Fasting for non-religious causes – and whether or not it’s good or dangerous for you – has turn out to be a sizzling subject within the well being and health area. Everybody has an opinion they usually appear to be getting an increasing number of enthusiastic about it by the day.
Bounce into the feedback part of an Instagram publish of fasting and also you’ll see what I imply.
Personally, I get up HUNGRY.
My sister can’t have a look at meals earlier than midday.
I really feel like crap if I don’t eat earlier than understanding.
My buddy Jules appears like crap if she does eat earlier than understanding.
Way back to 2019, “intermittent fasting” was probably the most searched diet-related phrases on Google and the subject solely appears to have heated up since then.
With all of the hype round fasting, particularly for girls, it’s straightforward to get caught up within the pattern. However right here’s the factor: fasting for girls isn’t so simple as it could appear.
After diving into the analysis, my greatest takeaway is that this: Regardless of your opinion on fasting, you’ll seemingly discover analysis to assist your standpoint. However on the subject of fasting for girls, we have to take into account some necessary components, from the analysis gaps to how fasting impacts energetic ladies’s wants for power, muscle restoration, and hormonal steadiness. Right here’s what it is best to know.
What Is Fasting, Actually?
Fasting merely means taking a break from consuming (and typically ingesting) for a set time period.
Technically, all of us quick in a single day whereas we sleep—and that fasting window is definitely necessary! It provides our our bodies time to relaxation, restore, and faucet into saved power as an alternative of regularly processing new meals. And breakfast is actually the meal once we break the in a single day quick.
This pure “pause” requires that our our bodies deplete glucose and fatty acids circulating in our blood and faucet into power shops. It trains our our bodies to get higher at processing power.
However What About Longer Fasts?
Some folks deliberately stretch that in a single day quick into an extended break, a observe often known as intermittent fasting (IF). Probably the most common variations is known as time-restricted consuming (TRE), the place you restrict your consuming to a particular window – typically round 8 hours (or much less) – and quick the opposite 16 hours of the day.
For instance, you may eat dinner at 6 p.m. after which not have any extra energy till 10 a.m. the subsequent day—so that you simply’re fasting during times of low or lowered exercise.
There’s a Lack of Analysis on Fasting for Ladies
Many of the analysis on fasting has been accomplished on males and plenty of have solely been accomplished on animals. Individuals who assist fasting typically make the leap that findings of these research apply to ladies as properly, however that’s a fairly large leap as a result of ladies’s our bodies reply in another way than males’s (or mice)—particularly on the subject of lowered calorie consumption, our hormonal cycles, and train.
The huge majority of research on fasting for girls give attention to sedentary ladies and people take into accounted chubby or overweight. However with small pattern sizes it’s exhausting to generalize the findings to energetic ladies and people who usually are not thought of chubby or overweight.
We do see that for many who are inactive or sedentary, research have proven fasting generally is a useful stressor on the system that helps enhance insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, amongst different issues.
However in case you are an exerciser or an energetic ladies or in perimenopause, there’s a main hole within the analysis that makes it even tougher to use the present fasting analysis to your life—particularly on the subject of understanding how fasting impacts train efficiency and restoration.
Fasting for Weight Loss
The analysis on fasting and weight reduction is sort of clear: on the finish of the day, on the subject of weight reduction, fasting is basically only a methodology of calorie restriction. Whereas proponents declare fasting has particular metabolic advantages, there’s no strong proof displaying that it’s any more practical than different types of calorie management, like portion management, monitoring your meals consumption, or balanced consuming.
Fasting is only a methodology of decreasing your calorie consumption through the use of the clock to restrict your consumption. And when calorie consumption is managed for, fasting isn’t higher than different “diets” for reaching long-term weight reduction or well being enhancements.
Fasting and Train
Combining fasting and train is the place it will get difficult—particularly for girls. Primarily, it’s because fasting and train do comparable issues—they each lower your blood glucose and different necessary molecules circulating in your blood.
So whenever you mix them and train whereas fasted, you may find yourself with some points.
First, for each women and men, exercising fasted may make your blood sugar ranges go too low and depart you attempting to actually run on an empty tank. No fuel makes it actually exhausting to work out or work out exhausting sufficient to get the outcomes you’re after. It may additionally make you dizzy and cross out.
Second, fasted train is related to decreased efficiency, elevated fatigue, lowered talent, impaired focus, and an elevated notion of effort (so train feels tougher than it ought to). This makes it much less seemingly that you simply’ll have good coaching classes and even need to work out.
Moreover, muscle preservation is important for general well being and metabolism, and fasting alone could not do the job in addition to different consuming methods that prioritize protein and carbohydrates for muscle restoration and progress.
For girls who do select to quick or exercise fasted, it’s necessary that they proceed to give attention to consuming satisfactory meals – particularly protein and carbs – all through the day throughout their feeding window to reduce the chance of low power availability and forestall muscle breakdown and loss.
