As one who identifies as an 18 year old with 42 years of life experience, I have to say this is one of the better ways to lose weight.
My best advice is drink that water…it helps keep cravings away (at least it does for me). Green tea is one of my favorite things, so that helps with the water intake.
To keep from nibbling aimlessly, I crochet…keeps me focused on task at hand.
The one other thing I found that helps me is getting in 10K steps a day.
How is your journey going?
48F here. I’ve been doing 18:6 with a few longer fasts thrown in every few weeks. I am lowish carb (sometimes I do keto if I hit a plateau, otherwise I keep carbs between 75-100g), I go on a ~50 minute walk every afternoon, and I cut way back on social drinking. I think IF would have worked alone but I believe these additional tweaks really made the difference for me. I’ve lost 45 pounds since last year and am finally in normal BMI, got to go off my blood pressure meds and feel healthier than I have in years. In retrospect it has been an amazing year, but at times it felt really slow going and there were weeks (months) where I didn’t see the scale move much. But looking back from this point, it’s been an obvious success and I’m so glad I didn’t drop out.
I’ve never had such sustainable weight loss success before, so I hope you have a similar experience. I believe IF is the key for peri and post menopausal women.
Other tips — drink more water than you think you need. Seriously prioritize sleep. And keep reading this sub — it’s great for motivation. Good luck!
I’m 56 (f) and this was day 5 of 16:8 for me. I’m combining with WW to manage portion control and calories, and doing mix of things at the gym (incline walking, Spin, BodyPump). I will weigh in on Tuesday but so far hunger has been minimal, I feel less bloated, I think I’m sleeping better and I do feel a mood shift. So far so good. SW 170 GW 135. 5’5
64 here. IF is the only way I’m able to lose weight and maintain that loss after some switch apparently got flipped when I turned 63. The sudden weight gain was that fast. So was the new weight’s refusal to go no matter what I did until my husband told me about IF. I am well into into post-menopause, about 13 years (12 years when that switch flipped). Seems likely the switch was due to hormonal imbalance. I’m on low-dose HRT, levels appropriate for someone post-menopausal, and I worked with my prescribing doc to adjust the dose. That + IF work. Gotta say, though, the weight loss is slow, but I’m near GW. Tips: carbonated mineral water, something Dr. Jason Fung recommends for stomach rumbling (my fav is Topo Chico), green tea, also per Dr. Fung for reducing hunger (I don’t like the taste but it’s soothing), and, during the work week, 1 cup decaf coffee with 1 tsp. heavy cream mid to late morning, busy Zoom meeting time.
I’m 49 and I will be 50 in July. I started IF again and it’s the only thing that works for me to lose weight. I do 3 day days (36 hours) & 2 days feed low carb whole foods starting under 1200. At least 6500 steps daily.
Tips: write down your goals and keep busy during fasting. If I stay focused I’m able to lose weight. I did a lot of mindless eating so living mindfully helped. Mindful eating helps so much with being aware of why I’m eating, what I’m eating and how I’m feeling about it. SW 192 CW 166 GW 135 by July 23. 5’3”
I am close to your age and IF, along with CICO, works well for me. I fell of the track for all of the fall and most of December but I am back now.
I can eat out with friends and I adjust my eating window (usual window is noon until 5:00pm) if eating out with friends.
My main tip is to keep the plan to yourself or one trusted supporter. One of my good friends has managed to tell waiters and friends that I am not eating enough and is a terrible food pusher and put onion rings on my plate one night at dinner after telling our friends that I am starving myself. I had a very large salad with a chicken breast so lots of good calories there. She has told everyone we know and I have ghosted her because of it. I think she loves being the skinniest one in the group (often mentioning her pant size) and doesn’t like the looks I get now that I am half way to my goal.
Stuff, like dieting, lets you know who your real friends are. Women should support each other and that friend just tries to make everything about herself. I have limited contact with her and only see her at group functions where I make a point of sitting far from her. I now keep my eating and movement plan to myself and I am spending more time with different friends.