The FastDay Forum

I though I would start us off again, I think it is useful to see how we are all managing this phase. I have dropped to 6-1, but still skip breakfast. So far so good!

I'm maintaining 107-110lbs with 4:3 so I'll join in with this thread to see what happens in September.

Yes, still in the maintenance squad this month. I will start with a fast this week, as lots of cake and a BBQ are coming up this week.

I'm maintaining this month too. I weighed exactly the same on August 31st this year as I did one year ago on September 1st - a quarter of a pound above target in both cases. 10 stone, 7 and a quarter pounds.
I will gloss over the fact that I regained thirteen and a half pounds between October 13 and January14, then lost it again! I am hoping that I won't make that mistake again! Must keep up the fasting, weigh regularly and keep visiting the forum!

Hi everyone!

Although I am over my goal weight by a couple of pounds (NOT recorded in the progress tracker...) I still consider myself on maintenance. Maybe??

Some of you may know that I have been battling with a fast/binge pattern over the last month (when trying to lose those extra pounds) and feeling hungry almost all the time I am not eating. Carorees wondered if this could be the famine effect, and suggested that I stop fasting for (at least) a week and eat slightly above my TDEE, minimizing the white carbs but eating some whole grains (as well as proteins, fats and veggies of course) - as per Amanda Sallis' - and hope my body 'resets' itself.

I have only been following this plan for 4 days, so it is very early days. I have been having eggs (and bacon sometimes) and oats with some sultanas as soon as I start to feel reasonably hungry each day - around mid morning. (Previously I was not eating until a late lunch on non-fast days, and dinner time on fast days, but felt so hungry all the time up til then.) Then I have my usual lunch of fish and salad - again, as soon as I feel I "need" to eat - plus some Vitaweats. And dinner with the family of meat/chicken/fish and veggies, followed by berries and yoghurt. Also have some nuts, some fruit and a smallish amount of chocolate, usually with a meal. This is probably still more sugar than ideal, but I will see how things go. So far, I have not had any intense hunger feelings and I have managed to stick to the aimed for amount of calories each day. Not sure yet if this is just that I really want this to work (mind over matter), or if my body is starting to adjust. Anyway, so far so good.

@merlin, our progress trackers show a similar story. You seem to be managing maintenance better than I have though. Although I have been on maintenance a while, I have always needed 5:2 as I often overindulged on non-fast days. How have you found your non-fast days - and any tips? Best wishes for your continuing successful maintenance.

And lots of credit to you @StowgateResident for being able to lose what you put on during the year. You must be pleased to be back where you were. I know I have commented on your posts elsewhere on your approach to eating, but would you mind reminding me how you gained then lost the weight that you put back on - or direct me to where you have posted on this. Thanks!

And @P-JK, you set such a good example for mainteneers. Enjoy the cake and BBQ!

@SSure - hi! Not sure if I have "communicated" directly with you yet?? (Can't remember... ) I know you have issues to deal with re low BMI but high body fat - I wondered if this is why you have to do 4:3 to maintain?

Best wishes to you all and other fellow mainteneers for this month!

Hi @Sassy1,

I know you have issues to deal with re low BMI but high body fat - I wondered if this is why you have to do 4:3 to maintain?

Spot on. I know that a lot of people struggle with the appetite of a high TDEE but the realities of a low TDEE, well, because I have a clinically, abnormally low amount of skeletal muscle mass, I have comparatively less tissue that is metabolically active than other people of a comparable weight/build: despite kayaking x4 a week, x2 gym visits and a fairly active life, my BMR at 117lbs was just <1100 (as approximated by Dexa scan and Miffin St Jeor equation) so now, it's less than that.

I kayak because I enjoy it, I do strength training to attempt to retain the muscle that I have. But, yes, even being comparatively active, my current TDEE is <1400 so I find it easier to follow 4:3 than to maintain based on that. It creates a comparative sense of abundance on my non-fast days.

Given that most women lose muscle mass post-menopause and everyone is supposed to drop their metabolic rate by 10% per decade as they age, by the time I'm in my 70s, I'll probably have a BMR of approx. 800kcals a day. At that sort of level/age, I'd probably have to consider more fast days than non-fast days and some extensive supplementation as there's a level of food intake below which it's tricky to meet the RDAs.

Got on daughter's scales this morning-good for the morale as they seem to be weighing about 5lbs light-pretty sure mine are actuate, did the equivalent of the cat litter lest on them! , as for maintenance tips , no breakfast seems to help me especially as I no longer really feel hungry first thing. I am also happy to have a few more lbs on than perhaps some people would.

[carorees]

Got on daughter's scales this morning-good for the morale as they seem to be weighing about 5lbs light-pretty sure mine are accurate, did the equivalent of the cat litter lest on them! , as for maintenance tips , no breakfast seems to help me especially as I no longer really feel hungry first thing. I am also happy to have a few more lbs on than perhaps some people would.

Just going to buy some cat litter so I can do the cat litter test too!

I have lost my holiday weight and had a dip down to a new low but now have returned to my old maintenance range, so I'm happy with that. Sticking to 16:8 for the foreseeable future (though most days are actually 17:7).

Just had a week of eating home made carby packed lunches, mostly sandwiches with seeded bread, plus evening meals with pasta, rice, gnocchi or potatoes, followed by dessert, cream and plenty of wine. Also a lovely birthday meal out one evening plus very rich birthday coffee cake with buttercream filling made by a friend. Jumped on the scales this morning expecting to have piled several pounds on and I weighed exactly the same as this time last week! We did do a lot of walking while on holiday and I still missed out breakfast every day but I'm still really pleased that I have maintained my 'fighting fit' weight.

