I Fasted Like a Girl and this happened..
A couple of months ago, I listened to a podcast (Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s - a firm favourite of mine!) with Dr Mindy Pelz as a guest. I was interested that it was about fasting, as it’s something I tried previously. And although I got on well with it the majority of the time, sometimes I really didn’t. It got to the point where I Was feeling tired ore often than not and I didn't understand why - as I’d heard the 16:8 (16 hours of fasting and 8 hour eating window) was the way forward!
I wanted to trial it for overall health, and after a few months, fasting for that long consistently as well as training daily and walking miles as dog walker - it all caught up. So I went back to ‘normal’ eating ,and thought - ah well maybe it just wasn’t for me.
Turns out, it wasn’t for my body. My female body. Because females shouldn’t be fasting every single day for 16 hours because our three hormones require different needs at different times. But fasting was being shunned for women without a reason. Dr Mindy Pelz has been researching fasting for women and wrote a fully informative book called ‘Fast Like a Girl’. After hearing her speak on the podcast, I promptly bought it and got stuck in. It all made SO much sense.
As I’ve said previously - I’ve been quite naive to hormones as a woman, not knowing the full effect they can have on our every day lives. And if we aren’t honouring them and trying to work WITH them, then things don’t go too well for the female body.
After reading the book, the main information I took away was the four phases of the cycle and what we need to do fasting wise and food wise in order to let our hormones do their very important jobs in the body, to the very best of their ability. So, I loosely started following the protocol in order to see what happened (I have covered the four phases in detail in my other blog posts - just back up to my blog homepage and you’ll see them).
To sum up what I’ve been doing;
Days 1-10: I’ve been fasting between 15-17 hours and eating less carbs where I can and more fats and keeping protein intake consistent (this can be hard with dropping carbs as a near-enough vegan sometimes!), by having more salad foods, quinoa, tofu, eggs (organic only), nuts, avocados, kimchi, rice noodles and my beloved protein shakes every day.
Days 11-16: I’ve been fasting between 13-15 hours here, and increased carbs with more potatoes, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, and again keeping my similar protein foods.
Days 17-20: Back to longer fasts here, around 15-17 hours again - same principles as days 1-10 with lowering carbs.
Days 20-end of cycle: In the build up of the last week, I’ve not been fasting at all (maybe 12-14 hours based on if I’m busy/working). I increase my carbs again and maaaaybe have more sugar than I should but hey.
Training wise: Due to the reason I have trained for a long time, my body is well adjusted to training easily 6-7 times per week. At the moment due to my lower levels of energy (anaemia), I am training about 5 times per weeks alongside my daily walking between 5-8 miles per day. I tend to go with how I feel on the day, no matter what time it is in my cycle, as I feel I know my body well enough. If I’m tired, I’ll rest. If I feel I can push it, I will! The last week before my period starts, I just try to keep cortisol low so might rest more or not go crazy with HIIT!
The outcome:
For two full cycles now, I have experienced a really balanced mood throughout the month and I can’t believe I’m saying this but ZERO and I mean, ZERO PMT symptoms. Both times, my period has caught me off guard. I always know when it should happen as I have an app (it’s called Moody and is brill at tracking my cycle, it’s bang on for predictions!) - but I’ve had no indications or reminders that it’s coming. I would usually have a few twingey cramps and some pretty good back aches but both times since I’ve started being mates with my hormones - I’ve had nothing to complain about.
So far, so good. I feel better overall. My energy is good most of the time despite my low iron levels, I actually think I’m doing pretty well. I’m able to keep up with my active, busy life & my mood honestly rarely dips. I have my moments but we are all human.
Doing this has been one of the best health decisions I’ve made so far - and I’d like to make note of the fact that I also suffered from Bulimia 10 years ago. They often will advise if you have had or have an eating disorder then you must be very careful or just not try it all together. But after 10 years I definitely felt strong enough to give this a go. I think it feels different I the fact that I am in control of when I eat, and I feel the benefits of fasting and know that when I feel a hunger pang, its nothing to worry about rather than a panic signal to binge which it used to be.
A big thumbs up from me, and if you fancy trying it - give it a whirl for a month and see how your cycle goes! If you don’t have a period due to birth control or any other reason, you can still do this and base it on a 30 day cycle, but I’d advise reading the book to know exactly what to do.
This information is not based on research or me giving advice, it’s purely based on my own experience. It’s not for everyone, and that is absolutely fine. Find what works for you and your health best, and do it as consistently as possible. We all deserve to have the ability to look after ourselves the best we can.
