The Truth About Fasting, Fat Loss & Midlife Hormones

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Why Fasting Isn’t the Fat Loss Fix for Midlife Women

Let’s talk about something I hear all the time:
“I’ve tried intermittent fasting, I barely eat until 2 p.m., I’m working out… but I’m still gaining weight. What gives?”

Friend, if that’s you—I see you. You are not doing it wrong.
It’s just that fasting was never made for your midlife body in the first place.

In this post, I want to walk you through the real science behind intermittent fasting, why it may have worked for your husband but not for you, and what you can do instead to support your metabolism, hormones, and fat loss goals—without starving or stressing your body out.

I’m Coach Kris Honeycutt, your Trim Healthy Coach, personal trainer, and menopause fitness specialist. I’ve worked with hundreds of women who are navigating this midlife transition, and I want to help you understand why fasting often backfires—especially when hormones are shifting and your energy feels maxed out.

Let’s break it down.

The Promise of Fasting vs. The Reality for Midlife Women

On paper, intermittent fasting sounds like a dream.
✔️ Lose weight quickly
✔️ Improve blood sugar control
✔️ Boost focus and brain clarity
✔️ Burn more fat while doing less

And while those promises might work for men and some younger women, the research behind those claims is mostly male-dominated. As Dr. Stacy Sims says, “Women are not small men.” And yet, most of the fasting studies leave us out.

What I’ve seen (and experienced myself) is that fasting for midlife women often leads to:

• Slower metabolism
  
• Heightened anxiety
  
• Hormone imbalances
  
• Muscle loss
  
• Fat gain, especially around the belly
  
• Crashed energy and messed-up sleep
  
  

So if you’ve tried intermittent fasting and felt worse—not better—you are not alone.

Your Brain and Hormones Don’t Love Fasting

Your hypothalamus is the boss. It’s the part of your brain that runs the show when it comes to metabolism, reproductive hormones, hunger cues, and your stress response.

And when you go too long without food, especially in the context of stress or intense workouts, your brain perceives danger.

• It slows your thyroid (hello, lower metabolism).
• It increases hunger hormones.
• It encourages fat storage, not fat burning.

In women—especially in perimenopause and menopause—this hormonal stress response can be even more sensitive. Fasting flips the body into survival mode, not fat loss mode.

That’s why you may feel:

• Dizzy, hangry, or irritable
  
• More anxious
  
• Like your sleep is getting worse
  
• Like your belly is getting bigger despite working out
  
  

This isn’t a failure on your part. This is your body saying, “Hey, I need more support.”

Why Fed Is Better (Yes, Even for Fat Loss)

I know it can feel counterintuitive—especially when the world is screaming that eating less is better. But as midlife women, we have different needs.

When you fuel your body well, especially before and after movement, you:

• Boost your metabolism
  
• Support stable blood sugar levels
  
• Burn more fat
  
• Build more lean muscle
  
• Experience fewer cravings later in the day
  
• Feel less anxious and more grounded
  
  

Let’s be real. We’re not just sitting around all day. We’re doing life. We’re walking, lifting, working, running households, managing stress. That requires fuel.

What to Do Instead of Fasting

You don’t have to dive into a full breakfast first thing in the morning if it doesn’t feel right. But you do need to break the fast—especially if you’re moving your body.

Here are a few simple swaps to support fat loss without going fasted:

Instead of skipping breakfast, try:

• Protein coffee (collagen or whey + coffee + almond milk)
  
• Kefir smoothie with berries and protein powder
  
• Cottage cheese and berries
  
• A slice of sprouted toast with eggs
  
  

Before your workout, aim for:

• 20–30g of protein (from food or a shake)
• A small amount of carbs (half a banana, a few berries, or an orange)
  
  

After your workout, prioritize:

• Lean protein (like chicken, fish, eggs, or Greek yogurt)
  
• Optional healthy carbs (sweet potato, quinoa, fruit)
  
• Hydration (with electrolytes if needed)
  
  

The goal is to fuel your metabolism, not fight it.

You Don’t Have to Earn Your Food—You Deserve to Fuel

One of the most important mindset shifts in midlife is this:

• You don’t have to earn your food with exercise.
• You don’t have to fast your way to fat loss.
• You don’t have to punish your body into progress.

Instead, start thinking in terms of nourishment—not restriction. When you give your body what it needs, it begins to trust you again. Your hormones stabilize. Your energy improves. Your metabolism kicks back into gear.

And that’s when the results start to show up.

Let’s Recap: Why Fasting Isn’t Helping You Lose Weight

If you’re struggling to lose weight in midlife—even though you’re “doing all the right things”—here’s what I want you to remember:

Intermittent fasting can:

• Disrupt blood sugar levels
  
• Slow metabolism
  
• Increase anxiety and fatigue
  
• Lead to muscle loss
  
• Stall fat loss or make belly fat worse
  
  

What works better:

• Eating protein within 60–90 minutes of waking
  
• Fueling before and after workouts
  
• Prioritizing 20–30g protein at each meal
  
• Staying on the Trim Healthy plan with E, S, and Light S meals
  
• Listening to your body, not the latest TikTok trend
  

Your Midlife Body Isn’t Broken—It’s Asking for Something Different

The truth is, what worked in your 20s or 30s won’t work now. And that’s not a bad thing—it’s an invitation to do things differently, with more compassion and more strategy.

Fasting isn’t the villain. But it’s also not the hero for most midlife women.

You don’t need to eat less. You need to eat smarter.
You don’t need to hustle harder. You need to fuel deeper.
You don’t need to shrink. You need to get strong—inside and out.

If fasting is leaving you tired, anxious, and stuck in a cycle of gaining—not losing—fat, it’s time to stop trying to control your body and start supporting it. You can lose weight, balance hormones, and reignite your metabolism by choosing nourishment over restriction.

Ready to take the next step?
Join me inside the Midlife Fat Loss Formula and let’s build a fat-burning, hormone-happy plan that actually works for your season of life.