According to what I’ve seen and read on here, it’s certainly also a good fit for seniors!!

Hi savtoosh, trust me it works. I’m a 63 year old female who started in January at 90.8kg, now 72.4 and still going (aiming for 66). I feel great, do 1 x 40 hour fast a week and 3 more 24 hour (dinner to dinner) – water only because it works for me not to have any taste temptations. The rest of the time I eat normally (but find I am eating less) have wine and no guilt as I have had with the last 40 years of diets. I also do an hour on the crosstrainer 6 days a week (couldn’t do 10 minutes when I weighed 90kg) I will do this for life, cholesterol has dropped along with tryglicerides. Just do it

Hello savtoosh, we have met elsewhere I think!! 🙂

Re your query, I think quite a number of people do have to struggle with not over-eating on non-fast days, especially at the start, tho MM’s study showed that not many overeat by much.

Some people don’t have a problem with it tho, some find that over time their cravings reduce, some just learn how to manage those cravings – I am in the latter category, I do give in from time to time, but as I don’t want to put weight back on, generally I can resist.

In my early days, I gave in more often, but cos I had weight to lose, and was more active then, I could get away with a bit of indulgence and still lose weight. Now I have to be more careful 🙂

Cheers
Sassy 😀

I am 69 and only been doing this for a week. Would like to loose 14lbs. More if i felt i could. Feel hungry all the time though. Do not give in to over eating on the non fast days. So i lost 2lb so far. I do have a gin most evenings. Diet tonic. Its my daily treat. When i worked abroad we had a sun downer drink at evening times.

Hi thanks for replying. I feel so hungry on fast days. Wishing it was bed time so temptation of food is gone. Big salad with 2 boiled eggs for lunch 4 hours ago but stomach is rumbling. Maybe weigh myself hoping i lost some since yesterday. NO EVER SAID LOSING WEIGHT WAS EASY. Husband drinks 3 beers a day and is like a greyhound. I have been at my pilates today. Got an energetic dog but my husband beats me to it on the walks, so he does 2 miles a day. I BOUGHT THE DOG !! For my exercise. We love her dearly. She came 2 years ago when both our old dogs died.

Hi there!

I’m 69 and I’ve been doing this since just before last Christmas with a serious backslide between April and October this year. Nevertheless, I’m back on it and since Christmas it’s done a LOT for me regardless of the 20 pounds I regained and had to re-lose.

I have a MAJOR spare tire as ALL my weight is between my knees and my boobs/upper arms. And, tho it’s slow progress, I’ve seen a lot of it disappear even tho I’ve been fat since I started school at 6yo.

I’ll keep you company!

I understand the struggle to maintain pleasant habits like wine. For me it was kombucha which is a fermented tea I brew myself. I really like it and it has a lot of probiotics which are very helpful BUT it’s also made with a lot of sugar which is converted to alcohol in the fermentation process.

I wasn’t willing to give it up and that’s how I instigated that long back slide. 😵 It took me forever and many, many, many tries to get past it and back on track. I’m grateful to be back in control again but I’m also asking myself when the weather warms up again will I start brewing again and subject myself to that struggle. The answer I’m currently getting is: yes, I really may. We’ll see when the time comes. 😉

How wonderful that your husband is supportive! My husband is supportive of me too but more in a general way than relating to dietary stuff. He’s a sweetie and he’d still be there with me if I stayed a blimp or not. But he does say appreciative things and he’s fine when I want to spend major bucks on a new piece of exercise equipment.

I no longer worry about how fast it happens. I don’t weigh myself at all and I don’t pay much attention to the TDEE or my calories on food days. I just stick to what’s been working for me, satisfy myself with natural foods without additives or hidden sugar and carbs that I prepare myself when I eat and as long as I feel so much more comfortable in my body I know I’m headed in the right direction. That’s why I may take that little detour in the summer and enjoy something refreshing for a few months.

Looking forward to the size 10 jeans that are in my future and delighted to have your company! 🖐

You spent 27 years in China! Surely children in your family have grown to adulthood in that time.

We spent one Winter and Spring on the other side of the world from our family and it was *rough*. As you say, it’s an experience to be grateful for — actually *living* in another culture instead of just visiting it — but even making phone calls with that kind of time difference took planning and traveling back and forth was just *punishing*. So my hat’s off to that kind of commitment!

So, Bulgaria is home? I just LOVE that there are people from so many different countries and cultures here!

My news is that I had a doctor’s appointment on Wed. and I got weighed. I don’t weigh myself but I do take note when they do it. I’ve lost 9 pounds since Sept. 30.

