16:8, 14:10 or 5:2 - which is best for women?

SarahMZxx
SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I am thinking of starting intermittent fasting. I think this will suit my lifestyle and I've heard good things. Although I have also heard that it is not as effective for women and can cause hormonal problems. I just wondered if any girls out there do intermittent fasting and if so which do you follow - 16:8, 14:10 or 5:2?

Thanks! xxx

Replies

  • SarahMZxx
    SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
    Anyone?!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    You couldn't wait 20 minutes before a bump? How are you ever going to make 14 hrs between meals? ;)
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • DustyRuth23
    DustyRuth23 Posts: 23 Member
    I do 12 hours. Example: if I eat at 6pm, I don't eat again until 6am. I've noticed a difference.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    I go 16:8 but that's a natural eating pattern for me. My coworkers swear I've been tons easier to get along with in the last week or so since I started eating like this again. This being said pay attention to what your body says I personally can't do a 5:2 fast my blood sugar destabilizes 18 hours into a fast causing migraines and dizzy spells.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    I eat one meal a day, dinner at 11:00 PM . My eating window is between 6 and 11 PM, so there is at least 18 hours between meals. I've only been doing this for a week, so I haven't seen many results yet, but I've done a lot of research and I have found women who have lost significant amounts of weight doing this.
  • SarahMZxx
    SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
    Thank you everyone. xxx
  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
    I eat whenever I feel like it. I usually end up not eating from about 9PM-9AM though so I guess you call it 12:12? I have no idea how IF works honestly. LOL
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I don't intentionally follow any sort of intermittent fasting, but when I'm eating at a larger deficit, I tend to feel best with a 10 hour eating window (usually from around noon to 10pm). I've never been a big breakfast eater, and skipping a traditional breakfast altogether usually means I'm less hungry throughout the day and can eat larger meals later in the day that I really enjoy.

    Many people who follow intermittent fasting stagger their calorie intake throughout their week rather than their day - for instance, with a 5:2 method, they might have 2 very low calorie days, and the other 5 days they eat closer to maintenance. This creates the necessary deficit for weight loss without having to "diet" every single day of the week.

    I think the best plan is the one that you can stick to and helps you feel your best.
  • Pnutcashew
    Pnutcashew Posts: 24 Member
    I have done 5:2 for a few months, but found it really hard to maintain long term. Too many variables in day to day life to plan out fast days. My husband and I are currently doing 16:8 and having good results with it. We eat for an 8 hour window after our first bit of food. For example, I eat my first bit of food at 10 am, and then stop eating at 6pm. We eat dinner around 5pm most weekdays so if I want a small snack after dinner I consume it by 6pm. I don't eat again until 10am. the next day. On weekends, I usually don't eat until lunchtime and then finish up 8 hours later. I like the freedom the 16:8 gives me compared to the 5:2.
  • SarahMZxx
    SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
    I have done 5:2 for a few months, but found it really hard to maintain long term. Too many variables in day to day life to plan out fast days. My husband and I are currently doing 16:8 and having good results with it. We eat for an 8 hour window after our first bit of food. For example, I eat my first bit of food at 10 am, and then stop eating at 6pm. We eat dinner around 5pm most weekdays so if I want a small snack after dinner I consume it by 6pm. I don't eat again until 10am. the next day. On weekends, I usually don't eat until lunchtime and then finish up 8 hours later. I like the freedom the 16:8 gives me compared to the 5:2.

    Yes i think i would struggle with 5:2 too if honest. Sorry to be too personal but have you found 16:8 has affected your hormones at all? That is my main worry! xxx
  • angela233Z
    angela233Z Posts: 312 Member
    I have been doing 5:2 for a few months and love it!! I only have to think about dieting 2 days a week and the rest of the week I can relax. It is great for someone with little will power as I can power thru one day.
  • SarahMZxx
    SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
    Thank you everyone :) xxx
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    Not following any plan at all, most of my life I've had a 10-11 hr window I eat in.
    Breakfast at/before work (9a), lunch during (1p), snack (3p) and dinner within 1-2 hours of getting home (6-7p).
    And for years and years I skipped breakfast, except when I was doing physical labor all day (Normally summers when I was a grass cutter 25-30ish years ago, and 125lbs eating 4k cals a day, with half of it being soda)
    I've never been the type that snacks through out the evening. Which might be why I don't get this intermittent fasting thing as it seems to be how I have always lived.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I go 16:8 but that's a natural eating pattern for me. My coworkers swear I've been tons easier to get along with in the last week or so since I started eating like this again. This being said pay attention to what your body says I personally can't do a 5:2 fast my blood sugar destabilizes 18 hours into a fast causing migraines and dizzy spells.

