intermittent fasting for women, safe?

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  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I often just have coffee for breakfast. I'm not sure if it counts as "Intermittent" fasting it's just what works for me. I don't really have time for breakfast and I'm not hungry until 10ish anyway.
  • Peachygirl14
    Peachygirl14 Posts: 46
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    Ramadan fallsl during when the nights are long. Muslim fast in the sense that they don't eat food when the sun is up. They eat before sunrise and after sunset.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    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.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
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    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.

    there is just so much no in here it isn't funny.

    Just no.

    IF works for men.

    IF work for women.

    IF WORKS for people who like that system and stick with it.

    +1
  • KatrinaWilke
    KatrinaWilke Posts: 372 Member
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    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 :)

    I practice IF by accident. Sometimes I eat a **** ton of food for lunch and am not that hungry so I skip dinner.....but my caloric intake is still the same as if I had eaten a smaller lunch and dinner.
  • WhataBroad
    WhataBroad Posts: 1,091 Member
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    there are many different fasting protocols, from hours, which what OP is referring to, to days like the 5:2. The reality is most people who eat breakfast and have their last meal at 5/6 pm, is fasting until they eat breakfast the next morning!
    Some people like to eat breakfast, some people don't. Some people work afternoon/night shifts and their 'breakfast' is at noon/1pm, are they damaging their metabolism?? I vote for eat when you are hungry!
    If eating later in the day works for you and your lifestyle, then do it and until there is reputable evidence that there is only one way to eat for everybody, I will join you!

    OP, enjoy! :flowerforyou:
  • meltingawaymedifast
    meltingawaymedifast Posts: 2
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    www.metlingaway.tsfl.com
  • WhataBroad
    WhataBroad Posts: 1,091 Member
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    www.metlingaway.tsfl.com

    wow, all 4 posts are for your diet website. :laugh:
  • W0rthless_Her0
    W0rthless_Her0 Posts: 121
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    Fasting at night? Unless you work the night shift, I thought that it was just called sleeping?

    =\

    Well Shazaaam. Ya learn something new every darn day.
  • AlyssaJoJo
    AlyssaJoJo Posts: 449 Member
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    I do the 16:8 most days. I feel like this works for me the best - I do have coffee during this time though. I'm just really not a breakfast person and don't fee like I should have to force my self to eat if I'm not hungry. On the few days I am hungry for breakfast I eat - so it's not an every single day thing for me. I just find that this works best for me since I eat higher calories, yet still healthy, foods and can still reach 1300-1900 calories in my day for IIFYM.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    I have practiced several IF protocols, ranging from Eat-Stop-Eat (24-hr fast twice a week) to strict Leangains (16 hr fast daily) to currently more of a Warrior Diet fast (20 hrs a day). I have lost weight and maintained on these protocols.

    Let's be clear about one thing: fasting, in and of itself, does not cause you to lose weight. You still have to eat at a caloric deficit over a period of time. The main benefit of fasting, for me, is that I prefer to eat large meals later in the day. I actually only eat one meal a day. I can handle that better than 6 tiny meals scattered throughout the day at times when I'm not hungry and/or when it's not convenient for me to eat.

    The main factor here is diet adherence. If fasting, whether for 14 hrs or 24 hrs or somewhere in between, works for you, then it works for you. There will be an adjustment period, during which it may be uncomfortable, but after a week or two, if you find yourself still counting down the minutes until you get to eat, then fasting probably isn't for you. If you find that you're capable of going 16 hours without food but then you gorge yourself beyond your ideal caloric intake (dependent on your goals), then fasting isn't for you. Fasting is for people who have no problem going for extended period without eating and have no problem sticking to their calorie goal when they do eat.

    I strongly encourage you to visit the Leangains website. Martin Berkhan has compiled a ton of research there to answer all the questions and debunk all the myths about intermittent fasting. This link is particularly helpful: http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    I like Intermittent Fasting and practice the 16:8 feeding window quite a bit. However, on days that I am hungry in the morning - I eat.

    If it works for you, then do it :)
  • SweetTea111104
    SweetTea111104 Posts: 338 Member
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    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.


    SO I usually don't post in these forums but the reference to Ramadan being a "religious ceremony" blows my mind! Really?:noway: I know that people post things out of ignorance but it shouldn't be under the context of trying to prove a point. Loud and wrong is still wrong. Oh and by the way we do fast during periodically throughout the year as well.

