Intermittent Fasting for Women

Jestinia

Tried it, like the female mice in the study, I couldn't sleep on fasting days. Maybe I'm a mouse?

twixlepennie

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Lots of women do it with no problems. I did alternate day IF (JUDDD) and 5:2 for weight loss, and I did 8/16IF for a while after I transitioned into maintenance. I really enjoyed doing IF.

Also, you're not allowed to spam the boards-reporting your post.

jackielou867

Maybe this actually depends on your lifestyle/activity level. If you are losing weight by diet alone, I reckon it would go pretty well. But if you are exercising then not so much.

I was advised by the gym to do some fasted cardio, low intensity, to burn fat. In other words, wake up (fasted state) walk briskly (with the dog, lucky dog) but not overdo it, or we start to use muscle for fuel rather than fat. Then 30-60 minutes later EAT.

I thought I would be clever and delay the eating, I got later and later, today it was 1:30 when I had breakfast. But just today I was directed to a post that says if you don't refuel your body in that timeframe it will be harder to replenish your energy, so if like me you want to go to the gym and lift weights after work, you will find yourself more tired, and not work to your maximum capacity.

Now I can't say for sure, but there have been some days at the gym when I go like a demon, and lift some quite heavy weights, and other days I am exhausted and drop 10-20% off my heavy lifts. I am now wondering if this is directly related not just to what, but WHEN I eat.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/what-to-eat-before-and-after-exercising.

If your wife is exercising I would try what a previous poster suggested, I tried it for a few weeks, fasting 2 days and eating normally for 5. Fasting supposedly means eating 500 calories, but I usually ended up 700-800, just don't fast 2 days in a row. This worked quite well for me, but I love food and the fast days were hard. I am at goal weight now though, so I must have been doing something right this year.

Tell her good luck, whatever she decides.

FP4HSharon

My wife is wanting to try Intermittent Fasting out more seriously (she did it a few days at first, but didn't stick with it too long). How does it work for you? Or does it long term?

Ladies, what is your IF schedule like? 16/8? 18/6?

Just wanting to hear how it went and what you recommend.

Thanks in advance.

You should both read this article before you make any decisions. I looked into it & it sounded like the health benefits were amazing, and more the way I'd like to diet. Then I read this very thorough article, which shows that the research indicates that while it is VERY healthy for men and OBESE women, that once a woman is NOT obese it actually creates poorer health results. Obese is usually considered at least 30 lbs overweight, or 30% or higher body fat.

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

marykkohlman

I just started intermittent fasting...16/8. Down 2 lbs the first week. But, there isn't much on this diet for obese women, such as myself. I have looked and looked. It's always someone who is a gym enthusiast, training for competition. I want to know what to expect, how should I be feeling? I noticed my skin, seemed like it had more cellulite, then like the fat was breaking down...then it would look better for a few days, then loose again. Not sure if this is just the fat breaking down as toxins were being removed. But as I progress, believe me I will post how this works for women who are truly over weight, not just 10 vanity pounds.

nicjayrob

How are all you Fasters getting on?? I'm trying to decide if this is something i want to continue (2 days into the 16/8 regime), but am reading alot of conflicting information!!!!!

TechLady11412

I first started IF 2 years ago, started on 16/8 (8 hour eating window and 16 fasted. The window opened at noon and closed at 8pm). Eventually went to a 4 hour eating window. I'm a 5'7" female 40's starting weight was 180. I lost 7 lbs. the first week, (probably lots of water at first) and at least 1lb. the following weeks. I believe my intake was anywhere between 1600-1800 calories. I lifted (compound, heavy) 3x a week and ran the other 3. My rest/relax day was Sunday. I would eat whatever I wanted on that day (during the eating window). I like eating big and would rather have one good big azz meal than a bunch of little ones. When I was eating 5-6x a day I was hungry all the time (ooh yayy in 2 hours I can have a cheesestick and an apple.............NOT!!)

I literally broke down and cried one day after the first month on IF. I was losing weight and felt great, more energy, getting more done, etc. I had struggled for so many years trying to work with those numerous tiny meals a day and I was RELIEVED that I finally found something that worked for me!! I like going to Chipotle and getting the Monster Burrito with double meat, beans, cheese and greens (about 1200 cals) eating the entire burrito and enjoying it, then having a protein shake a few hours later (protein powder, coconut oil, peanut butter, etc, whatever got the shake up to 4-500 cals) and be done with eating. No obsessing over structuring meals, finding time to eat, endless cooking, tupperware-ing and schlepping the meals to work, etc.

It worked for me, it might not for others, my suggestion for people is, if you're interested, try it and see if it works for you. It does for some, not for others (like a lot of stuff in life haha)

Keep it simple. Figure out how many cals you need, pick a window and eat during that window. When your window is closed, you can drink water, tea, coffee, diet drinks etc...as long as it doesn't have calories go for it. If you are hungry while waiting for the window to open, get out of yourself. Do some chores, wash the laundry, go for a walk, wash your car, call a friend, listen to music, go for a run. It took me about a week to get acclimated to the IF lifestyle. After that it was easy. I found I got more done not worrying and trying to plan around eating so many times a day. Good luck to all!!

