HELP! All ladies of a 'certain age'-please respond

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HELP! All ladies of a 'certain age'-please respond

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  • Hi Speedy – I’m 63 and also lost a lot in the first week (1.8kg) then slowed down and it got more regular – now 16.2kg over 33 weeks (with a gap of 5 weeks in June/July when I had the dreaded Hobart “bug” – but the good thing was that when I started again I had only gained half a kg).
    I started the lifestyle (I refuse to call it a diet) after my new doctor did the blood tests and said “lose a few kgs or have type 2!” Very scary. I was 90.8kg, cholesterol 7.2, tryglicerides 3.2, BMI 34.18.
    After 12 weeks 81.5kg, cholesterol 5.9, tryglicerides 0.8 (no more diabetes threats), BMI 30.67 (still obese!)
    Now, after 33 weeks 74.6kg, BMI 28.08.
    Will do new bloodtests after 40 weeks.
    DO THE TESTS NOW – it’s really best to be honest and know where you are starting from. Then in 3 months when you do them again you can really celebrate and KNOW you are achieving.
    I (in the old, always failed, diet days, always said I would lose some weight then weigh myself) but it was really deluding myself.
    I have found that I am eating less on non-fast days than I did before, but still drinking wine and having ONE piece of Lindt after dinner.

    Hi Vicki, I know it’s good advice. I’m not sure though if I dare at the moment. Silly thing is, probably fear is worse than reality.

    Having just one piece of Lindt shows fabulous restraint I think.

    Precious, in answer to your question of a long time ago you can work out your calorie requirements here:

    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/

    I found that even without watching what I ate on non fast days I eventually started to lose weight again. However I have now developed a persistent headache, and really cannot manage to fast – the low blood sugar really does aggravate my headache, and no amount of fizzy water seems to make a difference in this state.

    Hi Everyone, I will be turning 50 in December, but am already in menopause over the past year. I also did the HCG diet and lost 120 lbs over a year and a half. It completely changed how I eat, however I have gained 20 of those 120 back over the last year. I am 5’7″ and currently weigh 230 lbs so obviously I still have a good bit to lose. I really really want to find a way to lose 50 lbs to get to 180. I’ve been doing the “Eat Stop Eat” fasting routine (fast for 16 hrs, eat for 8 hrs every day) over the last 3 weeks and lost 4 1/2 lbs the 1st week, then gained a lb and a half over the next 2 weeks. I work out at the gym 1/2 hr 4 days a week. I just entered my info in one of those calculators online (actually used 3 different ones on 3 different sites), and all of them said to maintain my weight I should be eating around 2300 calories a day, 1800 to lose weight! I currently eat 1200 – 1300 and can’t lose weight. I’m terrified of eating more cause I don’t want to gain any more. I already eat healthier than all of my friends (no bread or processed carbs, mostly fruit, veggies, and meat). I’m considering switching to the Fast Diet. Since I adjusted well to the HCG requirement of 500 calories/day, I don’t think I’d have trouble with that at all. My trouble is how much to eat on the non-fast days! Help!

    Hi PreciousBooBoo and all that follow, really interesting to hear everyones different stories at this unusual time of life!
    I’m 51 and have been doing 5:2 for 4 months now. I lost 7kg steadily throughout the first 3 months but have not lost anything since. I’m actually fine with this as I feel great during and after my fast days and intend to keep them up whether I loose weight or not (I have another 15kgs before I reach my “ideal weight”- not my words lol) I’ve tried not to set myself up for failure by having high expectations of weight loss. Though I haven’t been loosing weight on the scales I can feel my shape changing, waist reappearing! and clothes are feeling loose πŸ™‚
    I think fasting has had benefits for me far beyond the weight loss angle. I’ve chosen not to count calories do a 0 cal fast from 1 breakfast to the next breakfast, so no counting on normal days. My attitude to food and hunger has completely changed and am feeling really good about continuing with it.

