5 Most Asked Questions About intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50 (Answered with Chinese Medicine Wisdom)

5 Most Asked Questions About intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50 (Answered with Chinese Medicine Wisdom)

Energy Update

5 Most Asked Questions About Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50 (Answered with Chinese Medicine Wisdom)

1. Will Intermittent Fasting Help Me Lose Weight in Menopause?

Yes, but only when done gently and in rhythm with your body.
 After 50, metabolism and hormone production slow, and harsh fasting or extreme diets can backfire.

In Chi Flow with Jo, intermittent fasting is a digestive rest, not deprivation.

No food after 8 pm, breakfast after 8 am, allowing the Liver to detoxify and the Spleen to rebuild strength.

This rhythm stabilises blood sugar, improves sleep, clears brain fog and naturally releases weight, without shocking the system. 

We have to avoid draining Kidney Energy which harsh fasts can do.

👉 Join the January 2026 Chi Flow Intermittent Fasting Programme

 2. Is Intermittent Fasting Safe for Women Over 50 or with Thyroid Issues?

For mature women, skipping breakfast or drinking coffee on an empty stomach can raise cortisol and weaken digestion.
 In TCM, this drains Spleen Qi and Kidney Essence, leading to fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia.

That’s why Chi Flow fasting never removes breakfast; instead we rest overnight, eat early, and avoid late dinners.
 It supports thyroid and adrenal health rather than stressing them.

3. What Fasting Window Is Best for Women Over 50?

Forget the 16 : 8 trend.

Start with 12 hours, for example, 8 pm to 8 am, then extend slowly if it feels good. TCM follows the meridian clock:

  • 7–9 am Stomach Time: best for breakfast. 
  • 9–11 am Spleen Time: transform food into energy. 
  • 1–3 am Liver Time: detox and rest.

By honouring these hours, you protect your nervous system and steady energy rather than ups and downs, highs and lows.  Find out more about the Chinese Medicine Timeclock

4. How Does Fasting Clear “Dampness” and Boost Energy?

When digestion is weak or eating is constant, the body accumulates dampness, a heavy internal moisture causing:

Belly weight and bloating

Puffy hands / feet

Foggy thinking, fatigue

Joint stiffness and swelling

Giving the Liver and Spleen time to rest allows dampness to drain.

Within weeks many women notice flatter stomachs, lighter limbs, clearer skin, calmer moods and steady energy.  This is healing from the inside out, not crash dieting.

How Qi Gong Supports the Fasting Programme

Qi Gong is the moving medicine that completes the fasting cycle. 

When we practise daily during the six-week programme, gentle breath-led movement loosens adhesions and fascia around the organs, allowing the Liver Qi to flow so detoxification and fat metabolism improve naturally.

It also builds lean muscle mass, which increases insulin sensitivity and helps regulate blood-glucose levels, crucial for preventing midlife weight gain.

 5. Will Intermittent Fasting Affect My Hormones, Mood or Sleep?

Absolutely, but in the right way.  Gentle fasting resets circadian rhythm and stabilises blood sugar, easing night sweats and restless sleep.
But harsh fasting spikes cortisol, which steals progesterone and worsens hot flushes, anxiety and insomnia.

Fasting rests the organs; Qi Gong nourishes them. Together they restore balance, strength, and vitality.

The Chi Flow method uses Qi Gong, acupressure and daily support to calm the nervous system so the body feels safe enough to release weight and restore hormone harmony.

Im 57 now and you can read my menopause story here: https://joannefaulkner.ie/2023/11/17/my-menopause-story/

Acupressure for Metabolism & Emotional Ease – Liver 13 (Zhang Men)

Find the soft spot beneath your right ribs—Liver 13, the “Camphorwood Gate.”

Massage or tap gently.

It harmonises the Liver and Spleen, releases emotional tension and wakes up metabolism.

Nourishing Foods to Support Gentle Fasting

  • Sour foods (lemon, lime, apple-cider vinegar) stimulate the Liver.

  • Green & bitter vegetables (kale, watercress, rocket) drain dampness.

  • Warm, cooked meals (porridge, soups, stews) nurture the Spleen.

  • Avoid raw salads and cold smoothies when digestion feels weak.

WATCH THE PODCAST

👉 Learn More about Fasting and Food as Medicine for Menopause in my eBOOK

Final Thoughts

After 50, your body doesn’t need stricter rules, it needs rhythm, compassion and community.
Chi Flow with Jo offers fasting as a form of love: resting the organs, clearing dampness, and awakening vitality.

