Dr. Annie Cannon, ND

Dr. Annie Cannon, ND Naturopathic Doctor serving Okotoks, Foothills, High River, and Calgary area. Ember Naturopathic

08/05/2026

I used to recommend intermittent fasting to almost everyone trying to lose weight... but I’ve changed my mind. Here’s why:

First, let’s define what intermittent fasting actually is. It’s simply a period of time where you’re not eating any calories. That could be overnight, or it could be several days.

The most popular version is the 16:8 method, where you fast for 16 hours and eat all your meals within an 8-hour window.

The idea behind fasting for weight loss is pretty simple: you often end up eating fewer calories, your body eventually uses stored fat for fuel once glucose stores are depleted, and with longer fasts, you may also get a process called autophagy.

And to be fair... intermittent fasting can absolutely work.

In fact, I used to recommend it a lot because I had many patients who would benefit from it and who would lose weight and see improvements in blood sugar markers and insulin resistance.

And in my own experience, I gained a lot of benefits from it.

But over the last few years, looking at more research and looking at my clinical experience, I’ve changed my approach, especially for women over 35.

What I’ve noticed is that skipping breakfast often leads to lower energy, brain fog, and binge eating later in the day.

So now, instead of recommending a 16:8 fasting window, I usually recommend eating breakfast by about 10 a.m., making sure it includes at least 30 grams of protein plus some healthy carbohydrates, and then aiming for at least a 12-hour overnight fast by simply avoiding late-night snacking.

Why? Because eating earlier in the day supports energy and focus, helps reduce cravings later on, and your body actually burns a little more energy digesting food earlier in the day compared to late at night.

So intermittent fasting isn’t ‘bad’- it’s just not my first choice anymore for women over 35, at least not in the typical 16:8 protocol.

07/29/2026

If you’re trying to build or keep muscle without gaining fat, don’t just eat more protein.

Instead, make protein a bigger percentage of your total calories.

Here’s what I mean:

Let’s say you normally eat 2,000 calories a day and about 15% comes from protein. If you simply add a protein shake at breakfast or an extra helping of chicken at dinner on top of everything else, you’ve increased your protein…but you’ve also increased your calories.

If your goal is body recomposition (more muscle and less fat), a better strategy is to make protein replace some of the calories you’re currently getting from carbs or fats (example in the video).

Think of your calories like a budget. You don’t necessarily need a bigger budget- you just want to spend more of it on protein.

Why?
✔️ Protein provides the building blocks to repair and build muscle.
✔️ It helps keep you full longer.
✔️ It has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates or fat, meaning your body uses more energy to digest it.

For most adults looking to improve body composition, aiming for 20-30% of total calories from protein is a great place to start. This is roughly 1.2-1.6 g of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight, depending on your goals and activity level.

One important reminder...

Protein isn’t magic.

If you aren’t challenging your muscles with resistance training, all that extra protein isn’t going to build much muscle on its own.

The winning combination is strength training + adequate protein.

That’s how you preserve muscle while losing fat, support your metabolism, and build a stronger, healthier body.

💬 Did this change the way you think about protein? Let me know in the comments!

Eating more protein isn’t the same as making protein a bigger part of your diet.
07/27/2026

Eating more protein isn’t the same as making protein a bigger part of your diet.

07/22/2026

“Starvation mode” is one of the most common weight loss myths I hear in clinic. Your metabolism does adapt when calories are low, but that’s very different from your body suddenly gaining fat because you’re eating too little.

The real challenge is that eating too little makes you hungrier, more tired, and much less likely to stick with your plan.

Sustainable fat loss comes from a calorie deficit you can maintain, not from eating as little as possible.

What do you think? Have you experienced what felt like starvation mode?
07/20/2026

What do you think? Have you experienced what felt like starvation mode?

07/09/2026

Why does weight gain happen in perimenopause?

A lot of people blame hormones. Others say it’s just aging. The truth is, it’s both.

Here’s the Menopause Society’s position on why weight gain happens in midlife and around the menopausal transition.

First, we naturally lose muscle as we age—about 3–8% per decade after age 30 if we’re not actively working to maintain it.

Why does that matter?

Muscle burns more calories than fat. So as muscle declines, you need fewer calories to maintain your weight. This means the amount of calories that maintained your weight at 35 may slowly become too much at 50.

Then menopause adds another layer.

As estrogen levels fall, your body changes where it stores fat. Instead of storing fat around the hips and thighs, we shift to storing more fat around the abdomen.

So even if there’s not much change on the scale, your clothes might start fitting differently, and you might notice an increase in your waistline.

Now add in real life.

Sleep becomes worse because of night sweats, stress, or many other causes. Many women are juggling careers, teenagers, aging parents, or all of the above.

Energy is lower, so workouts become less consistent. When you’re tired, stressed, and not sleeping well, it’s really hard to make healthy choices.

We also know that menopause decreases something called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). These are the calories burned from activity that is not formal exercise. This happens even when your exercise level stays the same.

Women often shift to a more sedentary lifestyle without even realizing it.

So it’s not that your metabolism suddenly stops working. It’s that several small changes add up at once.

Knowing this helps us put together a plan to manage it without hopping on every weight-loss trend and getting lost in diet cycling.

10 years ago, I graduated from naturopathic medical school. 🎓Over those years, my practice style has shifted, my locatio...
07/02/2026

10 years ago, I graduated from naturopathic medical school. 🎓

Over those years, my practice style has shifted, my location has changed a few times, and I’m so grateful to all of my patients, new and old, for trusting me with their care.

Here’s no the next 10! 🥂

Amazing night celebrating Emma Gilbert and Mike WeigleFirst hotel experience for the kids and they loved it 🤩
06/28/2026

Amazing night celebrating Emma Gilbert and Mike Weigle

First hotel experience for the kids and they loved it 🤩

06/22/2026

Muscle mass loss can begin as early as age 30, even in healthy adults. For adults over 40, the rate of muscle loss is about 8% per decade. For adults over 70, the rate accelerates significantly to about 15% per decade.

If you’re wondering why you get sick so much, it might have nothing to so with a vitamin/mineral deficiency and everything to do with your muscle! 💪

06/18/2026

There are too many factors that can affect your weight week-to-week, that we cannot base the effectiveness of a weight loss intervention off 1-2 weeks of weight changes.

I find that people who are giving up on their strategies this quickly are not very confident that their strategy was going to work in the first place- which is why they have come to talk to me!

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