    Hi precious Booboo
    I get most of my calories from Chicken,fish and eggs. Breakfast is as on P35 of the Fast Day Recipe Book, Why? I just like the taste. Thus the cals are largely from egg. Supper, the more calorie dense meal, is often chicken but 1 in 4 is fish. A few cals are kept back for a low calorie pre-sleep drink with a splash of milk,largely because such drinks are a lifetime habit. The rest of the cals are made up of saladings and veggies. I try to be as accurate as possible with the calorie counts.
    I,like some of the forum, struggled to lose any weight during my fifties but it became easier in my sixties. It seems to be different for each person. Its those hormones again!!!!!

    emmbee

    Ruthi, just saw your post about headaches. severe headaches last sometimes for weeks have always been one of my ME/CFS symptoms. I have had a couple of day or two long ones since starting 5:2, don’t know that it has anything to do with the diet.

    I was just wondering if maybe you are one of the folks who need to eat several times during the day. maybe a small breakfast and lunch. even if you go a bit over the 500 cals. sure hope you can find a way to help with the headaches and continue to get the benefits of 5:2. good luck.

    MountainMyst that’s very interesting! I have had these migraines since my 20s when they were set off by the pill. But I also had some really nasty viral illnesses around that time too. No other ME/CFS symptoms till my early 50s when the thyroid gland gave up on me.

    If I start eating, I can’t stop, and as long as the head is OK to start the day I have no difficulty getting through the day without food. Its been relatively good today, so my plan is to NOT drink this evening when our friends come round, and try fasting tomorrow. I felt so much better when I was fasting, and now feel relatively grotty and craving sugar, so its worth getting back on track.

    I think when you’ve been 60+ years on this planet with the ‘normal’ collection of sorrows, bad eating habits and medical interventions of dubious merit, things are bound to have been a bit mangled. I just hope that by sorting out my eating now, and keeping the doctors away as much as I can I’ll improve my quality of life for longer. In a way whether its ME or something else, or just cumulative wear and tear matters little, as long as I can mitigate the effects. And IF combined with reduced carbs seems to make a difference.

    Hi Ruthi, know what you mean about feeling better when fasting, and wanting more when you eat. I rarely eat breakfast, after years of trying to follow the “you must eat breakfast” thing. so the fasting isn’t that hard so far. I have been avoiding a lot of carbs, because I don’t feel as good when I eat them. I think this is sneaky diet, you find yourself not wanting things after a bit, LOL. wishing you good luck on your next fast.please let me know how you are doing.

    Hi Everyone, I’m 51 and also in menopause. Don’t want to lose weight too quickly because I don’t want my skin to sag too much! Sounds vain, but though I’ll be happy to see more prominent cheekbones, I don’t want to have jowls as well πŸ™‚ The first time around (earlier this year) I lost about 1 pound per week on the scales, but noticed that my clothes were becoming looser. Perhaps we each respond to diet in different ways because of our individual biology/biochemistry? I’m more interested in ‘shrinking’ than weight measurement and definitely would like to feel healthier overall. Good luck to all of us! πŸ™‚

    Well, I did it – more or less. As usual come mid afternoon the munchies arrive, and I did eat some fruit and nuts. Supper about 300 cals, so I definitely went over, but at least I fasted for most of the day. And I feel pretty good!

    Hey Ruthi, good for you! did the headache stay away?

    They did, thank you!

    Just one fast and I feel SO much better already. Its a vicious cycle of sugar/carbs > feeling grotty > more comfort food > feel grottier >>>. And fasting has broken that for me. I haven’t stopped wanting the carbs yet, but I can largely resist it if I fast.

    The ideal for me is 4:2 but that’s not overly convenient when the world works on a 7 day week. So I may have to switch to 4:3

    And another successful day of fasting! I managed to distract myself until nearly 6.00 pm too, which was good.

    I am feeling so very much better!

    Also started meditating with Headspace http://www.getsomeheadspace.com which is helping me deal with a stressful period in my life. I’ve tried meditating before but found it quite a challenge. These guided meditations seem to work far better for me.