Self-Consciousness: The Key to Making Good Fueling Decisions
Whether or not you’re fasting or following one other consuming plan, self-awareness is crucial. Everybody’s physique is totally different, and which means tuning into your private wants and the way your weight loss plan (and train) impacts your power, temper, and efficiency.
And context issues—so keep in mind that it’s not nearly skipping that one meal, it’s about the way you’re balancing your wants throughout the day as properly. So what works for one individual, could not give you the results you want. And what used to give you the results you want, could someday now not be applicable or efficient.
Some ladies thrive on fasting, however many others discover that under-eating or fasting interferes with their exercises and restoration.
Everybody’s physique has distinctive wants, and there’s no one-size-fits-all method.
Once I introduced up the subject of fasting to my colleague, Jules Mitchell, writer of Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined, she shared how difficult it may be for individuals who weren’t athletes rising as much as acknowledge their physique’s indicators.
“The older I get, the extra privileged I really feel for having performed sports activities as a child and spent my childhood working races. At eight years outdated, I realized {that a} half banana earlier than a 10k would make me sick. I’ve been being attentive to my physique’s indicators my entire life. However for those who’re simply now in perimenopause and stepping into train, all of the blended messaging should be so complicated.”
Her expertise reminds us that self-awareness isn’t nearly noticing what we really feel at this time—it’s about understanding how our our bodies reply over time, via totally different phases of life and exercise.
In case you’re consistently feeling drained, weak, or sluggish throughout your exercises, it is perhaps an indication that you simply’re not fueling your physique correctly.
Self-awareness is about listening to your physique and making changes based mostly on how you’re feeling, not simply following the most recent pattern.
Many Lively Ladies Are Typically Below-fueled
One of many key factors that usually will get ignored on the subject of fasting for girls is the difficulty of under-fueling.
Many energetic ladies underestimate their complete every day power expenditure (because of all these foolish 1200-1500 calorie weight loss plan suggestions that we grew up with) and find yourself consuming too little to fulfill their power calls for. That is very true for girls who do common power coaching, high-intensity exercises, or endurance coaching.
A 2016 research performed on 109 feminine leisure exercisers discovered that 45% had been in danger for low power availability – that’s almost half of the ladies recruited from native gyms and health facilities had been in danger because of under-fueling.
So under-fueling and low power availability aren’t only a concern for “high-level” athletes, any exercising lady will be in danger.
Below-fueling can result in poor restoration, decreased efficiency, and even hormonal imbalances. Ladies who prepare exhausting want to make sure they’re consuming satisfactory carbohydrates and protein to gas their exercises and get better successfully. With out the right vitamins, your physique can’t rebuild muscle, and chances are you’ll expertise fatigue, temper swings, and hormonal disruptions.
In my work as a private coach serving to ladies with osteoporosis construct and preserve bone mass, most of my discussions with purchasers encompass consuming extra, not much less.
Dietary Therapist Michaela Smith agrees. She shared her ideas with me:
“The overwhelming majority of girls I work with are under-fueling already, even those that wish to shed pounds! Below-eating is a major stressor that may manifest into hormonal imbalance, weight adjustments, and even cognitive adjustments.”
In her observe, she typically doesn’t suggest intermittent fasting for girls. Right here’s why:
- Many ladies are already under-eating, which might contribute to anxiousness, mind fog, overwhelm, and hormonal imbalances.
- Fasting can negatively have an effect on blood sugar, resulting in:
- Drops in blood glucose
- Launch of stress hormones
- A rebound spike in blood sugar
- A “blood sugar curler coaster” that leaves ladies feeling off steadiness when it comes to power and meals cravings
- There’s restricted analysis on the results of fasting on ladies, making lengthy fasts a questionable technique.
As a substitute, Michaela recommends the next method to assist regular power and hormonal well being:
- Eat a balanced breakfast inside 30–60 minutes of waking.
- Gasoline persistently all through the day with common meals and snacks.
- End dinner early sufficient to permit time to digest and profit from a delicate in a single day quick.
- Purpose for a 12-hour window between dinner and breakfast—this helps power metabolism and intestine well being with out over stressing the physique.
“The long-term outcomes I see with the ladies I work with are extra even power, fewer jittery emotions, improved blood sugar response, and extra steady weight. All wins in my e-book!”
When You Eat Issues, However So Does What You Eat
Whereas timing your meals or solely consuming inside a particular window might sound fashionable, it’s extra necessary to give attention to what you eat and whether or not it meets your physique’s wants. Whether or not you’re consuming earlier than or after your exercise, be sure you’re getting sufficient carbohydrates to gas your train and protein to get better.
Carbohydrates are your physique’s essential supply of gas for train, and it is advisable to replenish glycogen shops after exercises. The amino acids in protein are the constructing blocks for all tissue and helps rebuild muscle, preserve bone, and assist restoration.