If you have struggled before to commit to a programme – Chi Flow with Jo with its LIVE classes every weekday morning will keep you on track.  We do this TOGETHER every January because it works: Join us

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

Or drop in for a class and feel it for yourself (sign up below). Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.  The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

Gentle Weight Loss for Women Over 45 with Qi Gong, Acupressure & Intermittent Fasting

Gentle Weight Loss for Women Over 45 with Qi Gong, Acupressure & Intermittent Fasting

Ask Me Anything, Energy of Food Blog

Gentle Weight Loss for Women Over 45 with Qi Gong, Acupressure & Intermittent Fasting

“I Just Want to Feel Like Myself Again…”

One woman wrote to Ask Me Anything and said:

“How can I lose weight that’s been increasing for years?  I’ve never come back to centre post-birth, I have an underactive thyroid, went straight into menopause, and I feel I’ve given up on myself.”

Her story touches so many of us. After years of holding everything together—children, relationships, work—our bodies hold on too.
 In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this “holding” shows up as Liver stagnation and Spleen dampness, the perfect storm for midlife weight gain.

Why Weight Gain After 40 Isn’t Just About Calories

When stress, grief, or over-care stretches and overwhelms us, the Liver can’t move energy smoothly. 

Emotions get stuck; digestion slows. 

The Spleen, our digestive powerhouse, tires from worry and irregular meals, creating an internal climate known as “dampness” in Chinese Medicine, that heavy, foggy feeling, bloating, fatigue, and belly weight.

When we give the Liver time to rest by not eating in the evening, the body can finally process and drain excess dampness, the sticky, heavy internal moisture that leads to puffiness, bloating, joint pain, brain fog, and fatigue.

Instead of constantly digesting food, the Liver can detoxify and mobilise stored fat, while eating at the correct Spleen time can strengthen and transform fluids properly.

Within weeks of gentle intermittent fasting, people notice less swelling in the belly, clearer thinking, better sleep, reduced joint pain, and improved energy.

As dampness clears, inflammation subsides, the metabolism rekindles, and weight begins to drop naturally, without force or punishment.

This is the beauty of fasting with Chi Flow: we rest to restore, not restrict.

Acupressure Point – Liver 13 (Zhang Men)

Find the soft point under your right ribs—where the ribcage ends before the waist begins.

This is Liver 13, the “Camphorwood Gate.”

Massage or tap gently here using loose fists 

It connects the Liver and Spleen, clears stagnation, boosts metabolism, and soothes emotional tension. 

If it’s tender, that’s a sign the Liver is stagnant; go gently and breathe warmth into the area. 

Repeat daily and feel digestion and mood begin to flow again.

Intermittent Fasting the Chi Flow with Jo Way

Every January, hundreds join the Chi Flow with Jo Intermittent Fasting programme, a six-week reset rooted in TCM, not restriction.
 We follow nature’s rhythm:

♥ Eat during daylight, rest digestion at night.

♥ 7–9 am Stomach Time / 9–11 am Spleen Time: best window for breakfast and nourishment.

♥ 1–3 am Liver Time: when the body detoxes, so avoid eating after dinner especially the late-night snacks.

Start simply: no food after 8 pm, breakfast after 8 am.
Each week we lengthen the fasting window gently, giving the organs time to cleanse and reset.  It’s a lifestyle of rhythm, not willpower, perfect for sensitive thyroids and tired nervous systems.

👉 Find out more and Join the January 2026 Chi Flow with Jo: Intermittent Fasting Programme 

It’s easier when you do it together.

Food as Medicine: Drain Dampness, Fuel Your Fire

Choose foods that support the Liver and Spleen:

For the Liver (flow & fat metabolism):

Sour foods: lemon, lime, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kimchi.
Green & bitter vegetables: kale, watercress, rocket, radish, turnip.

For the Spleen (digestion & sweet cravings):

Warm, cooked meals; porridge, soups, stews.

Avoid cold salads and sugary snacks, especially when stressed.

Traditional TCM Remedy; Adzuki Bean Tea:

Bring soaked Adzuki beans to the boil for 5 minutes and then simmer for 30 minutes, strain, and sip the liquid through the day.
 It gently drains dampness, balances blood sugar, and steadies emotions.

👉 Read more on food as medicine and how to make this tea https://joannefaulkner.ie/2022/04/18/clear-cold-damp-fat/

WATCH THE PODCAST

Emotional Healing & Community Support

The weight we carry isn’t just on our hips, it’s in our hearts.
 Feeling like you “want to be minded” is your body’s cry for nurture, not discipline.

When you join Chi Flow with Jo, you don’t walk alone.
We move, fast, cook and heal together. That shared energy keeps you accountable and loved through change.

You don’t need to fight your bodyjust listen to her again.
Start with small rhythms: stop eating after 8 pm, massage Liver 13, sip lemon water in the morning, and join our January program to be supported every step of the way.

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

Or drop in for a class and feel it for yourself (sign up below). Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.  The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

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