My Truths #82 (challenge of fasting)
by steffturner
The challenge of fasting is more psychological than physical. I’ve never fasted for more than 19 hours…that’s pretty much my limit. I can go from 6 p.m. until around 1 p.m. the next day without eating but when lunch time roles around it starts to become a mind game. This type of fasting is known as the “condensed eating window”. I’m not usually even that hungry but around noon I start asking myself questions like: Why am I doing this? Is it really healthy to skip meals? (that’s conventional wisdom talking). Am I sending the wrong signals to my body i.e. going in to starvation mode? (again conventional wisdom talking). I’m not trying to lose weight but I know, from the reading I’ve done, that intermittent fasting has other physical benefits and that restricting calories has been associated with longevity. The truth is that anything longer than 19 hours is too stressful for me. Stress is not primal!
NOTE: I believe that the book EAT STOP EAT by Brad Pilon promotes Intermittent Fasting as a weight loss method. I’ve been meaning to read it…
Hi Steff,
I love the article! I’ve had great success myself with fasting, and have noticed very positive hormonal benefits. I can easily fast for 48 hours, with water, and not even break my workout routine. Now, sticking to the Paleo theme, I don’t plan my fasts. I end up fasting about 1-2 times per month.
My wife is a totally different story though – her fasting experience would be better described as highly stressful, much like you’re describing here. We’ve done quite a bit of research and discovered that longer fasts tend to be more stressful for women than men. It seems that for many women, fasting should be confined to skipping 1-2 meals, in order to keep the duration below the stress threshold.
It’s important to note that in my research, I found some women who had positive fasting experiences, but there were many women who discovered that fasting for them was, as you’ve described it: very stressful. It would seem reasonable to spread the word among Paleo people that, despite the purported benefits, fasting is not for everyone.
Mark Sisson’s article on women fasting:
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/women-and-intermittent-fasting/
Stefani Ruper’s article on Fasting for women:
http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/
Those two should get you started! If you need more, let me know – I’ve read quite a lot on it.
Thank you so much for the links! I look forward to reading them this morning. I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone and that it’s somewhat “normal” for women to experience more stress while fasting.
wow… really interesting stuff! Stefani’s Ruper’s article is excellent and the comments provide great insight and further anecdotal evidence. I have high blood pressure (which my doctors is baffled by since I have a very low resting heart rate, am fit and am at a healthy weight). I might try eating 3 “squares” a day and see if it helps. Thanks again for dropping by and sharing.
Glad I could help! My one response to Stefani Rupert’s article would be that I did find women who reported positive benefits from fasting. So I would recommend that, after becoming educated on the possible outcomes, everyone should definitely try IF and see where they fall. Some people will find that they need to keep their IF short, like you, while others will find that IF has great positives and is not very uncomfortable, like me. Keeping an open mind, and have good informational resources to educate ourselves is definitely the road to better success!
Re: your blood pressure – Don’t get too caught up in what your doctors say. It’s not an issue at all if you’re healthy, and your blood vessel walls are strong and elastic; then your blood pressure is being regulated naturally, and for whatever reason, you’re supposed to have a higher than normal blood pressure. The medical community is still advocating whole grains as healthy – they have a lot to figure out, and a lot to catch up on! Their idea of healthy blood pressure ranges may change dramatically once the science has caught up with a truly healthy diet (Paleo, obviously!).