If you’re wondering should you skip lunch to lose weight, you’re not alone. Many women we speak to at Trinity are trying to cut back on calories by skipping lunch, thinking it’s a quick fix for weight loss.
But while skipping meals might sound like a simple way to eat fewer calories and drop a dress size, the reality is a lot more complex, especially during menopause.
At this stage in life, your body is going through hormonal changes that affect everything from your metabolism and hunger signals to your energy levels and stress response.
What might have worked in your 30s simply doesn’t cut it anymore. And when it comes to skipping lunch or skipping meals in general, you could be doing more harm than good.
At Trinity, we help women in menopause take a smarter approach without encouraging starvation or extreme dieting. Instead we provide hormonally balanced eating, tailored workouts and coaching that works with your body, not against it.
In this article, we’ll break down the reality of skipping meals, what really works for women in menopause, and how to lose weight without compromising your health or energy.
Does Skipping Lunch Help Lose Weight?
Technically, skipping lunch could help you lose weight by reducing your total daily calorie intake. But the key word here is could. Weight loss isn’t just about consuming fewer calories, it’s about creating a sustainable calorie deficit without causing chaos in your body.
And during menopause, this is even more important.
When you skip lunch, you might end up overly hungry by the time dinner rolls around. That can lead to overeating later in the day, undoing any calorie reduction you achieved.
Worse, it can increase cravings and make healthy eating feel like a constant struggle.
There are more effective and sustainable ways to support fat loss that don’t involve skipping meals or disrupting your energy, hormones, or mood. We’ll explore those shortly, but first, let’s dive into what really happens when you start skipping meals.
The Negative Effects of Skipping Meals
1. Skipping Meals Can Slow Your Metabolism
Your metabolism naturally slows as you age, and skipping meals can make this worse. When your body senses a lack of food, it starts conserving energy. That means burning fewer calories throughout the day, which makes losing weight even harder.
2. It Can Lead to Bingeing Later On
Skipping a meal like lunch can cause intense hunger later in the day, increasing the chance of overeating at dinner or snacking on high-calorie foods. This erratic food intake can lead to spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels and more cravings.
3. It Affects Your Hunger Hormones
When you skip meals, your hunger hormones, particularly ghrelin and leptin, can become dysregulated. This can trigger intense cravings, especially for carbs and sugar, and leave you feeling constantly hungry, even after eating.
4. Your Blood Sugar Will Drop
Skipping meals can cause a dip in blood sugar, which is especially problematic for women in menopause who are already more sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations. This drop can leave you feeling dizzy, irritable, and tired.
5. Increased Chance of Developing Nutritional Deficiencies
When you consistently skip lunch or other meals, it becomes harder to meet your daily nutritional needs. You miss out on essential nutrients found in whole grains, lean protein, fibre, and healthy fats, all of which are vital for hormone health, energy, and metabolism.
6. Feeling Tired, No Energy, Metabolism Slows Down
One of the biggest complaints we hear is low energy. And it makes sense, if you’re not giving your body enough food or the right kind of fuel, it can’t function properly. Skipping meals can leave you feeling sluggish, foggy, and unmotivated.
7. Skipping Increases Cortisol
One of the biggest issues with skipping meals, particularly breakfast or lunch, is how it affects your stress hormones. Cortisol naturally spikes 30 minutes after waking. If you skip a meal and fast instead, cortisol stays high.
Why does this matter? Because elevated cortisol is linked to what we call the “Weight Gain Triangle”:
- Leptin resistance: which leads to constant cravings and a higher likelihood of overeating without realising.
- Insulin resistance: which causes the body to store more fat around the belly.
- Thyroid deregulation: which slows your metabolism and affects your overall weight loss.
If you’re trying to lose weight and feel like your body is working against you, high cortisol from skipping lunch could be playing a big role.
“I thought there must be something wrong with me – I’d tried so many diets but I just couldn’t stick to it. I’d try exercising for a few weeks, but it never stuck. Name any diet, I will have tried it, lost a bit of weight on it, then put it all back on and more. I had got to the point where I felt like it was all too late and that I would just carry on getting fatter and fatter until it killed me. I know its a cliche but Trinity has actually transformed my life. I’ve lost 30kg but what I didn’t expect was for my life to change quite so much and for the better. . .”
– Rachel Hillier (52), Trinity Client
How To Lose Weight Sustainably Over 40
Eat Balanced Meals at Regular Intervals
Instead of skipping lunch, focus on eating balanced meals with a mix of protein, whole grains, and fibre to keep your blood sugar stable. Controlling your calorie intake through nutrient-dense foods is a more sustainable way to lose weight.
Flexible Eating & The WADS Approach
You don’t have to cut out foods completely, but moderation is key. We use the WADS approach at Trinity to reduce the foods that tend to cause cravings, bloating, or inflammation: Wheat, Alcohol, Dairy, and Sugar. You don’t need to avoid them entirely — just eat less of them and you’ll see progress without feeling deprived.
Prioritise Protein, Fibre and Calories
Rather than going to extremes, aim for a smart structure: keep your protein intake high, include fibre-rich foods, and manage your overall daily intake. That way, you’re supporting muscle, digestion, and satiety all at once.
Lift Weights 3-4x per Week
Exercise is key, but especially the right kind. We recommend strength training 3-4 times a week to support lean muscle, which keeps your metabolism high and your body strong. Avoid cardio-only approaches or extreme diets that lead to muscle and bone loss.
Consider Gentle Fasting Windows Instead
Instead of harsh fasting, try something more balanced like stopping eating at 8pm and starting again around 8am. This gives your digestive system a break without disrupting your hormones.
Control Hunger & Stay Full
Focus on protein and fibre to keep hunger in check. Aim for 80% of your food intake from non-processed, healthy foods like vegetables, lean proteins, and whole foods. The other 20% can be flexible — so you can enjoy your favourite foods without guilt.
Watch How Lindsey Was Able To Lose 15kg Without Skipping Lunch
How Trinity Can Help You Transform Your Mind & Body
If you’ve been trying to lose weight by skipping meals, cutting carbs, or even considering weight loss injections — but still don’t feel like yourself again — it’s time to try a different approach.
At Trinity, we’ve helped over 7,000 women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s drop 1-2 dress sizes in 12 weeks — and 97% of them say they’d recommend us to a friend. Our programme isn’t about quick fixes or unsustainable diets. It’s a complete re-education that teaches you how to work with your body, not against it.
Unlike short-term diets or drugs, we focus on long-term change. Our expert coaches understand exactly what’s happening in your body during menopause, and we build plans tailored to your hormonal needs.
From workouts to nutrition to mindset — you’ll have the tools, structure and support you need to see real results and feel stronger, fitter, and more confident.
You don’t need to skip lunch or go hungry to see progress. You need the right plan, the right support, and a better way forward. And we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I stop eating will I lose weight?
You might lose weight initially by not eating, but most of it will come from water and muscle, not fat and it often leads to low energy, cravings, and weight regain later on.
What happens if I skip lunch everyday?
Skipping lunch every day can lead to intense hunger later on, disrupt your metabolism and hormones, and make it harder to stick to a healthy, balanced diet long-term.
Can you lose weight if you don’t eat
Technically yes, by eating less you can create a calorie deficit, but if you don’t eat enough, especially in menopause, your stress hormones rise, your metabolism slows, and long-term fat loss becomes harder.
Which is Best to Skip, Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner
Rather than skipping meals, it’s better to eat balanced, protein-rich meals at regular times. If you want to fast gently, stopping eating after dinner and starting again in the morning (e.g. 8pm–8am) is a safer, more effective option for women over 40.
