Fasting in Rhythm: A Woman’s Guide to Metabolic Healing in Menopause Without the Burnout
Fasting in Rhythm: A Woman’s Guide to Metabolic Healing in Menopause Without the Burnout
Sandra Spencer
Jul 12
“Fasting isn’t just something you do. It’s something you stop doing.”
— Dr. Jason Fung
Fasting in Menopause Isn’t a Trend — It’s a Return to Your Body’s Wisdom
If you’ve ever felt confused about intermittent fasting — or worried it might push your already stressed system over the edge — you’re not alone.
Many women in menopause come to fasting with caution. And rightly so. Because when you’re already exhausted, inflamed, and navigating hormonal chaos… the last thing you need is another “fix” that turns into another stressor.
But here’s the deeper truth: Fasting isn’t about deprivation. It's about rhythm. It's not about controlling your body — it’s about creating space for it to remember how to heal.
My Story: From Knowing What to Do to Finally Doing It Differently
Even after 15+ years studying holistic health, it wasn’t until my own midlife unraveling — poor sleep, weight gain, fog, and fatigue — that I realized:
I wasn’t depleted because I didn’t know enough. I was depleted because I had lost my rhythm.
I was constantly fuelling and feeding — not just with food, but with information, tasks, and responsibilities.
When I began reclaiming rhythm — including how, when, and why I ate — I finally began to feel like myself again. Not by doing more. But by learning how to pause.
That’s why I’m writing a book called Burnout Is the Real Menopause Crisis. Because what midlife women need most is not another protocol — but a pathway home to their own innate rhythm.
Fasting Isn’t New — It’s Natural
Despite the trendiness, fasting isn’t a biohack or a fad. It’s a primal, cyclical human behaviour.
Our ancestors ate in alignment with light, availability, and season. Not because it was trendy — because it was natural.
Ayurveda has taught this for thousands of years:
Eat with the sun.
Stop eating at least 3 hours before sleep.
Let your digestive fire (agni) rest at night so that your body can clean, clear, and repair.
Modern research now confirms it:
When we live against the rhythm of sleeping at night and eating during daylight, we disrupt the clocks in our cells.
🧭 Rhythmic Eating vs. Intermittent Fasting: Knowing the Difference
This distinction matters — especially for women in midlife.
Rhythmic Eating (Time-Restricted Eating):
Eating within a defined window (e.g. 10 hours eating / 14 hours fasting)
Practiced daily
Gentle, circadian-aligned, and sustainable
Encourages blood sugar stability, digestion, and better sleep
Intermittent Fasting (IF):
Periodic, longer fasts (24–72 hours)
Stimulates deeper healing: autophagy, ketones, stem cell regeneration
Best practiced seasonally, monthly, or weekly — only after metabolic stability is established
“Fasting is a muscle you build. It requires progression. You don’t lift what a bodybuilder lifts on day one — and you shouldn’t fast like one either.”— Dr. Mindy Pelz
Why Blood Sugar Balance Must Come First
If you try to fast while your blood sugar is unstable, your body experiences it as a threat, not a healing state.
That’s why I teach my clients to “earn the fast” by stabilizing their meals first. Midlife brings natural insulin resistance, which makes women more prone to:
Fatigue
Belly fat
Mood dips
Constant hunger or cravings
Frequent eating keeps insulin high. High insulin locks fat in storage. And constant snacking means your cells never have the chance to clean house.
Frequent eaters disrupt fat metabolism. Adipose tissue becomes inflammatory instead of functional.
What Happens When You Stop Eating All the Time
Once you stop constantly fuelling with food, your body shifts into a state of metabolic healing:
Insulin drops
Hunger hormones (ghrelin) stabilize
Cravings fade
Cellular repair kicks in
Fat is used for fuel
Fasting digests mental confusion into clear desires. It heals your metabolism and upgrades your energy from the inside out.
And contrary to what you might expect, many women say:
“The less I eat, the less I feel I need to eat.”
Because the body becomes efficient, not deprived.
My Practice: Gentle Fasting Aligned with Light and Life
I currently follow a 14–16 hour fasting rhythm, eating my first meal around 8:00 AM and finishing by 4:00 PM. I don’t skip meals — I simply eat within a window that feels steady and supportive. Sometimes I eat 2 meals a day, sometimes 3. I follow my hunger queues.
I focus on:
Protein-rich meals
No snacks
A light, early supper (or no supper) - Supper is 'supplemental'
A long overnight fast to support hormonal repair
Some days I fast longer, some shorter. The point is not rigidity — it’s rhythm.
How to Start Fasting (Without Burning Out)
Start where you are: Try 12:14 or 1 10:14 (eat within a 10 or 12-hour window).
Build metabolic stability: Balance blood sugar with protein and fat.
Stop snacking: This one shift can transform your insulin response.
Eat your last meal early: At least 3 hours before bed.
Skip the pressure: You’re not failing if you don’t fast perfectly. You’re learning.
Fasting Isn’t Deprivation — It’s the Gateway to Clarity
Your body digests itself into a higher order when you fast.
Fasting isn’t just about food. It's about creating emptiness so the body can regenerate. It's about trusting that your body knows what to do when you stop interrupting it.
Fasting is the pulse of life: empty and full, inhale and exhale, light and dark.
Ready to Reset Your Rhythm?
Stay tuned for the Metabolic Reclaim™: The Midlife Reset for Radiance, Rhythm, and Real Results — launching September 2025.
With warmth and rhythm,
Sandra
Holistic Menopause Mentor | Creator of ReAwakenHER™
Ready to Root into a New Way of Living?
If you’re ready to build sustainable rhythms that support your health, hormones, and next chapter — I’d love to support you.
This is the kind of midlife wellness I guide my clients toward—one rooted in rhythm, nourishment, and embodiment.
Ready for a more soulful way to feel well? Explore my 1:1 coaching here → Work With Me
Or email me for more information and personalized coaching packages.
