by people eating so I think I am going to find fasting hard so will definitely have some bovril to hand. I will also be a lot more active so that might help. I WILL BE STRONG

Hello maintainers! Well, I am now officially a maintainer. Hurrah! 6 stones lost over 2 years: 3 stones lost calorie counting; the final 3 stones lost doing 5:2.

Great job @Bssh! Congratulations! It's lovely to see you here as one of the Mainteneers

Have you got a plan for maintenance?

YAY, Bssh! Congratulations!

I am doing well on maintenance. I have found that 2 days of 16:8 are generally enough to keep my weight even. This last weekend I even got below, so may need to adjust there a bit.

I have upped my activity level, though today may be in danger. I slid off the road coming to work - no damage, no pain, just a bit upset. My goal is 10,000 steps and I have just over 3000 at 1:30 PM EST.

Well, let's keep on keeping on!

Thanks everyone. Well, today I completed my first maintenance fast day. I love fasting all day so managed to fast until 9pm tonight (husband works late so we eat late) then ate a normal sized dinner and pudding (just a berries and natural yoghurt pudding, mind). No more counting of 500 cals. I want to fast again on Thursday exactly like this. Then, of course, the normal eating on all other days. Time will tell if this will work to maintain for me.

Hello mountaineers... oops no, maintaineers!
T'is moi. 3 days into maintenance with the goal that, if I see 148lbs on that scale, I'm fasting back to 147.
So far so good; I'm daily weighing, exercising on dreadthrill with aim of increasing fitness, 16/8ing and feeling very positive.
I do not want to put back on the 65lbs I have lost since the beginning of 2011.
I've started buying my summer wardrobe (assuming we see a summer in the UK) and it's a size 12.

Hi everyone!
Lots of good ideas from you all for options to try.
Second month of maintenance, and am still trying to sort out what will work for me - mainly because a number of feast days have made it difficult to establish a regular pattern! And I had to lose the weight I gained...which I have yet to enter into progress tracker...
So at the moment I am still doing 5:2 and generally not having brekkie (which works out to be roughly 16:8 on non-fast days). Tho I did have brekkie today - it's cool (for a brief change) and I have been working in the garden and just felt like I needed some energy food.

I have started daily weighing and keeping a food diary - will only do this until I have sorted out how my body is working on maintenance.
I do seem to have a fairly good awareness of whether I have put on a bit of weight - the tummy is a good guide!!
I have finally started my HIT regime, so am hoping that will help.
I am trying to eat around my TDEE on non-fast days, and include small amounts of those less healthy foods on those days too. So far am managing not to over-indulge when at home - the problem can be when I eat elsewhere! (Eg when a group of friends get together and bring food to share - there is always so much lovely food. I don't have so much of a problem at a restaurant.)
Best wishes to all maintainers and those on their way.

Hello, happily joining you in the February maintenance thread. Like @WendyDarlingI could still lose a bit; 119lbs was my highest maintaining target. Did my normal Monday fast and intend to do Thursday as well. Have cut carbs considerably and kind of doing 16:8 so really just seeing where it takes me. Have also signed up for some running targets; did 3 runs per week for January and now have to do 3 runs a week for Feb building up to a 6k run and then March will have a speed target. All this should help with general health and fitness and keep those nasty school bugs away.

Hi fellow maintainers, please count me in for February as I continue along my maintenance journey.

I've been doing this for a few months now and have been very happy with how steady my weight has been, even with a little over indulgence over the holiday season. I like to have a 24 hour fast once a week and as I no longer eat breakfast I have settled naturally into a 8:16 pattern for the rest of the week.

We turned our spare room into a mini gym where I do strength training 3 times a week and with the help of my pedometer I now try to walk at least 10k steps each day. I think this new found love of exercise has made maintaining so much easier.

Wishing you all a very successful February.

Dee

Hello everyone, so far so good. I did 6:1 last week but was careful on most weekdays - less carbs, more vegetables with dinner, no late night snacks and two alcohol free days.

Did fast yesterday but had to spread my 550 calories over the day as I had an important meeting in the afternoon and didn't want a grumbling stomach. I'll see what the scales show on Thursday but I quite like to continue seeing 68kg. That would be below my goal BMI. Last Friday was the first time I saw that in two decades or more.

It's my day off so start with reasonable gym workout (followed by boiled egg), house cleaning and running around, then dinner, so pretty easy to do. I love the feeling the next morning and thoroughly enjoy my breakfast on those days.

@Didee just noticed we started on the same day, have lost about the same, and similar BMI. Looking at your progress tracker you got there much quicker but I am pleased to see you are successful in maintaining.

Hello everyone, I've fallen a bit off the rails for what feels like forever.

I joined 5:2 at the end of November to maintain because I travel quite a bit and am not always able to chose what to eat myself.

I lost a couple of pounds in December and Christmas was ok but I gained a few pounds over new year which I lost then I gained a couple whilst away on business for a week and went straight into surgery and no fasting so I held onto those 2 (now 3 pounds) for 3 weeks now. (you can see it in my tracker!)

I managed a fast yesterday which I was pleased about so I'm hoping I can fit another in this week and shift the trend downwards . I am a daily weigher, which is good for me because seeing the scales show +2 and 3 pounds spurs me into action.

I'm hopeful I will be able to get back to "my target" within a couple of week, and if I can, then I can say that maintaining has been successful because fluctuations of 3 pounds should be ok, as long as its not always +3 pounds

Hi maintainers!

I've finally reached my goal weight and started maintenance - originally I wanted my maintenance weight to be between 60-62 kgs but I've decided to settle for 62-24 kgs for the moment and see what happens...so far no change from 62! I'm fasting today and am planning on a half fast on Thursday.

Welcome newbie maintainers, from a fellow newbie maintainer

Lovely seeing new mainteneers arriving on the summit of Mt Fastonbury! Keep them coming!

Weigh in for me this morning and I'm up nearly a kilo from last week, but still under target. The gain is a signal to do a second fast this week I think. Maybe alternating weeks of 5:2 and 6:1 will become my maintenance plan?

@Jeninboston, I find weigh in very motivating too. I think it's probably one of the holy grains of ongoing maintenance - and, of course, how I react to it when the weigh in is on the up! Stopping weighing has always been part of my past failures to maintain.