Whetheryou are just entering perimenopause or heading into post menopause, weight management, especially in your belly area, seems to be one of the distinctive issues that women face.
The weight gain in the midsection comes out of nowhere and it’s hard to lose no matter how hard you try. At this point it’s more than calories in versus calories out. It’s about several factors that have come into play such as ➡️ your hormones, ➡️ your stress response, ➡️ your adrenal glands, and ➡️ your thyroid which all have a say on how your body burns and stores fat now. Along with all of these important functions, timing 🕐 of your food intake has also been proven to have an impact on weight management.
Timing of your food intake is more important than what you’re eating. I’m not saying eat cookies 🍪 and cake all day. Nutrition is still a huge factor on weight management, and you have to fuel your body with whole foods in order for it to work properly. However, this concept of timing when you eat during the day has shown to be more effective than physical exercise for preventing metabolic disorders.
Short periods of fasting that coincide with your sleep also has an impact of weight loss. Fasting for 12 hours in the evening🌙 when you’re sleeping allows your digestive track to repair itself and better manage your energy which aids in weight loss and disease prevention.
If you eat your breakfast at 8am, then you may want to have your last meal at 6pm. This will give you that 12-hour window where you are not eating anything at all. Other benefits of fasting overnight may be improved brain function, increased in bone density and reduction of visceral body fat, just by changing when you eat. Simply put, if you consume your calories in a 10-hour window during the day, and fast 12 hours or more during the evening hours, your body will be able to burn energy, instead of store it as fat.
Lastly, eating habits like skipping breakfast 🍳or eating late at night will increase your risk of abnormal weight gain and adiposity. The body needs fuel to get you through the day and to work properly. Skipping the first meal of the day will create imbalances and throw off your metabolism.
Timing of your food intake is just one way to reduce belly fat. I will be exploring more on hormones, your stress response, adrenal glands, and thyroid and how it affects your metabolism. Stay tuned!!
