Hello, RJDT – I can see how a lifetime of accuracy and vital precision would leave you with the heebie-geebies when faced with the sloppy use of cal/ kcal/ Cal on the forum here. I hope it won’t stop you participating in and gaining all the benefits from the 5:2 system itself and the combined experience and inspiration of all the forum members.
I always use the letters ‘cal’, knowing I’m being less than precise and, I think, most contributors do too, taking it as read that we collectively know what we mean – the usual food measuring units rather than anything else. Certainly any yo-yo dieter and/or inveterate reader of supermarket food-labels knows their relative caloric values off by heart.
Sorry if all this presses your buttons! – I do trust that you can adjust. The 2500 cal and 600 cal figures usually quoted for males represent the suggested maximums for Mr Average. For a more accurate, personalised guide, use the site’s calorie calculator (Click on the link on the right-hand side of the page, under the red heading ‘helpful site links’ and follow the advice there.)
One of the things many people love about using the 5:2 method is that, unlike most other weight-loss programmes previously tried, they do not usually need to count calories slavishly every day – again, a rough idea is generally good enough. See what you think. I hope you succeed in your aims and will enjoy the process. Best wishes to you.