The FastDay Forum

Thanks Susan and Pete and others for keeping us updated on your 'maintenance' progress. I hope to be joining you there shortly and so how you use intermittent fasting to maintain rather than to lose weight is of real interest to me - and hopefully to many more people here in the future.

Hi All,

I also gained this week! I havent deviated from the plan at all! I only have about 15lbs to lose but was track with a 3lb loss over 2 weeks and now have put on 2lbs! Its so frustrating!! However I do weigh everyday (I know I cant help it)!! Am going to start weighing 1 day a week after a fast day! Good luck everyone

Pete, I'm not trying to give you advice (you seem to not like that and I respect it). All I'm saying is that I hope that you have spoken to your consultant about what you eat and what you are planning to eat. That's all, nothing more, nothing less...

You may well be sceptical about it Dominic, but that's just because you are ignorant of the actual cases where people were underweight but that have been "cured" by fasting. I've got no idea whether Shelton actually observed these cases or not - you seem to be suggesting he made them up. He may have done, although I'm not sure what his motive would have been. Have you read any of the works of people who have supervised many fasts?

You might help the sceptics to become "less ignorant" by providing some links, so that we have an opportunity to read about sample size and study design. That would help a lot!

Good luck Dominic, I hope to hear your experience of maintenance soon. I guess one size doesn't fit all so 6:1 may not be enough for some depending on their TDEE and what they eat! I can do one 'proper' fast and one half day easily enough so hopefully that should work. As long as there is not too much feasting (or chocolate) on the other days. The good news is that having one proper fast day a week is actually enjoyable, especially the Monday after a good weekend:)

TML13 - thanks for your advice, I have nothing against advice! What got my goat recently was an unwarranted & in my opinion rude dismissal of the process that Susan & I were going through by a newcomer to this forum that seemed to have some kind of downer on thin people. Maybe I over-reacted, he has apologized to some extent so I guess it is OK now.
As regards informing my consultant - I do not have a consultant but I will mention my dietary aims when I next see my doctor. I have a blood test due on Wednesday. I am also asking the forum for anyone with experience of reverting to meat-eating!

I got fairly close to my target weight a while ago so dropped to 6:1 but I gained weight so I reverted back to the 5:2 and either I stay the same now or I lose a lb or 2 each week. The best weight loss for me was in the early months when I think I was being much stricter with myself and not cheating at all! i know i should probably execise more too.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it not enough! I haven't reverted to 2 full fasts but do one complete one, sometimes liquid only on a Monday, and a 24 hour fast but eat normally in the evening on another day. That seems to work OK. I've decided to stick around 58kgs and not 57 which was my lower weight and that seems easier to maintain (plus I look less gaunt and bony at a slightly higher weight!)

I have been on this new 'maintenance' rollercoaster only for a couple of weeks and as my progress chart shows I am still adjusting! I have started with 6:1 but like you Susan and 12345678let I am not sure it is going to be enough and I might have to put in another day this week.

Clearly there is a new sort of 'normal eating' that we need to adjust to, and I instinctively revert to eating at similar levels as before. Not only was I about 15% heavier before I started 5:2 but I was also tending (slowly) to put weight on, so clearly I need to eat a lot less now. I feel I am eating reasonably sensibly during the week but enjoying the weekends and that enjoyment seems to be more than enough to outweigh the 'good work' on my one fast day. Heigh ho!

I"m sorry (but quite relieved!) to know that you are finding 6:1 maintenance a little unreliable too, Dominic! I think it is a bit misleading of Dr M to say it was all that was required to maintain weight once goal weight is reached. It doesn't seem to be as easy as that!

I don't feel 6:1 is enough to maintain unless you are very careful the rest of the time. My modified 5:2 for maintenance has involved major exercise on fast-day mornings followed by a small brunch for muscle recovery/repair then an unlimited but sensible evening meal, even with wine if necessary. I feel I get the benefit of 16-odd hours without food (if there really is one) but don't spend all day hungry. If I did not use Libra to smooth out daily weighings, though, I would have been very confused by now. Sometimes I get up in the morning having lost 3 lbs overnight, I usually weigh more after a fast day then lose weight the next day - all sorts of weirdness. The line on Libra stays nice and flat, fortunately...

I think the fact that Mimi Spencer went from a BMI 18.5 to 20 proves that 6:1 definitely doesn't work that efficiently! Of must get the Libra app - it sounds better than keeping the daily weighing results in my head! I've actually lost again this week (1kg), but I made an effort last week and did 2 proper fasts (one liquid).
I still can't drop breakfast every day, but must reduce my intake of the " 'C's - chocolate, cheese and cashew nuts.
I am quite disappointed as I was looking forward to just one fast a week. It will be interesting so see as more and more people reach goal if 6:1 works for them.

But if you are doing one liquid fast and one normal fast then that is a stricter regime than standard 5:2 isn't it Susan? I thought it was meant to get easier when we reached maintenance!

I wondered about going for a liquid fast yesterday as I don't eat until evening anyway but in the end chickened out. Will def need to fast on Thursday. Perhaps alternating 6:1 and 5:2 is a strategy?

[carorees]

What about 2 x 24 hour fasts (no cals) and then eat normally? That way there's no calorie counting. That's the eat stop eat method that Brad Pilon invented and you have more cals than on DrM's 5:2. So you would probably maintain.

But if you are doing one liquid fast and one normal fast then that is a stricter regime than standard 5:2 isn't it Susan? I thought it was meant to get easier when we reached maintenance!

Yes, that was the 'myth' sold to us, that it is easier! In fairness, I didn't intend to do a liquid fast, but Mondays are always very busy for me and it was 9pm before I knew it so I decided to have an early night instead of eat. It wasn't intentional.
I think alternating could work and may be easier than doing what I do (1 full fast, plus one fast with no evening restriction) per week. As long as you can cope with the potential variation in the scales readings!
Caroline, would 2 x 24 mean that you always ate normally in the evenings? If you do 8pm to 8pm for example. Would that be fewer calories than what I do to maintain, one full 36 fast with 500 cals and one day missing breakfast and lunch and not eating until the evening, but eating normally then?
If it was an 8pm - 8pm fast would you eat a normal evening meal every night?