As a woman over 50, you may have noticed that losing weight and staying healthy get harder. It’s partly due to menopause’s hormonal changes, which can affect health. Intermittent fasting can help you manage menopause and stay healthy.
Intermittent fasting is a popular diet that alternates eating and fasting. This diet has many health benefits for menopausal women, including weight loss, metabolism maintenance, and a longer life. If you want to intermittently fast during menopause, it’s important to know the challenges and things to consider.
Let’s take a look at how intermittent fasting works, its benefits, and how menopausal women can do it. To optimize fasting, we’ll also discuss nutrition and exercise.
The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting uses your body’s natural energy production and storage. When you eat, your body breaks down food into glucose for energy. Any excess glucose you take in is either stored as glycogen in your liver and muscles or turned into fat for long-term storage.
When you fast, your body uses up all of the glycogen it has stored and starts using fat instead. This process, called ketosis, can help people lose weight, improve their metabolic health, and reduce inflammation. Intermittent fasting can also make hormones like insulin, growth hormone, and leptin work better, which can add to its health benefits.
Research also shows that women who have gone through menopause can benefit from intermittent fasting to lose weight and keep it off.
Intermittent fasting can be done in different ways, such as by eating only during certain times of the day, fasting every other day, or using the 5:2 method.
Each of these methods involves alternating between eating and not eating. The main goal is to give your body a break from constantly digesting food so it can focus on other important tasks, like repairing cells and getting rid of toxins.
READ ALSO: Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss Explained
Choosing the Best Intermittent Fasting Method for Menopause
There are different ways to do intermittent fasting, and it may take a few tries to find the one that works best for you during menopause.
Here are some options to consider during menopause:
16:8 method
The 16:8 method or “Leangains Method” is a popular form of intermittent fasting in which you fast for 16 hours and only eat during an 8-hour window each day.
Most of the time, this means skipping breakfast and starting the fast after dinner. You then eat all of your meals within an 8-hour period, like from noon to eight o’clock at night. During the time you are fasting, you should drink a lot of water and avoid eating a lot of calories.
During the eating window, it’s important to focus on eating foods that are high in nutrients and to adjust the schedule to fit your lifestyle.
If you are worried about your health, you should talk to a doctor before making any changes to your diet.
This is a good option for people who are just starting out because it’s easy to fit into your daily life and doesn’t require long periods of fasting.
Alternate-day fasting
Alternate-day fasting is a type of intermittent fasting in which you alternate between days when you fast and days when you don’t.
On days when you fast, you eat very few or no calories. On days when you don’t fast, you eat your normal meals. On fasting days, you can either not eat at all or eat very few calories, like around 500.
On days when you’re not fasting, it’s important to stay hydrated and eat well-balanced meals that are high in nutrients.
A study found that healthy men and women who fasted for 36 hours lost 1,900 calories, even though they ate more afterward.
As with any fasting plan, it’s best to talk to a doctor before starting alternate-day fasting, especially if you already have a health condition.
This can be more challenging than the 16:8 method but may provide more significant benefits for weight loss and metabolic health.
5:2 method
The 5:2 method involves eating normally for five days a week and restricting calorie intake on two non-consecutive days.
On fasting days, calorie intake is limited to around 500-600 calories. It’s essential to maintain hydration and focus on balanced, nutrient-rich meals on both fasting and non-fasting days.
It’s recommended to space out the two fasting days throughout the week. As with any fasting regimen, it’s advisable to consult a healthcare professional before starting the 5:2 method, particularly if you have any underlying health conditions.
This can be a more flexible option for those who don’t want to fast every day but still want to reap the benefits of intermittent fasting.
Other types of Intermittent Fasting include;
- Eat-Stop-Eat: If you follow this plan, you don’t eat for 24 hours once or twice a week. For example, you might finish dinner at 7 pm and not eat again until 7 pm the next day.
- Warrior Diet: This method has you fasting during the day and eating all your calories in a 4-hour window at night. During the fasting period, you can eat small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables or light protein snacks. A 2017 study found that eating in a four-hour window reduced energy intake by 650 calories.
- Spontaneous Meal Skipping: With this method, you just skip meals when it’s convenient or you’re not hungry. For example, you might skip breakfast or dinner once in a while.
Consider your lifestyle, personal preferences, and health issues when choosing an intermittent fasting method. Listen to your body and make changes to keep fasting and enjoying it.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Menopausal Women
Intermittent fasting can provide several benefits for menopausal women, including:
Weight loss
Intermittent fasting can help you lose weight by cutting down on the total number of calories you eat and making your body rely more on fat stores for energy. This can help menopausal women, whose hormones change and metabolisms slow, making them more likely to gain weight.
