Is Fasting Helping You… or Quietly Making Things Worse?

Julie Hodgson
Mar 3
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

There are some fabulous benefits to fasting.

Easy as skipping breakfast and delaying your first meal. 🥘

Fasting has been shown to help reduce overall calorie intake, lower circulating insulin levels, support cellular repair processes such as autophagy, simplify eating patterns and reduce grazing (less time thinking about food or cleaning up after meals - my favourite!), and improve blood glucose control.

It can also give the digestive system a period of rest, which for some people may reduce bloating and digestive discomfort. Emerging research also suggests potential benefits for aspects of brain health, with improvements in mental clarity, focus and cognitive function often reported.

For some people, in the right context, it can be helpful.

But for many, especially women over 35, their energy, sleep and cravings only worsen, and it’s not improving health, it’s just adding more strain to an already pressured system. 🧡

Fasting as a stressor.

Fasting is a stressor, which doesn't automatically make it bad, exercise is a stressor too.

But stressors are only beneficial when the body has the resilience to respond well.

When you extend your fasting window, your body increases the stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline and glucagon (a hormone that helps raise blood sugar and fatty acids in the bloodstream).

If sleep quality is poor, stress is high, hormones are already dysregulated, and blood sugar regulation is already unstable, that extra hormonal push can tip things in the wrong direction. 👎 It can cause more dysregulation, more stress on the body, low energy, resistance to fat loss, and metabolic haywire. 😮‍💨

A common pattern I see in clients

A small case study for you - Let’s call her Julie! ☺️

Julie was skipping breakfast and not eating until midday. She was trying to improve fat burning and insulin sensitivity.

In the morning, she felt fine, even more energised!

But by 3 pm, she was reaching for sugar. By 6 pm, she felt ravenous, and her willpower was nonexistent. Evenings became harder to regulate, with the muchies often getting the better of her. Sleep was light, with regular 3 am waking. Her weight wasn’t shifting despite feeling like she was generally eating well, apart from the evening munchies.... 👀

This type of client is common - and I've fallen into this trap myself in the past.

When we looked closer, there was actually

A high stress load
2–3 coffees daily or too many sugary snacks 🍪
Insufficient protein intake
Reactive afternoon blood sugar dips
Poor sleep quality

Instead of overhauling everything, we increased protein at breakfast, structured meals throughout the day, which further helped reduce sugar, and supported sleep.

Within a few weeks, Julie's energy was steadier, cravings were calmer, sleep improved, and weight began responding more gradually. Julie's system needed stability instead of further dysregulation. 💫

Why this becomes more noticeable in perimenopause and is super common in women over 35.

Hormonal shifts in perimenopause influence insulin sensitivity and stress response. Oestrogen helps regulate glucose metabolism, and when it fluctuates in perimenopause, blood sugar can become more reactive, sleep can become lighter, there is less tolerance to stress, and recovery takes longer.

Adding long periods of fasting into that situation can then increase the cravings, fatigue, anxiety, night waking and weight loss resistance.

It’s not about willpower.

It’s about physiology! 💫

Signs fasting may be backfiring for you

You may want to reconsider your fasting window if,

🌸 You crash mid-afternoon

🌸 Evening hunger feels intense

🌸 You rely heavily on caffeine or sugar.

🌸 You wake in the night feeling wired

🌸 Anxiety feels worse

🌸 Weight feels harder to shift

These are often signs that stress hormones are elevated and blood sugar regulation isn’t stable. 🎢

When you begin working with your body in this way, rather than pushing against it, things often start to shift in a way that feels surprisingly natural.

Energy becomes more consistent, cravings feel calmer, your thinking feels clearer, sleep deepens, and your mood is steadier.

Instead of constantly battling through the day, you feel more supported by your own physiology.

It’s worth saying, however, that if you’re used to fasting or restricting food, the idea of eating earlier or eating more food can feel disconcerting at first. But often, that shift towards stability is exactly what your system needs to regulate more effectively. And it is from here that results and progress feel possible again.

If you haven’t downloaded it yet, my free guide discusses this in more depth and where to begin.

You can download it by filling out the form at the bottom of this page. 👇

✨ And if you have any questions or need any help, be sure to get in touch below. I would love to hear from you.😊