3 Ways to Safety Navigate Intermittent Fasting

Hey gorgeous,

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There’s about 19,346,503 reasons (give or take 😂) why breast cancer treatment sucks - and when you gain weight because of it from steroids or from early menopause - well that is just the cherry on top.⁠

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Intermittent fasting (IF) has generated a lot of buzz in recent years for its health benefits but it’s been especially beneficial for supporting weight loss.

Why IF works so well for weight loss is because it’s helping to balance insulin - which is your fat storing hormone - and it’s also a major one to look at for breast cancer prevention (you can read about that HERE) to some blogs about sugar/inflammation

Wanting to lose weight after breast cancer is so important for health and also to feel confident in your body, so I totally get why you want to and why trying IF seems really appealing. 

And when IF works - it’s AMAZING. However...

Many of my clients come to me frustrated after trying IF because they either:⁠

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❌aren’t losing weight or⁠

❌their weight fluctuates back really quickly as soon as they stop fasting⁠

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In order for weight loss to be sustainable, it has to be tailored to the way it was put on. In this case: hormonal imbalance.⁠

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IF is a great way to help balance out your hormones (insulin) - but when it’s not working for you - it’s because another hormone (cortisol) is out of balance.⁠

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As a nutritionist, I LOVE the benefits of IF and when I learned how amazing it was for health and breast cancer prevention, I used to force myself to fast to get the benefits. But IF clearly wasn’t working for me because I was:

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❌tired all the time ⁠

❌brain fogged⁠

❌and had crazy mood swings ⁠

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The reason IF was NOT working for me was because my cortisol was so out of whack. ⁠

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So not only did I not get the benefits of IF, I exasperated all of my problems by forcing it 😩⁠

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It took me a long time to balance cortisol back out and get to a place where I can comfortably fast. Now, fasting 16-18 hours/day is part of my normal routine. 

But to get to this place, I had to take an honest look at how I was feeling and recognize that IF wasn’t working for me and work my way up.

I had to let go of trying to force and control my health and my weight and I had to trust that if I partnered with my body and met her where she was at, I’d feel better and the weight would stabilize easily. 

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This was the key because I had to learn the hard way that anytime you force - you create more resistance within your body. This resistance only increases cortisol which will make it even harder to lose weight and even worse, it can generate an insulin response when you’re not eating which creates inflammation and also is a factor in why the weight comes back the second you stop fasting.

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Life after breast cancer is about living your best dang life! And that’s hard to do when you aren’t confident in your body.⁠

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Weight loss is a natural byproduct of making consistent, sustainable, and effortless changes to support and partner with your body from the inside out.⁠

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Helping my clients feel confident in their bodies after breast cancer while teaching them how to lose weight and keep it off for good is one of my greatest joys as a coach!

If you have been struggling with IF and wanted to know how to safely start here are some recommendations:

1. Start with a simple 12 hour overnight fast (stop eating at 7 and have breakfast at 7)
2. Slowly increase your window up in one hour increments to 14 hours.
3. Once you hit 14 hours, really start to pay attention to how you feel (cravings, moods, when you’re hungry etc)
4. Don’t go above 14 hours until you feel like this is easy for you to make sure you don’t stress cortisol, exasperate any symptoms, and you’ll still reap the benefits of this fast

Staying at the 14 hour mark is really important before moving on to assess how you feel. Otherwise if you force a fast beyond 14 hours too early, it can be perceived as a stress by the body and you can lose out on the benefits of the fast.

January is around the corner so I know sustainable weight loss is a big goal for a lot of people. But it’s just one piece of the prevention puzzle.

This is why I’m hosting a free 3-day workshop series that starts Jan 6th! 

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In this workshop series we'll talk about:⁠

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✅Nutrition for prevention⁠

✅sustainable weight loss⁠

✅letting go of fear and embracing the next chapter with confidence⁠

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Make 2021 your year to thrive! 🚀⁠

You can click here to register!

For more helpful tips to support you holistically, click here to download my free mini course on the 3 vital steps to thrive after breast cancer!