Hi @davey-boy I don’t see 5:2 as a ‘quick fix’ at any age. It can be effective at whatever age it’s started at but it would seem to make sense that the longer you do it the better your results might be in terms of health and weight.

Starting 5:2 is not going to immediately ‘cure’ years of ‘ill treating’ your body with unhealthy food and no exercise but it will certainly start the ‘repair’ process and obviously the length repair time will vary depending on the amount of damage and the amount of effort put in.

Anyone looking for a ‘quick fix’ and massive weight loss in a very short time is liable to be disappointed. It isn’t a ‘quick fix’ in terms of weight loss or health although some people do see differences quite quickly. It’s about making a fairly radical, complete change to your way of eating and of thinking about food, resulting in long term better health and weight.

Obviously if someone of 25 starts 5:2 they are likely to require less ‘repair work’ than someone of 55. But whatever age you start and if you continue indefinitely, it will mean that no further damage will be done.

It’s never too late to start caring about yourself.

xx

Would it were a quick fix, Davey-Boy. This week I celebrate – if that’s the word – one year on 5:2. Having lost a measly 6 kilos – on which I have been stuck since September – it has been more like slow torture than a swift solution. In recent days I have become very, very close to chucking it in.
Chances are I won’t have lost a whole lot more by this time next year. The only comfort is that, as sylvestra puts it, no further damage will be done, apart from a bruised head as I beat it against the wall.
It’s particularly galling this week as a very good friend and her husband are doing a detox programme which involves 600 cal per day. Since Sunday he has lost 4 kilos and she is down by 3 kilos and she’s not even overweight, just a bit bigger round the middle than she likes to be.

Thanks for the kind words, sylvestra. You’re right, detox is not really a fair comparison. Besides, “detox” along with “makeover” isn’t a word in my vocabulary. I am very, very discouraged, however. Although I say “since September” it is more accurate to say since July/August. I put on a couple of kilos on holiday but managed to get back down to the pre-holiday weight by the end of September.
I have toyed with the idea of 4:3 but although I’m getting very good at sticking to 500 cals two days a week and am reasonably careful on the remaining days,I don’t want to be in a position where I beat myself up for not being able to sustain an extra fast day. Also the filthy weather is not very conducive to exercise, plus I have got quite a lot of work to do, which fortunately is enjoyable and interesting.
On a happier note, I’ve been putting your name about to a couple of earring-loving friends, one of whom buys not only for herself but for female friends and relatives, so hopefully there’ll be business coming your way.