    I am of that age (68) when it’s very hard to lose weight and had pretty much given up even trying. This eating plan has given me new hope that I might, over a long time, be able to lose some and, at the same time, get healthier. I have started to get on the scales several times and have then chickened-out. I’m afraid that if there is nothing to show after 4 weeks I will get discouraged. Instead, I have decided I am not going to weigh and will just keep doing the fasting and see what has happened several months from now. I can tell from my clothes that things button and close a bit more easily. I don’t yet know whether blood work will show any improvement in blood sugar, cholesterol, etc. But, this plan, and the hope that it has given me, has greatly improved my mood. My suggestion would be to reconsider whether it makes sense to weigh yourselves. Have you found that you’re a bit more conscious of what you’re eating on the non-fast days? Are you trying to exercise a bit more? I think that feeling committed to this for the long term has made a positive difference in my life, regardless of how slowly I might be losing. Good luck to us all!!

    Maybelle, the answer is yes, everything has got easier, and I pay relatively little attention to my weight now, I just make sure I can get into my (new, or newly recovered from the loft) clothes!

    And as I have felt better I have started to take much more interest in healthy eating. And what supplements might help, and what else I can do to help improve my health. So overall, I’ve come a very long way in 4 months or so, in which losing about a stone, and dropping a dress size is only part of the story. I have also been able to reduce my thyroid meds slightly, and stop the omeprazole completely.

    Hello to everyone

    I am sorry I haven’t responded to some comments addressed to me; I have ticked the ‘Notify me etc’ box but it obviously doesn’t work all the time (I do get some prompts but not this time).

    Anyway Goedenavond Speedy

    Hoe gaat het? (I have a dutch/english phrase book because years ago I had a gorgeous dutch boyfriend….) but enough of that.

    I disagree totally that your last post doesn’t contribute to this thread; to me it illustrates exactly what this thread is for. So we can all share our individual experiences and others LOACA’S can read them and be motivated or consoled or encouraged. (Some even get congratulated when they lose weight! not me though….) Sorry bad day.

    Your post also illustrates to me and I’m sure many others that we are all human. That when we are upset and life is difficult, we often turn to food for comfort. You have been through a massive trauma and now you seem to have come out the other end a bit, because you are now starting to want to feel better and improve your health.
    And that is fantastic-good for you.

    Someone posted a while ago now that they had lost six stones; so they would be a good person to try to communicate with. They would at least know where you are coming from. But I would advocate that you don’t get too hung up on what the scales say; I advised you in your ‘welcome post’ to look back at lots of threads and you will see time and time again that people’s scales are not shifting but they are leaner, have a better shape etc.

    So who cares really what the scales say? and try not to be too impatient-it will happen. You only have to fast for the two days and do try not to go mad on the others. Just try to eat sensibly but not unduly depriving yourself. I eat what I normally did before I started this eating regime but I was eating fairly sensibly anyway.

    So… maak je niet druk! and get anything you like off your chest (well, within reason!)

    PreciousBooBoo, thanks for posting this thread. I am 52 (post-menopausal) and have been doing 5:2 for about 4 weeks with no change in weight. It bounces up and down within a 3-lb. range. Very frustrating!! The fast days are challenging so I’m not willing to do 4:3, I’m afraid it would feel too much like punishment.

    Thanks to all who posted, you have encouraged me to up my frequency of exercise. I’m determined to stick with 5:2 to see whether it has an effect on my high cholesterol, so I’m hanging in there for now.

    Fast days shouldn’t be all that challenging, TexasGal. What do you eat? And are you drinking loads of water?

    Hi everyone! I just discovered 5:2 and haven’t even begun yet, but then I saw this topic and ha! I’m 54 and 1/2 years old. I need/want to lose 30 pounds (sorry gals, I have no clue what a “stone” is – lol). I tried all sorts of diets but nothing worked until I found a LowCarb HighFat diet. And I lost 20 pounds! In Oct 2011, I went to work for a law firm – VERY HIGH STRESS and over the next 12 gained back 15 of those 20 pounds I lost. Well, I quit that job in April 2013 but haven’t been able to budge my weight. I firmly believe that being post-menopausal AND having that high stress job contributed to those additional 15 pounds. And I am excited to give 5:2 a whirl! It most certainly looks very doable!

