Dear Kayla,
Until what age can women do OMAD without it raising cortisol and being counterproductive? I gained a lot of weight after surgery and nothing I used to do to lose weight works!
Thank you very much!
Patolinda
Dear Patolinda,
I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble losing weight. The good news is, these challenges can be overcome. There are several factors in your question, so let’s take them one by one.
Cortisol is not the enemy.
The diet and weight loss industry puts out a lot of misinformation about cortisol. They do this to try to sell you supplements. But here’s the truth: cortisol is an essential hormone. It’s responsible for all sorts of things, including (but not limited to) regulating our stress response, stimulating our metabolism, and helping control our blood sugar levels. Most people’s cortisol levels are normal.
Before we move on, let’s talk about stress and cortisol. When you’re stressed, your cortisol levels increase, and your cortisol increases your metabolism. Sounds good, right? Well, the issue here is that when your metabolism rises, your appetite also rises. So in the end, the thing you have to watch out for is overeating. Here’s an excellent TED talk about the importance of making stress your friend.
Age does not matter.
I have heard from women of all ages, even into their eighties, who are practicing intermittent fasting and OMAD and are losing weight and keeping it off. The idea that you hit a certain age and then it stops working just isn’t backed up by science. Weight loss happens for people when they consistently stay in a caloric deficit, no matter what age they are. Metabolism doesn’t even begin to slow down until you hit 60. Even then it only decreases by about .7% (a little over half a percent) per year. In other words, if you typically burn 1800 calories when you’re 59, then you would burn 1787 a day when 60. It’s a very very slow process of slowing, so don’t worry about that.
Surgery brings its own challenges.
You mentioned that after surgery, nothing that used to help you lose weight is working. There are likely many factors at play here. First of all, you might have lost muscle mass after your surgery during the recovery period (and possibly before surgery if your mobility was hindered.) Also, you may have been stressed before and after the surgery for various reasons (missing work, being thrown off your normal routine, medical costs, to name a few.) Less muscle mass means fewer calories burned. Less movement in general means fewer calories burned. More stress means an increased likelihood of stress eating. When you add all that up, it explains why you’re having trouble. But you can overcome this.
Don’t hurry.
I get the sense that you’re rushing the process a bit. When you rush, you’re going to make things too difficult and unsustainable. Here’s what I suggest you do:
- Write down a very simple plan you know you can stick to.
- Track your weight.
Stick with your plan for 6 weeks consistently. See what your results are. If after 6 weeks the scale isn’t moving, make a tweak to your plan that helps you eat less food. Most importantly: be patient. Weight loss takes time. If you’re currently obese, 1 pound a week on average is excellent. If you’re near a normal BMI, fractions of a pound are more reasonable. You can do this!
Sincerely,
Kayla
PS: I’d also highly recommend going for a daily walk, if you can manage it. It can help relieve stress and put you in a more positive mental space.