Intermittent Fasting: Not for Women?

alltacht · August 2012

Hey guys,
so I have been trying intermittent fasting the past month or so. All my life Ive had a tendancy to be able to fast the odd day, usually from going a bit over with eating maybe a few days beforehand, this was before I was ever fat or knew anything about calories/i.f etc. I dont just fast for weight loss but for the associated health benefits too.
But I must say Im finding it a bit difficult lately. I have a clean bill of health so no underlying conditions. I feel lethargic, tired etc when Im on a fast day. I see so many people saying they feel really alert and stuff while fasted. I just dont get like that.
I was on another forum regarding the 16/8 fasting method and a few posters mentioned that any human research so far on fasting has been carried out on men. A lot of women reported menstrual interruption, tiredness, hyperglaecemia and bloated belly.
Now I know loads of women here do great with I.F and up till last week I was basically grand with it and really enjoyed eating at maintanence the rest of the week and eating abut 250 cals on fast days after Id been fasted for about 18-20 hours.
I was just wondering has anyone else got any knowledge about the effects on women, has anyone heard that its not as suitable for women as it is for men? Or can some successful I.F girls just reassure me? Thanks!

rileysowner · August 2012

I can't answer your question, but since fasting days were fine for you before and are not now, what changed. Also, do you do one or two 24 hour fasts? What is your macro breakdown? What sort of exercise are you doing?

cartrat · August 2012

i read about IF being bad for women too. but... there are SO many ways to do IF. i used to do a 24 hour fast on sundays (eat dinner saturday night and then won't eat until sunday night). it really helped because my cheat meal would usually be that saturday night dinner and i i felt my fast helped me lose weight or stay the same after cheating. but when something would come up on the weekend and i would try to do it during the weekday, it was freaking torture for some reason; the same things would happen to me. maybe because you're able to think about it all day and on sunday i would be distracted. anyway, then i started just drinking coffee in the mornings for breakfast and do the 8/16 method and that's not as hard.

rileysowner · August 2012

Did you post this question in http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting

I didn't see it there, and that is where most of the IF people hang out.

There are lots of women who successfully IF, so check there if you haven't.

yarwell · August 2012

has anyone heard that its not as suitable for women as it is for men?

One of the drivers behind IF in the UK is breast cancer research, so they don't think it's a problem for women.

alltacht · August 2012

Thanks for the responses everyone.
I think it must vary from person to person.
To the first poster, the only thing thats changed is time. I think it was fine the first while but my body is just sick of it now? Cos all my other variables are the same.
I just found this link in a similar post if you guys wana have a look at it, there seems to be quite a movement about how I.F is more suited for men, or at least in a general sense. Anyone have thoughts on this article??
http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

StarvingDiva · August 2012

Hey guys,
so I have been trying intermittent fasting the past month or so. All my life Ive had a tendancy to be able to fast the odd day, usually from going a bit over with eating maybe a few days beforehand, this was before I was ever fat or knew anything about calories/i.f etc. I dont just fast for weight loss but for the associated health benefits too.
But I must say Im finding it a bit difficult lately. I have a clean bill of health so no underlying conditions. I feel lethargic, tired etc when Im on a fast day. I see so many people saying they feel really alert and stuff while fasted. I just dont get like that.
I was on another forum regarding the 16/8 fasting method and a few posters mentioned that any human research so far on fasting has been carried out on men. A lot of women reported menstrual interruption, tiredness, hyperglaecemia and bloated belly.
Now I know loads of women here do great with I.F and up till last week I was basically grand with it and really enjoyed eating at maintanence the rest of the week and eating abut 250 cals on fast days after Id been fasted for about 18-20 hours.
I was just wondering has anyone else got any knowledge about the effects on women, has anyone heard that its not as suitable for women as it is for men? Or can some successful I.F girls just reassure me? Thanks!

\
I am doing Leangains 16/8 and I love it, I consistently lose every week since I started it. Prior to that I just fluctuated with the same 5 lbs every month. I stop eating at 6pm and start at 10 am the next day. Its not difficult at all, I don't feel weak (I do P90x fasted), and I don't feel hungry. I also have PCOS so it's actually done wonders for me, I'm having regular periods and ovulating, which I never did before, so it's been fantastic for me and my health in every way.

nenyo999 · August 2012

That particular article was discussed on the IF group thread on MFP. So just foolow the link posted above.

alltacht · August 2012

I am doing Leangains 16/8 and I love it, I consistently lose every week since I started it. Prior to that I just fluctuated with the same 5 lbs every month. I stop eating at 6pm and start at 10 am the next day. Its not difficult at all, I don't feel weak (I do P90x fasted), and I don't feel hungry. I also have PCOS so it's actually done wonders for me, I'm having regular periods and ovulating, which I never did before, so it's been fantastic for me and my health in every way.

