Since the beginning of the year I’ve quit all sweeteners, started doing strength training 4x/week and have been doing 18:6 fasts 4-6 days a week. When I’m not fasting I try and prioritize protein and veggies. This after the last couple years just doing nothing and living on ice cream and bread all day and night. It’s really been a big shift. I’m happier, I sleep better, I’m not really complaining and I’m proud of the changes I’ve made BUT…
I’ve seen not one pound down on the scale and I do have like 40 pounds to lose just to get to the overweight category and need to get my bp and cholesterol down. What gives? I don’t want to make any more changes just yet because it’s already been alot and I don’t want to risk just burning out. I really want the good lifestyle habits to stay.
I am in menopause and do take hormones so I’m wondering if fasting just isn’t right for me? Maybe I need to shift to the small meals all day/counting macros world…but I like the ease of IF so wondering if anyone else just took a long time to see results?
I am not a woman and certainly not an expert on cycles, but your last could of sentences seem to potentially have a lot to do with this, and a common detraction for IF in terms of who it works for for weight loss.
I am F48 Perimenopausal and on HRT. I can highly recommend watching Dr Lucy Burns - Menopause, Perimenopause and Weight Management. . I have also learned at lot from reading The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung too and am seeing slow but steady changes finally to my weight.
IF is a long term lifestyle so I hope you can find what foods work best for you. For me it has been limiting carbs to natural only, unprocessed where possible that has finally been the turning point to working for me.
If you’re strength training you could be putting on some muscle as well. I would start taking some measurements. I’m not a woman, but I’ve heard good things about longer term fasting for menopause. It’s also still possible to overeat on 18:6, so you could keep track of your calories for a week just to make sure.
Studies have shown that we have limited willpower for new changes, so I think your preference of not taking on any more changes right now is super smart.
It can be a drag to count calories, but that might be the next thing to incorporate. It doesn’t have to be every day - you can plot out several meals or quantities of foods that you typically consume in your eating window, and/or capture photographs of what a certain serving size looks like for reference. Check out your BMR on a calculator along with how much to add based on your activity level. Cut 100-500 calories per day from that to see results.
Even though you’re not seeing the scale love you’re clearly moving the dial for your long term health and longevity. For women the scale is less predictable than for men. Stay strong!
I did it through menopause. That wasn’t an issue for me but everyone is different. Can you try a few weeks without the weight training and see what happens. I would also just count macros for a few weeks just to ensure you aren’t eating too much and not realizing so. Once you count for a few weeks, it’s then easy to eyeball your caloric intake without counting any longer as you still need to be ina caloric deficiency for progress
You’re probably eating too much.
There are other possibilities, but the most likely reason you are not losing weight is because you are eating too much. I say try 18:6 7 days a week and see how that works for you.
I also find fasting 7 days a week easier than having cheat days, since your body gets used to not eating. I save my cheat meals for things like lunch with friends or when the boss orders food in. I never initiate a cheat day.