    In fact, I plan to start this Thursday night – because I know I’ll be able to eat supper Friday night! lol. and then start my 2nd fast day Sunday night and look forward to supper Monday night! (Is it “cheating” to “sleep” thru nearly half the fast?!!)

    Oh, and another question – it okay to consume LESS than 500 calories on my fast days? Seriously, I’m thinking about drining reduced sodium beef broth and then sugar-free jello on my fast days. (Kind of like the prep for a colonoscopy – but without the laxatives!) I’m thinking those should be filling but way less than 500 calories!

    PreciousBooBoo – you asked about starches increasing blood sugar levels – and the answer is yes. Starches (and all carbs for that matter, and protein eventually) convert into glucose in our bodies and that gets stored as fat.

    I plan to stick to my LowCarb HighFat way of eating on my nonfast days. To me this is no longer a “diet,” but rather my way of eating (WOE) now.

    I’m glad to have found this group!

    Ruthi, I generally have an egg and whole wheat bread mid-morning (about 180 calories) and a big green salad with some type of protein added (usually lean chicken breast) around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. I do drink LOTS of water all day long. Yesterday was a fast day and it was a little easier, as I found them to be at the start. On waking up after a fast day, it’s like my body hit “reset”–I’m not all that hungry the next day. Bonus!

    Like I said, I’m going to increase the exercise and see how that goes. And eat more carefully on non-fast days. As MaybelleW said, good luck to us all! LOCAS – that cracks me up.

    Hi TexasGal and ronna.h,

    I’m glad that you appreciate this thread and folks are still adding to it.

    I’ve said quite a few times that it allows us LOACA’s to share information, problems and encourage each other. I know I keep saying it but it is different for most of us who are in the menopausal stages-it’s just usually more difficult all round to lose weight than when we were younger.

    The beauty of this forum is; you don’t even have to directly ‘speak’ to someone else (though it’s nice if you do manage to hook up with someone who is online the same time as you) to benefit from the posts already listed.

    So TexasGal: have you looked back at countless other threads where the common theme is; that the scales are stubbornly staying the same but clothes are looser?
    For more on my personal experience of the fast diet; I started this thread, as you know, because the loss was so slow and I wanted to know how it was going for other LOACA’s.

    I kept quiet about my fairly slow weight loss until I had something to say and then started a new thread
    ‘In the weight loss scales-all menopausal women are not equal’. That didn’t seem to strike the same cord as this one but I always feel there may be other folks out there who don’t want to participate in the forum but read the posts for encouragement and information etc.

    Have a read of the post I added to the ‘constipation’ thread about Mornflake-it’s too lengthy for me to tell you all about it here but it can help to reduce cholesterol. It’s not expensive so worth a try. Mind you-that’s in the UK-you sound like you might be over the big pond? (My brain is as sharp as a knife….not anymore-it’s mush)

    And ronna.h

    Hope that your first fast day has gone well-I don’t have less than the 500 calories but other people do (look back at other threads). Some people fast altogether on fast days! I don’t know if this is right but not eating at all seems to make my system shut down altogether. It’s like my body has to work to digest the 500 calories whereas if I have nothing then there is nothing to work with.

    Anyways Good Luck to us all in this LOACA battle of the bulge!

    And SPEEDY if you are out there? I left a long post especially to encourage you and I don’t think you have seen it?

    Hello Precious Booboo πŸ™‚
    Apologies for not answering sooner. I started a reply earlier but lost it (my PC or my own fault) so just gave up πŸ™
    The things you say, I know they are right. But it is hard not to get hung up on the scales when been doing it for so many years. As I wear mostly loose or stretchy dark clothes it’s so far har to notice – though I do feel as if I am thinner. And, wonder of wonders, saw my reflection in a window by mistake and thought I looked somehow better. Not at all thinner just different!

    Now I wish I could understand how the scales can stay the same but we lose inches. Is there an explanation? I’m pretty sure I haven’t yet started to replace fat with muscle -that would be one explanation I think. Is there good science – or is it wishful thinking?

