I have been intermittent fasting since 2018. I have done ADF, I have done Carnivore -NO Carbs AT ALL- none.
I have consistently drank 90 to 120 oz of water per day. I don’t drink coffee. I don’t drink tea. I have done OMAD and tracked calories, I have done 2 months of BBBE, I have done 72 hour fasts, I have done Keto, counted macros. Lifted weights, measured myself, did daily weigh ins and gone a full month between weigh ins, walked daily, started biking again recently, eaten no sugar and had “breaks” of a week or so every 5 or 6 months where I ate 2 meals a day in a 6 to 8 hour window including adding back in veg and salads and cheese to keep my body/ metabolism guessing, added ACV daily, added electrolytes, gave up diet Coke,
Watched countless you tube videos from the usual suspects for ideas and motivation, Read the diabetes code, and any studies I could get my hands on… recently tried adding Iodine after some steak and butter gal binge ing. Any other things I should try? If there is something that you think will work for a person such as me…
I am post menopausal- almost 60 now I have lost 30 lbs since 2018. SW in 2018 was almost 300 lbs. CW is somewhere around 260 to 270. Been as low as 247 but that is IT. GW is 170. I have been up 5 to 10 lbs and back down 5 to 10 lbs but have been STUCK for about 3 years and can’t seem to find the THING that works for me. I am rarely, if ever, hungry.
Currently, I drink 30 oz of h20 with 1 tbsp ACV and 2 drops iodine and 1 scoop of Ultimate electrolyte powder and ice on my way to work, followed by at least 3 more 30 oz tumblers of water while at work and 1 to 2 more on the way home. I consistently fast between 20 and 24 hours and eat my one meal of a 10 to 14 oz ribeye cooked in cast iron with avocado oil and finished in the oven ( sometimes 80/20 or 70/30 hamburger or chicken wings cooked in the air fryer tossed with Frank’s red hot sauce and butter, Recently too, 3 to 4 apple gouda sausage - ONE source of meat/ protein- not all or a combo- EITHER steak OR chicken wings OR the sausage OR the hamburger ) 3 to 4 eggs, butter, salt and a zevia when I get home from work ( active job- on my feet all day - medical field ) around 7 pm. I lift weights, take some advil and another 30 oz of water to bed ( don’t always drink it all overnight but it is there is I get thirsty ) go to bed around 10 to 11 pm- up for work at 5:30 the next day. On weekends, I walk, ride my bike, lift weights.
I read the success stories on Reddit and the comments that sometimes seem sanctimonious instead of helpful, and I get discouraged but this is my WOE now and I don’t see myself going back to the SAD, ever.
I lost 80 lbs in my 30’s and it was easy- lost about 10 lbs per month with just walking and hiking and watching what I ate.- Took me 20 years to gain most of it back … but I did :-( and now it is going nowhere… But I am not giving up. Insulin resistance be damned. I will lose the rest - just gotta find my groove. :-)
I’m sure you’ve had your blood tests done and talked things over with your doctor. I’m thinking about thyroid here or something else. I’m not a doctor, obviously.
At certain point, if you haven’t been able to budge the weight and you’re not in that ‘healthy for your stats’ range, there has to be something else going on that maybe a doctor can pinpoint or at the very least a registered dietician or nutrionist.
I’m not sure how long you did each of these things you’ve tried. I read you started in 2018 and had good success along the way. Did you stick with things like keto for more than a year? Or weights for more than a year at a time?
Some of these things take longer for others, especially post menopause. Weight lifting is never a quick fix and takes several years to see deep improvements.
While not trying to tale away from others’ successes, I get a little upset at people that drop 30 lbs in 3 months when I’m working every aspect of it all and it took me 11 months to get 30 lbs down. I have 25lbs more to go. The closer you get to that goal, the longer it takes, it could be two years longer.
So, hang in there and hold steady! I feel your pain and you can still see this through!
Or, when all else fails, maybe take a couple months off trying to lose weight while still keeping healthful in food choices, movement, and mentality. Let your body settle a bit and start fresh.
edit: typo
You’re most likely taking in far too many calories still. I think IF mixed with serious calorie tracking would be helpful in your situation. It’s incredibly easy to not realize how many calories you’re truly eating and no amount of IF will help with overeating.
I believe the key to your original post is that you are postmenopausal. That changes everything for us, and requires a different pattern of IF, namely rolling 36s or 42s. IF plus Keto is even better
But please do not take my opinion/advice. I am not a doctor, simply another woman in the same weight loss boat that you are. I have learned quite a bit about our situation and our best weight loss options from the podcast “The Fasting Method”. There’s even more information available from their website. I highly recommend doing your own research into exactly what it takes to lose weight in a healthy way once you are post menopausal. We are not in our 30s anymore, our bodies don’t work the same as they used to. Everything is now different. But there is still hope. You can be healthy at our age.
You can do this! I have faith in you.