Intermittent fasting guide for women

It has been shown that intermittent fasting (FI) contributes to weight loss, boosts immunity and even disease prevention, but before diving into it, you should know that IF can affect the body. women differently than men. the key to achieving the goals you have set for yourself.

Before we begin, let's go back to the basics. If it's not so much a diet as a lifestyle. Rather than eliminating specific foods from your diet or reducing calories, you simply reduce the window in which you eat during the day. There are several methods to do this, including the 12:12 ratio – eating for 12 hours, then fasting for 12 hours – which is considered best for beginners. Stricter plans include 14h10 (eat for 10 hours) and 16h08 (eat in general from noon to 20h).

Liz Josefsberg, personal trainer and weight loss specialist and nutritionist for The Vitamin Shoppe, explained that this was meant to help the body repair the cells and help the hormone levels to easier access to stored fat.

So, how is intermittent fasting different for women?

"Some research suggests that fasting may not be as effective or beneficial for women as it is for men," Liz told POPSUGAR. "It's because women's bodies are very sensitive to caloric restriction." A study published in Research on obesity found that some women may actually have lower glucose tolerance than men after IF, and research on Journal of Endocrinological Investigation have shown that a disruption of the release of reproductive hormones can occur during a low-calorie diet, resulting in hormonal imbalances and an unpredictable menstrual cycle.

But that does not mean that the IF is totally off the table, said POPSUGAR Brittany Michels, registered dietitian for The Vitamin Shoppe. "Women tend to find more success and less hormonal effects by following shorter fasting windows, such as 12 to 2 pm," she said.

How to practice intermittent fasting safely?

First, evaluate your stress level. "Fasting is extra stress for the body, which can have adverse effects," Brittany said. Those who have started a fast and are beginning to notice signs of hormonal imbalance should modify or stop fasting.A modification could mean increasing the window of daily observation to eat to fast only one day a week. "

For starters, you can try a plan at 12:12 and work until 16:08 – skipping breakfast and limiting meals to an eight-hour window, which many Brittany customers find easy to follow. If you're aiming to lose weight, consume as few calories as possible to maintain your weight during these eight hours (also called keeping calories). If you just want to be healthier, try to make up for the missed meal during that time, even if it means exceeding your calorie intake. And remember to consider your lifestyle before starting a plan. "Someone who works from 12pm to 8pm with a 30-minute meal break would not be the best candidate for a 16: 8 window," Brittany said. "They would probably find more success on a 1:11 pm because they could have breakfast before work and lunch at work."

Whatever your plan, start slowly. Liz suggests pushing the meal for one hour every two or three days until you find the perfect ratio. "When you eat, limit carbohydrates and push meals to higher levels of fat and healthy protein," she said.