    You can do 5:2, just keep the same timing as your usual. Or even less. There's no need to push to 18 hrs fasted.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    I personally do 5:2 and have found it shockingly easy. I resisted giving it a try because I thought it would be too hard. I was shocked to find out how manageable it is for me.

    I opt to hold all my calories on fast days for dinner, so it ends up being about a 24 hour fast as I haven't eaten since the nice before. If I break it up into small lunch and dinner, I find that much more difficult -- like the first meal kick starts my appetite.

    For me, this has been the easiest way to maintain a weekly deficit. I just concentrate two days a week and then don't worry about it the other 5. Though I still do track my calories on TDEE days -- to make sure I'm not going way over. But, I've found that after the first two weeks or so of starting 5:2, I rarely eat to my full TDEE. I'm just not hungry for it, though I LOVE knowing it's there if I want to eat more. I think the fasting has "trained" me on what hunger really is.
  • SarahMZxx
    SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
    I personally do 5:2 and have found it shockingly easy. I resisted giving it a try because I thought it would be too hard. I was shocked to find out how manageable it is for me.

    I opt to hold all my calories on fast days for dinner, so it ends up being about a 24 hour fast as I haven't eaten since the nice before. If I break it up into small lunch and dinner, I find that much more difficult -- like the first meal kick starts my appetite.

    For me, this has been the easiest way to maintain a weekly deficit. I just concentrate two days a week and then don't worry about it the other 5. Though I still do track my calories on TDEE days -- to make sure I'm not going way over. But, I've found that after the first two weeks or so of starting 5:2, I rarely eat to my full TDEE. I'm just not hungry for it, though I LOVE knowing it's there if I want to eat more. I think the fasting has "trained" me on what hunger really is.

    Thank you :) Do you have any hormonal disturbances from doing it? That is my main worry! xxx
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    I've been 5:2ing for over a year. I love it, and find it very easy to fit around other social life. I haven't noticed any hormonal effect, but I am post-menopausal. What hormonal disturbances are you concerned about, and how would you measure them?
  • SarahMZxx
    SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
    I've just heard that it can make your periods irregular and even read that it can cause your ovaries to shrink!!! xxx
  • ladyofthelakeontario
    ladyofthelakeontario Posts: 36 Member
    I do a combination of all three I guess. I generally have an 8 hour window, but will expand that to a 10 hour window close to my cycle. I also do 5:2. I've been doing that for about two months and I think it's going to be a long term, if not permanent, way of eating for me. I love it.

    Can you link to whatever source you have for the irregular periods and shrinking ovaries? I haven't heard about that myself, and don't feel I can comment without context.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Sarah, where are you getting that from? I'm on a number of different 5:2 forums, and no-one has ever complained about shrinking ovaries (seriously, how do you measure that?)
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    I think the fasting has "trained" me on what hunger really is.
    This is one of the biggest benefits to IF that I don't think gets given enough credit. Really separates out needing food vs. eating due to "it's lunchtime, derp", "I'm bored", etc.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    I was actually regular the time I did it before, well as regular as I've ever been anyways. And like I said the form I use does wonders for my moodiness.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I have been doing 5:2 for a few months and love it!! I only have to think about dieting 2 days a week and the rest of the week I can relax. It is great for someone with little will power as I can power thru one day.

    This!^

    I've just started, but I think this will work out well for me. Fast days are fine (not dizzy, etc). I've not been too hungry. I eat lots of protein, include some fiber and a little fat over 2 meals. Pretty filling overall.

    I'm afraid 12:12 wouldn't result in much weight loss for me. 16:8 would be impractical...eating at my desk
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    I'd say the one that falls in line with how you normally like to eat would be best.

    I accidentally fall into the 16:8 while cutting as it suits me to skip breakfast. Tried 5:2 and it wasn't for me but it works for loads of other folks.

    Honestly, all that's important is the deficit not when you get it.
  • SarahMZxx
    SarahMZxx Posts: 62 Member
    Sarah, where are you getting that from? I'm on a number of different 5:2 forums, and no-one has ever complained about shrinking ovaries (seriously, how do you measure that?)

    Here you go: http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/373665/Caveman-fasting-diet-may-leave-women-diabetic

    Not sure how accurate/true it is of course...but it did make me think! xxx
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    There's a lot in that article to find fault with!

    I agree, though, that studies on human so far are limited. Studies in rats are useful, but only to a certain extent. Fast days are NOT about drinking shakes or following a paleo diet.

    But really, fasting isn't new. Many religions and cultures have practised it for years. Without, as far as I know, their ovaries shrinking.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    Well, I don't need my ovaries anyway, let them shrink. :tongue:

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