IF Followers, Maintanance Thread!

[mom23kids]

I know there's a few of us who follow IF (intermittent fasting) plans, that are transitioning into maintanance or are already there Thought it would be fun to have our own maintanance thread!

I'm coming from JUDDD and called goal a few days ago I'm now trying to figure out how I want to handle maintanance-stick with the eod rotations but with higher calories, or experiment with less fasting days and see what happens (like the 5:2 plan).
Or maybe give eating windows a try?? So many options

Roll call-who else is an IF'er doing maintanance?

[Shari4]

I just called goal yesterday! So, I'm still trying to decide how to "maintain" my weight loss. I guess I needed to make these decisions sooner. I look forward to see what others are doing!

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by Shari4

I just called goal yesterday! So, I'm still trying to decide how to "maintain" my weight loss. I guess I needed to make these decisions sooner. I look forward to see what others are doing!

Yeah, who would have thought maintanance would be so daunting

I've decided to give the 8 hour window plan a try, but will probably still include one 500-600 calorie fasting day a week. The new 8 hour diet book has 8 power foods you're supposed to eat everyday, but starting out i'm going to just focus on getting in more dark green veggies and berries in. I'll probably break my fast with a green smoothie for a few days and see how that goes. I'm also up .5lb from my maintanance number, so hoping to see that disappear this week at some point!

[Carly]

I called goal early this month. My plan was DDs on M, W, F (under 500, but more like 300) and UDs T, TH, S & S- not counting. I thought I had gained about 3 pounds, so was going back to eod, but today I had an almost 3 pound whoosh while at work... I went to the ladies room about 20x. I thought I wasn't going to make it twice

So, I actually haven't gained doing M, W, F as my only DDs so I guess I'll see where I stand on Sat. after Friday's DD, but if I'm not under 127 it will be eod rotations till I get and stay there. Otherwise I'll stick with my plan of UD weekends.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by Carly

I called goal early this month. My plan was DDs on M, W, F (under 500, but more like 300) and UDs T, TH, S & S- not counting. I thought I had gained about 3 pounds, so was going back to eod, but today I had an almost 3 pound whoosh while at work... I went to the ladies room about 20x. I thought I wasn't going to make it twice

So, I actually haven't gained doing M, W, F as my only DDs so I guess I'll see where I stand on Sat. after Friday's DD, but if I'm not under 127 it will be eod rotations till I get and stay there. Otherwise I'll stick with my plan of UD weekends.

Wow, that was some woosh lol!

[Carly]

Originally Posted by mom23kids

Wow, that was some woosh lol!

Thank G-d I have a bathroom in the office I'm at on T and TH, but that means I used a whole role of toilet paper single handed...

[Babsbabs]

Found the thread! I am back in maintenance again this month. I hope to stay here this time. I have a tendency to slowly gain and seem to alternate from weight loss to maintenance. I am glad Christmas is only once a year! Spring and summer tend to be a bit easier for me.

[Carly]

Originally Posted by Babsbabs

Found the thread! I am back in maintenance again this month. I hope to stay here this time. I have a tendency to slowly gain and seem to alternate from weight loss to maintenance. I am glad Christmas is only once a year! Spring and summer tend to be a bit easier for me.

I am very sesative to the dark, cold winter months. I can't wait till it is light out when I get home from work. Then I love to go walking every evening. Now it is too cold, icy/snowy and dark to walk on the side walk of busy roads.

[mom23kids]

I can't wait until the ice melts so i can start walking! I tried going for a walk on Saturday but it was so icy i kept slipping/almost fell

[KeirasMom]

Checking in . . . I'm attempting maintenance with 5:2. So far, so good, but I had a crazy weekend and will need to lose a bit of the indulgence.

[Carly]

Originally Posted by KeirasMom

Checking in . . . I'm attempting maintenance with 5:2. So far, so good, but I had a crazy weekend and will need to lose a bit of the indulgence.