For energetic ladies, this steadiness is vital—regardless of whenever you eat. It’s all about giving your physique the vitamins it must get better and carry out at its finest.
In case you’re not used to consuming earlier than you’re employed out, however you need to strive it, begin small with simply 100 energy of easily-digestible, low-fiber carbs or a sports activities drink to keep away from GI misery. Then, over time step by step enhance the energy to coach your system to tolerate meals at the moment of day.
Fasting and Hormonal Well being: A Complicated Relationship
For girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), intermittent fasting has proven some promising advantages in bettering insulin sensitivity, regulating blood sugar ranges, and selling hormonal steadiness. A number of research have prompt that fasting can cut back insulin spikes, a key challenge in PCOS, and will assist alleviate signs like irregular menstrual cycles, weight achieve, and pimples.
Nevertheless, it’s necessary to notice that almost all of the analysis on fasting for PCOS has been performed on chubby or overweight premenopausal ladies and the findings are nonetheless rising. Whereas the outcomes are encouraging, extra analysis is required to know how intermittent fasting impacts ladies with totally different physique sorts and at varied phases of life, together with those that are energetic and in perimenopause or past.
For energetic ladies, particularly these in perimenopause, fasting can influence hormonal steadiness in ways in which is probably not instantly obvious. Low power consumption, particularly when mixed with plenty of train, can result in low power availability and/or finally Relative Vitality Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), a situation that impacts reproductive, metabolic, and bone well being. Indicators of RED-S can embody menstrual irregularities, fatigue, decreased bone density, and poor restoration.
And right here’s the kicker: throughout perimenopause, distinguishing between anticipated hormonal adjustments and the indicators of RED-S will be tough.
In case you’re experiencing fatigue, poor restoration, or irregular durations (which many ladies gained’t even have the ability to inform in the event that they’re utilizing contraception that alters their interval), it may very well be an indication that you simply’re not fueling sufficient to assist your exercises and general well being.
Sufficient fueling, particularly with carbohydrates, is very necessary in midlife to assist each coaching and hormonal well being.
Conclusion: Fasting for Ladies—A Personalised Method
Fasting may go for some ladies, nevertheless it’s necessary to keep in mind that, on the subject of weight reduction, it’s only one methodology of calorie restriction and it hasn’t been confirmed to be more practical than different dietary methods.
For energetic ladies, self-awareness and being attentive to how you’re feeling throughout exercises and restoration are essential. Earlier than contemplating a fasting routine, make certain your physique is well-fueled.
A balanced consumption of carbohydrates and protein is important—particularly to assist your exercises, restoration, and general well-being. Below-eating could make fasting counterproductive—growing stress on the physique moderately than supporting well being.
And for those who’re very energetic or an athlete with objectives—working towards a PR in your lifts or coaching for a contest or race—chances are you’ll need to depart fasting within the mud as it may possibly lower your efficiency and inhibit your restoration.
There’s no one-size-fits-all method. The perfect technique is well-thought-out and helps your power, efficiency, and long-term well being—not one which leaves you depleted.
And bear in mind that there’s a rising variety of “docs” and consultants on the market who’re talking about fasting (and making the most of it) though it is vitally a lot out of their very own scope of observe. So earlier than diving in head first, ensure you examine what sort of physician they’re and confirm that you simply solely take recommendation from certified vitamin consultants.
In case you’re not sure the place to start out, take into account getting assist from a registered dietitian or nutritionist who focus on working with ladies in your particular inhabitants (energetic, endurance athletes, and/or perimenopausal ladies) to assist tailor a plan that works for you. —Karin
References
- Vitality Professional. (2019). “Intermittent Fasting: A Search Development.” Vitality Professional Vitamin Statistics. Hyperlink
- Cienfuegos, S., et al. (2022). “Intermittent Fasting and Reproductive Well being: The Potential Results.” Vitamins.
- Correia, M., et al. (2020). “Intermittent Fasting and Cardio Efficiency.” Journal of Sports activities Sciences.
- Batitucci, G., et al. (2022). “The Impression of Fasting on Muscle Mass and Physique Composition.” Frontiers in Vitamin.
- Zouhal, H., et al. (2020). “Results of Fasting on Train Efficiency: A Assessment.” Sports activities Medication.
- Mellin, A. (2025). “Carbohydrate Availability and Menstrual Well being in Lively Ladies.” Journal of Sport Vitamin and Train Metabolism.
- Aird, L., et al. (2018). “Fasted vs Fed Train: The Impression on Fats Metabolism and Efficiency.” Worldwide Journal of Sports activities Physiology and Efficiency.
- Slater, J., et al. (2016). “Feminine Leisure Exercisers at Danger for Low Vitality Availability.” Worldwide Journal of Sport Vitamin and Train Metabolism.
