Eight years ago, at age 51, I was very frustrated with my increasing weight, despite the many miles I was running daily.

I knew I had to find a smart balance of exercise and nutrition and was done with temporary, restrictive diets.

That only rebounded with more weight gain.

I found a little program called Faster Way to Fat Loss, loved the healthy strategies, and six weeks later, was totally elated by the inches gone.

And even better, I was equipped with the habits, tools, and know-how to continue the strategies as a lifestyle.

Now, at age 59, I am thrilled with my faster way lifestyle and lean and strong body.

I am here to tell you that you can balance your menopausal hormones and lose fat even in your fabulous 50s and beyond.

In fact, I have clients in their 70s that are thriving on our healthy plan.

I have learned that hormones can make or break your body's ability to burn fat.

In today's episode, I share how the healthy, faster-weight strategies will help balance your hormones and optimize fat loss.

But first, I have to share some of the wins from my first group of fabulous over-50 women in the new 21-day reset.

And these wins are from week one, like six or seven days of incorporating our strategies.

Ginger said, I honestly feel better consuming whole foods.

It's been an eye-opener.

Sue said, so far so good.

Followed 99% of recipes.

Delicious.

Hit macros pretty accurately.

Melissa said, I can't believe it has been almost a week already.

I have been more active than usual, drank more water than my normal, and made better food choices, and I don't miss the bloat feeling.

Michelle said, I'm feeling really great about being consistent this week.

I tracked my food and hit my macros, drank all the water, and did the workouts.

Donna said, I'm proud of how I did this week and thrilled with how much better I feel.

My energy levels improved, bloating decreased, gut issues improved, and it really wasn't that hard.

It's been a win-win for me.

I hope you'll join me soon in a 21-day reset to start tallying up your wins as well.

The link to explore and enroll in the class is in the show notes.

Welcome to the Fat Law School Podcast.

If you've been struggling with extra pounds, especially if you've hit the fabulous 50 mark, then grab a seat because this podcast is your ultimate fat loss classroom.

I'm Amy Bryan, a 30-year public school educator and now virtual nutrition and fitness educator.

My mission is to show you that losing fat and gaining energy plus maintaining it long term is truly possible even at our age.

Think of these few minutes together as a study hall where I share the cheat sheets for fat loss grab your notebook because class is officially in session and it's time to rewrite your wellness story.

Before I start this lesson, let me repeat something I said in the introduction.

Hormones can make or break your body's ability to lose fat.

So even if you are eating right and exercising, if your hormones aren't regulated, then you might be fighting an uphill battle.

Today I'm sharing five strategies that work for hormone regulation.

Yes, even for us women in our 50s, 60s, and beyond.

The first strategy is intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting is a powerful strategy of time-restricted eating that positively influences various hormones in our body, contributing to overall health and effective weight management.

One key hormonal benefit of intermittent fasting is the regulation of insulin levels.

By incorporating periods of fasting, insulin sensitivity improves, reducing the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, intermittent fasting supports the optimization of human growth hormone, promoting fat burning and lean muscle retention.

During fasting periods, the body also experiences an increase in norepinephrine, a hormone that boosts metabolism and encourages the breakdown of stored fats for energy.

Furthermore, intermittent fasting has been linked to improved levels of the hormones ghrelin and leptin, the hormones responsible for hunger and satiety.

Helping individuals establish a more balanced and mindful approach to eating.

To be clear, intermittent fasting is not skipping breakfast just to skip the calories.

We still have all of our necessary calories.

We just do it in an 8-hour time frame and fast the rest of the time, much of it during sleep.

So for me, personally, fasting looks like having my first meal at 10 or 11 a.m.

And finishing my last meal by 6 or 7 p.m.

Because I'm an early riser and I don't like to eat near bedtime.

But your fasting schedule can be specific to your preferences and doesn't have to be as long as my daily fasts are in order to see results.

Many find benefit in a 12-hour fast, which looks more like finishing the last food by 8 p.m.

And not eating again until 8 a.m.

Easy peasy.

Overall, the practice of intermittent fasting is proven to create better hormone regulation for effective weight management and better overall health.

A second strategy for hormone regulation that helps with fat loss is stress management.

Effectively managing stress plays a pivotal role in maintaining hormonal balance and overall well-being.

Chronic stress can lead to an overproduction of cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone.

Elevated cortisol levels are associated with increased belly fat storage and disruptions in metabolic functions.

By implementing stress-reducing practices such as meditation, deep breathing, reading, a long bath, or engaging in relaxing activities for you, individuals can regulate cortisol levels, fostering a more balanced hormonal environment.

Moreover, stress management positively impacts other hormones, including insulin.

Chronic stress can impair insulin sensitivity, contributing to weight gain and metabolic disturbances.

By regularly using stress-reducing techniques, we not only alleviate the strain on cortisol, but also support insulin regulation.

Thus, the importance of managing stress extends beyond mental well-being to include overall health and effective weight management.

Stress management not only calms your brain, but helps your body function optimally.

I know what you may be thinking.

Sounds good, but what will I tell my husband?

