Like a lot of women it seems, I find I’m hungry the week before my period, very hungry for chocolate on the first day of it :) then less hungry during. I’m currently doing ADF to lose weight and really enjoying it but also looking ahead to transitioning out of it for my ‘Rest of life’ fasting routine, and thinking I could do a 3-4 day fast during every period. I’m thinking it could be easier, a consistent routine, and I also feel less like socialising which is the usual obstacle for me doing longer fasts.
I wondered if anyone here chooses to fast for their period (taking advantage of the lack of hunger)? Do you think there could be a medical downside?
I actually watched a video about this on YouTube yesterday by Dr Mindy Pelz. She said basically you should avoid fasting on days 12-14 and days 21-28 of the menstrual cycle. I’m assuming day one of the cycle is first day of bleeding as is typically considered so to me your post makes sense.
Personally I get cravings the week before my period (days 21-28), and then once the period begins everything feels back to normal. It feels like that week is stressful on my body and mind so I think it’s good to avoid fasting in that week. Once the period starts for me I feel so much better :)
It’s crazy that I should come across this because I was literally just thinking about it a few hours ago!
I intentionally line up the first 2 days of my fast with my period, because I’m usually slightly nauseous and disinterested in food, and that helps me get through the first two “hell days”. The only downside is that I retain water and bloat so I don’t feel like I’m making progress, but that’s just a mental thing.
I think if you search “period” and “menstrual” on r/fasting there’s been some discussion about it. I can’t think of any way it could hurt you, but I do recall some anecdotes about it throwing some cycles off.