Skipping Breakfast? Here’s How It’s Hurting Your Muscle and Metabolism

Well Beyond 40

JJ Virgin

Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Beauty, Weightloss, Exercise, Metabolism, Fitness, Losingweight, Diet, Inspiration, Jjvirgin, Selfcare, Womenshealth, Menopause, Longevity, Women

4.6 • 909 Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I'm tackling a hot topic today that might surprise you: why intermittent fasting could be backfiring for women over 40. If you've been diligently following that 16:8 schedule and skipping breakfast, you might actually be accelerating muscle loss at a time when preserving lean mass is critical. Studies show that women in perimenopause and beyond need MORE protein, not less, and that consuming it earlier in the day is essential for maintaining metabolic health. I explain why eating breakfast sets your metabolic tone for the day, prevents the catabolic breakdown of muscle, and helps regulate blood sugar. Plus, I share my personal experiment with fasted workouts versus eating before training—with surprising results that changed my entire approach to morning nutrition.

At age 40+, we need to focus on preserving muscle tissue to maintain metabolism and quality of life, not just weight management. This episode reveals exactly how much protein you need, delicious high-protein breakfast options, and how to adapt intermittent fasting to work WITH your hormones, not against them.

What you'll learn:

Why muscle preservation becomes critical after age 40 and how breakfast plays a key role
The scientific research on how skipping breakfast affects metabolism and muscle preservation
How proper protein timing can prevent "anabolic resistance" as we age
My personal experiment with fasted vs. fed workouts and the game-changing results
Practical high-protein breakfast options that support muscle maintenance
How to adapt time-restricted eating to work with your hormonal needs
The ideal protein intake for women over 40 (hint: it's higher than you think!)

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Full show notes (including all links mentioned): https://jjvirgin.com/goodbreakfast

Transcript

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1:21.2	virgin wellness will save you 15%. I'm JJ Virgin.
1:30.8	Ph.D. dropout, sorry mom, turned four-time New York Times bestselling author.
1:37.1	I'm a certified nutrition specialist, fitness hall of famer, and I speak at health
1:41.7	conferences and trainings around the globe.
1:47.3	But I'm driven most of all by my insatiable curiosity and love of science to keep asking questions, digging for answers, and
1:54.0	sharing the information that I uncover with as many people as I can. And that's where you come in.
2:00.1	That's why I created the Well Beyond 40 podcasts
2:03.5	to synthesize and simplify the science of health
	...

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