Breakfast? Yay or Nay?

So I did a survey in my stories this week and was really surprised to learn there are a good percentage of midlife women who are still not eating breakfast. When asked why they don't eat this first meal of the day, the answers varied. So let's have a chat on breaking fast in midlife ....

The breakdown of answers were: 47% didn't eat breakfast because they were fasting; 47% responded they don't like breakfast and 7% said they had no time.

*sigh

Let me share a condensed version of my usual rant on why breakfast matters more than any other meal for midlife women ... but before you close out of this, know that I fasted til noon for YEARS before I knew something had to change due to my awful brain fog, EXHAUSTION and subsequent weight gain.

Were you aware that much of the information on Intermittent fasting is derived from studies conducted on obese men?

Therefore, midlife women who fast for over 12 hours should really reconsider.

Here is the information from research on women:

For sedentary women, calorie restriction did not improve insulin sensitivity. In fact, those with high blood sugar levels and at risk of diabetes experienced a deterioration in insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels. On a positive note, they did observe an increase in good HDL cholesterol levels, but no change in LDL or triglyceride levels. These studies also revealed no impact on autophagy and an increase in oxidative stress. Moreover, thyroid function and metabolism slowed down!

For women who are active, the situation is even more challenging. Attempting to fast in order to shed "weight" only exacerbates the issues mentioned above. Without a foundation to work from, the capacity to develop lean muscle diminishes!

Trust me, I've been through it! I feel much more energized and less stressed by consuming food shortly after waking up. The first thing I did when I knew something was not right, was to decrease my fasting time from 16 to 14 hours and take out one of my 2 HIIT workouts a week. I worried I'd gain weight! It was so much a part of my routine to fast 16 hours along with doing 2 HIIT workouts and 3-4 strength days a week. But what happened was my energy levels shifted, I had better sleep and was able to maintain my lean muscle mass that I had worked really hard to achieve. I'm now fasting anywhere from 12 -14 hours and no longer workout fasted.

I am not suggesting that fasting should be disregarded ... as it is practiced for spiritual reasons by many religions. However, from a health perspective, if you are an ACTIVE midlife woman like me, it may be negatively impacting your body.

Takeaway: A 12-hour fast suffices for an active woman in midlife 🙌🏻

Something that I tell all my clients is to start the day with a minimum of 30 grams of protein to front load your day. If you need help with this number of grams, grab my free protein guide HERE.