Too curious, bjanna? Not in the least! I love to round out our personalities and really get to know one another!

I am American living in Los Angeles but I love that concept of citizen of the world and though we can’t afford to travel much we sometimes have an opportunity to really live within another culture. I value that tremendously just as I do this sort of international forum.

Congrats on your really excellent English! I wouldn’t have had a clue that you weren’t a native speaker.

We were in Cape Town last summer and fall. It was a great experience and we still miss it. And then we’ve lived in Vancouver, BC in Canada many times over the years. The culture in BC is very similar to California in many ways but still has it’s own personality and a really WONDERFUL inclusive community-based culture that I wish Americans appreciated and emulated.

We have 3 kids, a son-in-law and one grandchild. One daughter, her husband and son live with us in a guest house. I love the intergenerational thing and feel very privileged to be a part of my grandson’s growing up.

What had you in China for 27 years? That’s a looooong time!

Hi, Rocy, and very well done indeed!!!

byjanna, I’m sorry I didnt mean to infer that I (nor you!) had a wine problem! I just enjoy a good wine but found the calories stacked up so now just have a glass or few at weekends!!

I am from Cornwall Uk and am 5.5 tall.

Previous encounters with weightloss! Where to start! I seem to have had weight problems all my life and after my third child never really lost it and kept it off. Yoyo dieted, Slimming world weight watchers and many in between.

I got to the stage where I really wasn’t happy, lost self confidence, my cholestrol was 9.5 my joints ached with arthritis and I felt OLD! I discovered 5.2 through my brother being on it and then went onto the forums and found Codas May challenge, posting everyday and its been a great journey. Not without its difficult times but the support and motivation from others on the challenges has been inspiring and being able to give support and encouragement has helped as well.

I am now much fitter, my joints don’t ache now the weight is off them, Ive not had a cholestrol test but feel confident that it will be much lower!!

Love to travel though mostly to New Zealand as we have family there. But in between lots more trips around this country as there are so many beautiful places!!
So that’s me!

Ni, non-aging spirits,
Haven’t posted in a long time, but there was nothing to boast about. I went up 1.5kg, then painfully down 1kg, still trying to reach my previous success. It’s very difficult for me to lose weight, as we have wine every night at dinner and it’s a habit of 40 years, very difficult to break. Now I am trying to fast for 36 hours starting tomorrow (no wine on FD) and see if it works. I am on 4:3 on 24 hour fasts, but with the wine I hardly lose 250-300g/week. It is still going in the right direction, but with my ambitious goal of losing 13kg by the end of June, I should take measures. Another problem are the carbs – for me a meal is a meal with carbs -be it potatoes (I love sweet potatoes), rice or bread (crackers are also fine). Even though I love desserts, they are not my worry at the moments, I do not crave sweets at present. I’ll be weighing in on Sunday and hope to have lost at least another half a kilo.
We’ll have guests on Christmas and, as we are Bulgarian, we’ll have baklava, which is awfully sweet and syrupy, but delicious, banitza(Bulgarian cheese pie)d, turkey and salad and on the 26th it’s a fast day, so I hope to balance the calories and at least stay the same weight. What about your holiday plans, do share.
Merry Christmas to all of you and let’s keep in touch!

Vasundhara, only her doctor can give her the final okay. I only have two things in common with your mom – I’m around her age, 68, and I have high blood pressure. Actually, my blood pressure is much improved since I began the 5:2 way of eating on May 10 of this year and lost 5.4 kg. I dropped one of two blood pressure meds I was taking and have had to cut the remaining one in half because my blood pressure was dropping too low both on fast days and on eating days when I wasn’t eating for several hours. (I became less hungry and less focused on food.) So anyone on high blood pressure meds should check their BP often to make sure the meds don’t force their blood pressure down too low. I would definitely consult with her doctor first.

That said, in my case the weight loss has averaged about .7 kg per week. It hasn’t been difficult and I feel great without that extra weight. If your mother does decide to try it, point her in the direction of this forum. We’d love to welcome her!

Hi Vasundhara, I’m in my mid-50s so not quite your mum’s age, However I’ve been without my gall bladder for over 30 years and haven’t had any issues on 5:2. I find I always need to keep to a moderate fat level as my body can no longer produce the concentrated bile required to digest it – but that is more of an issue for normal days, not fast days.

