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Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50

 

✨ Download Intermittent Fasting Cheatsheets ✨

Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50

 

✨ Download Intermittent Fasting Cheatsheets ✨

Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50

Back in 2017, when the weight was creeping up on me even though I was following a very healthy & balanced whole food plant-based approach, I had started researching for ways that I could refine my approach, with the aim to lose the 20+ pounds so I could shed the excess extremely stubborn menopause pounds!

During my research, one of the books I came across (that I LOVE and highly recommend!) was Dr. Jason Fung's The Complete Guide to Fasting.

I had heard the 'buzz' about intermittent fasting, and previously read many articles, but it wasn't until I read Dr. Jason Fung's book that I came to truly understand the ins/outs and benefits of intermittent fasting.

That said, even though I understood the theory back then, and I dabbled in intermittent fasting a little, I didn't see or experience any real results in my weight loss until I followed a 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol combined with The Menopause Fat Loss Method approach.

Once I combined the two together, POW, that's when the pounds started to melt away.

In this article I share the skinny of Intermittent Fasting (IF) and you can combine IF with The Menopause Fat Loss Method so you too can watch your excess pounds melt away!

I've included a Table of Contents so you can more easily navigate the article!

And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below or contact me privately if you prefer!

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What is Intermittent Fasting

In a nutshell, intermittent fasting (IF) simply means that you alternate periods of eating with periods of fasting and a regular basis. 

The length of time of your ‘eating window’ vs. your ‘fasting window’ can vary depending on the approach you want to take.

Intermittent Fasting is NOT about starving yourself!

When you follow an Intermittent Fasting (for short IF) protocol, you will still eat as you normally do, but you will only eat during a specified time period, known as your ‘eating window'.  

The number of meals you eat will depend on how long your eating window is, so you may eat 3, 2 or 1 main meal/day (I recommend 2 meals/day)

Every body is different so there is no ‘right' or ‘wrong' duration, it's a matter of finding what works best for you and your lifestyle.  

The duration you choose will likely depend on the benefits you are looking to achieve. 

For example, if weight loss is one of your primary goals there is a lot of scientific proof that outlines how an IF protocol of 16/8 definitely supports weight loss.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

By combining Intermittent fasting with The Menopause Fat Loss Method you will also accelerate your weight loss and improved health & wellness.

Adopting the practice of intermittent fasting is completely natural and in a few short days your body will adapt and you will experience some of the benefits outlined below.

The benefits are especially applicable to women over 50 who are fighting insulin resistance, menopause symptoms and stubborn excess weight that just won't go away.

  • Increased weight and body fat loss:   Intermittent fasting helps you lose weight and belly fat at an accelerated rate and because intermittent fasting boosts metabolism or heat production, your body may start utilizing stubborn fat stores (1).
  • Reduced Hunger:  Studies have found that intermittent fasting can reduce hunger and promote feelings of fullness, which can also aid in weight loss (2).
  • Digestive Healing:   Intermittent fasting includes longer breaks between meals which gives your digestive system a break, which in turn gives more time for rest and healing. When your digestive system rests this can also regulate and promote healthy bowel function
  • Lowered blood insulin & sugar levels:   Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugar, both of which contribute to weight loss (3) .
  • Reduced Inflammation:   There are studies that show reduced markers of inflammation as result of intermittent fasting, and inflammation is a key driver for many chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer (4)
  • Improved Brain Health:   Intermittent fasting is known to increase the brain hormone called BDNF, which may also protect against Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and dementia (5)

Intermittent Fasting in History

There is nothing new about Intermittent Fasting, it has been around since the cavemen were around.  

When hunters and gatherers fended for themselves, there was a natural cycle to their eating patterns. 

They ate (feasted) at times when food was in abundance, and they went without food (fasted) when food availability was at a minimum.

Look around you in nature, what are the habits of birds, bears or squirrels? In nature animals feast when the food is available to them, and fast (or even hibernate) when food is limited at which point they live off stored foods and/or stored body fat.

These cavemen and animals are never obese, they are never overweight, they simply followed their natural cycles and remained lean and fit. 

Ok, perhaps they experience some extra weight in the winter, but if they do, the excess weight drops off in the summer.

Going through cycles of eating/not eating is completely natural, for animals and yes, for us humans as well!

I know for myself I naturally did this, and I bet you did too?.  

After BIG Christmas dinner or BIG family BBQ I would barely eat the next day. 

I didn’t think about it back then, but as I think back, I often compensated feast days with fasting days. 

What about you?  

Can you think of examples where you did something similar?

Intermittent Fasting Today

Today we have food available to us all year long. We are not limited to only eat what’s available in the season. 

In fact, food is available in abundance all year long.  

The problem now a days, is we naturally tend to eat more in the winter and our bodies naturally seem to crave heavier foods in the winter and eat less and lighter foods in the summer.  

So for most of us our weight still fluctuates from season to season, but unfortunately many of us seem to add a few more pounds each and every year, and that eventually catches up to us. 

Adopting a natural intermittent fasting approach helps our bodies to return to a more natural state, it can heal our digestive system which no longer needs to work in overdrive, IF also results in reduced inflammation which is known to be the root cause of so many diseases.  

