The FastDay Forum

I think it does.
Particularly as you move to a healthy BMI or even a bit below a healthy BMI

Suspect fasting can sometimes be dehydrating on skin and if you dont watch liquid consumption this is a major factor

And it can make you look more tired if you havent been feeding for more hours than the average person

Thoughts?

[carorees]

Hmm, most people say I look younger since I lost the weight, so perhaps it depends a lot on where you start and where you finish! (or maybe they were just being nice! ) Close up, though, I think my skin is a little more wrinkly but then I am 54 so would expect it to be TBH. Keep moisturising and hoping it won't get any worse is all I can do!

My son is back from Uni for the holiday and has just said that I look slim, almost as slim as I was 10 years ago when I was running every day and weighed 115lbs. However he said that then my face looked drawn as if I had lost too much weight but that it doesn't now. I was thinking about losing an extra pound or two but maybe not?

My son is back from Uni for the holiday and has just said that I look slim, almost as slim as I was 10 years ago when I was running every day and weighed 115lbs. However he said that then my face looked drawn as if I had lost too much weight but that it doesn't now. I was thinking about losing an extra pound or two but maybe not?

That was what triggered this thread. The fear for women (and men I guess) that even if we haven't hit that magic scale figure or BMI figure, perhaps we should stop trying to lose more, if "how old we look" is important to us. Or at least be conscious of the need to stay hydrated and rest well.

And on a separate topic I guess, older women need to be careful that they have the calcium they need to avoid osteoporosis (brittle bones) and again if one isn't feeding for great lengths of time, be it 5:2, 4:3, 16:8, 17:7, 19:5 are we getting enough of the nutrition we need to be healthy enough (and look good)

My friend's mum always says, No wrinkles on a blown up balloon.....
From observing one or two women i know who keep to a very strict regime that keeps them very thin,i agree that losing a lot of weight can be ageing..they have quite a drawn pinched look on their faces.Not just women either....am i the only one who thinks Philip Schofield looks a little gaunt since 5:2 ing?
I think eating full fat on feed days helps keep skin looking plumper,and i hope the fact we do have feed days will stop us getting that halfstarved look in our faces. And slimmer bodies and moving more lightly keeps us looking youthful..and feeling youthful too,which is half the battle!

Just keep using Oil of Ulay (now Olay). That and plenty of water works for me

It is strange, though. Some people look younger and others older. Nigel Lawson looked incredibly old when he lost weight...and Pauline Quirke (although I suspect her weight is returning...well you can't live on liquid foods forever can you). Philip Schofield looks a bit too thin now...his cheeks have sunk in. Er, who looks good having lost weight? Um...oh yes...me!!

Bean

Hi Juliana - thanks for yet another thought provoking thread.

So, we are fasting for health and wellbeing, not vanity? I guess if anyone loses too much weight they can look gaunt and unwell whatever their age.

Some people age faster than others (gene bean), we all have different skin types, psychological make ups and exercise routines etc.
Mix that all up, hopefully at the end of fasting and reaching a SMART healthy goal all will be good.

I have fasted for physical wellbeing and agility (arthritis etc) - so my body thanks me and I'm able to do things for many years ahead that I was struggling with. If my face wrinkles at my age do I care, no I don't.

I guess it is a choice we take?

Perhaps we should ask ourselves what will make me happy at this moment in my life?

Lizbean

Hmmm, interesting one! Since I'm in the fasting world for health reasons, I don't actually care that much. And I think that some people going around calling people gaunt.. Well, I think that's an opinion that is sometimes born of jealousy or resistance to change on the observer's part. There's really no such thing as an objective viewpoint! The observer always is part of the system, and is influenced by it (or so quantum physics tells us). So truth is always relative (sorry to tread on any fundamentalist toes out there - but not so sorry, actually)

Having said that I reckon others are right when they say eating enough healthy fats is somewhat protective. As is a positive view of the world, and smiling a lot!

This has been discussed at length in other threads over the past year, so I don't think anything new is going to be added here. I think most of us have decided that the health benefits and sense of wellbeing far outweigh any so- called 'ageing' effects - and as @jools7 says, most of us feel happier, and that is also going to show in our attitudes, and therefore also on our faces.

I've been told I look much younger but I've lost quite a lot. My biggest problem with my skin is that it's loose. I haven't noticed more wrinkles. I'm purposefully trying to stay away from the gaunt look, even at the expense of a slightly higher BMI (though well within the healthy range).

I think most people look younger when they have lost weight. I'm a bit of a mixture, I look younger from the shoulders down but my face and neck look decidedly scraggly. I've lost the extra chin which is good but my face and neck seem to droop slightly now. I could have lost more weight with 5:2 and the reason I'm maintaining at 9st 7lb is because of this. When I think about it, my face is small and was never 'fat' and if I hadn't put the weight on then I would have looked like this at my age anyway.

I think this has been thought provoking. It has been discussed here and there on the forum but it's good to tie it all in one thread. I think most women have some pride in their look so even if we want to think it doesnt matter. It really does..

Seems lower neck up is the problem when it comes to too much weight loss.

Maybe that weight you are at at the moment is just right, with no health detriment.
Maybe we should already be on maintenance but with extra activity/exercise, even thrown in.

I have had no negative reactions since losing weight and I feel more vibrant and alert than I have in years. I don't believe that IF, in whatever form we do it, can deplete our bodies of essential vitamins or minerals etc., and as I am now a lot more active, my risk of osteoporosis could be diminishing, who knows. If I look older, not one person has even hinted that I do, perhaps it's because I AM older and there is not a lot I can do about that. For me this has been an exclusively positive experience.

I do 16/8 or less every day and find it hard to believe that not eating breakfast should make me look or feel more tired than anyone else, on the contrary, I have more energy than ever.

Ballerina x

I'm 61. I don't care if I look it. Losing weight slowly is good. And I do that beautifully. I love being the age I am.

I look fantastic, I feel fantastic, loads of energy and getting lots of compliments. My skin and eyes look good and I definitely don't look my age. I reckon I could easily go for another 1/2 a stone and am currently 2lb on my way there, being 2lb under target at the moment. Only another 5lb to go and then I might even go for a bit more. I will see when I get there. A few wrinkles are nothing in comparison with the health benefits that this woe brings