The FastDay Forum

Hi @MaryAnn

Your experience since reaching goal sounds a lot like mine. As others have said, we do need to focus on how well we have done, and try to stress a little less about the relatively small weight gains that we have had. As also suggested, perhaps play around with different eating regimes til you find one that works for you. Keep reading the forum, as this can help with motivation, as well as ideas of course. And it does remind me how fortunate I have been with my weight loss, compared to so many.

And I always feel better after reading StowgateResident's approach to this way of eating.

So I hope you can start to feel a bit better about things! Best wishes.

Hi, I just want to add my experience to maybe encourage non posting readers of this thread. I have been maintaining for a while now and can happily report that I am still at my target goal weight. I find maintaining so much easier and less stressful than having to lose weight.

@MaryAnn sorry just saw ur post. My thoughts are this: firstly you need to do some head searching as to why the bingeing. Next I understand the reluctance to try maintenance b4 reaching goal. Then give yourself a slap with the wet fish. Then answer me why should a holiday mean abandoning your health and weight goals? Surely you could eat 1000 cals on 3 days a week while on holiday? In fact I was thinking how low my cals were today b4 I decided to have a couple of beers feed day...I might add.

Something is telling you not to get/stay at goal.you sound down about it, chin up, wet fish out, get the head back into winner space and go for it. You have been incredibly successful and you can do it again. You sound logical, so work out a plan u think will work for you and make up your mind that you will do it, successfully. Good luck!

[carorees]

I haven't been posting in the maintenance threads lately because I'm feeling like a maintenance failure. My weight is about 4kg above goal at the moment, and basically since reaching goal right before Xmas last year, my weight has been above goal weight. Anyway… I'm not here to whine more about it, I'm here to put it in perspective. My 6mo progress is a bit depressing, but my 2y progress is still pretty darn impressive. I have to keep reminding myself of this!

Hi @MaryAnn

I had a quick look at your charts and couldn't help noticing that your waist size is really good. As that is the most important measure for health, maybe you should stop focussing on your weight and more on how brilliant your waist measurement is?! I see that the body fat measure seems higher than one would like, but the body fat analysers on the scales are so unreliable, I'm not sure whether you should put too much store by what they say. How are you getting the body fat figures?

Hi @Ieramul

Welcome as a contributor! Congrats on your success with this WOL and great to hear you are maintaining with ease - it would also be great if you could share something of your weight loss journey and how you are managing maintenance so well.

Thanks!

Maintenance Month 003 - method 7 x 19/5. Goal weight 120 lbs

01/09 121 lbs
08/09. 122 lbs
15/09. 119 lbs
22/09. 121 lbs
29/09. 122 lbs

Definitely a gentle upward creep. My appestat is working fine; I know when I am full. The trouble at the moment is that I am rather surprised at how quickly this happens. I think my head is still back in summer when I was a lot more active and eating a lot more to get full. I must listen to my appestat and ignore my conscious mind, which is trying to sneak more food in by saying things like "You haven't had very much, you can't possibly have had enough vitamins and minerals in that!" I don't doubt that I have had enough actual food!

Hopefully the Christmas Challenge will persuade me that enough is enough.

@MaryAnn sorry just saw ur post. My thoughts are this: firstly you need to do some head searching as to why the bingeing. Next I understand the reluctance to try maintenance b4 reaching goal. Then give yourself a slap with the wet fish. Then answer me why should a holiday mean abandoning your health and weight goals? Surely you could eat 1000 cals on 3 days a week while on holiday? In fact I was thinking how low my cals were today b4 I decided to have a couple of beers feed day...I might add.

Something is telling you not to get/stay at goal.you sound down about it, chin up, wet fish out, get the head back into winner space and go for it. You have been incredibly successful and you can do it again. You sound logical, so work out a plan u think will work for you and make up your mind that you will do it, successfully. Good luck!

yes, my head is definitely in the wrong place. It's the job situation more than anything else. I can potentially resolve a few things in the next couple of months which will bring some relief in that area, and it should help immensely. In the meantime, I am going to try to be more mindful with my eating. I'm a bit afraid to push fast days up to 1000 while I'm a bit unhappy about my weight (though, again, perspective), but I could stand to be more relaxed about the 500, especially when I end up feeling so depleted the next day (leading to overeating?). Anyway… thanks for your advice.

I had a quick look at your charts and couldn't help noticing that your waist size is really good. As that is the most important measure for health, maybe you should stop focussing on your weight and more on how brilliant your waist measurement is?! I see that the body fat measure seems higher than one would like, but the body fat analysers on the scales are so unreliable, I'm not sure whether you should put too much store by what they say. How are you getting the body fat figures?

I am using the body fat analyzer on the scales. I had it done on a different set of scales for my health check this year. Their scales said 26 when mine said 31-32. So, I'm paying attention to changes, but not the actual number. I would like to get a more reliable test done at some point since body composition is something I am working on.

Hmmm, yeah, my waist is ok. The bit of weight I've gained since reaching goal is in my bum and thighs, maybe a bit up top. I'm a pear.

Update from last time (have forgotten when it was!) I weighed at the weekend, after my only fast of the week, and was 9st 7.5! So lost about half a pound! This is after a holiday (and eating plenty!) in mid Sept. Am currently fasting one day a week and 16:8 on all other days. It does seem to be working, and I am not hungry the mornjng after a fast.

I met two other 5:2 ers who are on the same team as me, but different location. Both in mid-stages, with a lot to lose (they feel!) and was able to encourage them which was great. Also bought a dress and skirt this month, size 10 and 12. Still early days maintaining but it seems to be working so far.

(Edited to add) just looked at my stats, and I have been on or around this weight since early July. So very pleased.

I did my first proper fast since I can't remember when after a weekend of indulgences in Italy and am back to my maintenance weight!

I've probably shed an additional 2 lbs this month but still within my maintenance range of 105-110lbs. However, as the evening paddle sessions finished last week and I'm now going to be reduced to 2 open water paddling sessions and 1 pool session (nowhere near as intense) then continuing to eat in my current way will probably suit that level of decrease in activity levels.

All bets are off, of course, when I finally book the surgeries.

All in all, a peaceful, un-dramatic maintenance month.

I am pleased to report that on the last day of September I have got back to my target weight for the first time since July after having had a fabulous fortnight or two.

I weighed in last weekend and am still under goal. My waist is also under goal - but I would like to see this go down - without the weight going down. Not sure how to accomplish this, but I am overall happy with this WOE!

BTW, I went SHOPPING finally! (One of my friends was telling me my pants were too big.) When I was in my 20s many moons ago, I could barely get size 8s over my hips - and I was very skinny. I now wear size 6-8 - I CANNOT believe my hips are smaller than back then, so it must be vanity sizing occurring! But the pants sure do look and feel nice!

Nice to see all those good results at the end of the month (I'm well within my goal range as well). Keep up the good spirits for the month to come!