If fasting ever made you feel flat, cold, saggy, wired, or weaker instead of lean and energized, this may be why – you didn’t prepare for it.
I say it ALL of the time – as we get older, we lose wiggle room. If you were 25, you can get away with a LOT of things that we older gals in our silver era cannot do. But we can fast if we prepare our bodies, and we benefit from fasts, too.
For women preparing to do a fast , aka priming, is not optional. Preparing your body to fast is the difference between fat loss + glow vs muscle loss + saggy skin.
What Priming Is
Priming means preparing your body so fasting will:
- Burns fat
- Preserves muscle
- Protects skin
- Doesn’t jack up cortisol because we all have a bit too much stress in this world already – (this is why I insist my clients eat breakfast, too)
Priming is NOT:
- Eating less
- Skipping meals
- “Pushing through hunger”
- Proving you are disciplined (I might be a bit too guilty of this)
Priming IS:
- Stable blood sugar
- Adequate nutrients
- Nervous system safety – Important!
- Clear signals that muscle and skin are protected because the last thing we want to do is lose muscle!
Think warm-up before exercise. You wouldn’t walk into the gym and life 150 pounds without warming up, would you? No. You’d stretch, maybe foam roll a bit, lift some lighter weights and work up to lifting the heavy weight. If you don’t warm up, that’s when injuries happen. Same deal with fasting. If you prepare your body for fasting, you’ll benefit from it with autophagy and ketones, not blood sugar dips, headaches and weakness, or the body going into an emergency mode.
Why This Matters More As We Age
As we get older:
- We lose muscle faster if signals are wrong
- Cortisol rises more easily (and eats muscle)
- Skin relies on adiponectin, collagen, and glycine
We want to be lean, firm, radiant, not smaller and older. looking.
The Big Priming Non-Negotiables
Before any intentional fasting:
✅ Protein First (Non-Negotiable and I bet you knew I was going to say that. LOL!)
- Older women need more, not less
- Especially at the first meal (yes, that means eating breakfast – we can discuss this more, but just know it help reduce that extra surge of cortisol)
- Protein tells your body to preserve muscle
✅ Sleep & Rest Matter (Also Non-Negotiable)
- Poor sleep = stress response
- Stress + fasting = muscle & skin loss
- Under slept, over-stressed, traveling?
– Not the time to fast.
✅ Minerals Before Willpower
- Low sodium, potassium, magnesium = cortisol spike
- Depleted minerals make fasting feel awful and can backfire
Who Should NOT Be Fasting Yet
Pause fasting if you have:
- Muscle weakness or loss
- Poor sleep or chronic stress
- Cold intolerance
- Hair thinning
- Crepey or thinning skin
- A history of under-eating or disordered eating
Priming first =better results later.
Bottom Line
Fasting is a tool to be used now and then when your body is ready.
If your goals are strength, longevity, healthier hormones, and if you want to look AMAZING, not saggy and tired, then try an extended fast.
Start with 24 hours. Day 1: Eat breakfast and lunch. Stop eating at noon and do not eat again until noon on Day 2. That is 24 hours.
48 hour fast: Day 1: Eat breakfast. No food the rest of Day1. No food on Day 2. Breakfast on Day 3. That’s 48 hours.
Tips for making it though a fast: best tip I got when I learned to fast was to drink a shot glass of fermented pickle juice to curb hunger. I also found that going for a walk curbed hunger, too. Hot baths, naps, working on a project – all of those things can help curb hunger, as well.
Let me know how you’re doing. If you need help with anything, I have spaces available for coaching. Sign up HERE
Together we can make 2026 our best year yet!
Linda
Disclaimer: Linda is a holistic nutritionist. She is not a medical doctor. The content shared in her newsletters, posts, and blogs is for educational and informational purposes only and reflects her experience and interests. It is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplements, or lifestyle.
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