Fasting – Intermittent Does It Work For Everyone?

LET’S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT AT THE OUTSET: IF works for men, and 99 percent of the time it works really well for them. When it comes to women, the results vary significantly. Yep, life’s not fair!

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There are very distinct benefits to intermittent fasting (IF) for those who do well on it, including increased energy and improved cognitive ability, memory and insulin sensitivity. The aim is to cut down the amount of food you eat, but carry on living normally without affecting your metabolic rate, by choosing a ‘window’ of time – ranging from eight to 16 hours a day or once a week – during which you don’t eat.

The problem is, many women who try IF find they suffer from anxiety, insomnia, irregular or total cessation of periods, or other hormonal problems. When a woman’s calorific intake drops below a certain level, her energy generally declines, her stress levels rise and her hormones are adversely affected. Some men experience this too, but it usually takes much longer to manifest. It’s also been found that reducing fat and calorific intake can affect fertility in women and even lead to early menopause.

I have seen some women lose weight on IF, but once they resume eating even a very low-carb diet, they usually put on part – if not all – of the weight lost, often with interest.