intermittent fasting for women, safe?

crazie4lulu

i do I F. i have done it since June 30th... i have lost close to 40 lbs and have stayed consistent with eating from 10 am to 6 pm... its just a way of life for me now and i LOVE it!

Mr_Knight

I wouldn't sweat it, female bodies are (generally) even better suited for IF than male bodies.

wilsoje74

i do I F. i have done it since June 30th... i have lost close to 40 lbs and have stayed consistent with eating from 10 am to 6 pm... its just a way of life for me now and i LOVE it!

These are pretty much normal eating hours for me. I just don't see it as fasting if you just stop to eat while you sleep!!!

Akimajuktuq

I intermittent fast 16/8 and 18/6 and even sometimes 20/4, every day for the past 17 months. IF works for me and I love it. I can't imagine what would be "dangerous" about it but I do know of some people that don't do well with it. Listen to your body. I think the biggest key to my success is that I am ketogenic so I am never struggling with hunger. Before changing my lifestyle I was very sick; pre diabetes, adrenal fatigue, binge eating disorder, severely obese, depressed, etc etc. Some people mock my lifestyle but feeling awesome is worth every minute of everything I do.

DebbieLyn63

Fasting is damaging to brain chemistry, as well as hormonal balance. It can cause insomnia, and blood sugar drops and spikes that cause food cravings. I work in the medical field, and have done extensive research in this area. It's not realistic to just say someone is wrong based on what you believe, rather than fact. Just because it might have worked for you as a weight loss program, does not mean that it was a healthy way to do so. There are long-term effects on the body, similar to yo-yo dieting. It's much healthier to eat regularly and exercise regularly as a way of life than to force the body into patterns it wasn't made to follow.

what does your research say regarding Muslims fasting in Ramadan? Because I think there's more than a billion Muslims in the world, and they've been doing their fasts since about 600AD or thereabouts, so if it was dangerous for them, well shouldn't someone warn them about it?

Maybe context is important here. Like the question, for how long are you fasting? IF isn't *that* different from Islamic fasting, as you fast part of the day and eat part of the day. For the Muslims, they fast during daylight hours and eat at night. For IFers there's more flexibility about the schedule but they eat during certain hours and fast during certain hours, and still eat the same number of calories as is recommended for healthy weight loss, just they restrict it to specific timings during the day (hence intermittent fasting, not full time fasting). I'm not aware of any IFers that are advising fasting more than 24hrs at a time, which is the same length of time as Jews fast for one of their holidays (and have been for a lot longer than Islam's even been around).

Personally, I don't do IFing. It doesn't work for me at all. I'm an eat several small meals a day person, that's what works for me. But I don't think it's correct to say that intermittent fasting is dangerous, except maybe for some people due to certain medical issues.

A billion people fasting for a religious ceremony doesn't count as a healthy lifestyle, now does it. I believe Christians used to scourge themselves with whips as well, and some of them died from infections. Just because a lot of people do something doesn't make it the healthy thing to do.

You sort of made her point. Scourging with whips used to happen, but stopped because people died. Fasting during Ramadan is still going on because when they fast...nothing. No one dies, no one gets sick. If IF were causing the damage you say, the practice would have died out by now. Not to mention that we all do a version of IF (just based on my schedule, I don't eat for 14 hours due to sleep and work schedule, and I'm not atypical). If you want to claim it's dangerous, provide citations that back up your claim.

http://chriskresser.com/intermittent-fasting-cortisol-and-blood-sugar

There you go, sweetheart.

Learn to read entire articles, Sweetie, and not make broad sweeping statements. Below is the article you posted above. There is no mention of brain damage or damage to metabolism. The only concern is for people with blood sugar regulation problems.

"There’s been a lot of discussion about the benefits of intermittent fasting (IF) in the paleo community lately. Paul Jaminet mentions it’s role in boosting the immune system in his book, The Perfect Health Diet, and IF can also be helpful for those trying to lose weight and tune their metabolism.

From an evolutionary perspective, intermittent fasting was probably the normal state of affairs. There were no grocery stores, restaurants or convenience stores, and food was not nearly as readily available or easy to come by as it is today. Nor were there watches, schedules, lunch breaks or the kind of structure and routine we have in the modern world. This means it’s likely that our paleo ancestors often did go 12-16 hours between meals on a regular basis, and perhaps had full days when they ate lightly or didn’t eat at all.

So, while I agree that IF is part of our heritage, and that it can be helpful in certain situations, I don’t believe it’s an appropriate strategy for everyone.

Why? Because fasting can elevate cortisol levels. One of cortisol’s effects is that it raises blood sugar. So, in someone with blood sugar regulation issues, fasting can actually make them worse.

I’ve seen this time and time again with my patients. Almost all of my patients have blood sugar imbalances. And it’s usually not as simple as “high blood sugar” or “low blood sugar”. They often have a combination of both (reactive hypoglycemia), or strange blood sugar patterns that, on the surface, don’t make much sense. These folks aren’t eating a Standard American Diet. Most of them are already on a paleo-type or low-carb diet. Yet they still have blood sugar issues.