I'll send you the whoosh fairy if you have plenty of toilet paper. I just had my dinner and that sometimes halts this crazy running to the bathroom thing. It usually means TOM is near, but that only ended 2 days ago. It's the easiest way to drop 3 pounds in 8 hours

[mom23kids]

I had an unexpected 2lb woosh this morning yesterday started as a dd but then when i decided to try the 8 hr window plan i had a normal supper, within my window, and ended up eating around 1,200 calories for the day. A nice surprise this morning! I have quite a big cushion for my maintanance range (could get down in the low 130s and still be healthy for age/height), but i' m not actively trying to lose more weight right now. It's nice to see a loss though this morning and not a gain

[Sammyann]

I've been trying 5:2 for maintenance. It was going well untill PMS hit. I'm pretty sure I'm in perimenopause so I've been irregular. I was a week late last month and this month I was a week and 1 day late. The past week and half I've been starving and haven't been able to stick to a 500 or less down day. My gastritis has been acting up too which makes DD's really hard. I'm hoping I can have a good down day tomorrow now that TOM finally showed up. If not, I may have to re-evaluate what I'm doing. Thankfully I'm still in my maintenance weight range but I'm at the top now which makes me uncomfortable. I really don't want to keep gaining and losing 15-30lbs like I have been doing the last 5 years.

Sorry for the long whine.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by Sammyann

I've been trying 5:2 for maintenance. It was going well untill PMS hit. I'm pretty sure I'm in perimenopause so I've been irregular. I was a week late last month and this month I was a week and 1 day late. The past week and half I've been starving and haven't been able to stick to a 500 or less down day. My gastritis has been acting up too which makes DD's really hard. I'm hoping I can have a good down day tomorrow now that TOM finally showed up. If not, I may have to re-evaluate what I'm doing. Thankfully I'm still in my maintenance weight range but I'm at the top now which makes me uncomfortable. I really don't want to keep gaining and losing 15-30lbs like I have been doing the last 5 years.

Sorry for the long whine.

[LowCarbRachel]

Hi all...I'm in pre-maintenance. About 10 pounds away from my goal, and I will take however long it takes to get there. I've never maintained a weight loss for more than a few months because I never picked a way of eating that really worked for me. Now I finally found it--IF with an 8 hour window--and I am very slowly losing weight. I don't mind that it's slow...I just want to keep it off this time around.

I made up my own plan. I open my window at 10:30, and during the day, I eat foods like apples, blueberries, nuts, string cheese, and greek yogurt. And then I have a plate of whatever I'd like for dinner, plus a small desert (like a 1/2 cup of ice cream or 2 chocolate truffles.) I'm always done eating by 6:30, sometimes earlier.

I have also been getting up before work and riding my exercise bike daily. I know that daily exercise (gentle) is going to be an important part of maintaining my weight, plus, I've found that I enjoy the energy boost I get when I do it before I go to work.

Happy maintenance, all!

Rachel

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by LowCarbRachel

Hi all...I'm in pre-maintenance. About 10 pounds away from my goal, and I will take however long it takes to get there. I've never maintained a weight loss for more than a few months because I never picked a way of eating that really worked for me. Now I finally found it--IF with an 8 hour window--and I am very slowly losing weight. I don't mind that it's slow...I just want to keep it off this time around.

I made up my own plan. I open my window at 10:30, and during the day, I eat foods like apples, blueberries, nuts, string cheese, and greek yogurt. And then I have a plate of whatever I'd like for dinner, plus a small desert (like a 1/2 cup of ice cream or 2 chocolate truffles.) I'm always done eating by 6:30, sometimes earlier.

I have also been getting up before work and riding my exercise bike daily. I know that daily exercise (gentle) is going to be an important part of maintaining my weight, plus, I've found that I enjoy the energy boost I get when I do it before I go to work.

Happy maintenance, all!

Rachel

Glad you found the thread! I've decided to try the 8 Hour Window idea for maintenance and see what happens I'm also going to start focusing on eating healthier-today's menu plan is the healthiest I've eaten in probably years Green smoothie with kale, spinach, blueberries and flax seed, a big salad with chicken and then a whole grain flat bread sandwich with turkey, cheese and tomato (ok, and some hard salami-easing my way into this ). If I need a snack I have trail mix on standby I probably won't eat this healthy every day, but even if it's 3-4 times a week I'm going to be going in the right direction!

