Nowadays, more and more women pick up intermittent fasting and have regarded intermittent fasting as a lifestyle. When it comes to the question of why intermittent fasting has attracted more and more people, one reason that cannot be missed is that fasting has been proven by scientists that is not only a good way to lose weight but a natural way to keep healthy. What’s more, in the field of medicine, some doctors are using it to cure some patients. According to Dr. Jason Fung, a world-leading expert on intermittent fasting and low carb, intermittent fasting can be used to lower insulin levels and raise levels of counter-regulatory hormones. Besides that, fasting can also cure diseases of excess insulin, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and PCOS.
In their current life, women pay more attention to their body shape and health than men. However, though intermittent fasting has been used by almost every age group of women, the fasting principles vary from age group to group. So, in order to gain the effects to the most extent, you should read this article carefully.
Before going further in this article, you must guarantee that you’ve obtained enough basic knowledge about intermittent fasting, and you’ve finished reading the articles below:
- Intermittent Fasting Beginner’s Guide
- The Science behind Intermittent Fasting
- How Soon to Expect Results with Intermittent Fasting
- How to Determine Your Fasting Plan
- What is 16:8 Intermittent Fasting and Recommended Foods
- How to Check if 5:2 Fasting Diet Plan is Right for Me?
Intermittent Fasting for Women Under 40
What you should know at first is that under this subtitle, women under 40 refers to women being in an age range from 20 to 40, as fasting is not suitable for juveniles. Juveniles are in the process of growth, which determines that they need to eat well and more. In addition, juveniles’ main work is receiving education, which also asks them not to choose to fast, otherwise, they will feel hungry frequently and have no spare energy to study hard with.
Women under 40 pay more attention to their appearance than other age groups and expect an ideal body shape. If you are a member under 40 and decide to gain a good body shape by fasting, you should have a general understanding of intermittent fasting in advance, and the following content can help you a lot.
Does Intermittent Fasting Work for Women?
You may hear some voices that fasting is not suitable for women, and it cannot be denied that compared with men, fasting does lead to some negative effects on women. However, it does not mean that women cannot gain any benefits from fasting. When it comes to the fasting examples via Fastyle, female accounts for the majority.
Moreover, a recent study showed that fasting reduces chronic sympathetic hyperactivity in PCOS patients. This, in return, lowers levels of stress neurohormones, ensuring physical and mental health. Besides that, according to Dr. Helen Kollias, fastinghas a lot of positive influences on women, just as you choose the right way, such as shorter fasting periods and fewer fasting days.
How Long Should Women Do Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a good way for women to detoxify body toxins, eliminate constipation, clean blood vessels, and also play a role in weight loss. However, the effect of fasting may be inconspicuous in a short period, that is because it needs a process for the body to take effects, and this process is, in a general way, 24 hours. What you should know is that it is at least 14 times a cycle that a specific change can happen to you, that is to say, it is two weeks or so that you should do fasting continuously.
Can Pregnant Women Do Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is generally not recommended to women during pregnancy. Because pregnancy needs a lot of nutrition, and pregnant women call for higher nutrient demands than usual like carbon, protein, and water. It’s improper for them to lose weight via intermittent fasting or even to lose weight in any method. In addition, the way fasting affects pregnancy is unpredictable and likely different from how it may affect somebody else. Based on this reason, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant one should work with a doctor to develop an individual plan for weight loss.
Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 40
For women over 40, before doing intermittent fasting, they should not only understand the working principle of intermittent fasting, they should pay more attention to the possible changes fasting may bring about to their bodies.
The First Thing Before Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 40
Although intermittent fasting is also suitable for women over 40, it is recommended to consult a doctor first. Without doing that, you may not experience the benefits of fasting but worsen your own body instead, especially under the condition that you are diagnosed with a variety of diseases, such as gastritis, gastric ulcer, enteritis, pancreatitis, and other digestive diseases. The doctor you are consulting will help you decrease the influence caused by fasting to the most extent. With the support of your doctor, you can prepare yourself for the next fasting step.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Women over 40
Lose weight
Many literatures have reported that the cause of obesity is related to insufficient enzymes, obstructing lipid metabolism, and fat accumulation. The purpose of fasting is to reduce enzyme consumption and enhance enzyme function. Thus, it can ensure a healthy weight, and achieve the purpose of the thin body.
Reduce insulin resistance
Fasting can reduce the metabolic burden of the body, improve insulin resistance, help to regulate blood sugar, and prevent diabetes and other chronic diseases to a certain extent.
Detoxify body toxins
Fasting converts excess fat into heat to supply vital organs, such as the brain, heart, liver, and heart. So toxic substances accumulated over time will be absorbed by the blood and lymph, then excreted by the kidneys and skin.
Is Intermittent Fasting Bad for Women’s Hormones?
For women, the most direct negative performance of fasting is to disrupt the menstrual cycle, causing menstrual volume less or even no menstruation. Unfortunately, improper way of weight loss will affect hormone metabolism, resulting in menopause, or menstrual disorders, and other situations.
In addition, if women blindly lose weight by dieting, it will also lead to endocrine disorders, estrogen synthesis disorders, thereby increasing the incidence of osteoporosis. However, this negative influence can be solved to the most extent with a proper fasting plan picked up.
Useful Tips for Women Over 40 to Start Intermittent Fasting
Compared with women under 40, women over 40 are much harder to lose weight and see the change of body shape. However, fasting will benefit them a lot in pounds cutting if some useful tips are mastered that are introduced below.
