Just to add another ingredient to the pot, here’s an interesting take on the so-called “obesity paradox”.

http://qz.com/550527/obesity-paradox-scientists-now-think-that-being-overweight-is-sometimes-good-for-your-health/
http://www.nature.com/news/the-big-fat-truth-1.13039

It would appear that being a few pounds overweight, or even at the lower end of the obese category, might actually be a good thing, in as much as it offers some protection against various health issues and increases the chances of longevity.

I’m wondering if I might be a walking, talking example of this. Apart from about 5 minutes in my mid-20s when I reached optimum weight (nice figure, shame about the haggard face) and having been overweight since childhood (overfed by fat parents) I have gone well past the three score years and ten without ever being seriously ill, ever doing myself serious physical injury (the odd mild sprain but never a breakage) or ever being hospitalised.

I did slide into obesity, at its worse BMI 35. Some, but not all, of this was due to being kept on steroids for polymyalgia rheumatica. The rest, I confess, was insufficient care with what I ate. The PR cleared up within a couple of weeks but I wasn’t yet confident enough to go against doctor’s orders and the daily dosage kept on for nearly three years with the resulting big fat face and body and little piggy eyes. Yuck!

Then came 5:2 and the rest is history. I’m still the uncrowned plateau queen and it’s taken me three years to lose around 33 lbs (at least 1 1/2 of them this very week), with still another 10 or 12 to go, which they may never do.

I did go through a period of hypertension and raised cholesterol but I’ve very slowly but surely weaned myself off the medication(the statins with the doc’s agreement) and, would you believe, my BP, measured two or three times a week, has for some time now averaged 120/65, much lower than it ever was on the pills. So I’m a fit old fatty who’s likely to be around for some time to come.

As for the low-carb vs low-fat argument, isn’t this a question of what works for each of us and what our bodies will tolerate? I know that OD-ing on carbs – usually by accident or sheer thoughtlessness rather than design – leaves me feeling sick and sorry for myself. On the other hand a moderate intake of fats, in the form of olive, rapeseed, groundnut or walnut oil used in cooking and for dressing salads, plus at least one avocado a week, are no problem at all. Dairy fats are a different matter and have to be handled with care as I’m lactose intolerant.

Apricot, our ocean, and my own pool are sitting on 21degC. Crazy for autumn!
Hi Herm. I’ve always said a bit of extra in old age let’s you last longer in the care home (Aus: nursing home) May not be a good thing, though 😉😉
Off to early bed(fast night) Too much politics on tv with an election on the way. 😊 P

P. I should have added that I only want to live to a ripe old age if I’m in reasonable nick physically and mentally. If I either can’t wipe my own bum or have totally lost the plot, I’d rather go next week. Sadly, it’s not something you can predict. A care home would be my idea of hell.
In highlighting those two articles my main point was that the few extra pounds might not be as life-threatening as some would have us believe. The longevity was just an incidental.

Can’t say I’ve ever hankered after big boobs/cleavage, P. That’s one part of my anatomy that’s remained in not too bad shape at whatever weight. It was the roly-poly back that caused the problems. Quite a bit of that has now gone. 🙂

Simco posted a link to the followingresearch on another thread:

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/4/981.full

It deals with the effect of 1 meal/day, eating to TDEE in that one sitting, in healthy weight subjects. A short study, with some flaws, but they did find that body weight and body fat decreased on 1 meal/day, possibly explained by the effect eating patterns could have on metabolic activity, This would accord well with what Fung says too.

To quote the authors
“Consumption of 1 meal/d resulted in weight loss and a decrease in fat mass with little modification in calorie consumption”

I’ve been convinced of the benefit of calorie restriction plus time-restricted feeding for a long time. I’ll certainly be carrying on with my 24 hour maintenance fasts 😀

Hi Carol,

Yes, I’ve certainly found I’m more hungry lately after a fast, but only once I’ve started eating. The study I posted the link to I think reported the same. Funny though, because I know several people ‘in real life’ who regularly fast for 24 hours once a week and don’t have the same issue.

I think part of my problem lately is work-related (I’m eating as a distraction from boredom ☹️), and also tiredness (I love this time of year, but I wake up when it gets light so feel permanently sleep deprived with knock on effects on willpower and cravings).

