I imagine that feeling our greatest comes once we study to hearken to our our bodies—and one factor I’ve personally noticed over time is that I’m my most vibrant after I cycle out and in of intermittent fasting. Once I’m in line with a rhythm that works for me, I’ve regular vitality, higher digestion, and I discover it simpler to take care of my weight with out stressing over each chunk.
However right here’s the important thing: I’m not inflexible a few fasting schedule. If I get up actually hungry, I eat. If it’s the week earlier than my interval, I skip fasting totally. Intermittent fasting, for me, is about listening to my physique and tapping into that instinct—not “forcing” something.
My present method is generally impressed by Dr. Mindy Pelz’s e-book, Quick Like a Lady. Her analysis is all about how girls can quick in a means that helps our hormones, somewhat than working in opposition to them. I loosely sync my fasting habits with my menstrual cycle: throughout a lot of the month, I often comply with a 16:8 quick (an 8-hour consuming window, so between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., for instance). In the course of the luteal section (the week earlier than my interval), I don’t quick in any respect. Throughout my follicular section, I wish to experiment with a barely longer quick, when my vitality naturally feels increased.
This versatile method has been such a game-changer for me. Nevertheless it’s not simply anecdotal expertise—there’s actual science behind why intermittent fasting can assist girls’s well being, enhance longevity, scale back irritation, and produce a complete host of different well being advantages.
To assist us dig into the analysis, Lauren Zielinski, MSN, CNM, a licensed nurse, midwife, and ladies’s well being professional shares sensible recommendation to method intermittent fasting in a grounded, supportive means.
Lauren Zielinski, MSN, CNM
Lauren Zielinski is a licensed nurse-midwife with over 11 years of expertise in girls’s well being and start. She studied drugs at The College of Colorado-Denver with a concentrate on neighborhood well being and start heart work.
The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting
“There’s an abundance of research behind intermittent fasting,” Lauren shares. “And while it can lead to weight loss, the benefits run so much deeper. Research has shown its ability to “clean cells,” enhance longevity, and reduce the danger of widespread illnesses like diabetes and coronary heart illness. Intermittent fasting retains your DNA and cells wholesome, and might decelerate the growing old course of. I’d argue that it’s the closest factor to the fountain of youth.”
Lauren explains that intermittent fasting isn’t a fad—it’s been studied at main analysis establishments together with USC’s Longevity Institute and Harvard College. Research hyperlink it to improved metabolic well being, diminished irritation, higher mind perform, and elevated longevity.
How Fasting Truly Works within the Physique
On a standard day, your physique makes use of glucose from meals for vitality. However if you quick, it shifts from burning sugar to burning saved fats—a course of referred to as metabolic switching (a time period coined by Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson, Ph.D.).
This swap doesn’t simply assist with fats loss. It triggers a cascade of mobile advantages. As fasting continues, glycogen shops deplete, and your physique enters ketogenesis—releasing ketones into the bloodstream. These ketones:
Improve the physique’s defenses in opposition to oxidative stress
Assist take away or restore broken cells
Enhance blood sugar regulation
Improve stress resistance and scale back irritation
Much more fascinating: ketones stimulate the discharge of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic issue), a molecule that strengthens neurons and neural connections, supporting reminiscence and cognitive well being.
“Think of fasting as a mini ‘spring cleaning’ for your body,” Lauren says. “You’re giving your system a break from constant digestion, which allows your cells to repair and regenerate.”
The Distinctive Issues of Intermittent Fasting for Ladies
Whereas intermittent fasting can profit almost everybody, girls’s hormones make it particularly vital to method it with flexibility. Lauren emphasizes: “Women are not just smaller men. Our hormonal fluctuations throughout the month mean that fasting can feel amazing at certain times and depleting at others.”
Right here’s a simplified information primarily based on what each analysis and many ladies (together with myself) have skilled:
Follicular section (Day 1–14): Estrogen is rising, vitality is increased. That is usually the most effective time to attempt longer fasts (14–16 hours).
Ovulation: Proceed average fasting if it feels good, however hearken to your physique.
Luteal section (the week earlier than your interval): Cortisol is extra delicate, and your physique might have extra nourishment. It is a nice time to ease off fasting or skip it altogether.
Menstrual section: Many ladies really feel higher with mild fasting or none in any respect throughout their interval.
This cyclical method is what’s labored greatest for me. It’s additionally what Mindy Pelz and plenty of hormone specialists suggest: honor your cycle, somewhat than pushing by means of it.
The Lengthy-Time period Advantages of Intermittent Fasting
A 2019 New England Journal of Drugs evaluate of fasting analysis discovered vital, wide-ranging advantages, together with:
Cognitive perform: Improved reminiscence and psychological readability
Coronary heart well being: Higher blood strain, ldl cholesterol, and resting coronary heart charge
Metabolic well being: Improved insulin sensitivity and diminished danger of Sort 2 diabetes
Bodily efficiency: Enhanced endurance and lean muscle preservation
Longevity: Improved mobile restore mechanisms that will sluggish growing old
For me, these advantages present up as sustained vitality, higher digestion, and feeling extra in tune with my physique’s cues.
How you can Begin Intermittent Fasting Gently
If you happen to’d like to present fasting a attempt, right here’s Lauren’s conscious method:
Start with 12 hours between dinner and breakfast.
After per week or two, prolong to 14–16 hours if it feels good.
Keep hydrated—water, black espresso, and natural teas are your greatest mates.
Give attention to nutrient-dense meals throughout your consuming window to assist hormones and blood sugar stability.
Give your physique 3–4 weeks to adapt. “It’s normal to feel tired or irritable at first,” Lauren says. “That usually passes as your metabolism adjusts.”
And maybe most significantly: it doesn’t must be all or nothing. If you happen to get up hungry, eat. In case your physique wants extra gasoline throughout sure phases of your cycle, pay attention.
When to Keep away from Intermittent Fasting
Whereas intermittent fasting may be useful, it’s not proper for everybody. Lauren advises in opposition to fasting when you:
Are underneath 18
Are pregnant or breastfeeding
Have a historical past of consuming problems
Have diabetes or different blood sugar problems
All the time verify with a healthcare supplier earlier than making main modifications to your consuming routine—particularly you probably have underlying situations.
Meals Freedom, Not Restriction
For me, intermittent fasting isn’t about restriction. It’s about discovering a rhythm that helps my vitality, temper, and hormones—and being versatile when my physique wants one thing totally different.
Lauren sums it up completely:
“When done thoughtfully, intermittent fasting can be a powerful tool to support women’s health, but the key is flexibility. Our hormones are dynamic, and our approach to fasting should be, too.”
References & Sources:
Pelz, M. Quick Like a Lady (2022)
Mattson MP et al. “Intermittent Fasting and Human Metabolic Health.” New England Journal of Drugs, 2019.
Nationwide Institute of Well being. “Ketogenesis and Cellular Stress Response.”
USC Longevity Institute; Harvard Medical Faculty research on metabolic switching.
This put up was final up to date on October 24, 2025, to incorporate new insights.