    Having said that today has been more of a binge than a feast but no choc or crisps or energy drinks! So that was something. And tomorrow is another day.
    So far lost 10lbs in 3 weeks.

    Thanks for your lovely posts πŸ™‚

    Hi Speedy

    You’ve lost 10lbs in 3 weeks and I’ve only lost 9lbs in 12 weeks but because my weight was only going up for many years before (despite lots of effort and exercise machines purchased….good clothes hangers though); I am pleased and grateful.

    So I think that is a great start for you-try not to be too impatient. And you even thought yourself that your reflection looked different; so…..?

    Did you look back to the person who posted that they lost 6 stones? They might be really good to talk to.

    I know it sounds like a conundrum about the scales staying the same but fasters all over this site have said it; so it must be possible.

    Also, I would suggest you don’t think of how many stones you want to lose; just think of one at a time and have that as your goal. When you reach that goal; treat yourself to something that you would really appreciate (ideally not food!).

    I need to go now but have you heard of flower remedies? for emotional issues especially after your tragic loss? Look at Bach and Bloseum (from your neck of the woods) and we can talk again.

    Keep your chin up Speedy; you can do it

    Hi PreciousBooBoo, When I was writing that it seemed an OK loss – but I know it was initially very fast so just water as I cut carbs, then in the last week just stayed the same. Yes I am too impatient I know πŸ™‚

    And yes I did find a conversation with the person you mean (I think it was the person) I’m trying to read and digest before I join too many threads. I know that my mood can change from day to day so what seems really important today can seem much less so tomorrow. I do know the Bach Flower Remedies and will give them a try. Thanks πŸ™‚

    Well! I know you say you are struggling, but that weight loss is much more than fluid!

    You could try skipping the bread for breakfast, and having salad instead. Although better than white bread, wholemeal can still spike your glucose levels, and that makes it harder to hold out till the next meal. I tend to reserve all my carbs and sugar for the evening, because I know its downhill all the way once I start! In fact on fast days I avoid all carbs, its only on normal days that I eat any at all.

    In time, as your glucose levels stabilise, you might well find your moods do too.

    Hi I am now at the end of my fifth week on this diet and have lost 8 kg. I’m 47 and in the 3rd week I stopped losing weight. Was a little bit disappointed, but kept on going, because I felt great.
    In the beginning of this week I went to the doctor to check my bloodpressure and my glucose. Bloodpressure was good last time ( i’ve had hypertension for some years)130/82 and my glucose was 6.4, so warning signals regarding my glucose! I was allowed to cut half of my medicin for my hypertension so that was great. This week I checked and my bloodpressure was still the same (pfew!) and my glucose was 5.5!!! πŸ™‚ So I am very happy with this diet.

    So I meant to start my first 5:2 last night (Thursday) – but didn’t. Ugh. I’ve had so much going on in my life right now and yesterday was my first “break” in nearly 2 months that I actually made and ate 2 biscuits last night for supper. I’ve been on a low-carb way of eating for years now so this was really not a good decision on my part to begin with. I will “come to my senses” though and plan to start this tonight. I am 54 years old, 5′ 5″ and currently weigh 160. My goal is 130! Two years ago, I was able to go from 160 to 140 but 15 pounds crept back on and now I vacillate from 155 to 160. Double ugh.

    I’ve had a couple of years of attributing almost every negative thing in my life to menopause, including being heavier now than I was at nine months pregnant. My experience with 5:2 has been very good because, with relatively little effort, I’ve gone from 83kg to 75kg and I’m confident I can get to my goal of 68kg this year. What is more, 5:2 makes me feel confident that I can stay 68kg for the rest of my life. I won’t have to drag those extra 15kg around on my arthritic hips and knees. I won’t have to buy bras the size of potato sacks. I won’t have to feel like I’m a guilty part of the obesity epidemic.

    So my words of advice and support to women of a certain age: do it for yourself. Don’t beat yourself up if weight loss is slow or you miss a fast day or you are a smidge over 500 cals one day. Just do it for yourself.