The last couple of weeks I have also seen my weight rising through the week. I’ve not fasted on Mondays because I’ve been quite light, but then have needed a fast later in the week. Perhaps I should go back to a Monday fast, regardless of weight and see how that affects my week…

Well interestingly the people I know who 24 hour fast and don’t get hungry are all men too! It’s probably some evolutionary adaptation…!

We are eating very late now the nights are light, often 8.30-9pm, after outside jobs are done. It’s too late for me, I’d rather eat earlier and go back out, but OH is a curmudgeon,,, I think the late evening meal may be upsetting me too, it’s just not natural!

Hi Carol

It can be a quirk of the body. Or (for me) the amount of carbs, eg, any bread or cereal or potato or sugar etc that you may have had on Tuesday can show up with a weight gain the next day. When you fast with no carbs, does it go down again?

Meanwhile Just keep on keeping on!

Cheers, Bay 🌺🌺🌺

I know none of you clever maintainers are slow learners like me…
Yesterday as part of my goal to clear the freezer of excess baggage, I defrosted some chilli veg soup I’d made 12 months ago. Note to self for the future: the potency of chilli increases with time, even when held in the frozen state! 😥
It certainly warmed me up, though!

Thursday fast. Cold and overcast, so plenty of woolies being dragged out. I even had to put the winter quilt on last night. ❄❄ I hope you Northerners are getting some good warm weather at last. Have a good day gang. P

Hi Hap
3.30 here and I’m fine. Funny how it varies! Lots of layers 😊P

😀😀 I used to do that pre-fast panic eating. It’s just another day now.
I thought I didn’t want to fast this morning, but planning ahead so that I didn’t get cold, and a rail trip into the city (amongst eaters), has worked.
Only 3 hours until “dinner”. 😊 P

Sure sounds like it.
I’ve been looking at a book my mum had in her things. Probably from the 80s. It is about weight loss. Some of the ideas are great…eat 5 cups of vegetables to get the equivalent of a piece of cake. Says reduce sugar by half etc, but, of course, it recommends cutting down on fat as (and I quote) ‘Fatty food causes fat’.
Sad. It didn’t work for her. 😯P

Welcome back to the fold, Fast mate! I was getting worried, but felt you would turn up again soon.
Two things you said that gel completely..
the need for regular fasts and the support of other maintainers. Absolutely! ☺

We really need each other to touch base regularly and reinforce our resolve.

The sun has risen, bright red over the ocean. The air is chilly, but I MUST skip breakfast today after a fab day of overdoing it yesterday. ..
Bacon, cheese and mushroom pancake for brunch (homemade)
Duck and beetroot salad for late lunch
Crispy skinned salmon on (a very little) lemon and lime mash with asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto. Luckily they took too long to take our dessert order, so saved us from ourselves. .. we had a concert to catch.
Sitting in an outside tent with cold air coming off the river, and lots of walking to view the various performances, we clocked up enough steps to keep us warm and use up the fuel! ☺

Keep in touch MCs. We need each other. Cheers P 😊

Fast,

I’d been wondering where you were too, but given your recent medical investigations/ interventions thought perhaps you were on medical leave of absence!

Interesting that you’ve been experiencing more hunger on non-fast days too (and completely independent of us here). Certainly makes me feel better about being a greedy lady…. !

Spot on Apricot ☺P

Nutty question, which I’m sure one of you wise women will be able to answer (so much better informed than Google…). Does toasting almonds make them more digestible, and so negate the ‘not all calories absorbed’ advantage? Not that I’m obsessive enough to fret over every almond, but since they’re my default snack, and I’ve recently gone through a phase of loving them toasted, perhaps I should wonder. (No, even toasted, I don’t think that’s where all that 2.5lbs came from). Anyone know?

Just .5lb left to shift now. Good to have the tools to do it, but a lesson learned: when I fast without cheating and eat sensibly on NFDs I don’t fluctuate, and can get away with one mindless feast day a week. When I don’t, I do and I can’t. Commit to memory and eat accordingly.

Yes you’re right, Happy. My brain is still rather furry from bronchitis. And my experience with carby evening meals is similar.

