30F, 5’4 154 lbs- Have been doing 16:8 fasting for 6 months and haven’t had much weight loss ( \~8 pounds- I don’t restrict in eating window) .
I want to reduce the eating window- but lots of dieticians online I see recommend not doing that (lower than 16:8) as it can lead to irregular periods. Curious about women who have done IF long term did it impact your periods? What is your current eating window?
I am not looking to get pregnant right now - but I have heard cases where women have trouble conceiving with IF - which might be a concern for future for me.
Any information would be helpful. thanks!
I’ve been doing 23:1 (OMAD) for a month and a half and I noticed that my PMS had completely disappeared. I barely had any cramps during periods (which arrived on time). It’s been mind-blowing. I’m never looking back. IF for life!!
There’s so much fear mongering out there about women fasting. It scared me too at first but that didn’t last as I started learning about how/why fasting works, doing it myself, and seeing many women do much longer fasts with no period issues.
I’ve been doing 23:1 or similar for three months now and the only impact on my period is that I have practically no PMS or other symptoms now! It’s shocking but awesome to have this because I never expected it as a side benefit. My previous max fasting time was 28hrs with no impacts on my cycle, and today I’m finishing a 36/37hr one. I’ll let you know if anything changes.
I’ve also not heard of conception issues with IF, in fact it has apparently helped some people with PCOS to conceive as PCOS is related to insulin resistance.
I’ve been doing ADF (I eat every other day) on and off for a year now and IF on and off for two years before that. I never had an issue with my period. I make sure to eat nourishing foods (carbs included) on my eating days. My period has never been more regular. By fasting, my cramps are relatively nonexistent and bloating is very minor.
I don’t plan on fasting when I eventually TTC. I don’t see it having much impact as long as your cycle is regular and you’re ovulating like normal.
I think fasting becomes a problem if you’re severely restricting net calories and become amenorrhoeic. I do 18:6 or 20:4 daily with 1-2 extended (24+ hr) fasts weekly. During the a couple days prior and through my period, I will relax my feeding window to 6 or even 8 hours and skip the EF. So far, it’s been working for me: my periods are stable and my PMS is much better. My weight loss does stall though.
Note: my 80 year old mother-in-law has been IF (although she wouldn’t call it that) her entire life. She had three healthy children, has stayed the same weight +/- 3 lbs since her teenage years, only take calcium, and has a head full of hair!