I love IF but I hate being a woman. The struggle making it through menstruation is real. I feel defeated.
The week leading up to my period I get cramps, bloating, and horrible cravings. I stop fasting and give in to those cravings. Numbers on the scale jumps back up after my period and it makes me wonder…what’s the point?
Like don’t get me wrong, I religiously do IF 6 days a week and the 7th day will not have cravings. At all. I feel the weight coming off nicely even if the numbers don’t budge. But the moment I stop, it all comes back up, within a week, it’s like all those hours fasting meant nothing.
Anyways, women of Reddit, how do you do it? What’s your secret? Is there something I’m missing? How do you motivate yourself to jump right back in? It’s been a week I’m off and honestly don’t know how to cope with this every month 😭😭
First off, go easy on yourself. It’s fine. Second, know that if you have sugar or simple carbs, you will keep craving them for about three days. It’s just a thing. Third, rear easy in the knowledge that these swings will become less annoying as you get your hormones get more steady from the IF.
Pause on fasting that week but make sure you are indulging your cravings mindfully. For example, I worked my way up to 99% cocoa chocolate bars. Why? Because they’re low in sugar, and when I’m craving chocolate letting a square of the super dark chocolate melt in my mouth knocks out the craving, versus aiming for cakes, high calorie/sugar candy bars, etc. If I’m craving chips, I reach for sunflower seeds or sometimes just water with sugar free electrolyte power in it helps the salt craving. And most important- don’t be hard on yourself! I find info feel defeated I tend to eat more. It’s a marathon not a sprint, and the only way it can become a lifestyle change is if you can make it work for you long term.
Edit: dried apricots also work if you’re craving bread/cake
I try to remember that doing something is better than doing nothing/giving up. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes I compromise by just doing 12:12 the week before my period and allowing for some of my cravings during that more relaxed eating window. But if even that is not possible, just get back to your IF routine when you’re feeling better. Maybe widening your focus to the benefits of IF that go beyond just the weight loss benefit will motivate you to keep going when the scale isn’t moving in the direction you want it to. Even if your weight isn’t dropping, you are still doing something beneficial for yourself with IF 💕
Umm, honestly, I take birth control and don’t take the placebo week, thus not having a period (totally approved by my doctor). Because having your period sucks and it especially sucks with fasting. It baffles me that more people don’t do this - you don’t need to have your period. Totally understand that birth control is not for everyone though! For me, it is a complete game changer and vastly improves my quality of life.