Meanwhile I’ve been reading what Dr David Ludwig says in his diet book, “Always Hungry?”, which I’d planned on using before deciding on 5:2. He has quite a carefully constructed Phase 3 (my impression is he’s a meticulous man). He recommends proportions of 40% carb, 20% protein and 40% fat for maintainence; a protein at every meal; still getting most carbs from veg other than white potato (he suggests two portions a day max of grain type foods). Sugar in drinks etc remains for special occasions only; he thinks that one or two glasses of wine or spirits are fine , though advises to monitor weight more carefully if you drink.
The fat percentage is lower than in his weight loss phases, as he notes something which few other LCHF people do, which is that keeping fat high at the end of such a diet but raising your carbs is one of the chief causes of trouble with gained weight and also raises triglycerides. The 40% carb is not 40% bread, pasta, rice etc but mostly veg as well, and he recommends all whole grain if you can. Although fat helps satiety, the biggest for that is protein. Like MM, he says to continue weighing daily and reverting to his LCHF diet for a few days if weight starts upwards – we would probably just return to fasting.
His diet proportions for weight loss do seem to keep my hunger at bay on non fast days, but then I’ve only lost 11% of body weight so far. (Many of you maintainers have lost much more, so have proportionally more Leptin and Grehlin issues.) They are 25% carb (mostly non grain), 25% protein and 50% in fats, many being from nuts. He thinks pulses help with satiety while keeping blood sugar and insulin from spiking. Occasionally I just strike out and have three pieces of toast and butter, but not often.

Hi Happy – yes – reassuring, in some ways, to have gained some weight, but the fear of gradually going from skinny back to blimp is always there. That’s how it happened in the first place – 8 stone to 12, sneakily and slowly over 15 years, and 2 years’ hard work on 5:2 to reverse it. Like you, I’ve kept it off for 2 years now, and while I did get a bit worried when fading away seemed likely, I certainly don’t want it back on!

One thing I have noticed while shifting it this week: like several others I often find that after a fast day I have to make several loo trips during the night. I had noticed in recent weeks that that didn’t seem to be the case any longer – but this week, being stricter, I have done nothing but wee! Of course that could mean that the 2lb I’ve lost was mainly water – but if so, it also means the 2.5 lb I put on could have been the same. Theory: eating carbs / eating more / eating mindlessly makes me retain fluid, which is why my tum deflates so quickly when I stop. Duh!

Absolute truth! But do you know the answer to the almond question? I was relying on you!

Ne reste pas désolée – dr Google says yes, I’m afraid, so my intuition was right. Processing of any type – even with no added ingredients – breaks down the cell structure, making them easier to digest, so the calorie- deficit benefit is lost. When you eat as many nuts as Happy and I do, it matters!
Back to the raw ones – and P, please don’t spend what’s left of your weekend being desolee or worrying yourself sick about nuts 🐿🐿🐿 🙄🙄. (As if!) Have a nice glass of red and get ready to fast tomorrow! 🍷🍷🍷

Wow, Happy, 18% is pretty good, and sustaining it too – you certainly got it right. I need to drop a similar amount and know it’s a bit of a trek. Just keep pegging on through.

Hello essential fellow fasters. 🌺🌺🌺

Fasted yesterday on vegetable soup and a few toasted almonds. Lost a kg that I put on last week while away from home and knowingly indulging myself with friends and family. Despite the almond info above I am going to continue to eat toasted almonds. No oil is involved, just dry roasting and they are my treat. 😏😏

Frosts for the last two nights, and lovely blue skies up to 14 C in the day time. 🍁🍁🍁🍁. The leaves are nearly all down and swept away.

Fast, good to see you back on thread. 🎉🎉🎉.
I’m reading three books at the moment. The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, Gut by Giulia Enders, and the Diet Myth by Tim Spector. All very supportive of regular fasting and its positive effect on the gut. Looks like I need a regular update in research info to keep me motivated. 🌶🌶🍷🍷.

I knew all this information and practised being sugar free in the 70s so I am a VERY slow learner. 😬😬😬

We need each other. I am grateful for support from all of you to maintain the discipline. Thank you.
Cheers, Bay 🌺☕️🌺☕️😏😏

I’m just using the cold wet fast day to do some sewing. I’m altering the shoulders on a jacket I bought only 2 years ago (after I’d reached goal). I’m taking it in by inches and it turns out it is a size “small”. They must be kidding!! 😊P

Oooo…veg soup! I’d love some!! 🍲

Morning/ afternoon/ evening!

A bit cool and overcast here this morning, and too dry! We haven’t had rain for weeks…

I’m fasting today. We’ve got guests for the weekend, which inevitably means I’ll eat and drink a bit more than normal. Well, you can’t make goodies for people and not try them yourself… 😋

Hope you SHers cope with the cold. You know, I almost feel sorry for you…. Almost 😀😀😀😀