Hi there Reader,

Should I be intermittent fasting?

I'm going to give you the honest answer, even though it's not what a lot of people want to hear.

For the busy, active, in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, many of them in perimenopause that I work with, intermittent fasting is making everything harder, not easier.

Here's why.

When you skip breakfast, your body doesn't think "great, fat burning mode." It thinks: stress.

Cortisol, your primary stress hormone, is naturally highest in the morning. That morning cortisol spike is what wakes you up and gets you moving. But when you add the stress of not eating on top of it, cortisol stays elevated longer than it should.

And elevated cortisol means: blood sugar instability. Increased cravings. Muscle breakdown. Disrupted sleep. That wired-but-exhausted feeling you can't shake no matter how much coffee you drink.

(Sound familiar?)

Your body is responding exactly the way it's supposed to respond to stress. Skipping breakfast is a stressor your body didn't ask for.

I can also understand why a lot of women are drawn to intermittent fasting. It gives them permission to skip a meal and feel like they're doing something productive. I understand that. But if you've been restricting in some form for years, fasting is just restriction with a wellness rebrand. It’s greenwashed, fake health advice.

What I teach instead: eat breakfast. A real one. Protein, whole food carb, fiber, and fat. Before or with your coffee. Every morning.

One woman in the first Foundation Blueprint cohort was skeptical about eating breakfast. Then she noticed something:

"I definitely have felt hungrier, especially in the mornings. I made egg roll in a bowl with lean ground turkey and a ton of purple cabbage and cole slaw mix. I also had a piece of sourdough bread to get my whole food carbs."

She stopped asking whether she should eat breakfast. She just started eating it and building her PWiFF plate while she was at it.

That's not magic. That's what happens when your body stops running on cortisol and starts running on food.

The Foundation Blueprint 2nd cohort waitlist is open. Are you on it?

I can't wait to live a life well nourished with you!