To make your fasting experience as comfortable, healthy, and safe as possible, it is important that you thoroughly understand what intermittent fasting is, as well as what you need to prepare ahead of time. Here are  some of the best strategies which will  help you  create the plan you need to achieve your health and weight goals.

1. Don’t Fly Before You Walk – Start Slowly

For some women, a sudden change in their  daily eating patterns might put excessive stress on their bodies. To avoid this, it is advisable to start with a shorter fasting window like 12 – 14 hours. After your body adjusts, move on to  a 16-hour or longer fast.  

Keep in mind that your menstrual cycle is usually a good indicator of whether or not you’re overdoing fasting.. That’s why our FastingQueens app includes a period monitor along with the fasting tracker. Not only does it help you monitor your periods, it also provides timely advice along the way. For example, if 14 hours of fasting every day has disrupted your periods, you may want to relax the fast by shifting to the “14:10 Crescendo” method, that is, fasting 14 hours for 3 non-consecutive days during the week. In our FastingQueens mobile app, you can easily set up and adjust your fasting plan for your specific needs. Remember, fasting is not a competition. Everyone’s body is different. It’s more important that you can safely   reach your ultimate goals  without negatively impacting your health along the way.

2. Do Your Research Before You Start Fasting

On its most basic level, the idea of fasting is to avoid eating for a period of time. For intermittent fasting strategies, this period of time typically ranges from 14 hours to 24 hours ^[1]. Most people will start to see weight loss after a few weeks of these strategies. 

However, if your goal is to activate autophagy (a process where cells get rid of unneeded proteins),you will need to fast longer than 18 – 20 hours. You may also want to practice extended fasting (more than 24 hours) from time to time in order to effectively induce autophagy. Having said that, you should avoid prolonged fasting in the week prior to your period, as stressing your body during that time may be harmful. FastingQueens app has a feature to help you set up your extended fasting plan while avoiding falling into the “do-not-fast-too-long” week. Please check out this help page before beginning an extended fasting schedule. 

3. Schedule a Medical Check-Up If You Have Any Concerns

Any type of fasting is not recommended for those with certain diseases or medical conditions, ^[3] including diabetes, hypoglycemia, breastfeeding, or pregnancy. Don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with your physician before practicing intermittent fasting; have your doctor consider any relevant health problems that might be worsened by this dietary method. 

4. Eating Window is Equally Important as Fasting Window

Fasting doesn’t equal starvation. You may experience an empty stomach, but that doesn’t mean you’ll feel starved all the time.  To practice intermittent fasting without starving, suffering malnutrition, or feeling overly hungry, make sure your meals contain high-fiber, high-quality proteins, as well as healthy fats.       

Best Food to Eat Before Fasting       

5. Make a Shopping List For Your Meal/Snack Plan

When you enter your designated eating window, don’t immediately start snacking on desserts and other processed foods. Junk food may cause anxiety and discomfort and, even worse, it could even compromise the success of your dieting efforts. 

To avoid unhealthy eating, create a meal plan for your eating window. Keep in mind that you’re eating within a shorter timeframe; as a result, you need to be sure to take in sufficient nutrients. Shop for your new nutritional needs by purchasing healthy ingredients.  Keep healthy snacks like nuts or low-GI fruits around to replace chips and other processed snacks. Though breaking your fast is never ideal, healthy foods and snacks won’t significantly affect your progress should you slip up.

If you’ve decided on a 16-hour fast, you’ll have an 8-hour window to eat. Within that time, you may choose to eat 2 large meals, 2 regular meals with a snack time in between, or 3 moderate meals. Regardless of the option you choose, a predetermined plan will help you stick to the diet and provide the most enjoyable and effective outcome possible.

6. Fill Your Time During the Fasting Hours

If you spend the fasting hours of your day thinking about food, you’ll find that you feel hungry. The trick is to leave most of the fasting hours for the night when you’re sleeping and unconscious of the fact that your stomach is empty. During the waking hours of your fast, you may want to plan activities to fill your time and help you forget about food.

Some activities to accompany the fasting are:

• A walk – alone, with your loved ones, or with a dog
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Swimming
• Hobbies that don’t require much physical strength, like crafting
• Light exercise routines
• Tidying up your home
  

7. Carefully Plan Your Exercise Routine

People often make the mistake of starting a new diet regime at the same time as a new exercise plan in an effort to lose fat quickly. However, this approach is prone to fail as intense workouts combined with reduced dietary intake can lead to lower energy levels and increased and sudden hunger ^[4]. 

On the other hand, even if you’ve never done a regular exercise routine, it’s a good idea to start a moderate exercise plan after you’ve adapted to your fasting routine.  Read the article Should Women Exercise While Fasting before you plan a new exercise schedule.

8. Align Your Fasting Plan With Your Lifestyle

Fasting is a long-term lifestyle change. As a result, you’ll need to plan it to suit your lifestyle. For instance, if you are a dedicated gym goer, you’ll need energy before your workout to boost your metabolism. You may consider whether you want to skip breakfast or dinner based on your daily workout routine. You can also ask our veteran fasters in the community for advice on which fasting plan will better fit your lifestyle and be easier to sustain for a long time. However, if you have any specific needs or your body reacts differently than others, you should consult health professionals for help with selecting the right plan.

Conclusion

Building a new habit always comes with uncertainty and challenges. For ladies who want to begin their intermittent fasting journey, careful planning and monitoring are needed to maximise its health benefits without negatively affecting your hormones. We sincerely hope that our mobile app becomes the tool you need to reach your goals with ease and reap the rewards of all your fasting efforts.

References:

1. College of Family Physicians of Canada: Intermittent fasting and weight loss. Stephanie Welton, MSc., Robert Minty, MD CCFP FCFP., Teresa O’Driscoll, MD FCFP. 2020 Feb; 66(2): 117–125. Link
2. National Library of Medicine. The effect of fasting or calorie restriction on autophagy induction: A review of the literature. Mohammad Bagherniya, Alexandra E Butler, George E Barreto, Amirhossein Sahebkar. Epub 2018 Aug 30. Link
3. Harvard Health Publishing. Not so fast: Pros and cons of the newest diet trend. July 31, 2019. Link
4. Pereira BC, da Rocha AL, Pinto AP, Pauli JR, de Souza CT, Cintra DE, Ropelle ER, de Freitas EC, Zagatto AM, da Silva AS. (2016). Excessive eccentric exercise-induced overtraining model leads to endoplasmic reticulum stress in mice skeletal muscles. Life Sci. Link