Getting older can be a confusing time regardless if you’re a man or woman. But aging for a woman is a bit more drastic.
Menopause can be a tough transition. Especially if you’re not aware of simple lifestyle changes that can help you offset common symptoms associated with menopause.
Symptoms of menopause include:
- Weight gain and difficulty losing weight
- Insulin resistance
- Chills/hot flashes
- Thinning hair and dry skin
- Vaginal dryness
- Loss of breast fullness
- Mood changes
- Irregular sleep patterns
As you can see these symptoms are rather negative but there are ways to prevent this.
Fasting Helps Mitigate Weight Gain During Perimenopause and Menopause
Intermittent fasting in recent years has exploded in popularity. But it’s often associated with young people taking up the practice. This is a common misconception. I’ve found through my work that perimenopausal and menopausal women can thrive by practicing a fasting protocol.
The benefits of fasting include:
- Rapid weight a body fat loss (regardless of your age)
- Increased energy (after an adjustment period)
- Enhanced focus and mental clarity
- Insulin sensitivity which wards off type 2 diabetes
Many start by practicing the 16:8 protocol. Essentially this means that you fast for 16 hours a day and have an eight-hour eating window.
The meal most people skip is breakfast but skipping dinner works as well.
At first, fasting may seem a bit daunting but after a few weeks, your body will start to adjust. If you find that 16 hours is too long to go without food, 12-14 hours can work as well.
Your goal should be to have your body take a break from digestion. This helps your body have the ability to repair on a cellular level. You’ll also burn fat stores for fuel instead of glucose.
Symptoms Like Hot Flashes Are Reduced by Fasting
Hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms associated with menopause. They occur because of hormonal changes. But it’s not known how the hormonal changes cause hot flashes.
Scientist’s best guess is that decreased estrogen causes the hypothalamus (the body’s temperature gauge) to fluctuate. If your body thinks you’re too warm it’ll create a hot flash to cool things down.
A hot flash may include:
- Sudden warmth on your face, neck, and chest
- Flushed appearance
- Upper body perspiration
- Feelings of anxiety
- A chilly feeling once the hot flash stops
While there are conventional treatments like taking estrogen or low doses of antidepressants, you can mitigate the effects of hot flashes through natural means.
Hot flashes can last up to 10 years so it’s important to find ways to resolve the frequent occurrence of them.
Natural remedies for hot flashes include:
- Remain as cool as possible. Wearing layers can also help. Taking off clothing will cool your body faster.
- Keep an eye on your diet. Caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods can trigger hot flashes.
- Abstaining from smoking
- Meditative breathing
- Weight loss (fasting helps keep lost weight off)
Vitamin E can also help with hot flashes but high does will increase bleeding.
A diet filled with minimally processed foods and a healthy lifestyle with perhaps a fasting protocol is your best chance of resolving the effects of hot flashes naturally.
Fasting Also Helps Improve Your Relationship With Food
If you don’t struggle with disordered eating like anorexia, fasting can help you improve your relationship with food. As you develop the practice, you’ll start to look at food as an energy source rather than an emotional blanket.
Emotional eating is a common symptom as you approach menopause. Along with the hormonal changes, this can make weight gain happen quickly.
But emotional eating doesn’t always stem from physical changes.
Middle age is where:
- Children go off to university
- Divorce happens
- You may move away from family to a more desirable climate
Drastic life changes may cause you to eat more than usual. This is where fasting comes in. Fasting allows you to create space around food. It also facilities automatic caloric restriction.
The more you practice fasting the more opportunities you have for weight loss/maintenance. Daily tracking of calories isn’t sustainable. If your diet is filled with whole minimally processed foods, you’ll be able to maintain proper intake.
Western society is hyper-food focused. Advertisements and unhealthy options can be found everywhere.
Fasting helps you to manage cravings. You’ll become resistant to the constant barrage of temptations. Developing this boundary helps you avoid weight gain as your body changes.
Bottom Line
Fasting can mitigate weight gain as you go through menopause. Many of the classic symptoms experienced while in menopause can be avoided through natural remedies.
Many negative side effects of menopause steam from a stressful, unhealthy lifestyle.
Healthy practices like fasting allow you to lose weight with greater ease while developing a good relationship around food.
Menopause can be looked at as a new and wonderful chapter in your life. It’s a chance to reset and figure out what you want to do next.
Fasting helps you maintain hormonal balance for the rest of your life.
Here’s a Guide That’ll Help You With Hunger As You Start a Fasting Protocol
Download the Stop Hunger Guide. Implement the 5 tips suggested. You’ll see a positive change in a short period of time.
