The FastDay Forum

I posted this over in the 60's Sanctuary, but thought I'd post it here too, in case it gets buried.

I turned 60 this year and do not lose nearly as quickly as I did when I was younger. How are you seniors doing on 5:2? I just started today. Are you losing weight just by fasting twice a week and eating normally the rest? I don't think I could do this if I had to count calories on the other 5 days. I know some people do, so I'm wondering if any seniors are losing weight without the constant counting.

I want to make this a lifestyle, and if I have to count calories every day, no way can I stick with this.

Thanks for any feedback.

Hi @fivetwogal

I've answered on the Sassy seniors thread. I'm afraid I am one who needs to count those darned calories to stick within my TDEE and use My fitness pal to help me. It's become a way of life now.
I 'fess I don't always stick to 500 cals, either, sometimes having around 700 on 2 days (perhaps I would still lose weight if I did stick to 500 and then didn't count calories the other 5 days, but this way works for me)

I'm going on 62. I have an underactive thyroid and have struggled with my weight forever. Like others I have done nearly every diet going and still ended up at my heaviest this time last year. I meticulously count calories 2 days a week and then just eat as I used to do the rest of the time ( I had got used to a low fat low sugar way of life)I have found that I now seem to know when I am full, my sweet tooth has decreased and I snack less but I don't have to put any effort into these changes. We have had a series of big birthday party weekends this year but I have still lost nearly 33lbs so I think it can be done on 2 days a week. Maybe different if bingeing is a problem for you or if you want a faster loss.

Hiya! I am 63 and have underactive thyroid..(not sure if u/ active thyroid hampers weight loss as the medication should control that at least to some extent,but theres plenty of lit on here for you to browse on the subject)
But age wise,i remember reading that over 60, you're unlikely to lose weight on more than 1200 cals a day..however -

My weekly cal count roughly averages out to around 1200 - 1400 cals a day,and i have lost 12 lbs in 8 weeks.
Besides my 2fast and repair days, this is what ive been doing..
TDEE is around 1900 cals..i have 2 days a bit under that ( say 1700) and 2 days a lot under it ( say 1400 cals)
One day usually Sat i have about 2000 cals
So every week i have a treat day..which is different from all the other diets..on this way of eating,we think having a relatively high cal day mixes things up and stops your body going into starvation mode where it holds onto fat coz it thinks there is a famine

The two day fast and repair..it gets quite easy to stick to..plus you are giving your body real health benefits while you fast...other eating plans don't do this!
I don't feel deprived as i did on other diets..I only feel like i am really dieting on 500 cal days.
Any other day i can eat whatever i want within reason..but having a lot to lose, i really do need to keep an eye on the cals
All i can suggest is you give it a go...do 5:2 for days and for now dont worry about the other days at all..they say eat what you want but not AS MUCH as you want for 5 days
Or try the rough cal countt..it really isnt as stressful as carefully counting up calories,points or syns day in day out!
Good luck! Suck it and see as the saying goes x

I'll be 60 next year. I generally count calories on fast days, though I think I have a pretty good sense of what 300-400 calories is, so I don't think I really need to count even on fast days.

The other five days I don't count at all. I still eat with "awareness", and I always have had a healthy diet. But for me, not focusing on my diet five days a week is what makes 5:2 such an easy WOE.

I suggest you try not counting on regular eating days. I think you will find, as many here have, that as you lose weight and become accustomed to fast days, the other days also feel different, and it's easier than it used to be to just eat a little less and turn down sweets.

Keep us posted!

I counted for a couple of months but don't now. I occasionally do a quick check though.

I think you have to find what works for.you. make it your way of life and you will be delighted. Read heaps here someone always I inspires you. It is not a quick fix but lots of nice company here to spur you along

Hi and welcome:

It works regardless of age. Make sure you do two days at 600 cal or less. If after two months you are not losing weight, you will know you are eating too much on the other five days and can figure out what to do then.

Good Luck!

I am 61 and I do 2 days of 500 calories and don't count on other days. I am losing weight slowly but inexorably. I just asked my son to make a graph for me and it shows that I am losing weight at 23 grams a week. It's slow, but it is steady. Since I'm not in a rush and intend to do this forever, it doesn't matter how fast it is, as long as it's a downward trend, and it is.

I posted this over in the 60's Sanctuary, but thought I'd post it here too, in case it gets buried.

I turned 60 this year and do not lose nearly as quickly as I did when I was younger. How are you seniors doing on 5:2? I just started today. Are you losing weight just by fasting twice a week and eating normally the rest? I don't think I could do this if I had to count calories on the other 5 days. I know some people do, so I'm wondering if any seniors are losing weight without the constant counting.

I want to make this a lifestyle, and if I have to count calories every day, no way can I stick with this.

Thanks for any feedback.

Well, there is John at my local gym, he is 75 and has lost 7 kilos and started in May this year, he wants to lose one more kilo and has hit that plateau. He eats steak and potatoes and drinks wine on his feeding days. He even fasted during a chest infection, though I wouldnt have. I hope I'm as active and still in a gym at 75.

Hi and Welcome
Well i'm 64 and dont count calories on any day
But i am mindful of calories and healthy foods every day
This has worked for me so far and if + when i need to tweek this is the main area to do it. Good Luck Sue

Hi, only been on this a wee, not religious at counting calories, but I am eating much less okn the two fasting days and eat normally on the other days. Already finding my sweet tooth is going. Can pass a cake shop too. ! I also have an under active thyroid which has not helped in the past. Not expecting a huge weight loss each week but anything would be a bonus. Have already lost about 1 st on my own in a year so thought this might help. Good luck to everyone.

Welcome@MP3 Nice to meet you! X

Hello MP3 I am 66 & have been 5:2ing since Jan 2013. I stick to 500 calories on fast days & have recently added in a third fast day. I find that I need to keep within my TDEE on eating days & usually miss breakfast to allow more calories for a light lunch & bigger supper. At weekends I have wine & puddings so more relaxed then. I usually record what I eat to keep a check on it but have found over time that the quantities I can eat now are much reduced & I can easily resist cakes & chocolate, although occasionally have them. I lose weight slowly but try to pep my metabolism with riding my exercise bike 3/4 times a week. I usually average out at losing about one pound in weight each week. The benefit of fasting is not just losing weight but I have found has also reeducated my body to recognise true hunger rather than emotional eating & to choose a healthier way of eating natural not highly processed foods. Good luck starting out on your 5:2 journey of discovery!

I'm 73 and lost 14 pounds and went down a size, just as I wanted to last year, using only 5:2, no calorie counting on non-fast days. I soon found that my appetite changed--I couldn't eat the same size portions as before. I continued with the aerobics routines 3 times a week and weight training twice a week as I had been doing for 20+ years.

I maintained for a long time fasting once every week or two, as the scale indicated. Now I haven't fasted for 2 months but am still maintaining my goal weight. For months now, I've been cutting my intake of bread, pasta, rice, etc. quite drastically because I want to "save" my carbs for things I really, really like--for instance, premium ice cream, dark chocolate, tiramisu, creme brulee--you get the idea--bread and pasta can't hold a candle to the really good stuff