39 and I typically do 18:6 and I lost about 70 lb in the past 8 months.
I’ve read a couple different places that women in their forties that 20:4 is the best. Granted these were all just little articles that I’ve come across on Pinterest so I don’t know how much weight you should give to that opinion.
F42, I’ve only been doing this two months, not the healthiest eater, but I started with 16:8. I make sure I get at least a 16 hour fast in, but it’s usually more because I don’t have set times. So I’m usually eating in the afternoon and when I’m ready to fast I just hit the fast button on my app and then it keeps me from snacking at night because I don’t want to break the fast. The next day I break the fast anytime after I’ve reached minimum 16 hours. As time goes on I seem to be fasting more and more over 20 hours. I did one 45 and one 41 hour fast almost by accident. I made it so far into the afternoon/evening without thinking about food from being busy, that then I decided eh, I’ll ride out the hunger pains tonight because I was excited to be in the 30 hour range already. I’ve completed one 50 hour fast on purpose. Planned ahead with a friend, knew I wasn’t going to eat the next day…was much harder to do. Lol Thought about food alot the whole time because I knew I wouldn’t be eating the next day. So even at 16 hours it felt rough. Funny how our minds work.So as long as I hit 16 hours anything extra is bonus and 16 is so easy it doesn’t feel like I’m even trying. Great for my mental status and feeling successful each day. As a result I think I’ll always stick with 16hr minimum so I don’t lose that high of one, being successful, and two, constantly feeling like I did better then required when I fast for longer.I could be eating better and know I would get faster results but I’m still down 12 pounds and feel like I cheated my way there because this does not feel like a diet at all.I really believe our mental state is tied so much to how successful we are in anything. In any diet I’ve tried I have never felt this upbeat this far in.Oh and I’ve been weighing myself daily for years but actually had to stop because I felt it was dragging me into that mindset of only feeling successful by the scale. Feeling successful by fasting has really allowed me to make changes nutritionally without the negatives. If I go out to dinner with friends but still fasted that day…winning! Of course it’s better to skip fries or drinks but for me it’s not realistic all the time. But dieting and drinking a soda would always make me feel like a failure but I would crave it so much. Anyways, ramble done. Two months in but extremely hopeful for my progress report in a year.
I’m 50 in a few years… ADF is harder for me, I like having an eating window every day. My current routine:
a few cups of coffee with sucralose and cream in AM. Lunch around 11 or 12. Water the rest of the day, with a lemon and a few squirts of Tang (no sugar) liquid. Sugar free gum/candy when I have munchies.
I have lost over 30lbs since October with this, and I took everything from Thanksgiving to a few weeks ago off, lol.
I don’t eat sugar or refined carbs - nothing but uncarby veggies and meat, eggs, flax, nuts, stuff like that.
41F here. I started on 1/3/22. Been on 16:8 but taking weekends off or just not being as strict. I am down 10 lbs. Nothin really changed about my eating habits other than no sugar in my morning coffee, having one less meal in the day, not having late night sweet treat or that extra glass or two of wine after dinner. I also am making an effort to get like 1-2 hours of low/moderate exercise in a week (1x 30 min sesh on the elliptical + maybe a quick walk or two around the block+ a Saturday yoga class- nothing major) the bare minimum as I have a very sedentary job at a desk.
At it’s core I still think it’s essentially CICO, but I have noticed I am not as snacky in general and do t feel those crashes after meals like I used to. So there has to be something to the insulin response.
Overall I like it. Doesn’t really feel like a diet and I am not militantly counting calories or my steps like I have in the past. I feel like I have control with minimal effort+ I know if I do have that extra glass of wine it’s ok, and I can break my fast the next day 30 mins or so later.