High-Protein, Alternate-Day Fasting Helps Women Over 40 Double Belly Fat Burn and Weight Loss
Two women who used the approach lost a combined 140 pounds!
Like millions of us, Linda Davis, 80, and her daughter Cynde Carpenter, 57, struggled to slim down after menopause. Says Cynde, “I was on a keto diet for years, just losing and regaining the same pound.” Then a scientist friend told her about a plan showing promise for older women. “He said there were 10 peer-reviewed studies. As a nurse, that got my attention.” It turned out to be a twist on high-protein eating involving alternate-day fasting proven to double weight loss, double belly-fat loss and lead to 17 times less hunger than traditional diets. Cynde and her mom dove in. “Inches started falling off,” recalls Cynde. Adds Linda, “I lost 30 pounds in the first 30 days!” Read on for the waist-shrinking details.
What is this new strategy?
It’s an upgraded form of Protein Pacing, which was created by Paul Arciero, DPE, head of the nutrition and metabolism lab at Skidmore College. It works like this: Most days, you enjoy four evenly-spaced meals, each containing 30 to 50 grams of high-quality protein (that’s the Protein Pacing part); then on one or two days per week, you practice a version of intermittent fasting built around low-cal, high-nutrient drinks (that’s the alternate-day fasting part).
Intermittent fasting with Protein Pacing is easier than it sounds. In fact, 90 percent of people stuck with it during clinical trials, a stat so high, “it’s unheard of,” says Arciero. He credits the effect partly to how good protein is at killing appetite and partly to how motivating the body transformation is. Perfectly-paced protein consumption triggers the body to fuel itself with stored fat as it builds firm, metabolism-boosting muscle “at a rapid rate,” he says.
Woman's World Answers
Alternate-day fasting + Protein Pacing is perfect for those over 40
“This is a massive advantage for postmenopausal women,” Arciero adds, noting that it helps offset age-related loss of muscle mass that makes us prone to becoming weaker and heavier with each passing year. “Adults over age 40 benefit most,” he says. “We even have a 63-year-old study participant who lost 105 pounds in 120 days and has kept it off for three years.”
How this new approach stokes fat burn
Lately, we hear a lot about the health benefits of protein, like how it can kill hunger, improve blood sugar, slash belly-fattening hormones, rev metabolism and help us repair and strengthen every part of our bodies. All of this is true, confirms Arciero, author of The PRISE Life.
But here’s crucial info often left out: We get the greatest benefits if we eat 30 to 50 grams of protein every four hours or so. Take in more than that, he says, and it makes little or no difference. On the flip side, take in less protein or less often, and you miss opportunities to build muscle and rev fat burn. “It can have a huge impact,” Arciero says.
Using little fasts to get big results
Inspired by scientific literature, Arciero decided to see if a type of intermittent fasting known as alternate-day fasting might improve Protein Pacing. So he set up tests. Protein pacers added what he calls “nutritional fasts”—a day or two each week during which they consumed just 350 to 550 nutrient-dense calories-—and they started slimming down like gangbusters.
Why it works: Periodic low-calorie days trigger ancient survival mechanisms that still help us thrive in modern times. The first, called autophagy, removes and recycles waste inside cells. The second, apoptosis, burns off entire old or damaged cells. “You clean out all the junk,” says Arciero.
You then resume eating optimal amounts of protein, and your revitalized body is able to generate new cells to replace the old or damaged ones. After that, you do everything better, from regulating hormones and blood sugar to fighting off disease. Metabolism amps up. You’re also able to build and strengthen muscle in the long term like never before. “Magic happens,” says Arciero. “It sets people up for both fast and long-lasting success.”
Alternate-day fasting success: Cynde and Linda lost 140 lbs
The mom and daughter, who live about an hour apart, had long been tag-teaming on any promising diet they heard about. “Nothing that worked was sustainable,” recalls Cynde. Adds Linda: “Other people go to WeightWatchers and lose a lot. I would lose a quarter pound. It was ridiculous.”
The extra weight made them feel tired, and they both had inflammation in their legs that made it hard to get around. So they kept diet hopping—until they found upgraded Protein Pacing. Arciero’s book helped them get started. Linda, whose knees were bad, was relieved no workouts or intense physical activity were required.
For Cynde, who already ate a good bit of protein on her faltering keto diet, it was a matter of getting into a rhythm, eating about six ounces of steak, fish or chicken at the right intervals. Meanwhile, Linda says she didn’t have trouble switching to convenient options like boiled eggs and rotisserie chicken with veggies. She also used protein shakes and kept beef sticks in her purse. (Cynde and Linda got so full from protein they tended to skip carbs, even though the plan allows them.)
Their weight loss results were impressive
What were their fasting days like? At 8 am, noon, 4 pm and 8 pm they have a nutrient-dense antioxidant drink or bone broth (which they order from ProteinPacing.org). They track calories and allow themselves extras like half a protein bar or fruit, making sure to stay under their calorie limit. “I’m less hungry eating this way than back when I’d have three meals plus lots of snacks a day,” says Linda. Cynde agrees. “On intermittent fasting days, I feel like a million bucks!”
The short-term results were beyond what they could have expected: Cynde lost eight pounds her first week—and her mom lost a whopping 14 pounds. They stuck with it, chatting daily to encourage each other. Over nine months, Cynde shed 50 pounds. “I’m below my high school weight now. I feel so good,” she marvels. As for Linda, she’s down 90 pounds, her knee pain gone. “I can fit in Cynde’s pants and even do a cartwheel,” she smiles. The women agree: “This is not a diet, it’s a healthy lifestyle we can maintain forever!”
How to practice alternate-day fasting + Protein Pacing
To try this strategy, always eat four meals, four hours apart. Most days, go for 30 to 50 grams of protein per sitting, adding unlimited veggies and optional good fat and fiber-rich carbs. On one or two days a week, limit yourself to 350 to 550 calories a day, mostly from nutrient-dense drinks like protein shakes and bone broth. Learn more at ProteinPacing.org.
Additional reporting by Cailey Griffin and Beth Weissman-Duarte
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