Melissa

thavoice

I just started intermittent fasting...16/8. Down 2 lbs the first week. But, there isn't much on this diet for obese women, such as myself. I have looked and looked. It's always someone who is a gym enthusiast, training for competition. I want to know what to expect, how should I be feeling? I noticed my skin, seemed like it had more cellulite, then like the fat was breaking down...then it would look better for a few days, then loose again. Not sure if this is just the fat breaking down as toxins were being removed. But as I progress, believe me I will post how this works for women who are truly over weight, not just 10 vanity pounds.

Not sure what you mean by there isnt much on this diet for obese women.

Can you explain?

It isnt an obese, or a mildy overweight, or a skinny thing. It is a weight loss way of life. There are some books out there that talk about it. Eat. Stop. Eat is the one that I read. The actual part about the lifestyle change doesnt take long as it is pretty simple, but most of the book is talking about the benefits, and debunking many myths of weight loss.

cchew686

I've been starting to intermittent fast more often now that I am well adjusted to my eating plan. I never liked to eat breakfast anyway. This week, I've done 16/8 every day. I don't really plan to do it, but if I'm not hungry for breakfast, I just choose not to eat.

I do end up having to eat at night in order to get my calories in, but I sleep best if I've had something to eat before going to bed anyway. According to my research and experience with my own body, eating at night is great for me.

I'm losing weight at a good pace, and I'm feeling great. I have to give my dietary choices the credit for my health improvements, but intermittent fasting fits right in.

I kind of just stumbled into it myself. I don't care for breakfast either and was apparently doing a 16/8 intermittent fast without knowing it. It wasn't until reading some of the posts on MFP that I realized what I was doing had a name. It seems to work for me thus far. I agree with what most everybody has said, listen to your body and do what works. BTW, cute dog!

smc864

I did 16/8 for a while and really liked it initially... until I started binge eating. I don't recommend IF for anyone with disordered eating like binging.

Btw, I was never really a binge eater before trying IF.

smruggles

How are all you Fasters getting on?? I'm trying to decide if this is something i want to continue (2 days into the 16/8 regime), but am reading alot of conflicting information!!!!!

I'm at the one week point and I think it's working great. I'm doing a 16:8 fast while ensuring I get the right amount of macros based on a 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein diet.

I found this IF Calculator helpful (http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/).

I've lost 2 lbs in the week, but my weight usually fluctuates between 1-3 lbs, so I'll keep you posted!

boldenca

Bump

dixiewhiskey

I'm doing 14/10 - seems to be working. I hate eating breakfast at 7AM anyway and noticed I was able to really kill my lifts and cardio doing it fasted. IF is working out for me, I am still getting 2300 cals a day but in a different time frame. Not really sure if that counts as IF.. but it's working.

Linnaea27

Bumping because I want to read all this and try it

SnazzIT

I have been doing Fast5 for over 20 days now and I have lost over a pound a week. My eating window is between 1.30pm to 6.30pm. It was originally 5pm to 10pm but I was sometimes eating too close to bed time and like to eat before my daily walk which is mostly in the evenings. I am not a breakfast person so those hours work great for me.

You can google Fast5, its IF but much simpler and I can eat whatever I want so long as it is within the window and I log it in MFP to stay within my calorie totals.

Its worked for me and I am going to stay on it permanently, because I don't feel deprived at all. I have lost over 3Kgs since I started.

brookemart81

This is a new concept to me, but it's basically what I've been doing for as long as I can remember. I almost never eat before noon (just coffee with a splash of milk) and usually don't eat much later than 8- so I guess I've been doing 16/8. Sometimes I go straight into lunch at noon, other times I'll have something small (bowl of cereal or yogurt) and then have lunch at 2 or 3 and dinner around 7.

I'd been thinking I was going to try to start making a point of eating a real breakfast everyday, but maybe I'll reconsider that. Since I've started MFP I've definitely found it hard to spread my calories out into three meals and still feel full after any of them. I can see how letting go of the idea of breakfast and focusing on a good sized lunch and dinner might help with that.

brisingr86

Bump. Want to check out some of these resources.

Derelyn2013

Thank you so much for sharing that site! I'm doing it now (started Sunday). I feel great so far. As with anything else, I'm fully aware that results vary, and everyone's individual bodies are different.

I actually have always done some type of IF my entire life - I just didn't realize it was an actual thing until a couple of weeks ago. (Spiritual fasting reasons, as well as the whole "stop eating three hours before bed" saying. I used to stop eating at 5 pm - and wouldn't eat breakfast again until around 8 am - that was just my normal schedule).

Then come the marriage, work, kids, etc.