No more breakfast, honey.

I'm fasting, and I'm not stressing over cleaning this house either because my fat loss coach said I needed more relaxing baths in time for myself.

Ha ha, don't cause a divorce.

I promise you can make all five of these strategies work without disrupting the whole family.

In fact, as your fat loss coach, I make sure we create a plan that fits into your unique time frames, preferences, and lifestyle.

Not change everything in your life to fit a rigid plan.

The next strategy is so simple, but the standard American diet is so far from it.

We need to be eating whole, natural, unprocessed foods for the nutrition, satiety, and hormone regulation.

Whole foods such as lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, eggs, nuts, and seeds provide essential nutrients that contribute to balanced hormone production.

A diet rich in whole foods supports insulin regulation by offering a steady release of carbs and preventing the spikes associated with processed sugars.

Additionally, these nutrient-dense foods positively impact leptin and ghrelin, the hormones responsible for appetite control, ensuring a more balanced and mindful approach to eating.

Whole foods also contribute to improved gut health, fostering the production of beneficial gut bacteria that play a role in hormone metabolism.

Prioritizing a diet centered around whole, unprocessed foods, we create a nutritional foundation that supports hormonal harmony, contributing to our goals of weight management and overall better health.

Say goodbye to fast food, diet bars, shakes, and 100 calorie packs.

Eat real food, food that comes from the ground or has a mother, food that God created, not created by man.

Another powerful strategy is carb cycling.

Carbs have benefits when it comes to hormone regulation.

However, how many carbs you consume, when, and what type are critical factors that must be addressed.

Carb cycling allows you to reap the benefits of carbs for your hormonal health while also igniting deep fat burning through carb depletion on lower carb days.

Carb cycling is a hormone superhero carb cycling regulates insulin sensitivity which prevents chronic diseases and helps your body burn fat carb cycling balances ghrelin levels the hunger hormone to control appetite and cravings carb cycling regulates cortisol levels by increasing the production of serotonin a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood and reduce stress.

Carb cycling develops a flexible switch from burning stored fat to burning carbs for energy.

Carb cycling is a win for both hormone health and fat loss.

Strength training is the other proven strategy to impact positively your hormones and so much more.

Strength training is an anabolic form of exercise, meaning it helps build and maintain muscle mass.

Muscle is the most important factor in creating a strong functional body and rev metabolism allowing your body to burn fat another perk strength training is the most hormone friendly type of exercise.

Strength training increases growth hormone, which plays a role in muscle and bone growth, as well as fat metabolism.

Strength training reduces cortisol levels, which in turn helps boost immunity, release fat, and add lean muscle mass.

Strength training improves insulin sensitivity to help manage blood sugar levels and prevent diseases like diabetes.

Strength training promotes lean muscle tissue by building and repairing muscle fibers, tissues, preserving lean muscle mass, and helping with hormone synthesis.

Bonus hack.

Make strength training your main form of exercise instead of long-form cardio or excessive high-intensity interval training.

Continue to challenge yourself as you grow stronger.

Start with body weight or bands, then light weights, then heavier weights.

Your hormones will thank you.

Here's another bonus hack.

Build a hormone-friendly plate.

Having a balanced plate of all three macronutrients is important if you're seeking to balance your hormones.

Beware diets that urge you to eliminate one of the following food groups.

Don't eliminate all of your carbs.

Carbs like fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, all of which contribute to optimal hormonal balance.

Beware of diets that ask you to give up protein.

Protein helps increase muscle mass and bone strength, which also helps combat the naturally occurring decline in estrogen.

Beware of diets that urge you to give up fats.

Fats provide the building blocks of healthy hormones.

Build a hormone-friendly plate with all three of the macros.

Here's another bonus hack.

Undereating will cause your hormones to go haywire.

ditch the less food is better mentality and embrace food as fuel choose a variety of whole food sources as much as possible.

If you are listening to try to piece together your healthy fat loss plan, but feeling overwhelmed, let me help you put it all together with the Faster Way 3-Week Reset.

Intermittent fasting, stress management, carb cycling, strength training, and whole food nutrition are some of the fat loss strategies that I teach in my 3-Week Faster Way to Fat Loss class.

I roll out a roadmap that includes a week on our core strategies, another week on our macro method and carb cycling, and a whole week on hormones.

Imagine what difference you can make in your hormone regulation, fat loss, and overall health if you learn and implement these healthy and hormone-happy strategies.

I invite you to my next class where you'll have me as your guide, an app with tools and trackers, meal plans done for you, workouts made for you, and an accountability group to keep you showing up for yourself.

We've put it all together.

Proven effective fat loss and hormone friendly strategies ready for you.

What are you waiting for?

The link to the class is fasterweighcoach.com slash amybryan.

And the link is in the show notes.

You are one click away from hormone harmony and healthy fat loss.

Let's go.

That's it for this episode.

If you've learned something today or enjoyed the lesson, Please subscribe for future episodes, share with a friend and please rate and review it because that's the way others find this podcast.

To connect with me, go to the show notes to see all the ways to connect.