Is Intermittent Fasting Right for Women? Why We Take a Different Approach

Intermittent fasting is everywhere. Skip breakfast, eat in an 8-hour window, and the weight will come off. For some people it works for a while. But for many of the women we coach, especially those who have been dieting for years, skipping meals tends to backfire.

We’ve been coaching since 2011, long before fasting windows became popular, and we’ve stayed with what we see working: regular, nourishing meals, a simple plan, and a coach beside you.

Many Women Are Already Under-Eating

Most of the women who come to us haven’t been overeating. They’ve tried everything: diets, detoxes, counting, cutting out food groups, fasting. Many have been under-eating for years without realizing it. Not enough protein, not enough good fats, not enough quality carbs.

When your body has gone without enough for a long time, cravings can feel like real hunger, because often they are. Skipping more meals on top of that rarely helps. It usually means you’re starving by mid-afternoon and fighting the pantry at night. When people try fasting on their own, many become even more food focused, because their body is hungry and isn’t burning fat in fasting mode.

Years of Dieting Change How You Relate to Food

Every time you lose weight and regain it, it gets a little harder to trust food, and to trust yourself. You restrict, you lose some weight, life gets busy, the weight comes back, and you start again with the next plan.

Part of what we do is help clients relearn to trust food. Regular meals send a simple message to your body: you’ll get enough. That’s very different from a fasting window, which can feel like one more set of rules to follow, and one more thing to feel bad about when it doesn’t stick.

Women Are Not Small Men

As Dr. Stacy Sims often says, women are not small men. A lot of the early fasting research was done on men, and women’s bodies don’t always respond the same way. That’s one more reason we don’t think a one-size-fits-all fasting plan makes sense for most of our clients.

What We Do Instead

• Three meals and a snack. On Phase 1 of the Ideal Protein protocol, clients eat 3 meals and 1 snack a day. No skipped meals, no fasting windows.
• Enough to eat. If you’re hungry late at night, the first thing we look at is whether your meals are big enough, not whether you need more willpower. Read more about snacking.
• Breakfast. Starting your day with protein helps many women feel steadier through the afternoon.
• Movement that feels good. On Phase 1 that means gentle activity like walking, not intense workouts. See exercise on Ideal Protein.
• A coach beside you. Weekly check-ins help you see what’s working and adjust, instead of guessing on your own.

It’s Not About Willpower

If you’ve tried fasting, low carb, calorie counting or eating “clean” and still feel stuck, it’s not because you’re lazy or broken. Often those approaches simply weren’t a fit for your body, your history or your life. If that sounds familiar, you might like Why You’re Not Losing Weight and Emotional Eating: Is Using Food to Cope a Bad Thing?

Common Questions

Can I do intermittent fasting on Ideal Protein?
On Phase 1 you have 3 meals and 1 snack a day, so there’s no formal fasting window. Some clients like to stop eating around 8 pm and have breakfast at 8 am, which gives their body a 12-hour rest from digestion. It’s not a requirement, only if it feels good.

I’m not hungry in the morning. Do I have to eat breakfast?
Many clients who weren’t breakfast people find their appetite comes back once they’re eating regularly. Start small, with something simple and some protein, and talk it through with your coach.

What if fasting has worked for me before?
That’s great if it felt good and was sustainable for you. If the weight came back, or it left you hungry and fighting cravings, it may be worth trying a different approach.

Food doesn’t have to be a fight. If you’re tired of rules and windows and would like a simple, nourishing way to lose weight, book a free consult. We’d love to hear where you are.