Tip#1. Consult a doctor
Fasting is helpful, but it does not mean that it suits everyone well based on different body conditions, which is especially true when it comes to women over 40 or those suffering from chronic diseases. So, to ensure your health, it is recommended to consult a doctor and ask for some advice before real intermittent fasting.
Tip#2. Start from a Short Hour Fasting Period
In terms of women over 40, even if their doctors permit them to do fasting, it’s optimal for them to start intermittent fasting steadily. When it comes to intermittent fasting virgins, it’s suggested that a short-hour fasting period is a good beginning. 16:8, 14:10, or even 12:12 can be selected by fasting beginners.
Tip#3. Set up a proper eating plan
Although there are no limits for meals during the eating window of intermittent fasting, a proper eating plan makes a huge difference. Writing down an eating list in advance, which meets the demands of essential nutrition intake, enables you to meet the health demand, and increases the efficiency of weight loss. MyPlate Model is suggested if you have no idea about what to consume for the consideration of health.
Tip#4. Keep a balance between regular work and rest
The relationship between regular work and rest plan with weight loss is close so that you are suggested to arrange and follow a specific and scientific time plan, which contains when to sleep, when to exercise, etc. After all, sleep is able to boost intermittent fasting to take effect.
Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50
Women over 50 are in the age toward being old, but that is not the reason that women should stop pursuing beauty and health. If you are a member of this group, you are totally allowed to do intermittent fasting, but before starting, you would better learn about it at first, then decide whether to do it or not.
Intermittent Fasting Benefits for Women Over 50
Improve sleep quality
Sleep disorders have been one of the commonest issues for those of high ages, which especially occurs to women over 50 because of the physiological changes that may be aroused by age. A recent study indicates the active effect of intermittent fasting on sleep. After regular fasting, many insomniacs find they sleep better than ever. Because fasting acts as a natural sedative, calming nerves and relieving anxiety.
Flesh body
A recent study proves that fasting helps energize the whole body and helps regenerate cells, tissues and blood vessels, slowing down the aging process and prolonging life.
Prevent toxins
Fasting can make the poisonous material inside the body as far as possible, get decomposition and education, reduce the harm towards body health, and prevent diseases.
Possible Side Effects of Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50
Headache
The lower amount of food intake than before will lead to the violent change of blood sugar before and after fasting, which leads to headaches.
Feeling tired
If you rest for 16 hours without eating anything, your body will start using stored fat for energy. But thus, the energy conversion process takes time, and you will often feel tired and low energy, especially during the first week or two of fasting.
Bad breath
Fasting can also cause a decrease in saliva in the mouth, leading to dry mouth and, ultimately, bad breath.
What Intermittent Fasting Plan Works for Women Over 50
16:8
16:8 intermittent fasting schedule requires 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating. Basically, one meal is abandoned when 16:8 is selected as an intermittent fasting schedule and which meal to abandon depends on the specific situation or individual demands. 16:8 is the most popular intermittent fasting schedule and is the start of the majority of fasters.
5:2
As you conform to the 5:2 intermittent fasting plan, you’ll have five days of a normal diet and two with 20% of the ordinary calorie intake. A research by International Journal of Obesity indicates that 5:2 intermittent fasting helps reduce more weight and fat compared with other intermittent fasting plans.
OMAD
One meal a day, also called OMAD, is a fasting plan requiring one meal a day. It doesn’t specify what to eat or when to eat but you’re required to eat one meal only in a single day. OMAD is the highest fasting plan that is approximately 23:1 fasting. OMAD isn’t suggested for intermittent fasting beginners since it’s too hard.
Among the three fasting plans, the first one is easy to follow and is worthy of trying, especially for fasting beginners, while the latter two are hard to do generally, for their long-time fasting, but these two helps to lose much weight. However, it is usually not suitable for a beginner to adopt the latter two, considering the healthy conditions. And it is better for fasting beginners to choose a short-time fasting plan, such as the first one.
Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 60
If you are a woman over 60, but still have not lost the desire for a good body shape, thus become a gentle lady, you can also choose to fast.
Can Women over 60 Still Do Intermittent Fasting?
If you are a woman over 60, it is suggested that you should consult a doctor at first, asking him/her whether your health condition allows you to do fasting. Even if you are permitted to do that, you should choose a proper fasting plan seriously.
What to Eat during Intermittent Fasting for Women over 60?
For women over 60, it is very essential to choose a proper eating plan when fasting, among that, the main principle is having a healthy diet. A healthy diet should stick to the following principles.
- Eating fruits every day
- Ensuring much more protein intake
- Having a balanced proportion of grains
- Decreasing carbohydrate intake.
Best Workout for Women over 60 during Intermittent Fasting
In fact, the cooperation between a healthy diet and an appropriate workout can maximize the fasting effect for the most part. What should be noticed is that when you do exercises, try to avoid intense exercises, but choose gentle workouts like walking, Tai chi, and yoga.
Bottom Line
- Though fasting may lead to some negative influences on women, but they can still be the beneficiary of fasting no matter they are 40, 50 or 60.
- Fasting plan varies from women age group to group, that is to say, if you have decided to do fasting, it is better to choose a proper fasting plan according to your age.
References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156
https://www.dietdoctor.com/authors/dr-jason-fung-m-d
https://clindiabetesendo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40842-020-00116-1
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28735644/
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/intermittent-fasting-sleep
https://news.mit.edu/2018/fasting-boosts-stem-cells-regenerative-capacity-0503
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1880830/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4960941/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
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