In these cases, cortisol dysregulation is almost always the culprit. When these patients try intermittent fasting, their blood sugar control gets worse. I will see fasting blood sugar readings in the 90s and even low 100s, in spite of the fact that they are eating a low-carb, paleo-type diet.

That’s why I don’t recommend intermittent fasting for people with blood sugar regulation problems. Instead, I suggest that they eat every 2-3 hours. This helps to maintain stable blood sugar throughout the day and prevents cortisol and other stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine from getting involved. When my patients that have been fasting and experiencing high blood sugar readings switch to eating this way, their blood sugar numbers almost always normalize.

I don’t think eating every 2-3 hours is “normal” from an evolutionary perspective. But neither is driving in traffic, worrying about your 401k, or staying up until 2:00am on Facebook. The paleo template is there to guide us, but it’s not a set of rules to be followed blindly. This should also be a reminder that there’s no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to healthcare. Successful treatment depends on identifying the underlying mechanisms for each individual and addressing them accordingly."

tmauck4472

The one thing you do need to remember is if your fasting is overnight and continues through the morning hours, you are essentially skipping breakfast. If you do this regularly, your body will decrease your metabolism to compensate. It is better to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day than to skip meals. As long as you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Skipping meals will change how your body metabolizes your food and may even push you into starvation mode, where it stores more when you do eat.

So very untrue, where do you people get your posts from?

KateK8LoseW8

I haven't had any problems doing it.

12skipafew99100

You are doing great! More power to you. You don't have to eat breakfast. Your body is going to thank you for this.

supra_driven

Some of these posts claiming skipping meals will lower metabolism are just irritating. Good thing people in here can step in and correct the misinformation. Your lean body mass determines your metabolism first and foremost and the only way to raise it is by your level of activity and not with what you eat and don't eat or when you eat. There are no secret foods that raise your metabolism. Fasting has many positive effects on your body and life.

http://www.falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm

grimendale

Fasting is damaging to brain chemistry, as well as hormonal balance. It can cause insomnia, and blood sugar drops and spikes that cause food cravings. I work in the medical field, and have done extensive research in this area. It's not realistic to just say someone is wrong based on what you believe, rather than fact. Just because it might have worked for you as a weight loss program, does not mean that it was a healthy way to do so. There are long-term effects on the body, similar to yo-yo dieting. It's much healthier to eat regularly and exercise regularly as a way of life than to force the body into patterns it wasn't made to follow.

what does your research say regarding Muslims fasting in Ramadan? Because I think there's more than a billion Muslims in the world, and they've been doing their fasts since about 600AD or thereabouts, so if it was dangerous for them, well shouldn't someone warn them about it?

Maybe context is important here. Like the question, for how long are you fasting? IF isn't *that* different from Islamic fasting, as you fast part of the day and eat part of the day. For the Muslims, they fast during daylight hours and eat at night. For IFers there's more flexibility about the schedule but they eat during certain hours and fast during certain hours, and still eat the same number of calories as is recommended for healthy weight loss, just they restrict it to specific timings during the day (hence intermittent fasting, not full time fasting). I'm not aware of any IFers that are advising fasting more than 24hrs at a time, which is the same length of time as Jews fast for one of their holidays (and have been for a lot longer than Islam's even been around).

Personally, I don't do IFing. It doesn't work for me at all. I'm an eat several small meals a day person, that's what works for me. But I don't think it's correct to say that intermittent fasting is dangerous, except maybe for some people due to certain medical issues.

A billion people fasting for a religious ceremony doesn't count as a healthy lifestyle, now does it. I believe Christians used to scourge themselves with whips as well, and some of them died from infections. Just because a lot of people do something doesn't make it the healthy thing to do.

You sort of made her point. Scourging with whips used to happen, but stopped because people died. Fasting during Ramadan is still going on because when they fast...nothing. No one dies, no one gets sick. If IF were causing the damage you say, the practice would have died out by now. Not to mention that we all do a version of IF (just based on my schedule, I don't eat for 14 hours due to sleep and work schedule, and I'm not atypical). If you want to claim it's dangerous, provide citations that back up your claim.

This is flawed logic.

Flawed in what way, exactly?

lma0423

I am in the process of switching to IF (16:8)...today is my second day. I'm loving it so far. I feel like it gives me more freedom with what I get to eat...I don't feel like I'm blowing too many calories on one meal and I don't feel like I'll be hungry later. I'm a little worried about Saturdays as I work a very active job on that day, but I'm just going to carry a protein bar with me on that day in case I need it until I get adjusted. You can add me if you like.

Thanks everyone! Yep I'm on my second week and I love it. Before IF, when I felt hunger I would freak out and start planning my next healthy meal bc I've been taught that if you're every hungry you're slowing down your metabolism. But now I've realized the hunger pangs last 5 mins tops and I'm ok after them and I don't need to be constantly eating. But I do agree that this wouldn't work for everyone but it's perfect for my lifestyle. I work 9-5 at a desk and skipping breakfast is actually really nice and I'm able to eat a larger meal around 1 and when I get back from work. I also find myself drinking more water to occupy my mouth when I get cravings. This is great for me since I definitely don't drink enough water.

