Hi everyone, newbie to IF, and just getting my first period after being on this 16:8/20:4 protocol for 3 weeks.
Btw, I’m 36 years old, popped out 3 babies, 5’4”, SW: 225 lbs, CW: 205 lbs, GW: whatever weight will allow me to do 3 unassisted pull ups.
Today is day 1 of shark week, and I’m RAVENOUS, crampy, moody, headachey, and craving all the carbs/dairy/chocolate. I’m going to break my fast (and my streak, sad face,) but want to hear from other women (or men whose family) also pause their IF routine during Aunt Flo, and if so, for how long, what they do, etc.
I looked at the posts in the past, and it looks like a hodgepodge of people not breaking their IF, sticking to 16:8 (not happening today, hah), or just having… Way more self control than I clearly have.
Thank you all! And yes, anyone can respond, boobies are not a requirement to respond!
My regular schedule is 20:4 but the day before and the first day of my period I eat whatever I want and just listen to my body. Once my period ends I find my food needs are really low for 2-3 days so I usually do a 72 hour fast and it feels very easy and natural. Then back to my regular 20:4 until my next cycle.
Obviously everyone’s food needs and bodies are different so I would just say tune into your own body and listen!
Edit- I’m also a 36 year old female who has had 2 babies :)
I find it varies month to month so I don’t have a hard, fast rule on anything. Some months I’m starving and shorten my normal 18+ to 15 or 16, and another I’ll do a 40 hour fast that week (that was on accident but my fasting buddy was doing it so I jumped on board and it was actually fine!).
What’s great about IF is you can be flexible! I started IF after 2 babies and had 40 lbs to lose to get to my goal weight and ended up being able to drop 50 to get back to my dream goal weight that I was able to hit for my wedding 7 years ago. I was shocked at how easy it was and how effective IF is. Stick with it and you’ll get there! It took me 4.5 months to drop the first 40 and then it stabilized there and I tried to lose the next 10 and that happened over 6ish weeks so all in about 6 months of losing. You may find period week to be easier once you’ve been doing this for longer and your body is more used to it.
39 yr old mother here with similar stats. I recently went off the rails around my cycle, but I think it was exacerbated due to it coinciding w Christmas (like I went off the rails PMSing and stayed off course bc it was Christmas). I am getting back on track, but I’m disappointed bc I had lost 10 pounds in December but my period ended yesterday and I’m still 3 pounds up from before my period started. I’m still proud of losing 7 pounds in December but it really threw me off for hitting my end of year goal!
I like the response of u/BuffyorBust - relax the day before and Day 1, and then make up for it afterwards.
It’s a little tricky bc my cycle can be unpredictable, even though I track it with an app, but I’m going to try her recommendation in a few weeks!
I’m also thinking about how I can better prepare for the ravenous hunger and cravings. For example, making sure I have chocolate whey protein mix and PB2 powder on standby so that if I’m not following my fasting cycle, I’m at least filling up on better-for-me foods that fuel my body and satisfy my cravings so I’m not a megabeast. 😆
Currently 38 weeks pregnant, but in the past, I’d do 16:8 or 18:6. During my cycle there was always one single day I couldn’t adhere to it because i was ravenous. For me it would occur 2-3 days before my period actually started. Then i got back on the wagon the next day. Try your best each day, but listen to your body.
I generally ease up with a longer eating window a few days before my period and allow for an extra meal. I find that my body will let me know when fasting isn’t a great idea after learning the difference between cravings and being actually hungry.