Health
Intermittent Fasting To Success At Any Age!
Why hormones and lifestyle factors are critical for weight loss
Intermittent fasting (IF) involves a period of not eating – only drinking unflavoured water/black tea/black coffee. There are few types of IF but I can only write about my personal experience of fasting for up to 16 hours and eating within 8 hours (16:8).
For example: if you had dinner at 8pm, you should not eat until 12pm the next day. This essentially means skipping breakfast. Your first meal will therefore be lunch. Or you could stop eating at 6pm, fast for the next 16 hours, and have your breakfast at 10am.
My personal experience of 3 years
I started 16:8 intermittent fasting (IF) in 2018 because it had compelling scientific evidence for autophagy, DNA repair, and the induction of antioxidant enzymes. These processes improve health and longevity by protecting cells and organs against damage, mutations, and reactive oxygen species, i.e. anti-cancer benefits. With cancer running in the family, I started IF right away as a step toward preventative health-care.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
With a clean plant-based keto diet, weight loss came naturally as bonus. That spurred me to fast 3 – 4 days a week (sometimes up to 6 if I was on business trips) for about 1 year.
But the weight stagnated and unlike my usual IF days, I felt hungry and craved food in the mornings. Although I was mentally alert, had heaps of energy and had no jetlag (a sign that my mitochondrial function improved dramatically), I was completely baffled by the hunger! I realized that my body had become used to my IF routine.
My coaching experience
About 80% of my clients were on some kind of IF before coming to see me. 50% of them lost some weight and visceral fat a few weeks into it, but the others experienced weight gain, weight loss resistance and experienced mood swings, constant hunger, chronic fatigue, insomnia and interrupted sleep.
Why does it work for some, and not for others?
Our female bodies are controlled by hormones that fluctuate throughout the month especially if you are still cycling.
Women in menopause – although your fertility years are over – you are not spared the workings of your hormones!
Combined with other factors like poor lifestyle habits (daily low-grade mental/emotional stress, lack of sleep, etc.) and hormonal imbalances, IF may not give you the weight loss results you expect – in fact, it will have the opposite effect PLUS make you feel cranky, frustrated and hungry all at the same time!
IF gives the best results for weight loss if we understand the workings of hormones like insulin, leptin, ghrelin, cortisol, oestrogen, progesterone and even testosterone – menopausal women are susceptible to these too!
My tips:
- If you have never done it before, ease into it slowly and extend the fasting period gradually to 16 hours. In my experience I find that up to 14-15 hours are sufficient for weight loss. With more than 16 hours or longer, you will enjoy the additional benefits of boosting mitochondrial function and longevity.
- Do not compensate with heavy meals filled with sugar, refined carbs, processed foods and alcohol during the eating window! This will over-ride the benefits of IF.
- Manage your daily mental and emotional stress with meditation, moderate exercise, breathing exercises, reading, time out for yourself etc. Cortisol (stress hormones) is a big reason why fasting does not work. IF is a great hormonal stressor on its own which is beneficial but without managing your daily external and emotional/mental stressors, you can still put on weight and/or not lose stubborn belly fat.
- Have at least 7 hours of good quality and uninterrupted sleep every day
- Limit IF to 2-3 times a week so that your body does not get used to it. This applies to menopausal women too.
- Practice IF during the second week of your cycle i.e. close to ovulation where you usually have the most energy. Women who feel comfortable can also do it during their bleed week. Obviously every woman is different so tune in to how you are feeling.
An exception: avoid/go easy on IF on the third week!
Menopausal women can fast at any time of the month.
Clearly women who should not fast are those who have pre-existing symptoms/conditions such as:
- Eating disorders
- Being underweight
- Pregnancy, lactating
If you are not sure, please consult your doctor.
IF gives the best results for weight loss if we understand the workings of hormones and do it in combination with a clean diet free of inflammatory foods like gluten, sugar of all kinds, processed foods and alcohol. And of course only if our chronic stress levels are managed properly, will you see the benefits of weight loss.
Approaching a certified coach experienced in women’s hormonal issues like myself who can guide you at every step of the way is highly recommended if you want to see results from your efforts.
Use discount code VIVA15 for a 15% off my 45-minute health history consultation (which costs only CHF50). Valid until 30 September 2021!
Happy Fasting!
Image photo Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
About the author:
Emily Hoon is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach for Women’s Hormonal Wellness.
Her 3 pillars of holistic health are nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle adjustments
On-going Education: Institute of Functional Medicine, The School of Applied Functional Medicine
She is Singapore-born and has been based in Basel and Zurich for 16 years.
Website: www.emilyhoon.com
IG: @thrive.with.emily
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thrive.with.emily
