Intermittent Fasting for Women
For women, there's a different way to fast. Simply because our bodies are different to a man's. By following a man's intermittent fasting protocol, there are many side-effects that can inflict us. From lacking energy and unmotivated to hormone swings and uncontrollable obsessing over food. With multiple fasting and feeding schedules to energise and build and repair your body, it's difficult to know which is best for you. But this guide will help you find a healthy fast to help you lose that unwanted body fat. You'll then be able to get the health benefits from fasting while maximising weight loss with this knowledge.
Also, discover the healthful food and drink nutritional options to improve your well-being and aid fat loss during your intermittent fast. Plus, this guide reveals how to exercise during a fast to maximise weight loss. We look at the different strategies and address the concerns health and fitness professional raise surrounding workouts in a fasted state.
Overall, you can use this in-depth information on IF strategies, techniques, and schedules to burn more body fat, shape your body, and increase your overall health. All without suffering undesirable responses.
Warning: Intermittent fasting diets may cause adverse effects like headaches, short tempers, dizziness, obsessiveness, reduced performance and focus, heartburn, diarrhoea, brain-fog, low energy, hormone swings, sleep disorders, feeling cold and constipation in some people. It is not recommended for diabetics, pregnant women or anyone with a history of eating disorders.
Fasting Foods Max Body Fat Loss
As intermittent fasting (IF) continues to develop, it's always best to start with a solid foundation. That way you will not experience the side-effects women endure when following a male-led model.
That's why last month I pointed out...
...the Fasting Obstacles
They can trip you up if you don't know they're there. Men might stride over them but we women can get injured. So to be safe, a daily fast of 12 to 14 hours should not cause you to feel, amongst other things, tired and run-down or induce irregular periods and fertility issues.
Also, feeling hungry is not enjoyable, therefore, if you get a good 8 hours sleep then most of your daily fast will pass with the zzzs. Any physical or emotional hunger will come and go generally in the hours leading to your first meal.
Once you've created an IF structure you can begin to throw in other...
Nutrition and short-term IF designs to improve your well-being and aid fat loss
For a moment, think about your preferred eating window. At what time does it start and when will it close, and remember, it's only open for 10 to 12 hours. Additionally, you'll need to leave at least a 2-hour buffer after the eating window closes so your stomach fully empties. Then you can go to sleep knowing your body can shift your blood supply to your brain and forget about clearing your belly.
Considering this, the hyped daily IF pattern often suggests you skip breakfast and start eating at lunchtime. And to help you get to lunch without breaking the fast, you can drink black coffee, no sugar, no milk, but you can add coconut oil and butter. It's because fat will not flip the switch that takes your body out of the fasting cycle. They might also make the coffee taste better or you'll get used to it. These two fats are often promoted because coconut oil contains MCT's that fuel cells better and butter includes CLA that increases fat burning, although, neither will deliver enough to make a major impact.
A meal like this could also be eaten in the evening if you chose to eat breakfast in the morning and stop eating earlier.
Either way, it's important to remember the fat will add fuel to your blood supply. So you might feel better, not hungry and energised, but if you knock back greasy drinks you'll limit your release of stored fat. Simply try black coffee and tea, hot or iced, without anything added to give you an energy boost and increase your metabolism.
For similar reasons to greasy drinks, especially if you are adjusting your eating pattern which can cause short periods of feeling hungry and even sick while your body adapts, you can eat very low carb and protein meals with a touch of fat. We're talking grams of carbohydrate sugars and protein with lots of fibre so that your body does not react to it.
You might want to try snacking on fruits and vegetables like asparagus, cabbage, spinach, kale, chard, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries. You could add small amounts of either onion, garlic, carrot or beetroot. And make it tasty with herbs and spices and a drop of healthy olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil or butter.
It is a great way to pack in the nutrients without the energy while not inducing a sleepy feeling carbs, fats, and protein can begin.
By doing this, you will be providing your body with lots of vitamins and minerals and fibre that will help to keep your metabolism going and increase your body's fat usage. [1] A meal like this could also be eaten in the evening if you chose to eat breakfast in the morning and stop eating earlier.
In fact, some people only eat two meals a day, breakfast and dinner, and snack on something like this in between to keep them going. It is a great way to pack in the nutrients without the energy while not inducing a sleepy feeling carbs, fats, and protein can begin.
Notably, it is important that you eat enough carbohydrate sugars because your body needs them more than a man's. Actually, your body can handle carbs better than a man's. So if you don't eat enough carbs and go too high on the fat intake you could end up gaining weight. Plus, the sugar will help you get a good night's sleep too.
Overall, the foods you eat have an impact on your body. You'll want to provide it with good quality nutrition to keep everything running efficiently. And keep everything in mind that you eat during the day as it adds up, so you do not end up eating more than you need. That way you will be able to tap into your fat stores and lose body fat while benefiting from the health effects too.
Next month we'll look at different Intermittent Fasting feeding schedules to find a strategy best suited for you.