Sounds great. I ended up not eating between 6 last night and 10 this morning and it was easier than what Id done before. Maybe as another poster said I should experiment more with different types of fasts. Interesting to see about your cycle regulating too, thats one of the things Ive been reading that women doing I.F were having problems with

bevtyndall · August 2012

I tried IF for a month everthing was going great until I missed my period.I am always on tiime..So yes it did effect my menstrua pattern.It makes you irregular.

Love_flowers · August 2012

Hi

I have had huge success with intermittent fasting and have lost a lot of weight this way.

When I do it I usually fast for 24hrs at a time. Sometimes 2 times a week other times just 3 times a month or so.

Usually after my period because I always eat extra on that time of month and so I fast a couple of times after my period and that puts me back to my normal weight straight away

Whitezombiegirl · August 2012

Discalimer: This si very vague and based on lots of things i have read, I have no references- so feel free to ignore this post if you want studies etc.

I tend to think of it like this:

In Hunter gather socities women brought in about 80% of the food- roots, berries, small game etc. The guys went on hunting trips to bring in the 'prize game'. The guys had no choice but to fast on the hunt (maybe picking the odd bit of hedgerow food along the way) they could'nt really stop to cook or use the loo as it would set themback and maybe alert thier prey). Once they got the kill they would break thier fast with the kill and bring the rewhat was left to the homestead.

This means that guys seems to do better with higher protein meals than women, who tend to crave more carbs than men. It also means that guys are more able to fast and exercise in a fasted state, and have more stable blood sugar. Women tend to need more regular meals, higher in carbs.

My experience:
My SO can and does eat once a day most days, he enjoys a higher protien meal (more meat) than me. He can eat a lot more than me in one sitting. I like to eat smaller, more regular meals which are higher in carb (fruit/ veg) content. My SO's blood sugar is much more stable than mine (yes, I'm envious)

I have fasted (300 cals) 3 times now and had no ill effects. ii have obsereved one weird thing though: My last fast was on a day that I had my period. It stopped and did not return the next day which was a feed day ....hmmmm....is that worrying? Its not goign to stop me fasting though.

rileysowner · August 2012

I tried IF for a month everthing was going great until I missed my period.I am always on tiime..So yes it did effect my menstrua pattern.It makes you irregular.

How much did you eat on your non-fast days?

DaNae9402 · August 2012

I'm wondering the same as Riley. You have to get in all your calories about BMR on your feeding day. I just started IF today 16/8. Personally I think 24 hours is extreme especially if you're not a bodybuilder.

rileysowner · August 2012

I'm wondering the same as Riley. You have to get in all your calories about BMR on your feeding day. I just started IF today 16/8. Personally I think 24 hours is extreme especially if you're not a bodybuilder.

Actually the 16/8 is designed for bodybuilders. 24 hour fasts 1 or 2 times a week are for pretty much anyone, but in either case eating sufficient food is necessary. If a person is IFing they should have some sort of strength training as well. It will work without it, but strength training will preserve muscle. Frankly, that is true for anyone seeking to lose weight whatever modality of their eating may be. For me personally I find the 1 or 2 days fasting for 24 hours a week much easier than 16/8 every day. On my off days I eat a maintenance and the fasts give my deficit.

Awkward30 · August 2012

I lost my period and had mad GI troubles that coincide with when I was trying out LG. I really love the lifestyle though, so I think I'll try again just so I can prove to myself that it is LG and not just a coincidence. It seems ridiculous that it would be LG since I never ate breakfast in highschool, and don't get hungry for breakfast. Also, I was doing 14/10, which is what the website recommends for women.

As far as lethargy or anything like that, I was fine. But I stopped losing weight, and put weight on when I ate more, presumably due to a tanked metabolism. I did see a doctor about the amenorrhea and blood tests showed my lady hormones were way low (which was not the case 5 months earlier, at which point I had been eating in a calorie deficit for about half a year.

Intermittent Fasting: Not for Women?

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