It is a fact that many women struggle with their weight, frustratingly switching from one diet to another and eventually regain that weight. That said, based on empirical evidence and research, there is one approach that works very well: intermittent fasting. While a wealth of research supports its many benefits, including weight loss and chronic disease, no one form of diet works for everyone, and that becomes especially true with intermittent fasting. These are 7 types of people who should never fast to lose weight.
What is intermittent fasting?
As the name implies, intermittent fasting alternates between eating and not eating (or fasting). There are numerous methods including fasting every other day, fasting for 16-18 hours every day, and fasting 24 hours several times a week. The key concept for each of these is that, during your fasting hours, eat zero calories (or as close to zero) as possible.
Intermittent fasting challenges conventional health theories, like skipping breakfast, not counting calories (or anything else), and going long hours, sometimes days, without eating. With intermittent fasting, when you eat can be just as important as what you eat.
If you are interested, it is recommended to start with a fast of 16 hours a day or even a few times a week. This isn’t as difficult as it might sound: have a great dinner, shut down the kitchen for the evening (no late-night snacks!), And then have a late breakfast or early lunch the next day.
Please use common sense here. If you feel like you are going to pass out or that you could endanger your health, eat something.
What Kinds of People Shouldn’t Try Intermittent Fasting?
While a wealth of research supports its many benefits, including weight loss and aid in chronic disease improvement, no one form of diet works for all types of people, and that becomes especially true with intermittent fasting.
For these 7 patients, it is recommended to modify, and if necessary, not do intermittent fasting to avoid creating greater damage to health.
You have gallstone disease
When you fast, your gallbladder does not release bile. As your liver continues to release bile, it becomes concentrated. Breaking the fast means that the gallbladder could forcefully expel mud or small stones (from that accumulation) that could get trapped in the bile duct. For most people, this would not be a problem, but if you have gallbladder problems, proceed with caution. One study showed that, among people with gallstone disease, a rapid overnight fast increased the risk of hospitalization.
You’re a woman
Women are more sensitive to hunger and eliminate hunger regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin. Compared to men, women require longer fasts (18 hours or more) to gain benefits, which could create hormonal imbalances. It’s not that you can’t do it if you’re a woman, but you should do some variations.
You have an eating disorder
If you have bulimia or other psychological eating disorders, intermittent fasting could exacerbate those problems. If you have eating problems, it is absolutely recommended not to do intermittent fasting.
You have adrenal fatigue
Fasting can keep the stress hormone cortisol rushed when it should drop, stressing the already overworked adrenal glands. A study of 16 young, healthy female volunteers who fasted for 48 hours had elevated cortisol levels, suggesting that fasting could create stress. You probably won’t be fasting that long, and if you have healthy adrenals, intermittent fasting shouldn’t be a problem.
Your thyroid is shot
Studies show that fasting lowers T3, your active thyroid hormone. Again, this shouldn’t be a problem for most people, but if you have mild to moderate hypothyroidism, you should consider modifying intermittent fasting.
Are you sick?
Your body needs a constant supply of nutrients when it is sick. It could also create physiological or metabolic stress; The last thing you want to create when you have a cold, flu, or other virus.
You have type 1 diabetes
If you take insulin to control blood glucose, fasting could lower your blood sugar to potentially dangerous levels. Once your body gets used to intermittent fasting, those glucose levels can stabilize, but at first those dangerous drops could create disasters.
In addition to eating disorders, none of these conditions should prevent you from avoiding intermittent fasting altogether, but you should definitely consider modifying your fasting times to avoid potential problems.
How to get started with intermittent fasting?
One strategy is to have a big dinner, close the kitchen at night, and then eat breakfast as late as possible the next morning. That creates a fasting window of 12 hours or more, most of it while you sleep, which helps your body dip into those fat stores.
If you have any of these conditions, it is recommended to work with a qualified nutritionist or dietitian who is familiar with intermittent fasting to help you tweak things until you have a solid understanding of how it affects your condition.
