The FastDay Forum

Hello everyone, it doesn't look like a thread for this topic has been started yet, so thought I would.

So who is maintaining this month, and who are our new mainteneers? I know there should be at least one new person joining us.

Like @Otter, I had put on weight by the end of last month, after indulgent Easter/Anzac Day weekends, but am very happy to say that after 3 fasts in 6 days, that 3kg (yes, 3kg) have almost gone. Most of it would have been fluid retention of course.

So now I must really get stuck into my solstice challenge of being able to maintain on 6:1, through mindful eating - particularly limiting those evening indulgences. I have managed to do this on my 3 non-fast days this week, so am v pleased about that. The incentive to shift that 3kg was what helped - I might need another strategy now that has been achieved...

Please share your strategies for the coming month!

Best wishes to all

My strategy: relax about food and weight. You have done well to get to maintenance. Just eat what you like, but with modesty and 'in balance'. And throw in as many (or in my case as few) fast days you need to keep within your preferred weight range of 2 kg (upper and lower limit). Flexibility and no stress are key!

I have been maintaining for most of April, but what I'd really like to do is lose another 2k if possible and I seem so stuck at around 56k and have been at that weight for two months now. I am trying the fast-5 technique on at least three days. However, I have noticed a slight decrease in my measurements, even though the scales aren't showing anything, so maybe something is happening at last. Wiggle room is what I am after. I haven't been in maintenance very long at all, so I am not sure what to expect yet.

I'm popping in here to declare myself as Maintaining. I am hovering around (mainly just above) my target weight of 133 lbs (9st 7lbs) and don't actually want to weigh much less than that, but like @Auriga I'd like some Wriggle room.
At the moment I am weighing daily and fasting at least once a week if I see the numbers creeping up. For me I think that catching an increase early will be the key to keeping the weight off long term.

I try to stick to 6:1 with fasting on Monday's only but if on Thursday the scales are in the upper-range of what I allow myself to be (67.5-68.5kg) then I do another fast that day. That happened again this week.

I am quite careful on other weekdays but it is happened now a few times that on Friday I seem to be craving carbs (yesterday: cupcake, sweet pie, chocolate, slice of pizza, arancini ball) and I give in.... But I think this makes this diet sustainable in the end.

I am not at my target weight. I would need to lose another 5 kg to get near it. However, I am hoping to maintain this month. As it gets colder here and the days shorter, it is harder for me to lose weight. My pattern in the past has been to put on weight at this time of year. This year I hope to maintain the weight loss achieved over summer and I don't want to put pressure on myself to try to keep losing. So hello! If I haven't put on weight at the end of May, I'll be happy. I have been weighing in at 69 kg after fast days, and it that continues, whoopee.

@Sassy1Congrats on losing those 3kgs, it can take quite a while to shift even a small amount sometimes!
Nice to see another Fitbiter here @SianSand good luck with your maintenance. I weigh in every day when possible too, I find it's the best way to nip any weight increase in the bud.
@Wmr309Your maintenance plan is exactly mine, although I haven't fasted for the last few weeks as my weight has been at my minimum since my half marathon race(BMI 19). I didn't want to risk losing more weight but I'm going to start fasting again 6:1 on Monday as I'd forgotten about all the other health benefits fasting brings which are just as important!

Did my first fast yesterday, and lost a kg on today's weigh in which I didn't really want to lose. Hopefully I'll find it soon.

Hello marvellous May mainteneers! Good to read everyone's plans for the month.

As @sassy1 mentioned, I had my ups and downs in April. Looking for some consistency this month. After two weeks of making myself account for everything I ate I'm feeling like I've got my portions and fasting back on an even keel. Scales are looking kinder.

Fasting today and weighing in tomorrow - feeling confident I will be under target. If not, I might need to borrow that 1kg loss you didn't want @franglaise!

I did two fasts this week, as my weight was up again, but today it is lower than it was 20+ years ago. I am fitter too due to HIT training three times a week and one run but it definitely requires more effort and thought.

Now I need to make sure that I stop snacking during the day and after dinner, which has caused the weight gain over recent years. In the city I am surrounded by so many great lunch places, bakeries, excellent coffees, that it is hard to keep ignoring them. Plus I love baking, cooking and have a great wine cellar.

Good luck fellow maintaneers. I do hope you are getting the hang of this too.

I'm either not at goal yet or successfully maintaining at 1-2kg above goal, depending on how you look at it. I'm a little higher than that today, even after a fast, but I'm still sore from the half marathon, so I'm hoping it's just water retention for muscle repair. I'm worried because I'm off to Italy/UK/Spain for 2.5 weeks, and I tend to gain when I'm on holiday. I'll try to get some fasts in on travel days, and skip breakfast and/or lunch when I can. Otherwise, I'm hoping just to eat healthily and not go too crazy on cheese, wine, etc. (the things that are hard to get in Japan).

Those few Xmas kgs are clinging on tightly, but I'm trying not to stress about it. I'm actually more concerned about my lack of control on some non-fast days...

[carorees]

At last I can join you in this tent! I don't intend to change anything about my way of eating just yet. I'll see how it goes over the next few weeks. I reckon that psychologically it will be harder to be strict about eating within my eating window so I'm expecting not to lose (much) more weight, though I need to be firmly under my target before actually trying to eat more!

Hoping to gain from the experiences of all you maintaineers!

Welcome to the maintainers Caroline, it's great to see you here! Good luck with maintaining. I've been doing it for 14 months now, I usually fast on Mondays for the health benefits, and at the moment I'm doing so much running that I don't need to fast on other days, that is enough to maintain at 57kgs.

Welcome to the maintaineers tent and monthly thread @caroreesand @sians. I have just realised that I hadn't checked in yet this month. I am on target 9st. I saw 8st 13lb 5 times last week, went up to 9st 1lb and 9st after the weekend, back down to 8st 13lb this morning. The daily weighing might look a bit obsessive but it does keep me on track and more mindful. I still would like to lose a few more pounds and admit that I haven't been as dedicated as I was before reaching maintenance, the odd naughty thing finds it's way in (last night it was a few Easter chocs and a g&t ON A SCHOOL NIGHT ) That's not funny. It's very naughty and I need to have a word with myself

I was going to start a new thread and ask for weekend strategies, starting Friday night, but I think I know the answer: I shouldn't buy food that tempts me.

Healthy food all day, good quantities, no snacks. Until I went out for drinks after work...

We shared a (small) bowl of hot chips over three glasses of wine. Thankfully I had already made a Thai-style sweet potato, pumpkin, ginger soup for dinner at home but then I went looking for something sweet afterwards. I had bought no chocolate and only flavours of ice ream that don't interest me.

A packet of Haribo Starmix. No good thing to say about it. Bought less than 24 hours ago and all gone. Why do I keep buying these things?! Anyone else having similar issues or do you get on top of it?