I'm doing a 16/8 hour window but am experimenting with pushing the fasting window longer. I found that I'm not actually hungry at 10 am, but more around 11 am - and my body doesn't respond well if I wait until 6 pm to eat. I get hungry around 4ish and if I eat at that time, I can last the entire night/morning without getting hungry again.

I am 5'2 with a small frame and weigh 107 lbs. I'm working to get back to 102 lbs. It's only 5 lbs I know but on my little frame - it's like 15. I'm also very active. (Workout at least 5-6x per week and play soccer 1x per week). And I have two kids.

I try to eat nutrient dense food (green smoothie EVERY DAY is ALWAYS part of my breakfast) and minimize junk food. I'm not drinking at the moment either but that's just because I wanted to give my liver a break.

I'll post again with an update after I've done the IF for at least 5 weeks. Still on week 1.

Other details - I'm 31 years old. I eat roughly 1180-1600 calories per day. 1180 is on the low side but overall, for my height, gender, and age, I do NOT eat low calorie. I eat what my body needs. I am slowly ridding myself off of sugar free anything. (NOT sugar - sugar free => chemically manufactured sugar substitutes).

I workout for 40-50 minutes per day. Basic stuff (jump rope, jumping jacks, squats, lunges, standard push ups, dips, etc. - then there's soccer. In the summer I play 2x per week, sometimes 3. Games last anywhere from 60 minutes to 90 minutes - as I play both indoor/outdoor).

So - I'm pretty active - I wanted to add the stuff above because I've read people say something about the IF thing being a low calorie diet in disguise.

For me, that's definitely not true. Passing out on the soccer field would not be a good thing. It's simply a method at controlling what I eat, and being sure that I'm listening to my body queues, and eating at the most optimal times of the day, for me and my lifestyle.

I've read about the hormonal fluctuations in women so we shall see. But this isn't the first time I've used a fasting regimen.

Peace/love/food!

VeganAmandaJ

That's interesting because it's actually helping me get to bed earlier. I have been doing 14-16:8 so I start eating betwee 1 and 3 and then finish by 9-11 or sometimes even I start at 4 to finish by 12 depending on my schedule and I love it so far with no adverse effects yet. I'm still doing more research but I believe it's helping me eat less and be more consistent. It's been less than a week but so far so good.

Tried it, like the female mice in the study, I couldn't sleep on fasting days. Maybe I'm a mouse?

albayin

That's interesting because it's actually helping me get to bed earlier. I have been doing 14-16:8 so I start eating betwee 1 and 3 and then finish by 9-11 or sometimes even I start at 4 to finish by 12 depending on my schedule and I love it so far with no adverse effects yet. I'm still doing more research but I believe it's helping me eat less and be more consistent. It's been less than a week but so far so good.

Tried it, like the female mice in the study, I couldn't sleep on fasting days. Maybe I'm a mouse?

I go to bed early simply because I am hungry and don't want to binge.

reaume1k

I've been doing 16:8, and I love it because it fits right in with my lifestyle! I don't really like eating breakfast, and I find it a lot easier to track calories and keep them under control. I also love it because it allows me to go out at night and eat the full meals served at restaurants when I am with friends and family. (without having to order a salad or only eat half the plate). This way it "looks" like I eat the same as everyone else without being singled out as someone who is "dieting". For me, avoiding the judgement from family and friends is a big benefit.

Shanahan423

I have been trying 18:6 for about a week and a half and haven't had any adverse side effects. I work out at about 6:30am and have been eating from noon to six every day because it works for eating dinner at home, but am actually going to move it closer to my work out in the morning, about 7:30 or 8 to 2 or 4 because I think saying after exercising fasted is very important for muscle recovery. I have found that by eating a lot of vegetables and healthy organic protein I stay full for HOURS. I sometimes felt I had to eat nuts and high calorie foods to make sure I was eating enough, and never got hungry after 6. But everyones schedules are different so each person needs to work with how their body reacts. I like that I don't have to think about food much, and it actually has been saving me money.

KRmurrish

I just started intermittent fasting...16/8. Down 2 lbs the first week. But, there isn't much on this diet for obese women, such as myself. I have looked and looked. It's always someone who is a gym enthusiast, training for competition. I want to know what to expect, how should I be feeling? I noticed my skin, seemed like it had more cellulite, then like the fat was breaking down...then it would look better for a few days, then loose again. Not sure if this is just the fat breaking down as toxins were being removed. But as I progress, believe me I will post how this works for women who are truly over weight, not just 10 vanity pounds.

Have you kept up with the fasting? Can you tell me how it worked for you? I know what you mean, everything I've read about IF has always been by people who were already super fit and wanted a boost, were training for something, or were muscle building weight lifters. All good things...but as an obese women who doesn't do any of those things I just am looking for something to help me lose fat and get healthier since it seems I've tried everything else.

WalkingAlong

Here's a site with many women doing intermittent fasting, specifically JUDDD.

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/juddd/

holliebevineau

I love IF!! 16/8 is what works for me. I also lift in my fasted state and it feels great! I am not hungry in the morning at all now.