Hello all
TL;DR - does menopause affect metabolism and does intermittent fasting make it harder for anyone else to lose weight?
I am 44 and starting to see signs of perimenopause (period changes) and more significantly a stubborn bit of extra weight I can't seem to shift.
I have always been generally healthy weight since my 20s (I was overweight in my teens and early 20s) and for 20 years I've had a BMI (yes I know, just a loose indicator!) of about 23, regular exercise and unrestricted diet but being careful when I noticed getting a bit podgier. (I could easily drop pounds in days when I got stricter with myself. Carb based diet lots of bread and pasta!)
In autumn of last year I tried the Human Being Diet and lost nearly a stone then around Christmas promptly put most of it back on...
Since then I've sat at the top of my normal weight bracket, and am currently around 24.5 (not technically overweight but bigger than I'd like).
I have been logging calories and am normally around my usual maximum intake, eating more healthily than ever, more protein per meal, fewer carbs, less UPF etc but snacking occasionally, but still can't seem to shift any of it.
Since Jan I have been not eating outside of 12 - 8 pm, (except in odd situations, shift worker etc) and whilst I am enjoying this mode of eating and it suits me and my lifestyle, I am wondering if it's actually making it harder for me to shift weight?
Or if it's an age thing, combined with snacking, and my body needing less as I get older?
Just trying to gather my thoughts I think!
Thanks for any advice you all might have.