The FastDay Forum

First Monday of the month so I thought time to start another thread. @Otter I hope you don't mind!

My challenge this month will be properly maintaining instead of increasing the buffer of weight loss which is oh so tempting. I'll skip breakfast and lunch today and have a normal dinner. I intend to do the same on Thursday and will see how this goes.

I don't mind at all Wmr309! Good to see you getting us mainteneers going for the month of March

I've just enjoyed a week of 6:1, but am going to follow that this week and next with 5:2 as I've got a holiday coming up and will have no fasting at all for that week.

Still not doing a great job of managing the mindless evening munchies, though managing to stay of the wine during the week - so that's something.

Good luck to all my fellow maintaineers this month and welcome to the summit any newbies!

Hello. I'm still maintaining 3 lbs below goal weight so have not been fasting at all in recent weeks (even 1 day's fasting makes me lose weight).

Well done @Bssh. I still fast one day a week but probably not as strict as I did when I was trying to lose weight. In the morning I will have some milk in my coffee and now that they are in season I might eat a couple of plums for lunch. Then low cal dinner and no alcohol on two days a week. It would probably end up to no more than 650-700 calories. The other days I am quite aware of what I eat but don't count calories. It seems to work.

My challenge this month will be properly maintaining instead of increasing the buffer of weight loss which is oh so tempting.

You're SO right about that temptation to "increase the buffer" I think we're all capable of falling foul to that. I'm a daily weigher & have to be very severe with myself - Mondays & Thursdays are 'available' as fast days, but I will only fast if I have gained, if I have lost (for some reason) then I will eat 'normally', if I'm on target then I will 16:8 if it's Thursday (just to get that tiny buffer before the weekend!).

I hope that doesn't sound toooo obsessive

@AnnieD have you found that you are lowering your target? For me it was first 70kg, then 69kg, then BMI under 22, now it's 67.anything. I think that will have to be it for me as I was getting a bit obsessive too (not that I am saying you are!). I have even weighed myself at night at the end of a fasting day which of course makes little sense.

I like your idea about having those two days 'available'. Friday is my 'official' weigh-in for the progress tracker so I imagine I will always be very careful that day.

@Wmr309 I lowered my initial target a tad (from 64,5kg to 63,5kg) and have now found that 63 to 63,5 works well for me - if I dip below 63kg then all bets are off !!!!

At one point I (not on purpose) went below 62kg and caught sight of myself in the mirror - not nice

Up nearly a full kg this week - so today's second fast of the week is much needed. Wish I could say the kg gain was at least from some feasting I really enjoyed - but it really wasn't! Just mindless eating of crap - why oh why do I do this when I'm bored, stressed, upset??

It's only a kg and I'm still below target with buffer to spare, so I'm not THAT upset about it, just annoyed with myself and these unhelpful default patterns I fall into over and over again.

Sorry for the rant and thanks for listening. Picking myself up now, dusting off, and getting on with it. I've got one more week with two excellent fasts planned and some sensible days in between and I can then go off any enjoy a week away with my lovely fella If I gain a kg or two on holiday, I'll make sure it's because if eaten and enjoyed food I really love and because I'm happy!

Certainly learning that mainteneering has its own set of unique challenges.

Started a religious fast (sunrise to sunset, March 2 through 20), and yesterday, at work, I got 2-3 compliments! I have been at maintenance level since August, so not sure what everyone saw - maybe the black pants did it???

In any case, I am not doing any other form of fasting, haven't weighed myself lately either. BTW, I am eating a good breakfast before sunrise, but no calorie counting. I haven't eaten an early breakfast in months! Tomorrow is my weigh and measure the waist day, so I'll see then if there are any changes.

I have been maintaining since the end of July. I do find it quite hard as I am still dependant on my 2 fast days to keep my weight stable. I just overdo it on normal days. To try and cure this I am going to cut out eating between meals for lent. wish me luck. It is worth it to see the reflection in the mirror of a slim person in control

Keeping between 57 and 59 kgs but still want to lose 1kg to be closer to 57kg for my half marathon in April, so doing 5:2 which is really hard. Mondays OK but Thursday is a struggle especially if I train. A BMI of 19 - 19.5 is best for me, have gone lower but ended up a bit too bony.

After my holiday I gained 3lb and have bounced around ever since. I haven't done anything different. Weighed in today at 1lb over my target and 2lb more than my lowest low. Fasted today so hoping for happiness on the scales tomorrow.

I think this maintaining lark is going to be tricky as I'm still doing 5:2, 16:8, no white carbs and that seems to be what I need to do just to maintain. I'd quite like a slice of bread or some porridge

I'm glad maintenance is going so well for most of you. I'm really struggling, I think in part because I reached goal just before Christmas and have had a couple of trips since Xmas which interfere with proper fasting and keeping an eye on weight. (It's part of my life, so I need to figure out how to maintain weight while traveling and having less control over what I eat.)

I just got back from a trip (my last for awhile) and I know I've gained because all my new clothes are a bit tighter. I'm going on ADF to get back to goal minus 1-2 kg (I'll have goal as my upper limit of maintenance).

I'm jealous that you guys seem to be going below target so easily. I feel if I don't stick to 4:3 or ADF, I gain! Which is crazy! I don't want to fast so often forever! I suspect it has to do with losing so much--I think I was quite a bit heavier than most of you, judging by how much I've lost to get to goal--adaptive thermogenesis and all that.

But… I also need to learn to eat like a thin person. All the adjustments in my appetite and cravings I felt early on in my IF journey seem to have disappeared. I hope it's just a phase and with ADF I will get it back. At the same time, I don't want to become this food obsessed ninny who is always restricting things, counting calories, etc. I want it to come more naturally. Maybe that's too much to ask.

@maryann I'm with you. Today is the first weigh in day in a while that I'm on target. If I'm not extremely careful or do some sort of ADF (either 500 or 1000 cals) my weight goes up by around three pounds and I feel uncomfortable and sluggish.

I know it's to do with the amount of sugar and carbs I eat on my non fast days but can't seem to curb it. So while yes I can get back to target quite easily by being stricter on fast days, I'm still not completely ok with non fast days.

Now with stuff in the news about dangers of sugars and animal proteins I'm in even more of a tizz! I try to keep a balance but then someone brings a jar of Nutella home from shopping. I mean how cruel is that?

Very interesting to read about everyone's situation I associate with a number of them...

I am like Otter, have trouble with the evening munchies - particularly the chocolate... My weight has gone up lately (have not put into Progress Tracker yet...) so have decided that I need to revise my Easter challenge to NO chocolate in the evenings when I am home, until Easter. I also must try not to exceed my TDEE on non-fast days... But I say that everyday, then over-eat...

I have 2 indulgent weekends coming up at the end of this month, so would really like to be back under my goal weight before then.

I aim to use you all as motivation! Cheers