Now the only downside of IF is explaining it to people. 8:30pm rolls around, I'm with friends and they look at me like I'm crazy when I say I'm fasting...

Iron_Lotus

The one thing you do need to remember is if your fasting is overnight and continues through the morning hours, you are essentially skipping breakfast. If you do this regularly, your body will decrease your metabolism to compensate. It is better to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day than to skip meals. As long as you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Skipping meals will change how your body metabolizes your food and may even push you into starvation mode, where it stores more when you do eat.

Um..no.

da_bears10089

Fasting is damaging to brain chemistry, as well as hormonal balance. It can cause insomnia, and blood sugar drops and spikes that cause food cravings. I work in the medical field, and have done extensive research in this area. It's not realistic to just say someone is wrong based on what you believe, rather than fact. Just because it might have worked for you as a weight loss program, does not mean that it was a healthy way to do so. There are long-term effects on the body, similar to yo-yo dieting. It's much healthier to eat regularly and exercise regularly as a way of life than to force the body into patterns it wasn't made to follow.

being an admin at a hospital doesn't make you a nutritional expert anymore than the next person

subsonicbassist

Today I tried IF for the first time and I really like it. I see it as something I could maintain for a long time. I fasted from 8pm to 12pm (drank one cup of coffee at 9am) then ate 2 nice meals; one at 12:30pm and another at 7:30pm, totaling about 1300 cals.

I'm kind of scared to continue on it bc I've read some scary stuff about hormone imbalances, cortisol, permanent damage to metabolism and weight gain.

Any thoughts? Especially ones that will put my mind at ease.

Thanks

If you are having any issues with 16:8, I say keep it going! There has been some speculation that because women's hormones are different from men's, 14:10 may be more safe for correct hormone production and regulation, but as I am not a woman (nor do I claim to be lol) I'm not sure how it would affect you. Just listen to your body and not the BS the so-called "medical professionals" are spewing out. I used to fast for 48 hours every week, and I felt amazing during those fasts! I obviously did not have the energy to do extensive exercises, but fasting has been around since the dawn of humans and it is still a tool you can use to keep your body running well. I have been IF'ing for about 3 months now and as a large man (6'8", 285 pounds, 25% BF), I find it is incredibly helpful for me to be able to eat enough calories in a meal to feel full (typically 700-1300 calories a meal, in a 20% deficit I eat around 2700-2800 cals a day). When I was eating 6 small meals a day like every diet plan in the world recommends (except for those it works well for, not bashing!), I never felt full, even while eating back exercise calories. It is extremely freeing to know not only do I not have to worry about eating every single meal at the same time, that is the same size, with the exactly correct proportions of proteins fats and carbs, but that it is beneficial for my body to do so and can actually increase my anabolic response. More food, more fat loss, more muscle retention/gainnnnz, more quality time spent with my family instead of working out 6 days a week and cooking a bunch of small, boring meals every day... what is not to like?!?!?!

geebusuk

Plenty of people, especially those with kids eat a 10:14 plan ANYWAY, with no thought for diets, weight loss or the like.
Breakfast at 8am, say, lunch whenever then evening meal at 6pm.
I don't see that causing them any problems.

For me, if nothing else, it DOES work nicely for calorie control. While people may go on about 'skipping breakfast', I often sleep 2-10 or a bit later, so not eating until to 1pm actually isn't too far of a gap others may have before breakfast.
Eating early means I eat more later if anything.

in_the_stars

Will Intermittent Fasting Help You Create a Larger, More Sustainable Caloric Deficit?

The longest trial yet was six months. It found that overweight women who used intermittent fasting or a linear calorie decrease lost about the same amount of weight and were able to adhere to both diets equally well.3 However, a higher percentage of people in the intermittent fasting group complained of hunger, poor concentration, bad temper, and preoccupation with food.

http://impruvism.com/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss/

I eat all day and night, whenever I'm hungry. So take this as you will.

crazie4lulu

i do I F. i have done it since June 30th... i have lost close to 40 lbs and have stayed consistent with eating from 10 am to 6 pm... its just a way of life for me now and i LOVE it!

BTW.... i get up at 3:15 in the morning and start my day with a 7 to 10 mile run 6 days a week... on a fasted stomach!!!

florentinovillaro

I started intermittent fasting on December 4th, because of the uric acid level in my blood. I started noticing more energy and clarity in addition lost 14 lbs.

For those who are interested, I am on a 4/20 schedule. Which means I fast for 20 hours and eat within a 4 hour window (between 4-8pm). I normally have a combination of 2-3 meals or snacks totaling approx 1800 calories per day.

The major factor in this is drinking enough water. I drink exactly 1 gallon per day not counting the water that's already present in food. In addition, I use fiber and vitamin supplements to keep everything in check.

There are tons of positive results videos posted on YouTube, I urge you to research it for yourself. It does work for me.

wild_wild_life

I wouldn't sweat it, female bodies are (generally) even better suited for IF than male bodies.

Why do you say that?

This is an interesting article looking at some of the differences in the male and female response to fasting.

http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

haleyvision

read the latest research
https://www.google.com/search?q=fasting+improves+brain+function&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb