Eating and drinking too little, training too intensively: you actually mean well and want to lose weight as quickly as possible. But the diet keeps failing. There are several common intermittent fasting mistakes that make life difficult for women over 50. Losing weight is particularly difficult during menopause. We explain the mistakes that cause the nutrition plan to fail and how you can avoid them!
Common mistakes when intermittent fasting: Why losing weight after 50 doesn't work?
Intermittent fasting is a diet plan that is becoming increasingly popular. It is often recommended for women going through menopause. And numerous celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Halle Berry also swear by it.
The basic principles of the diet are very simple: you can eat in certain periods of the dayeat everythingwhat you want and completely avoid eating during other periods. The advantages are clear: the nutrition plan is simple, you don't have to count calories and you can eat whatever you want.
However, many people make the next common mistakes that negatively impact the bottom line. Even young people can hardly lose weight this way and after the age of 50, losing weight no longer works at all. Sometimes you even put on a few kilos - and then you have to fight with it.
Common misconception about losing weight as you get older: Fasting periods that are too long
Sometimes the body just needs time to detoxify. From time to time, longer fasting periods of 24 or 48 hours make sense. However, if you follow an intermittent fasting diet plan, you should avoid these longer fasting periods. For example, if you ate something every two hours before starting the diet and then suddenly don't eat anything for 24 hours, the body will be extremely stressed. The result – you have no energy and feel sick.
Mistakes when intermittent fasting: Not adapting the fasting period to your own daily schedule
Do you get up early in the morning, eat breakfast and are very active during the day, but then go to bed early? A fasting period from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. is then appropriate. However, if you are more active at night, you should adapt your fasting period to your sleep-wake rhythm.
According to studies, if you eat as usual during intermittent fasting, you will eat 15% less food. This is because the active phase, the time when you are allowed to eat, is shorter than usual. This means that a meal or snack is skipped and the daily calorie intake is reduced accordingly. In order for this to be successful, it is very important that you sleep for most of the fasting period. Otherwise, you will feel hungry and then eat more than usual after the end of the fast.
This is why intermittent fasting fails: unhealthy diet
Another piece of cake, fast food in the afternoon or chocolate to get you through the night: If you eat unhealthy foods and consume more calories every day, you will never feel the benefits of intermittent fasting. Healthy eating is particularly important with this diet plan.
Intermittent fasting can help you lose excess weight. But only sport and exercise will keep you fit as you get older. It is therefore very important that you continue to stay active.
Common mistake when losing weight after 50: Eating too little
Anyone who tries to eat significantly less than usual at the age of 50 is risking their health. Less than 1200 calories a day only has negative consequences for adults: muscle mass decreases and metabolism slows down. Two negative side effects that people have to contend with anyway as they get older.
At this point there is another common mistake that people are rarely aware of. Anyone who underestimates the fasting period and eats too little right before it promotes the release of the ghrelin hormone. It signals to your body that you are hungry. But ghrelin also fulfills an important function: it inhibits fat burning and promotes the storage of fat cells. As a result, you will always feel tired, constantly hungry, and may even gain weight. So it's better to eat before the break.
Mistakes when intermittent fasting over 50: Drinking a high-calorie drink
If you add milk or sugar to coffee or tea, you have essentially broken Lent. This is now known to everyone. But unfortunately there are also other drinks that are mistakenly considered to be low in calories. For example coconut water. So the effect of the diet plan is not achieved. Because it is precisely during the breaks that you eat less and therefore reduce your daily calorie intake. To avoid the mistake, beginners should only drink water during breaks in the first month. If you take longer breaks between meals, you can add a pinch of salt to your drinking water.
Losing weight during menopause: Drinking too little water
At the beginning of fasting, water is released as glycogen is broken down in the body. The longer you fast, the fewer fat reserves your body has and the less water is released. So you should drink extra water during fasting.
Read in English:Common mistakes with intermittent fasting women make over 50: 5 reasons you can’t lose weight!
Important
Any methods, information, and tips in this article are based on current studies and medical sources (at the time of publication). However, they are not suitable for self-diagnosis and treatment and in no way serve as a substitute for competent medical advice.
The nutritional method described is safe for many people, but not for everyone. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before starting.