When I started losing weight I was on blood pressure meds and since getting my weight down I no longer need them. CalifDreamer’s advice is sound – this needs to be monitored by a doctor. My need for blood pressure meds changed gradually and the dose was slowly altered until I no longer needed it. It meant that my GP had to check it regularly and make the necessary adjustments.

Hello, everyone, I don’t think I have posted here before but was doing some research on this topic since my TOPS club has asked me to present a lesson on what I am doing to lose weight when we meet next week. I have been following a daily intermittent fasting plan since early May and I am nearing my mid 70’s. My sugar cravings have almost vanished completely and even the former urge to be thinking about food incessantly has diminished, too. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in October of 2013 and put on metformin. My A1C was 9.5 when I was diagnosed and I was taking the lowest dosage possible.

I saw my family physician in May about the same time my morning blood sugar readings were rising for an unknown reason and mentioned the idea of intermittent fasting to her since I had started researching it at that time. She advised me not to go below 1100 calories per day with my 16/8 daily regimen.

I had an appointment with her this past week to review routine 6 month lab results and my A1C is down to 5.5 so she advised discontinuing the metformin for now and rechecking in 3 months. My cholesterol numbers were down considerably, too. After reading the comments here I think it is important to emphasize with my TOPS friends that consulting their physician is highly recommended since I know that some of them are taking blood pressure medications.

I am so thrilled with the lab results and it has only been a little over two months since I started following this program. I make every effort most days to get 10,000 steps on my pedometer and I participate in an exercise class geared for seniors 3 times a week that includes a lot of stretching and some strength training, etc. The discomfort I have felt in one knee has diminished, too, which is a good thing.

Thanks to those of you who have written of your experiences. My customary eating hours are about 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. so it was a challenge to get beyond the conditioning that one has to start the day with a good breakfast. I found that I felt much better during my morning exercise class if I had not eaten beforehand so decided that “the proof is in the pudding” and it was safe to adopt some new beliefs and follow them.

Hello from Indianapolis Indiana in the USA. I am 75 years old and am anxious to start this eating plan. I am lucky that I do not have to take any medications as yet but concerned that because of my weight and age I may have to in the future. Also, I need a knee replacement that would certainly go much smoother if I were not so heavy. My goal is to lose 50 pounds (23 Kg?) in the next year. I had some reservations that this diet would be healthy for seniors but you guys have put that to rest. I am so grateful to have found this site.

Hiya: I am 61 years young, just started on here today.
Aiming to lose at least 10 kgs, if not 15 kgs or more in total.
Cheers.

Hi Visagirl, Another resource that I found helpful regarding daily intermittent fasting is “The Buddha’s Diet” by Tara Cottrell and Dan Zigmond. They also have a website which offers the basics laid out in the book and a person does not need to be a Buddhist to find the research and information they share to be of value. When I started the 16/8 plan I had not heard of their work but discovered it after the fact and think it has some merit, too, since we are each uniquely put together.

Hi morning glory, Well I have decided that this 5:2 diet is a little too hard for me. I just don’t feel well on 500 calories on fasting day. Maybe I am being a wimp or maybe it’s my age I am not sure, but I am done at least for now. I am doing the 16:8 and am feeling much better. I am so grateful to you for telling me about this plan and the “The Buddah’s Diet”. It is a much better fit for me.

I came to this thread because I tried three weeks of the 5:2 plan and although I did loose a bit of weight, I felt absolutely terrible – no energy andcouldn’t think straight. I was OK on the fast day;I just distracted myself when I felt hungry, but it would take me 36 hours for my energy to pick up. I am 62, at the higher end of the ‘normal’ weight range and have no known medical conditions. I have given the plan a rest for two weeks and was thinking of starting again, tomorrow but I’m not sure whether I can face it. I might research ‘The Buddha Diet’ 🙂

My Mom (who is now 71) had also tried 5:2 first but found it difficult. 16:8 is pretty easy in comparison. All she needs to do is keep busy and distracted till lunchtime and then she can eat. Not that she is hungry before that. It’s more of a psychological thing, knowing that you are not allowed to eat for a few hours.

Hi morningglory, Good for you! I know you are working hard. I have lost 15 pounds so far on the 16/8 diet and feel pretty good. My bp and glucose are still very good but I am still having issues with my short term memory. I guess that is to be expected at my age. I hope this diet slows the progression of this some. My mother is still alive at 95 but she has Alzheimer’s. I hope that is not in the cards for me in 20 years. I am very hopeful that intermittent fasting will give me some extra time. Well we all need to pat ourselves on the back that we are making steps to improve our health.