The benefits of following an intermittent fasting schedule will not only accelerate your results, but overall your body will be healthier and you will feel better than before.

Examples of Intermittent Fasting Schedules

For a 12 hour fast (12/12) you would have dinner at 6pm, and after dinner you have no food until 6am the next morning. 

In other words, you have a 12-hour eating window, and 12-hour fast period.

For a 16-hour fast (16/8) you would have dinner at 6pm and again after dinner you don't eat until the next morning at 10am. 

This gives you an 8 hour eating window and you have fasted for 16 hours (6pm at night to 10am the next morning).

For an 18 hour fast (18/6) would be when you have dinner at 6pm, and then your first meal of the day is at noon the next day, giving you a 6 hour eating window and 18 hours of fasting.

There are just a few examples, and you can of course adjust the eating time to suite your schedule. 

For example if you are doing a 16-hr fast and normally have dinner at 8pm, then you would break your fast at noon/12pm the next day.  

There are numerous fasting protocols that you can follow, and the one you choose is a very personal choice – Dr. Fung's book is an excellent resource and will give you much more insight than I can to help you choose what's right for you!

Typical Menopause Fat Loss Fasting Schedule

For The Menopause Fat Loss Method I recommend a 16/8 window, i.e. 16 hr fast and 8 hr eating window.

I have designed a Intermittent Fasting schedule that you can download and print, load on your phone or post on the fridge.

Here's what a typical day might look like if you are following The Menopause Fat Loss Method approach:

  1. Wake up (hydrate after your overnight fast/sleep with 1-2 glasses of water)
  2. Skip breakfast (enjoy drinks such as black coffee, black tea, water, water + ACV)
  3. At 10am, "break your fast" with your first meal of the day (try one of the MFL Method green smoothies or other MFL 1st meals)
  4. At 12pm, eat lunch (a BIG MFL friendly green salad or MFL dinner leftovers on a BIG bed of greens)
  5. At 2pm, have a (optional) snack (have leftover MFL green smoothie )
  6. At 6pm, enjoy your MFL friendly dinner (evening meal)
  7. During your fasting window (after 6pm before 10am) you can enjoy water, black coffee or tea.

 Keep in mind, intermittent fasting is not a diet, it's an eating schedule that anyone on any diet can follow.

And yes, it goes against everything we have learned about eating breakfast and eating frequency. 

And contrary to popular belief breakfast is not the most important meal of the day, instead what you eat when you ‘break your fast' is very important (one option I often recommend to my clients is a healthy MFL friendly Green Smoothie for your first meal of the day, your body, skin & hair will LOVE you for it :-) ). 

And another popular myth is that skipping a meal or having the recommended 16 hr fasting window will send your body into ‘starvation mode', which is not accurate.

Following an intermittent fasting approach is a great tool for managing your weight and promoting many other benefits. and it's completely natural.

Following a 16-hour Intermittent Fasting protocol in combination with The Menopause Fat Loss Method approach is what results in the pounds melting away even faster.

Grab Your FREE Intermittent Fasting Cheatsheet 👍

Accelerate your weight loss results with this handy Intermittent Fasting guide that shows how to time your meals for maximum weight loss and health benefits!

Download Now!

My Personal Intermittent Fasting Experience

When I first tried IF back in 2018, I tried a 12 hour fast, which was actually pretty easy.  

I ate dinner around 6pm, and didn't eat again until after 6am the next morning. 

Since most of that time is spent sleeping ;-) it was actually very easy for me to fast for 12 hours!  

This was a 12/12 IF protocol. 

12 hour eating window (6am to 6pm) and 12 hour fasting window (6pm to 6am).

That said, the true benefits are realized when you reduce your eating window even more.

The ideal IF protocol for weight loss and optimal health & wellness, is a 16/8 IF protocol.  

16 hours of fasting with an 8 hour eating window.

To make the shift from a 12 hour eating window to an 8 hour eating window, I simply delayed my first meal. 

Every few days I would push breakfast out a little later. Eating a little later each day, until after about a week I was comfortable having my first meal around 10am.

It wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be, and after a week of consistent 16/8 I was feeling more energized and noticed the pounds started to melt away even quicker.

I recommend a moderate form of IF inside all of my menopause fat loss programs - whether inside my 3-month Menopause Fat Loss Coaching Program or my Menopause Fat Loss JUMPSTART - my recommendation to maximize results is a 16/8 IF protocol with fasting for 16-hour (for example: 6pm to 10am), and an 8-hour eating window (for example; 10am to 6pm).

I personally followed The Menopause Fat Loss Method + IF 16/8 protocol and my 25+ excess pounds melted away within 12 weeks.

Your results can be fast tracked as well, simply adjust your eating schedule and your body will respond in amazing ways.

Today, both my husband and I continue follow a 16/8 IF protocol and continue to feel amazing.

Give it a try!

Grab Your FREE Intermittent Fasting Cheatsheet 👍

Accelerate your weight loss results with this handy Intermittent Fasting guide that shows how to time your meals for maximum weight loss and health benefits!

Download Now!

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