    PeachyGirl14- NO ma'am. Muslims operate on a lunar calendar which means that the months shift slightly every year so for the past few years and moving forward Ramadan is during the summer which means extremely long days and short nights.

    I know this isn't about ISLAM but I just wanted to clear a couple things up.:flowerforyou: Carry on! LOL!!!:laugh:
  • daimere
    daimere Posts: 31 Member
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    I used to be a big proponent of eating throughout the day and stuff. And then I started working in the medical field. Night shift of all things. Especially with my longer shifts, healthy eating was becoming SO stressful. Trying to space calories and points throughout the day was so hardddddd. I was still having issues with food.

    It wasn't till my ex-husband lost his job, that I considered 5:2. I got the book and read up on it. Seemed pretty simple? Not eating a few meals would seem doable and save money, right? YEP. I was able to lose weight even though finances were tight. I only made two "special" 500 calorie meals. I tightened my portions. I also incorporated eating windows. I eat between 8-5am. When I need to, I will open the window for breakfast with my mom. But I keep tracking either way. Some days I'd eat 2000, 1800, 2400, etc. My 5:2 fast days tend to be really 700-900. And I lose weight on this! I get more sleep when I work longer shifts because I don't have to wake to eat. I save a few meals a few times a week. But the biggest plus I find with IF is.... the freedom about food. Food doesn't control me as much. I eat less. I can listen to my body more when I am actively IFing. I used to scarf down a ton of food from Taco Bell but I can only eat half now. It's helped reconnect me to those hunger cues.

    I know today I could have two scoops of ice cream and hershey kisses! No guilt. Today was my "feast night"(although I try to stay below MFP cals). Because I know it's all worked out in the end. I track on MFP and I'm set. When I skip my dinner for my 5:2s, I exercise. It's like I am getting extra time in my day! It's working so far. I don't come home from work and binged which is what I do a lot when I let myself eat uncontrolled at home.

    So if you like IFing, do it! Some people will not be happy about it but just make sure you aren't starving yourself. :)
  • greginnd
    greginnd Posts: 26 Member
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    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.


    This looks like an article from someone who is not a licensed medical doctor or research scientist. I see a claim about cortisol levels but no data or published peer reviewed studies to support that claim. Do you have any proper references?
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,988 Member
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    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.

    So where's the danger point? 16 hours? 14 hours? 12 hours? For children who sleep 12 hours a night, should parents be waking them up in the middle of the night to feed them, or is it OK just to give them a snack minutes before sending them to bed (after brushing their teeth and having them bedtime story?) and make sure that they start eating breakfast the minute they wake up?
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
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    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.


    This looks like an article from someone who is not a licensed medical doctor or research scientist. I see a claim about cortisol levels but no data or published peer reviewed studies to support that claim. Do you have any proper references?

    It also states very clearly in the blog that IF is fine for most people and only may be detrimental to people with documented blood sugar issues. Anecdotally, I'm on another board where JUDDD is the main focus and have seen a couple of diabetics reverse their diabetes and be taken off all medications, just from following alternate day fasting.

    If a blog or article is referenced as support of a position, shouldn't it actually support the position?

    Anyway, I've been doing JUDDD (alternate day fasting) or 5:2 for 2 years. I've lost nearly 135 pounds and am maintaining fabulously. I would venture to say I'm much healthier now than I was at 280 pounds. I do not believe there's anything inherently unhealthy about IF. Try it out; see how you like it. It's not for everyone, but it's a great tool to have in your arsenal.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    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.

    This is completely incorrect.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    Options
    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.


    This looks like an article from someone who is not a licensed medical doctor or research scientist. I see a claim about cortisol levels but no data or published peer reviewed studies to support that claim. Do you have any proper references?

    It also states very clearly in the blog that IF is fine for most people and only may be detrimental to people with documented blood sugar issues. Anecdotally, I'm on another board where JUDDD is the main focus and have seen a couple of diabetics reverse their diabetes and be taken off all medications, just from following alternate day fasting.

    If a blog or article is referenced as support of a position, shouldn't it actually support the position?

    Anyway, I've been doing JUDDD (alternate day fasting) or 5:2 for 2 years. I've lost nearly 135 pounds and am maintaining fabulously. I would venture to say I'm much healthier now than I was at 280 pounds. I do not believe there's anything inherently unhealthy about IF. Try it out; see how you like it. It's not for everyone, but it's a great tool to have in your arsenal.

    +1
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,633 Member
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    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.

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