Improved metabolic health
Intermittent fasting reduces inflammation, blood sugar, and insulin resistance. These metabolic changes may reduce a woman’s risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other menopausal health issues.
Reduced hot flashes
Some studies have shown that women going through menopause who do intermittent fasting may have fewer and stronger hot flashes. This could be because it changes hormones and causes inflammation.
Improved mood and mental clarity
Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase the production of BDNF, a protein that supports brain health and may help improve mood, memory, and mental clarity. This can be especially helpful for women going through menopause, who may have mood swings and changes in how they think.
READ ALSO: 5 Top Foods to Deal With Menopause Symptoms
Tips for Successful Intermittent Fasting During Menopause
To make the most of your intermittent fasting journey during menopause, consider the following tips:
Start slowly: If you’ve never done intermittent fasting before, ease into it by making your fasting window longer over time. This can help your body get used to the new way you’re eating and lessen any side effects you might experience.
Stay hydrated: Drinking a lot of water during your fasting periods can help you feel less hungry, aid digestion, and keep your overall health in good shape. During a fast, you can also drink herbal teas and black coffee, but watch out for any added sugars or sweeteners.
Make sleep a priority: Getting enough sleep is important for your health in general, and it’s especially important during menopause, when hormonal changes can make it hard to sleep. Try to get 7-8 hours of good sleep every night to help your intermittent fasting and your health in general.
Manage your stress: High stress levels can cancel out the benefits of intermittent fasting and make menopause symptoms worse. Try mindfulness, meditation, or yoga, which are all ways to deal with stress, to keep your stress levels in check.
Listen to your body: Watch how your body reacts to intermittent fasting and make changes as necessary. If you feel a lot of pain or have bad side effects, you might want to try a different fasting method or talk to a medical professional for advice.
READ ALSO: 6 Ways Intuitive Eating Empowers Women During Menopause
Nutrition Tips for Menopausal Women Practicing Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and improve your health, but it’s important to eat well, especially as a menopausal woman.
Prioritize nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats during meals. These foods give your body vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Stay away from processed foods. White bread, sugary snacks, and fast food are high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. These foods can cause inflammation and other health issues, so limit or avoid them.
Drinking plenty of water during meals is important for overall health and can help prevent dehydration, especially if you’re fasting.
Menopausal women may need calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium supplements. Talk to your doctor about supplements.
Alcohol has calories and can hinder weight loss. Alcohol can disrupt sleep and cause mood swings, so limit or avoid it.
READ ALSO: 20 Foods to Eat (or Avoid) During Menopause
Intermittent Fasting and Exercise During Menopause
Exercise is important for everyone, but menopausal women benefit especially. Exercise during intermittent fasting requires planning.
If you’re doing daily time-restricted eating, schedule your workouts during meals. This can give you energy for your workout and reduce fatigue and other side effects.
Menopausal women may experience fatigue or other symptoms that can interfere with exercise. Be aware of how your body feels and adjust your exercise routine accordingly.
As women age, their muscle mass decreases, making weight and metabolism management harder. Strength training can help you lose weight and maintain muscle mass.
Stay hydrated before, during, and after exercise to avoid dehydration, especially if you’re fasting.
Potential Challenges of Intermittent Fasting During Menopause
As a menopausal woman, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and improve your health, but it has risks.
Intermittent fasting during menopause may have downsides, and there are some of them.
Hormonal fluctuations
Women going through menopause may have changes in their hormones that can make it hard for them to do intermittent fasting. These changes could make it harder to stick to a fasting schedule or make the bad side effects worse, like mood swings and tiredness.
Negative side effects
When they first start intermittent fasting, some women may feel bad side effects like headaches, dizziness, and tiredness. Most of the time, these side effects are temporary and can be lessened by starting slowly and drinking plenty of water.
Increased hunger
During fasting, menopausal women may feel more hungry and have more cravings, which makes it harder for them to stick to their schedule.
Negative impact on bone health
Women who have gone through menopause are more likely to get osteoporosis, and long-term fasting may hurt bone health. To keep your bones healthy, it’s important to make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D when you eat.
Closing Thoughts
Menopausal women who want to improve their overall health and stay at a healthy weight can use intermittent fasting to their advantage.
But it’s important to remember that intermittent fasting during menopause comes with its own challenges and things to think about.
You can maximize your intermittent fasting journey and improve your health by choosing the right fasting method, staying hydrated, and prioritizing nutrient-dense foods and exercise.
Keep in mind Intermittent fasting can help menopausal women improve their health and wellness with the right guidance and support. So, if you’re considering intermittent fasting, check with your doctor first.
