intermittent fasting for women, safe?

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

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:

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?

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.

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

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!

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!!!

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."

I haven't had any problems doing it.

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

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

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.

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!!!

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/