    So happy to have found a place where many of us who are in the same peri- or post-menopausal boat can share our experiences with the 5:2 diet. I am a 50 yr. old who began the diet four weeks ago after nearly two years of alarming (and mystifying) weight gain; I am very active, overall eat very well and still am continuing to gain about 7 lbs a year! My normal, healthy weight–last seen briefly 6 years ago–is about 130 (at 5 ft. 6 inches). It also produces a healthy BMI. But I have found myself struggling with weight in the upper 140’s and into the 150’s. Completely frustrated, I read about this diet and gave it a very committed try. I will say that the less structured approach that I’ve tried independently could not bring me down under the 150 that seems to be my hill to die on & I was looking for something that would help break up that log jam.

    Well, this seems t be it. And not because two days of fasting allows for five days of eating–and drinking– whatever I wanted. What I learned very quickly is that whatever Ioss I saw after a fast day was quickly obliterated by the next day of mindless eating. It seems some people (young men? girls with the metabolisms of teenagers?) can do so & still see results but what I’ve learned is that for me, the fast day kick starts a modified–less extreme–version of a fast day the following one. Yes, my efforts are more dramatic on Monday & Thursday, but I go to bed nearly every night at least peckish if not out and out HUNGRY. But, I know that I am eating so much better than I was. Lessening what I put in makes me very selective about what nutritional bang for my caloric buck I can get back from what I’m about to eat. It has become truly an exercise in quality over quantity and getting comfortable with the idea that weight loss–for me–is definitely accompanied by some hunger pangs. I am still happy with the idea that this plan results in a slow and steady loss (with the occasional plateau) of about a pound of week;the longer I am on it, the easier it becomes to limit portions or simply resist eating large ‘normal’ meals, especially at dinner time, which really tends to un-do all my focused work from the day leading up to it.

    Having said that, I would’ve been happy with just a slow and steady 4 lb. weight loss after these first four weeks but I was surprised to have lost 7+ lbs. so far. Most significantly for me, I have managed to squeak below 150 on the scale (I started at 153.8 and am now at 146.6). My focus is on making my way back to 140, and then tackling, slowly but surely, that journey from 140 back to the 130 that I would like to maintain long term. This diet, though not effortless in any way, works, and I am very, very encouraged by it. I plan to remeasure myself at 6 weeks. I encourage anyone who has a deep commitment to achieving better health (I myself was shocked to see that my starting weight tipped my BMI firmly into the ‘overweight’ category as opposed to the ‘high normal’: ouch!) to STICK WITH IT. I’ve had my moments with a piece of cake or a sea salt chocolate bar, but they were few and far between (as opposed to daily occurrences) and that really matters.

    On a fun note, I told myself that I would not try on any of the clothes that I haven’t been able to squeeze into for a year (or two!) until I hit 145, But just out of curiosity, i wondered if at 147.4, I might already be able to get back in to any of them comfortably. And the answer was YES! What a motivator to stick with it. I’ll check in again as I near the 6 week mark that I had allotted myself for this approach. Hopefully, there will be more good news to share. Good luck to all of you who are in this with the highest hopes and the best intentions. It’s a marathon, not a sprint–allow your body time to make the changes that you’re requiring of it. And one last thing that I’ve learned these past 4 weeks: food tastes really, really good when you’re eating it when you are truly authentically hungry–as opposed to bored, peckish, tempted, bummed out, restless, struck by a random craving or simply filling your time with a bag or plate of something. Enjoy the feeling of truly feeding your body well with what it needs, rather than giving in to every message it sends out about what it might want in the moment. Yo;ll feel so much better.Have a good and empowering week!

    Wow sharATL, Very good!!
    I was 218 lbs before I started and after 6 weeks on this diet now 200 lbs. I’m very happy with the progress and looking slimmer already. I normally calculate (as I’m Dutch) in kilo’s so I got from 99,3 kg to 91 kgs. My glucose measures normal now as I came from 6.4 and am now on 5.5, so I am now out of the danger zone. My bloodpressure is now stable, which was high ( before my medicins) and I am striving for no medicin at all. I don’t buy clothes at all at the moment, because I’m afraid that it will be to wide after some more kilo’s.
    My goal is primarily to be healthy and as my BMI is still “overweight” I am happily continuing and enjoying my “hunger” moments. I am avoiding carbs and that speeds up my weight loss as well.
    I wish you all a very good week too.

