New protein miracle diet

Like millions of us, Linda Davis, 80, and 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 proven to double weight loss, nearly triple 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.

- ALLISON NEMETZ

So what exactly is this new strategy? It's an upgraded form of “protein pacing,” which was created by Paul Arciero, Ph.D., 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.

It's easier than it sounds. In fact, 90% of people stick 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. Because 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.

Bonus: “This is a massive advantage for postmenopausal women,” he adds, noting that it helps offset age-related muscle loss 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 pacing stokes burn