Female, 43, Trying To Lose Weight After Stopping Anti-depressants

[machine_elf]

I was slim-ish most of my life but after having kids I developed a pot belly which I can't get rid of. I have also put on a band of "fat" just below my boobs after I was taking anti-depressants for just under a year and this doesn't budge. I am also 43 so not quite menopausal but not long to go and I have noticed it is much harder these days for me to lose weight. I do quite a bit of walking (taking kids to school most days) around 2 miles.

I am a little bit confused about the Ray Peat diet and what would be the best way for someone like me to lose a lot of weight. Could someone give me a sample diet of what I should be eating Peat-wise to get the weight off? Thanks!

 

[teds]

Welcome- the best thing for you to do is start reading though the info on Ray Peats site. You could listen to some interviews/podcasts etc.
In short, and I can see this is not what you want to hear, there is no ‘diet’ and no ‘protocol’ for anyone to tell you to do. It’s about keeping your agency in your health and connecting with your body and feeling how it responds to different stimulus (or lack thereof)... weight loss won’t be the first thing that happens. You probably need to heal a fair bit before that happens. Fast and furious weight loss tends to be done in a stress state and this is what we’re looking to move away from. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow but this is definitely about the long game and really tuning into what works for you. Start with reading some of his stuff and see how you go. Good luck!

 

[lollipop]

Welcome- the best thing for you to do is start reading though the info on Ray Peats site. You could listen to some interviews/podcasts etc.
In short, and I can see this is not what you want to hear, there is no ‘diet’ and no ‘protocol’ for anyone to tell you to do. It’s about keeping your agency in your health and connecting with your body and feeling how it responds to different stimulus (or lack thereof)... weight loss won’t be the first thing that happens. You probably need to heal a fair bit before that happens. Fast and furious weight loss tends to be done in a stress state and this is what we’re looking to move away from. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow but this is definitely about the long game and really tuning into what works for you. Start with reading some of his stuff and see how you go. Good luck!

@teds +1 this is good advice. There is no one size fits all. Really requires observation and experimentation. I also find myself tweaking my diet fairly regularly. Happens naturally as I observe how my body is reacting. Weight loss seems to need metabolic health. You might start there, healing metabolism and body then move towards targeted weight loss if needed.

Welcome and good luck!

 

[machine_elf]

Thanks for your replies. I have a feeling I have quite a high metabolism ironically. My pulse is normally in the high 90s and I am normally pretty warm (I used to suffer from terrible cold hands and feet but since adding magnesium to my diet it has improved noticeably). I drink (decafeinated coffee throughout the day) but will start stocking up on real OJ. I am wondering whether it would be worth taking a pregnenolone supplement if this will help with potential weight loss (I think I am estrogen dominant at the moment).

 

[squanch]

Unpopular opinion:
Track your current daily food calories to determine your total daily energy expenditure (assuming you are maintaining your weight right now). Lower your daily calories by about 500 kcal and keep tracking your food to make sure you stay in a caloric deficit. Lift weights to minimize loss of muscle mass. After you've reached your goal weight you slowly increase calories until you are no longer losing weight.

Macronutrients don't really matter much when you're in a caloric deficit anyway (except adequate protein to retain muscle mass). They do matter when you're in a caloric surplus though.