Hi, @Sassy1, the short answer to your question about how I gained and then lost the weight that I had put on, is in my post 'Must keep up the fasting, weigh regularly and keep visiting the forum!' The longer explanation is as follows!

ALERT: Tedious information follows, which it is not essential for anyone to read!

Last year I reached my target on the 7th July. In late September, I had relatives from Canada staying for a month, making fasting and spending time on the forum difficult - not that I tried very hard! By the time they left I had regained nearly half a stone by eating too many sweets, puddings and 'treats'. I felt embarrassed at what I perceived as a 'failure to maintain' and didn't try to fast, or visit the forum. Further visits to Madrid and Germany, where my two daughters live, led to further gains but still not much weighing and forum visiting! However, I had the occasional forays back to 5:2 and the forum and by the 8th December I was only three and a half pounds over target (10 stone 10 and a half pounds) but then Christmas was nearly upon us and I just stopped fasting and started eating all the foods I love - in great quantities (my usual Christmas behaviour)! Not surprisingly, by 05/01/14 I was eleven stone five and a half pound - twelve and a half pounds over my target weight but still nearly a stone less than when I started 5:2 at the same time, the previous year.

I went back to 5:2 basics - two 500c days and eating sensibly but not 'dieting' on the other five. I am not a low carber and refuse to cut anything out of my diet that I enjoy but, when I set my mind to it, I am capable of eating them in moderation. I never counted calories, except occasionally a rough count-up in my head, and I always weigh my breakfast muesli because I find that it is very easy to be heavy-handed when pouring it into the bowl! By 9th March this year, two days before my 65th birthday, I was back to target and very happy to be there! If you look at my tracker you will see that maintaining is not a smooth path for me! Every holiday away, or visitors staying, result in a weight gain. I could fast during these times but I choose not to and a couple of fasts a week seem to return me to target, or thereabouts, quite quickly when my life returns to normal again.

I could probably do with losing another half a stone (I am five foot seven) but, at the moment, I am comfortable with my target weight and BMI and am concentrating on seeing that I maintain over the winter, which would be a first for me in forty five years of yo-yo dieting! I have considered 16:8 but I enjoy my breakfasts so much on non-fast days that I am sticking to 5:2 for the foreseeable future. I am so pleased to have found a WOL in which a couple of fast days a week is a small price to pay for being able to eat all the foods that I enjoy for the rest of the time!

I'm not sure that this has answered your questions but it has certainly helped me in clarifying what went wrong last time and, hopefully, how I can make it better. Good luck on your 'journey'.

Also maintaining 13 months on. Mainly 16:8 a although do sometimes have scrambled eggs for breakfast, especially if going for an early morning run and very few white carbs. Weight staying pretty stable although it does go up by a couple pounds every now and again usually after time away but it (so far) it always comes back to maintenance weight within a week.

Was bang on my target of 55.5kgs this morning. I weigh and measure every day to keep me on track, just part of my morning routine now, and my measurements stay in the same band too - they go up or down by half and inch (I'm definitely not complaining).

Definitely agree with @StowgateResident the visiting here is a very good way to keep on track with maintenance.

Thanks @StowgateResident, your response was exactly what I was looking for Again, lots of credit to you for losing the weight you gained, and wonderful that you can maintain and (sensibly!) eat what you want. Sounds perfect.

@AnnieW, your maintenance history sounds great. Seems like you have settled on an eating regime that works well for you.

And @carorees, 16:8 is clearly continuing to work for you too (btw, as mentioned above, so far so good with your suggestion for an eating regime to help deal with my feelings of excessive hunger. I am enjoying protein based (latish) breakfasts each day, and although having some sugary foods, have not yet overindulged. Weight is remaining pretty stable. Still early days tho. Thanks again for your help. )

I am supposed to be maintaining but I still have a kilo of holiday weight gain to lose (plus 2 kilos to get to the initial target weight as I'm always maintaining at the top of my range truth be told).
At the moment I'm doing 16/8 as have a lot on my plate with two kids starting two new schools this week and my dissertation to finish and hand-in on Friday, but next week I'm planning to go back to 5:2.
I'm also trying to cut out excessive sugar, the actual sugary treats were quite easy to get rid of, but the hidden sugar is less so...think the only solution is making own everything including bread etc. so will have to wait until next week to try that out properly.
Have embarqued on the 30 day September fitness challenge as I want to tone-up and get into the habit of doing regular exercise, so hopefully by the end of the month I'll be safely back within my maintenance range

I am just starting my 2nd year of maintenance! It is hard to believe it! I am few pounds lower than I want to be, but as I am healthy, not sickly, I figure that is ok. I am delaying breakfast most days, doing the occasional 16:8 but haven't needed to do much more.

Thank you MM and this forum! I was looking at the weight slowly piling on, with my waist thickening slowly. Since both parents had weight issues and ended up with type 2 diabetes, I knew I had to do something, but did NOT want to diet. Seems to me most people around me who do diet end up gaining all the weight back and then some. IF is doable and so flexible and this forum is the best support a body could wish for.

Happy September all!

Thanks for starting this @merlin.
After my week away, I gained 2lbs. Shows how easy it would be to put it all back on, though.
I'm back to my low daily TDEE and low carb WOE and hoping to see 10 4 again soon.
Feeling very stressed at the moment, so need to be mindful of my eating - and alcohol intake.