Intermittent Fasting for Women

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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.

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/

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 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.

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.

Bump

Bumping because I want to read all this and try it

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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