    I’ve been under the radar for the last few weeks as I was finishing off a research project report that is part of my MA in History of Art. This involved travelling to Scotland where, with my husband, I combined research interviews and writing up with a few days holiday.

    I confess this involved a certain amount of nutritional naughtiness, in other words for nearly a fortnight, the Fast Diet went out of the window (no deep-fried Mars bars, though – do they really exst, BTW?). However, neither of us found we could eat nearly as much as before we embarked on the 5:2 route. On our return, we had each regained 2 kilos. In the past, in my case at least, it would have been at least a stone.

    All of last week I was more or less chained to my computer while I prepared the final draft of my report, which meant burning the candle at both ends and consuming naughty things like dark chocolate (try the one containing a touch of sea salt) on the pretext I needed brain food. Those two extra kilos are still there, but at least I haven’t put on any more. This means I’m now only 3 kilos down from where I started in late January, but clothes that were once too small now fit nicely and look good.

    So why have I posted on this thread? If it’s any comfort to mature ladies out there, I’m 73. The Fast Diet has worked for me, although my results aren’t as spectacular as many of yours. However, the cholesterol is down to an acceptable 4.8, my two BP meds are each down to 2.5 mg (I actually don’t know while I still need them as my BP is 105/63). And I have the stamina to work freelance, study part-time, and do at least some of my houshold chores – fortunately I’m married to a man who’s a much better housewife than me – and have a social life.

    Hi – I am age 55 and yes I’ve noticed it is a lot harder losing weight now than in my previous younger years. Its a slow but steady weight loss. I’ve been on this diet for almost 6 weeks now and lost 8 & 1/4 lbs total so far. So yes when I read other stories of other people on this diet and that they’ve lost far more than myself – I wonder where am I going wrong. Perhaps its because I enjoy my weekend treats still? I find I feel no guilt with it though whereas when I have been on other diets I constantly thought of my syns or pro points everyday, “cant have this and cant have that” ! It did work but there’s no one day where you can just relax. After I had reached my target weight loss I gradually put the weight all back on – from not carrying on going to the weekly clubs. Which I might add you have to pay for and again another advantage to this fast diet – there’s no cost ! This diet is such an easy diet to follow-a life long diet which can be followed even after the weight has come off – by taking it down to just one fasting day each week. I go to the gym 2 or 3 times per week – and try to save my chores at home to my fasting days to keep me busy if I am staying indoors. Love to hear off other dieters – some of their wonderful recipes. I made pumpkin soup which I ate both fasting days this week for lunch. It was a recipe in the fasting book. πŸ™‚

    I am 52 and have been on the 5:2 diet since April of this year.
    I have found that the 2 day fast maintains my weight and if I want to loose weight,say after a holiday binge, then I have to keep to a vigorous calorie-controlled diet for the non-fast days.
    For the most part I try to stay away from the cakes and bread and exercise when I can and this along with the fasting keeps me on an even keel!
    For the menopausal amongst us it’s not as easy as for some!
    Good luck!

    I decided to take menopause to mean men-o-pause and I’m being indifferent to my man for a while. For some weird reason I thought I had to feed him, and that made it hard to fast. What kind of a feminist have I become! Now he can suit himself, but I’m not going into the kitchen on fast days. Stuff him.

    I’ve been using the 5:2 philosophy to apply to worrying (about kids, about money) and drinking wine, and other things I should do less of. Now I’m having 2 days off a week from being a wifey. And I like it.

