The Real Reason Your Workouts Aren’t Burning Fat
If I had a euro for every time I heard women say they’re damned if they do, and damned if they don’t, I’d be writing this from a villa in the South of France.
If you’re wondering if you should skip breakfast altogether, stop after a few mouthfuls of peanut-butter laden toast, or go back to eating breakfast like a king before your exercise
This is the post is for you
In it, I cover whether fasting before exercise is sabotaging your weight loss efforts, why it might be time to shift gears again, and, most importantly, how to get it right?!
You’ve Followed the “Rules” and It’s Not Working…
Recently, I listened to Mel Robbins interview Dr Stacey Sims on ‘How Women Should Eat and Exercise For Health, Fat Loss and Energy’
Dr. Sims is a physiologist and researcher in women’s health, and what she said about exercise, food, fasting, and women’s bodies in midlife was not to be missed.
Her opener?
Women are not small men - and we don’t get results following health and exercise guidelines that are largely based on male data.
So if you’ve been wondering how the ‘bruhs’ make fasted training, cold plunges and getting ripped look so easy, while you bust a gut trying some version of the same and see little to no return,
It’s not your fault.
Women’s physiological response to exercise and nutrition is not the same as men’s.
Fasted training for weight loss does not work as well for women as men - mainly due to our hormone and metabolic differences.
Add lifestyle factors like age, stress (work, ageing parents, disrupted sleep, kids, relationships) and midlife hormone shifts, and what was already challenging to begin with becomes impossible to ignore!
The Good news?
The Fix Might Be Simpler Than You Think
If you’re stuck in a loop of trying harder and getting nowhere, here’s you permission to pause and get off the hamster wheel.
According to Dr. Sims, one powerful shift might be to eat something small and protein-rich before you exercise.
Why This Matters!
When you eat in the morning, especially before training, you send a message to your hypothalamus—your body’s hormone HQ—that you’re safe and nourished.
When you skip it, and just power through on coffee and adrenaline, your morning cortisol (stress hormone) will continue to spike even higher. And if you already struggle with stress and your cortisol stays too high for too long, you can pretty much kiss your weight loss goals goodbye.
How Can You Tell If You Have High Cortisol? You
feel exhausted during the day but wired the minute the clock strikes bedtime
wake feeling exhausted and anxious
crave sugar and carbs all day long
have stubborn belly fat that just won’t budge
The Solution?
If fasting exercise worked for you before, but it’s not working right now…..for whatever reason, try:
Eating a light breakfast before exercising to stabilise blood sugars and lower stress responses.
Choosing meals that balance healthy sources of protein, fat, and fibre over refined sugars and carbs
Supporting any stress triggers in your life with whatever works for you - dance, swim, laugh, breath work, mindfulness, journaling, walks outdoors
Get 8 hours sleep
If You’ve Been There, Done That, And It Doesn’t Work For You…..Here’s Something That Will
Nutrition, weight loss, and exercise is a terrain that has become confusing as all hell.
There’s a compelling argument, and science to back most expert opinions out there so understandably it can really difficult to know whose advice to follow or what will work for you.
With 10 years working in nutrition, and functional medicine, the only thing I can tell you is there’s no one plan that works for EVERYONE - because we are all unique in our biochemistry and needs - EXCEPT perhaps…….
Nutrigenomics
Nutrigenomics is the study of how your genes interact with the food you eat. It looks at how different nutrients (like vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins) affect your gene expression - essentially, how your body turns certain genes on or off - and how your unique genetic makeup influences the way you metabolise and respond to different foods.
In simpler terms, it's about using your DNA to personalise your diet so you can improve your health, prevent disease, LOSE WEIGHT, and feel your best.
Nutrigenomics is at the heart of personalised nutrition, moving us away from generic food advice and focusing on what’s right for you.
If you’re interested in finding out what kinds of food and exercise your body is designed to respond to, book a free call with me to discuss my optimal health and resilience programme, and unlock the secrets to feeling flatter, fabber and fitter, quicker than ever before.
