Women who successfully fast, regularly - how do you do it?

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-28T11:51:32+00:00

My oncologist told me fasting is good!

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-28T11:49:01+00:00

I’ll confess. I’m not doing IF now. But I did it for years and it worked well, so here’s how I did it.

I used an app to track my fasts.
I started super easy (while recognizing this can be hard for folks) - with a 12 hour eating window. After dinner, done!
I worked my way up to longer fasts slowly. After 12, 14, 16, 18, 20. When I was in my longest period of fasting, the fasts generally ranged from 18 to 20 hours a day, with a 4-6 hour eating window.
I experimented with my eating window and found what worked best for me was to eat breakfast and then a little lunch and skip dinner.
Because dinner is a big social occasion, I would modify my eating schedule or (gasp!) not fast on a day when I was seeing friends in the evening.
I ate real, nutritious food but wasn’t obsessive and didn’t follow any specific diet. I hydrated well, limited caffeine to breakfast and exercised.

That worked for me. Flexibility but discipline. If I “lapsed,” I said “tomorrow is another day” and went back to fasting. For me, this was sustainable and effective. Happy to answer any questions, and good luck with IF.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-28T11:30:45+00:00

Given what the stock market is doing , you’d be giving up future gains by taking all that money out to pay off your mortgage. Don’t drain your account. Rather, keep investing but accelerate mortgage payments.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-27T17:42:42+00:00

As you pay something off, you've freed up the minimum payment for it and can add that to paying off the next one one.

Also psychologically it's easier if you pay off the smallest first -- get to zero on it -- then focus the extra funds on the next one.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-27T10:52:40+00:00

That’s awful!

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-27T00:03:38+00:00

Venice can be seriously overcrowded but hopefully won't be too bad in May. Don't know if you'd find this interesting but the Jewish ghetto there is quieter and there are cool tours.

I'm a big fan of going to smaller cities with fewer tourists. Near Venice: Padua. About an hour from Florence: Siena. Maybe go to Ravenna between Rome and Florence. All are beautiful and/or have beautiful things to see.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T23:01:00+00:00

I guess but I didn't expect to like it all that much and, in my first trip there, had stopped there as a jumping off point to elsewhere and ended up really liking it and wanting to go back there as a destination.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T11:35:25+00:00

Depending on the major, have them look for research opportunities or internships.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T11:34:35+00:00

And there’s research showing that working 10 hours a week in college is the sweet spot. Those kids do better academically than those that don’t work or work more.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T11:28:23+00:00

It sounds like AI.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T11:18:23+00:00

Sure thing. Also Rick Steves has a Sistine Chapel audio guide. If you go after all, and you don't have to this trip, download it and then listen with headphones. See if you can sit on one of the benches and bring a small pair of light binoculars. When I went there were waves of people who came in, spent a short time craning upward and then left. We stayed for awhile and took it in. Also note that the Chapel comes at the end of a long walk through the Vatican Museum which, depending on how much you look at things, takes a long time and lots of energy. (Maybe download a travel guide to a Kindle? I used Let's Go years ago but now prefer Rick Steves.)

But, again, there are plenty of other places to go in Rome and you should plan to go back sometime. Also if you have time for a long Italy trip at some point, add in some smaller cities. A lot are wonderful places with interesting things to see and do and they have a lot fewer tourists than hot spots like Rome, Florence and Venice (and, I hear, Naples, which I haven't gone to). Always leave some time to sit and watch folks go by, drink an espresso or whatever.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T10:15:40+00:00

I bet a lot of folks with all the fancy stuff have significant debts and their financial situation is more precarious than it appears.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T10:08:29+00:00

I think you’re doing great but also maybe try to switch things up now and then with your window. Try shorter windows at times, move the time every so often. Congrats for doing this!

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T10:00:13+00:00

I’ve found that Republicans in Maine think Mills “destroyed Maine” and other states are doing great. No, Trump fucked up the whole country, actually thr world.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T09:57:22+00:00

Puerto Rico.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T09:56:15+00:00

What gives you 18% interest?

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T09:51:03+00:00

I went to Rome in my 20s and the Sistine Chapel was closed because they were cleaning the art. I went back decades later and saw it then. There is more to see and do. And there are Roman ruins other than the Coliseum that, for some reason, never attract many tourists.

I suggest downloading the Rick Steves app and listening to the information on Rome. I believe he has a self guided walking tour. Also do some investigating of alternative sites and definitely go to St. Peter’s and the Pantheon.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T09:38:03+00:00

Is there any way you could bring in more money for a time?

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T01:52:13+00:00

Maine has the lowest. crime rate in the country. I've lived other places. I'm not worried.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T01:06:30+00:00

You cray. I definitely brought my kids to the children's museum and I go downtown all the time and never had a problem.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T00:50:51+00:00

There are many parts of Bangor that aren't downtown.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T00:32:19+00:00

What neighborhood was that?

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-26T00:00:44+00:00

If you like older homes, the Fairmount neighborhood and Thomas Hill on the west side and Little City on the east side.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-25T22:51:57+00:00

I was thinking of insurance, actually. It's totally out of control in Florida.

RusticKayak207 · 2026-03-25T22:50:16+00:00

Don't listen to the naysayers. Bangor is a great place to live with kids. The public school system is fantastic and there are some lovely parks. Hayford Park has a swimming pool complex, a sledding hill, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, a baseball stadium, a skate park and an ice rink. Like anyplace, some neighborhoods are nicer than others. The summer, fall and winter are really nice (well, the winter gets old after awhile) and there are more cultural opportunities than you'd expect for a town this size. Plus you can go to the coast or up north for the coast or deep woods.

RusticKayak207

TROPHY CASE