If you're a woman and you're looking to achieve a weight loss or wellness goal with Intermittent Fasting, you're probably wondering if it will work for you.
Today, we're diving into the details of Intermittent Fasting for women and what you need to know before you get started.
Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Women?
Intermittent Fasting has a number of studied benefits, namely that it can help reduce body fat.(1) While incorporating a daily fast (between 12-22 hours per day), the body naturally experiences a dip in the storing hormone insulin. When this hormone is low, it allows the process of fat burning (called lipolysis) to be turned on. This response is the same in both men and women, to varying degrees.
Another noted perk of Intermittent Fasting is a reduction in bloating. This is likely due to the fact that fasting naturally allows the gut cleaning process, called the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC), to be turned on. When this is turned on during a fast, the body is able to flush out left behind food and bacteria that would normally lead to fermentation and bloating. Eating or snacking will stop the MMC from cleaning the GI tract. The MMC process is triggered in both men and women during a fasted state.(2)
Is Intermittent Fasting Bad For Women?
Some women are concerned that Intermittent Fasting is bad for female hormones. This concern largely comes from a rat study studying Alternate Day Fasting.(3) Alternate Fay Fasting is where you fast for an entire day (24 hours) and eat "normally" on non-fasting days. This is much different than daily Time Restricted Intermittent Fasting where you fast for 12-22 hours per day, then eat enough nutrients for the body's needs during the eating window. The key difference is that with Alternate Day Fasting, you aren't getting your daily nutrient needs every other day. With Time Restricted Fasting, you can get your daily nutrient needs every day.
It's also important to note that as of this writing and to my best knowledge, there are no studies showing daily Time Restricted Intermittent Fasting (without calorie restriction) has a negative effect on female hormones.
Women are, however, very sensitive to a starvation state. If you're not hitting your daily nutrient needs (such as with calorie restriction or multiple day fasts), then this could potentially be a problem.
That's why the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle focuses on eating until satiated and getting enough nutrients for the body's needs each day.
You can check out a full breakdown of the current research on Intermittent Fasting for women with my video below.
Intermittent Fasting Results
But studies and physiology can only tell you so much. Check out real life women's experiences using Intermittent Fasting and the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle protocols below.
Jeannette
"I was ready to try something new and I remembered my son having great results with IF (Intermittent Fasting) and how much energy he felt at the time. After talking to him I decided to pick a date and just make little changes. I started educating myself, on everything IF from many different sources and then I came across Autumn’s YouTube video and I binged watched and within a week of just using the breakfast guidelines I started to feel better.
... now I'm down 29 lbs. I sleep so good, feel happy and my energy is amazing."
Check out Jeannette's entire Intermittent Fasting experience HERE.
Karola
"I lost over 25 lbs in about 4 months and went from a size 14/16 to a size 10. When I started the program, I was out of breath after ~5-10 minutes of light biking and now I bike 30-40 minutes about 3 times a week without any problems. The last time I went dancing in a club, I didn’t last longer than a song or two in a row and now I feel like I can dance all night long :-)
I have more energy, I am rarely ever hungry and I spend less time with preparing food, with opens up free time for other fun activities."
Checkout Karola's entire Intermittent Fasting journey HERE.
Monica
"I had only set out to lose 5 or 10 pounds, but I actually lost nearly 25 pounds over the course of three or four months! ...I have stopped obsessively counting calories and living in what felt like a persistent state of starvation."
Check out Monica's full story HERE.
Join THOUSANDS of women (like Jeannette, Karola and Monica!) around the world in achieving your weight loss or wellness goals with the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle!
Unlock 8 weeks of meal planning,100+ recipes and the science-backed tips to help you achieve your wellness goals.
Head over HERE to get started!
Keto Coffee Cheers,
Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition