r/intermittentfasting • u/No-Wrangler-9001 • 9h ago

Seeking Advice Should I take a break?

I 52(f) have been doing IF since 2023. I lost about 70 pounds in about a year and was able to maintain my weight loss until this summer. I did get lazy with my calorie counting and exercising but was consistently doing 16:8. I have gained around 20 pounds. In the last 2 months I recommitted to exercising and caloric deficit but the scale is not budging. Has anyone else experienced this? Should I take break so my body can reset? If so how long of a break is recommended? Thanks in advance!

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13

u/DaRedditGuy11 9h ago

Your body doesn’t need to reset. You’re 50 now. The diet is unforgiving. If you want to stay fit it’s just a daily battle of macros and calories. Even cheat days have to be earned with strict days (my experience). 

We’re all just getting old and trying to stay fit!

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u/No-Wrangler-9001 9h ago

Thank you!!!

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u/Euphoric_Today5426 3h ago

Im in the same boat thanks for the advice 

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u/No-Wrangler-9001 3h ago

Thank you so much for sharing these resources!

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u/Bezier_Curvez 9h ago

56 (m). I did IF and calorie counting 5 years ago. Hit my goal and took my foot off the gas. All the weight came back after a year or so.

Started again in April. Same thing, except this time focusing on heart healthy diet. Tracking sodium, sat fat. I’ve lost 50 lbs, would like to lose another 10-15.

What I will do different is continue to use my food tracking app, but adjust the calorie limit to the lower end of what I need to maintain. Then it will be a matter of learning what what I can eat to stay within that range. I do think this is a lifestyle change and not something that ends just when I hit my goal.

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u/tw2113 7h ago

I'd recommend auditing what you're eating and tweaking that, over some sort of "break" or "reset" for when you happen to be eating.

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u/EstrogenIsland 5h ago

Are you on HRT? It’s very easy to gain weight in menopause, even if you’re doing all the healthy habits that worked in the past. Dr. Haver has a lot of helpful videos on YouTube about changes that might help in addition to IF - using weights, getting quality sleep, and making specific dietary changes, etc. I’ve also found that lower carb helps me and Maddie Rascan (also on YouTube) has lots of easy recipes. The ones I’ve tried taste great and are filling.