Peri-Menopause, Fasting and Low Carb in Athletic Women w/ Dr. Stacy Sims

It is so easy to fall into common nutrition traps or trends that we think are serving us but that are really stopping us from reaching our fullest potential. Common diet and nutrition trends like intermittent fasting, keto, and low carb are not designed for everyone, especially women entering perimenopause or menopause that are athletic.

Key Takeaways

If You Are Ready to Adjust Your Nutrition in a Way That Will Actually Serve Your Body, You Should:

Remember that women are not small men and the diet and nutrition trends out there are not for your female physiology
Change your mindset around fueling and recovery practices that are tailored to your unique body
Stop being afraid of carbohydrates and feed yourself with proper whole foods that are going to improve your training

Understanding the Science Behind our Bodies with Dr. Stacy Sims

In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Stacy Sims, she is breaking down the science behind why these common nutrition and diet trends are not working for your female physiology. Stacy T. Sims, Ph.D., is an applied researcher, innovator, and entrepreneur in human performance, specifically sex differences in training, nutrition, and environmental conditions. She is passionate about teaching the world why women are not just small men and empowering women to make choices that are supporting their bodies through every phase of life.

If You Aren’t Seeing Results, It’s Not Your Fault

If you have ever thought to yourself ‘why is this diet working for my male partner but not for me?’, you are not alone. The truth is most of the diets out there like intermittent fasting and keto do not take into account our unique female physiology. This is only amplified even more when our hormones start to change as we approach our 40’s and beyond. There is a reason that these common diet and nutrition trends are not working for you, and it is not your fault.

Embracing the Female Physiology

Females have a different threshold for calorie intake, oxidative stress, and countless other biological responses than men do. This is why we need to take a deep dive into what is going on with our bodies at every phase of our life so that we can mitigate the symptoms and see the results from our training that we are hoping for.

How are you fueling your body to ensure that you are supporting it in every way possible? Share your thoughts about this episode with me in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

Learn what the research says about intermittent fasting when it comes to women who exercise (5:25)
Why it is not your fault if you are not seeing the same results as a man using the same nutrition methods (10:51)
The problem with a keto diet as an active woman getting close to menopause (14:36)
What you should be putting on your plate if you are a woman who exercises in her 40’s (18:50)
How to stop focusing on the scale when you are not seeing the results you want to see (28:06)

Quotes

“If you look at the longevity data of exercise, it is more stimulating and more robust than intermittent fasting or time restricted eating.” (6:16)

“When we look at ketogenic and the lack of diversity and a huge overgrowth of the fila that promotes obesity, then it is definitely not a win for women, especially when we start hitting this change over of our hormones.” (16:25)

“If you don't have carbohydrates, you are not going to hit your training measures. You can't hit high intensity, you can't lift well, your body needs carbohydrates.” (20:11)

“I don't want people to think that I say all this stuff and I do it all the time and it is easy for me. Because it's not. It's hard for everyone, you just have to be very cognitive.” (27:05)

“The weight on the scale is not representative of what is actually happening. So we have to live through that little bit of transition and freak out in our minds that something negative is happening. But know that weight on the scale is not representative of what is happening inside the cell, what is happening with inflammation going down, or increasing the stuff that is in the muscle. So just be patient, just be patient, don't freak out.” (30:18)