[KeirasMom]

Originally Posted by Carly

I'll send you the whoosh fairy if you have plenty of toilet paper. I just had my dinner and that sometimes halts this crazy running to the bathroom thing. It usually means TOM is near, but that only ended 2 days ago. It's the easiest way to drop 3 pounds in 8 hours

She arrived. My indulgence is mostly gone. 166.2 yesterday, and today's weigh-in after one DD was 163.0. Works for me!

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by KeirasMom

She arrived. My indulgence is mostly gone. 166.2 yesterday, and today's weigh-in after one DD was 163.0. Works for me!

[Carly]

Originally Posted by KeirasMom

She arrived. My indulgence is mostly gone. 166.2 yesterday, and today's weigh-in after one DD was 163.0. Works for me!

That's team work!!!!! When I go to Florida in April I may need her back...

[Shari4]

Sara, I need to do some reading about the 8 hour eating window. I don't know anything about it. And I'm curious!!

Carly, that's some whoosh!! Team work is good!!

Babs!!

Sammyann, whine is ok around here!! Besides as my DH says..... somebody's gotta do it!

LCRachel, maybe I can learn about this 8 hour window from you & Sara!

Dawn, for the Whoosh Fairy!!! I am still amazed with how well JUDDD works!!

I put my numbers into the JUDDD calculator for 50% maintenance. Using my today's weight of 145, I get UD calories of 1550 & DD calories of 775. Yesterday, I had added a few calories to my usual 325, up to 500 for my DD. Then, today, I decided to still alternate UD's & DD's. So, yesterday was a bit short; but, that's ok. If I gain, I can always go to WLM. Maybe 40 or45 %. I'll just see how it goes.

I am so excited to be in maintenance! And I'm glad you're all here to walk with me!!!

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by Shari4

Sara, I need to do some reading about the 8 hour eating window. I don't know anything about it. And I'm curious!!

Carly, that's some whoosh!! Team work is good!!

Babs!!

Sammyann, whine is ok around here!! Besides as my DH says..... somebody's gotta do it!

LCRachel, maybe I can learn about this 8 hour window from you & Sara!

Dawn, for the Whoosh Fairy!!! I am still amazed with how well JUDDD works!!

I put my numbers into the JUDDD calculator for 50% maintenance. Using my today's weight of 145, I get UD calories of 1550 & DD calories of 775. Yesterday, I had added a few calories to my usual 325, up to 500 for my DD. Then, today, I decided to still alternate UD's & DD's. So, yesterday was a bit short; but, that's ok. If I gain, I can always go to WLM. Maybe 40 or45 %. I'll just see how it goes.

I am so excited to be in maintenance! And I'm glad you're all here to walk with me!!!

The 8 hour plan is really easy, you just eat all your calories in an 8 hour window. Supposedly you don't need to count anything ( no calorie or carb counting!), but the new book that just came out, The 8 Hour Diet, recomends eating from 8 'power' food groups everyday. 1. Lean meats 2. Whole grains 3. Berries 4. Other fruit 5. Dark veggies 6. Other veggies 7. Nuts 8. Dairy, especially yogurt. I had not planned on doing the power foods part, but ended up getting all the groups in today Also, before you break your fast every day, you're supposed to do 8 minutes of exercise to jump start your metabolism. I did some crunches and dumbbell work today, but nothing intense

[Casey]

The Lean for Life maintenance plan is good for maintaining. I couldn't handle the DD part of JUDDD - lol - low blood sugar issues make a more steady low carb plan better for my body. Low carb worked until menopause... Now I have to track portions and calories and exercise more to stay at goal.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by Casey

The Lean for Life maintenance plan is good for maintaining. I couldn't handle the DD part of JUDDD - lol - low blood sugar issues make a more steady low carb plan better for my body. Low carb worked until menopause... Now I have to track portions and calories and exercise more to stay at goal.

I've nevet heard of lean for life-will have to look into it thanks!

How many times does everyone weigh themselves a week now? I'm a daily weigher but would like to get to the point where i only weigh once or twice a week. Since i'm just starting the transition into maintenance i don't feel comfortable cutting back yet, but maybe that's something i can work towards next month

[mom23kids]

There's a thread in the main lobby section going on, where several people have expressed how difficult maintenance is. I realize we have to be aware of our weight and follow some.sort of maintenance woe, but I'm looking at maintenance with excitement and can't wait to get into the rythm of my forever way of eating! However the vibe I'm getting from that thread is that maintenance is a lot of work and full of struggles Is maintenance really that hard to do? Maybe doing an IF plan makes it easier because there's no food group restrictions

[KeirasMom]

Originally Posted by mom23kids

I've nevet heard of lean for life-will have to look into it thanks!