    Ruthi, You are doing so well and have been for more than 4 months. It must be close to five by now. It must make you very, very happy about what you’re doing for your body and for your general health. Keep it up!!

    hi, sharATL, I enjoyed reading your post and thought, hmmm, I could have written most of that!!! I guess some things are just universal, like gaining weight over time and losing it being hard. I am so encouraged by this plan and love to hear that other people are feeling the same way. I have been doing this for 7 weeks and have not weighed myself once!!! I know that I’m better and can tell by the fit of my clothes and trying on and wearing a pair of pants from the back of my closet. I think weighing regularly might discourage me, especially if I reach a plateau, so I’ve decided it’s better to just keep going and not be checking the numbers. Cheers to all of us!!!

    Update: having been home two weeks and fasted four times, I’ve lost the surplus two kilos picked up on holiday. Once upon a time it might have taken me six months – or the extra weight might have just stayed there. Slowly but surely the Fast Diet seems to be working.

    okay, so I’ve told myself I need to get back on track.

    But I have a question – the lady that introduced me to this told me I must space out my meals on my 2 fasting days to be at least 12 hours apart.

    I admit I have not read the book.

    I have been assuming that merely keeping to 500 calories or less the 2 fasting days was the fast in itself.

    What is the focus here?

    thank you!

    Hello! I am 72 and have lost 10kgs-(22lbs)after having a heart attack earlier this year. My arms, legs, neck and upper body have all got much smaller, well the fat must have gone from somewhere, but will the fat round my ‘middle’ eventually go? The dreaded muffin top! I would love to hear some encouragement, I am doing the 5:2 and going to the gym twice a week, all I am allowed at the moment and do quite a bit of running up and down stairs and walking to the shops but it doesn’t seem to shift.

    Hey Honeybland (great moniker) Congrats on losing 10kg – great achievement! From reading this forum and other places it does seem that the ‘apple’ shaped body that holds fat around the tummy and the middle of the body is the toughest to change. That fat just hangs in there around all the central organs.

    The ‘triangle’ or ‘pear’ shape that has fat around the hips and bum seems to respond best to exercise, while the ‘hourglass’ shape seems to benefit more from calorie restriction, maybe because fat is distributed more evenly around the body.

    The reading I’ve done suggests that ‘apples’ should be particularly careful of sugars in the diet, and that exercises that concentrate on core strength and back strength are the go. You sound like a 72 year old dynamo so I hope your heart is healthy whatever your girth. Good luck.

    Hello All Ladies of a Certain Age

    I’m glad to see the thread is still being added to with everyone’s different experiences.

    I’ve just been on a two week holiday which included nice meals every night and wine was taken (a bottle to be exact! My liver says ouch!) I had dessert too sometimes. I thought about fasting but really it was a none starter.

    I was afraid to get weighed this Monday am because I’d only lost 9lbs to start with and this took a good 12 weeks or so.
    But I’m delighted to say; the damage was only 3 1/2 lbs. That is really not bad at all.

    I’m back on the wagon this week and I’m praying it comes off fairly easily.

    Good Luck to all with the battle of the bulge!

    Damn. When I saw the title of this thread I thought it was a shout-out to all the Mosley Groupies out there.

    You are incorrigible Mosleys Bit On The Side!

    Do you have a real life partner?
    and what do they think about your infatuation?

    He regrets ever introducing me to Horizon. Bahaha

    I bet ol’ Michael is walking with a bit of a spring in his step though; it doesn’t harm any relationship to have a bit of competition.

    Bah, does Mr Sexy even read these forums anymore? Le sigh.

    I think he does; sorry but his wife Clare does too…..
    (She sometimes responds to medical posts)
    He has been known to respond to posts, I think more so in the early days of the site but it is more rare now understandably.

    Yeah I know Clare does, but I’m not bothered by her. I bet she doesn’t have abs half as firm as mine, you could grill a steak on these bad-boys.

    Alas, I remember the days when Michael would tweet every evening. I even managed to get 4 (four!) direct tweets from him over the space of a fortnight. Then the fun dried up when he realized he’d thoroughly milked the market after the book launch. Now he neglects his groupies. So sad.

    Mosleys Bit On

    ALL FORUM REPLIES BY DR MICHAEL & OTHER CONTRIBUTERS
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    michael’s replies
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    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/users/michael/replies/
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    his dr wife clare replies
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    mimi
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