How many times does everyone weigh themselves a week now? I'm a daily weigher but would like to get to the point where i only weigh once or twice a week. Since i'm just starting the transition into maintenance i don't feel comfortable cutting back yet, but maybe that's something i can work towards next month

I weigh daily. I don't know if I'll ever stop. When I was thin in my early adulthood, I weighed nearly daily. When I stopped weighing is when I got the "ostrich" phenomenon, where I buried my head in the sand, and gained weight like crazy.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by KeirasMom

I weigh daily. I don't know if I'll ever stop. When I was thin in my early adulthood, I weighed nearly daily. When I stopped weighing is when I got the "ostrich" phenomenon, where I buried my head in the sand, and gained weight like crazy.

Good point, when we don't weigh everyday it probably makes it easier to get off track. I just put a simple weight tracking app on my phone, so i have an easy to access place for my weight history. I started it three days ago, which is when i feel like i actually started maintenance, so it's pretty much my maintenance tracker

[LowCarbRachel]

Sara, I'd love to get a weight tracking app. Can you tell me the name of the one you are using?

Shari, my 8 hour IF is easy. I eat breakfast at 10:30 am, usually a piece of string cheese and a packet of nuts. Then I have an apple and peanut butter for lunch and greek yogurt and berries for a snack. I eat dinner around 6 and allow myself a plate of whatever sounds good, plus a small desert. Then I stop eating until the next day.

I have regular mild hunger from about 8-8:15 in the mornings. The rest of the day, I have no cravings and no hunger pains. I made up my own eating guidelines because I know I can't personally manage my weight by eating whatever I want for the whole 8 hours.

Last night, we went out to dinner, and I had a 7 ounce ribeye, mashed potatoes, a salad, and half a piece of cheesecake. This is a really freeing way for me to eat...I have a guideline but still plenty of freedom.

[LowCarbRachel]

Sara, I have never maintained a weight loss. I have bounced around from 132-156 over the last fifteen years. I feel like I FINALLY figured out the key to maintaining and that's to pick a plan that you enjoy and choose to eat in a way that you can sustain. Otherwise, once your "diet" is "over"....there's a good chance you'll go back to the habits that got you in trouble in the first place.

I really feel that the true secret to maintenance is to find a way of eating that appeals to YOU. Although I lost weight on low carb and on paleo and on counting calories, I had to desire to stay with any of those plans long-term. However, I know people who feel AMAZING on low carb and who have committed to it for life. I feel like my current plan is something that I can do forever and don't plan to change much once I get into maintenance.

[mom23kids]

Originally Posted by LowCarbRachel

Sara, I'd love to get a weight tracking app. Can you tell me the name of the one you are using?

Shari, my 8 hour IF is easy. I eat breakfast at 10:30 am, usually a piece of string cheese and a packet of nuts. Then I have an apple and peanut butter for lunch and greek yogurt and berries for a snack. I eat dinner around 6 and allow myself a plate of whatever sounds good, plus a small desert. Then I stop eating until the next day.

I have regular mild hunger from about 8-8:15 in the mornings. The rest of the day, I have no cravings and no hunger pains. I made up my own eating guidelines because I know I can't personally manage my weight by eating whatever I want for the whole 8 hours.

Last night, we went out to dinner, and I had a 7 ounce ribeye, mashed potatoes, a salad, and half a piece of cheesecake. This is a really freeing way for me to eat...I have a guideline but still plenty of freedom.

The app is called weight tracker ++ and it has a red icon. It was free

[mom23kids]

Yay for Friday

Scale was stil at 139.5 this morning, which is great, but i Iook really bloated-maybe from all the veggies i've just started eating i think i'm going to do a 500c dd today and stay away from veggies and see if that helps. We have a semi formal dinner at church tomorrow night and my dress is pretty form fitting. I'd like to get rid of the bloat for that. I have seen a product you can buy to help with beans and veggies (i think it's called beeno?). I may buy some and see if that helps next time i eat veggies.